Jon Kindy and Shadows

A few days ago John Kindy, a friend to many of us, went to be with Jesus.  I met Jon in kind of a strange way.  I organized a bike ride called "Ride 4 Shelter" to raise money so that the homeless in the Glenwood Springs area could have a safe place to sleep through the winter.  Through a friend, Jon heard about the ride and signed up.  He came the day before, ate dinner with us, stayed the night, and we were off riding by 8am the next morning.  Five of us rode the long ride and it was immediately clear to us all that Jon was the only one who knew what he was doing.  During our 2 day ride I got to know Jon as a sincere, genuine, and true guy.  In fact, meeting Jon made me think of Nathanael of the the gospels.  Jesus meets this guys Nathanael and immediately makes the claim that "here is a man of Israel in whom there is nothing false."  I imagine Jon was a lot like Nathanael because upon meeting him I felt inclined to say something similar.  Anyway, I like this picture because it is the 5 of us standing on a wall in Leadville, Colorado after we had conquered 90 miles and a couple of passes.  The Bible speaks of things being "a shadow and type of things to come."  Our temporary joys and victories in this life are a shadow and type of the life we will live with Jesus (the life Jon is now living).  The victory this picture represents, that what I was able to share with Jon is a reminder to press on in the faith, to run the race, and to endure till the end.  Thanks Jon for the life you lived and your reminder to press on.  
   
" No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.  For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Romans 8:37-39