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Our good friend, Glen Welch, has moved on to be with our Lord. He left gently and peacefully with his
family at his side.
A Man Among Men
Those of us that have been so richly blessed to have this wonderful man as a part of our lives have and
will hear a lot of names and descriptions spoken of him. Some that come to mind just recently are pastor,
friend, father, husband of 40 years, grandfather, singer, and even saint. I am privileged to be among
those to also say he was my best friend. Ours was a friendship that started at the fence between our
properties and nurtured itself through so many get-togethers at that fence, occasionally at our homes or
at a function, and on the phone (when you could catch him at home). As good friends do, we shared our
faith, our lives, our families and at times our difficulties. With Glen, everyone that has ever met him
knows, that everything is "Just Right". It didn't matter what was happening in his life at that moment,
everything was "Just Right". As he went through his last couple of years in his battle with cancer,
the operation, the pneumonias, the times in the hospital, chemo, and new tests finding new spots or areas
of concern, everything stayed "Just Right". A little over two weeks ago I called him. Rita had left
to run an errand. We talked about how he was, how tired he was and the other things that were going on.
As we talked, he said -- Mike, my friend, everything is not "Just Right", but I know that it will be again
very soon.
A Man Among Men
That saying puts the image of a warrior, a fighter, a gladiator, an example or a leader in our minds.
Glen, in his service to our Lord, was every one of those things and more. He arose each day and made
himself available, without conditions, for the Lords work and boy did the Lord ever use him.
It didn't matter if he was cooking a hundred hamburger patties for a large church function or if he
was carrying a bag of groceries to the homeless fellow who was living in the field on Hwy 34, you ate.
It didn't matter if you were one person needing to get somewhere to pick up something or a vanload
needing to get somewhere, you got there. It didn't matter if you needed a song in your heart, a smile,
him to sit with you, share with you, a friendly hello, or hearing "Have a blessed day" as only Glen
could say it, you had it. If you didn't see the warrior, gladiator, and fighter for the Lord you weren't
looking. If you didn't recognize the leader or see the example, your weren't paying attention. He was
and still is a man among men.
If you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your savior or if you have not built a personal relationship
with God because you felt you couldn't see them or touch them or know for sure that God was present,
then you didn't pay attention when you were with Glen. No, Glen was not God. But you can be sure
that through Glen, God spoke to each of us in so many ways. Through Glen you were able to see God
at work, feel Him, and hear Him as He spoke to us. Do not let this moment pass. Do not go another
moment without starting a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Many that are
Christians can use this opportunity to hear God speak to them as well and step forward to be more
available for His use. Who knows how God will use you. You might take a bag of groceries to the
next hungry person, sit with someone in a nursing home, be more active in church, work behind the
scenes, or just let your faith shine through in all that you say or do. If you don't know Him
personally, the door is open. Step in, He will take your hand and never let go and flood you with
blessings you can't imagine. If you do know Him, He has never let go and eagerly waits you
to ask what can you do today. Either way my friend, step up, for the time is right now.
We won't adorn this site with black borders or similar signs of mourning. We will however celebrate this
man's life. We will give praise and thanks to God for His huge blessings by placing this man into our lives
so that God through Glen could lead us, share with us, inspire us and so many things. And we will ask that
we will carry forward and hopefully allow, through us as Glen showed us how to do it, God to touch others
as we have been touched.
We will miss Glen the husband, the Dad, the Grandfather, and the dear friend, but he is one that will
be with us forever, and we will surely hear him say from now on the everything is truly "Just Right".
If you wish to send a message to his family, send me an email to mikeygen@verizon.net Be sure to put
"Bubbling Over" in the Subject field so I will know who it's for, and I will pass it along.
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