I’ve been heartbroken since Friday morning. That’s when I got the bad news about my dear friend, Gary Lamb. He shared this devastating news yesterday on his blog. I must tell you that I’m still having a hard time getting my head around all of it. It’s still very fresh and it’s hard to put into words everything I’m thinking at this point but I do want to share a few early thoughts.
First and foremost, my heart goes out to Deanna and the kids. As Gary has said, they are the real victims here. I have literally cried for this family and what they are now going through. I’m going to be praying like crazy for them and I’d like to ask you to do the same.
Second, my heart goes out to the staff and the people of Revolution Church. Again, I’ve been grieving for these folks for days now. They have suffered a huge blow and it’s going to take some time for them to work through everything. I pray that they will look to Jesus and focus on Him alone. I must say, however, even in the midst of all this that I am confident that the Lord will see them through this and show His great strength as they walk through it with Him. There is still a bright future for Revolution!
Third, my heart goes out to Gary. I love that man like a brother. He made some bad decisions and he fell into sin. Now, he’s dealing with the consequences of those decisions. I know that it’s going to be a long process but I also know that God is a redeeming and restoring God.
Now, let me quickly add that some will be tempted to vilify Gary and try to somehow diminish the work God has done through him at Revolution. That would be a big mistake. To be sure, there are certainly lessons to be learned from all this and I’m not trying to defend Gary’s sin but the truth is that God used Gary in big ways to change many, many lives. We would be wise to celebrate what God has done while, at the same time, grieving that which has been lost.
Beyond all that, I want to say publicly that I am completely committed to doing whatever I can to help Gary, Deanna, and Revolution. Now is the time for all of us that know and love these guys to step up. We must commit to pray for them and be there for them throughout this entire process.
I want to stress again that God is a redeeming and restoring God. While this news was a shock to us, it wasn’t a shock to Him and I know that He always has a plan. He’s got a plan for Revolution Church. He’s got a plan for Deanna and the kids. And, He’s got a plan for Gary too.
I am reminded of these verses…
I’m absolutely convinced that nothing—nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable—absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us. Romans 8:38-39 (Msg)
