With Heavy Hearts, 74 Men of F3 Lexington , F3 Lake Murray and F3 Columbia gathered to honor FiA’s Digits. There never seems to be the right words in these situations nor can we always figure out what to do but we know that if we gather it makes it a little better so we did. Quis, Thumbs Up and others led a time of devotion and reflection prior to the run. We gathered in a BOM and prayed before we ran and then we set off in groups to run, ruck, walk and mostly talk. After the run we circled up, for a COT and BOM.
Over the past 24 hours YHC has had numerous calls, texts, tweets, etc. from pax wanting to take action. Some want to address our procedures, some want to address the public’s attitude toward runners, some want to help the family financially, some want to help provide safety gear…. ALL Wanted to HELP! WE know there are others that have ideas and desires that did not reach our immediately. We know that we are men of ACTION and SERVICE and we will find ways to make an impact to help make things better and safer for us and for others. As we move from these early days of initial grief and anger, we will band together and work towards those solutions.
Right Now we take time to reflect on Digits and what she meant to her family, friends and community. We reflect on our own situations and are thankful for our countless blessings. We will take time to support Digit’s family and those that are impacted by this event, her sisters that were by her side yesterday and stayed with her. We take the time to strengthen our relationships and look for opportunities to build new ones through this process.
T-Claps to the Men of F3 Lake Murray and F3 Columbia for coming and showing their support. It did not go unnoticed or unappreciated
I’ll leave this with a few passages from Quis this morning and words shared with us from GED yesterday:
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
1 Corinthians 13:13 NIV
“They say it only takes a little faith
To move a mountain
Well good thing
A little faith is all I have, right now
But God, when You choose
To leave mountains unmovable
Oh give me the strength to be able to sing
It is well with my soul”
I know You’re able and I know You can
Save through the fire with Your mighty hand
But even if You don’t
My hope is You alone
I know the sorrow, and I know the hurt
Would all go away if You’d just say the word
But even if You don’t
My hope is You alone”
You’ve been faithful, You’ve been good
All of my days
Jesus, I will cling to You
Come what may
‘Cause I know You’re able
I know You can”
From GED:
Dear FIA/F3 Sisters and Brothers,
The light shines in the darkness but the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1:5)
This morning we encountered the reality of this dark world when FIA Digits, Dianne Wells, was tragically killed during a group run near Lexington High School. She was a loving wife and mother of 3 precious children.
This stunning news has struck the FIA/F3 community hard bringing sadness and tears to many. We can’t believe that we are walking this terrible road again – the road that we painfully traveled when Cheech, John Flanagan, was taken from us not long ago. Darkness is real.
Even though darkness is a stark reality, – and the pain and sorrow that accompany it are real – the Light still shines! The Light blesses those enduring the darkest valleys with hope. Yes, there is grief. Yes, there are tears. Yes, there is the haunting question of why did this happen? But, nevertheless, the Light brings hope because the Light has defeated death. The darkness of death has not overcome it.
Digits’ tragic death serves to dispel the Pollyannaish views that people bring to Christmas. Life is not filled with tinsel, presents and candy. Rather life can be dark and evil. The good news of Christmas is that we worship and serve a God who became flesh and experienced firsthand what it means to be human and dwell in the evil of darkness. Darkness did not overcome the Light, but rather Jesus the Light overcame the darkness through his life, death and resurrection!
Yes, we grieve, but we grieve with tremendous hope that sin, evil and death will not have the last word — God will! As followers of the Light, we possess the assurance that death does not end in nothingness but with life – life in the light of God’s presence!
So, in the midst of this dark world in which we endure horrible tragedies like the one that claimed Digit’s life, we stand together and sing
Hail the Heaven-born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings,
Risen with healing in His wings;
Mild He lays His glory by
Born that man no more may die
Born to raise the sons of earth
Born to give them second birth
Hark! The herald angels sing
“Glory to the new-born king”
Let’s pray for Digits’ family and support them as you wonderfully did Cheech’s.
In Christ’s love,
Pastor Jim Glatz (GED)