Steve Harrison

David Huey

There are a few people in the world who are wicked awesome (sorry for the N.E. slang) and who you want to hang around or listen to pretty much everything they do and say.  Andy Stanley, though I haven’t actually met him, (does listening to him preach from about 10 feet away count?) is one such individual for me.

And then there are those individuals who make you feel like they are thinking that way about you.  I don’t think they really think that way about me, but they make me feel that way.  They are a special group of people, two of which I am happy to have in my life.  These encouragers are more than just cheerleaders, they are guys who pour into my life and encourage me to do more than I thought I could do.  If you don’t know Dave and Steve, you should.

They are certainly different in their methods of encouragement.  If you first meet Dave, my hunch is that at first you wouldn’t think of him as “an encourager” (though it’s been almost 15 years since I met him), but now he’s one of my biggest encourager friends.  Steve is Mr. Encourager, and that’s all I have to say about that.  I’ve never seen anyone more encouraging in my life.  This may be because I’m a yankee, but I digress.

Dave and Steve have, through their lifetsyles, encouraged me to be a better encourager.  And maybe even…

to find more.

One of a kind

Mike Burns, my friend and compadre from across the pond and beyond, is like a mountain man who likes to hang out in a mall.  A diverse fellow for sure, who can try to explain to you what a particular verse means is Scripture, and then offer you a torrential outpouring of verbal abuse like you haven’t had in your life time, all with a smile on his face.  This is why I like Mike – I dig the diversity, and the bit of the sacrilege he brings to the table.  I’m sure Jesus would have had hung out with him if He were here, so I will too.

Mike wrote the last comment of my post yesterday (up to this point) called, “Not that person anymore” where he said, “I mostly only read the comments (speaking of my blog), and not the post.”  Knowing Mike, this was meant to be a quick jab at me.  Mike claims (and certainly in some ways is right) to be “a friend who will help me with my ego.”  However, this particular jab was very much a compliment, whether it was intended or not.

I’m no genius like Garret or Jeffrey or the other engineers, doctors, and scientists God has blessed me to be around in this wonderful area of new England.  Nor do I claim to have a corner on God speaking to the masses in America or anywhere else.  But what I do bring to the table, Mike pointed out covertly.  I bring out an idea, let people process the idea and share their opinions, then connect with one another like they might not have done otherwise.

The geniuses are the ones commenting on these blog posts and sharing their opinions, and helping me to form my own through their relationship, both with this blog and face to face.  The real authors are the ones who follow up my posts with their insights, more times than not much better than my own.  The real innovaters are my friends who directly share their opinions, many time unwaveringly, and respond passionately to my quick thoughts or ideas.  the Daves, Ians, Katies, Brians, Dionnes, Darrens, and others of you who make this blog worth reading beyond my own thoughts.

The real geniuses are you.  So… thanks.