ed bolkley got it

when i was in college we had an "old guy" come in to our college group at church once in a while. he was one of those people that was a permanent fixture at church. he was always there. always willing to help. always caring and loving.

we were recovering from a tumultuous changeover in leadership in our ministry and he came to our worship service one night, probably to be a peaceful and steady pillar for us students.

and when it came time to sing, he actually led us in a song. he got up and told us we were going to sing a hymn. um.. a hymn? hello! we do praise and worship here!!

but without having any words or music, he just closed his eyes and started singing. and he was... horrible! his pitch was all over the place. some of us looked at one another and snickered. i probably would have been the next one to do so, but something about ed caught my attention.

this man wasn't just singing. he was worshiping. he was, like, blasting the heavenly gates with praise to God. he was in love with God! it flowed out of him like those words.. those words that at first sounded rattly and harsh, started to sound sweet and melodic, and before i knew it i was enraptured with the display of affection, worship and passion that was before me.

a lot of students left that place chuckling over ed and his awful singing. some of them to this day probably think ed was just some crazy old man who didn't know how "out" a hymn was.

but as i continue to this day to sing that beautiful song about God's amazing love, how can it be? that He should die for me!!.. i realize that that night, ed bolkley was the only one in that room that 'got it'.

he wasn't worried about the drama going on in the ministry, he didn't care how uncool others thought he appeared. he gave what he had to the only audience that mattered.

he just put his love song out there to his Lord and God and everything else just melted away.

i remember when he died. i didn't know him that well but his song had affected me so deeply that i went to his memorial service to pay my respect to a man who lived fearlessly for God. and the church was packed to overflowing with people outside in the lobby and spilling out to the sidewalk.

the entire block was buzzing with people who had been affected by ed's passion and zeal.

you know, i don't recall ever seeing our college ministry packing them in like that. no one in that ministry had throngs of people filling the place to overflowing. who was the cool one, now?

and not a single person at ed's memorial service failed to sing of God's amazing love - that hymn that ed loved so. and the sound on that day,.. it sounded like a huge choir of angels! it sounded like a little taste of what i think heaven will be like - voices rising in praise of our God. it was breathtakingly beautiful.

i think maybe ed's song sounded like that in God's ears. i think God heard the heart of his song, not the pitch, not the outdated hymn,.. he heard the heart. because ed's song wasn't about ed.

And can it be that I should gain
An interest in the Savior’s blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain—
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

ed bolkley got it