Fred won't want me to do this, but I haven't gotten where I am in life by listening to Fred Turner!
The following is an excerpt from a post I made this morning on my personal blog:
The loss of Fred and Jen to St. Awesome's is a terrible one. Fred brought sincerity, transparency and warmth to our church community. He was a voice of wisdom, humor and, when needed, healing. We'll never see another one like him come through the doors.And though Jen wasn't a staff member, the loss of her to St. Awesome's is equally devastating. Jen is funny, and warm and enjoyably sarcastic at all the right times. Like a lot of the staff wives at our church, there's a realness to Jen that, unfortunately, you don't always see in women married to ministers. Jen, like Fred, is transparent and everyone is the better for it.
Worse than the loss to our church, though, is the loss to me personally. Fred has, over the past few years, become one of my best friends. He's one of the few people I know who can improve my mood simply by being in the room. There's going to be a big hole in my life that he and his beautiful wife used to occupy.
Fred, Jen, I love you guys. I'm excited about the greener pastures that lie ahead of you, and want nothing but the best for you. You're going to be missed, though, in ways that I can't even begin to elaborate on properly.
I know everyone is as devastated to see Fred and Jen go as I am. Use the comment section to let Fred and Jen know what they, Colston, and Addy have meant to you.
6 comments:
Even though I will miss Fred (as an individual)... I think I will miss his deliverance of the Word even more. He has a gift for poignant, simple and powerful delivery of God's teaching. He breaks the truth down to digestible nuggets and relates the ancient words to a contemporary place and time. He will be a tough act to replace, but God will provide. I thank God for allowing Crossroads to have benefitted from Fred and Jen's time with us. I know they will go on to do great things at their next stop on the journey.
Crossroads will truly miss a wonderful speaker and teacher of the word..It truly amazed me how he could deliver a message and quote scripture without the Bible or any notes. May God continue to bless you and your family and hope your new church realizes how blessed they will be to have you...
Paula Hatfield
dang
one thing i'm going to talk to the Lord about when i get to heaven, is why people always have to leave.
it stinks.
it smells like when i left a tomato in the back of my fridge for like 6 months.
Well, here's a poem for you guys.
Roses are Red
Cows give lactation
Come to Lexington
when you vacation.
i love you guys.
bunch of jerks.
I am still recovering from the shock I felt when the news was delivered last weekend.
Fred has been part of my entire life at Crossroads. He saw me through my baptism, took my husband and I through premarital counseling, held the flowers at my wedding while I exchanged my vows, and helped me grow closer to God as I muddled through the Reverb creative team as the token "old person".
I have teared up with emotion during his messages; his gift for teaching and reaching inside one's soul to bring it closer to Christ is unmatched.
We wish you and your family great blessings as you continue on your journey. You will be sorely missed.
Everything that I want to say about Fred leaving has already been said. Fred, you have a way about you that is truly unique. You deliver a message in a way that makes me feel like you are talking to me each time. You really realate the message to the listeners in a way that is real and transparent. You will definately be missed. On a more personal side, you always have a smile and a warm thought to share and that is not so common these days. You are humble yet wise. I have really looked up to you. I hope that you and your family find a home with your new church and I know that God will bless all of you through your move. Best wishes and lots of love!
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