“Today we are not going to explain the mystery, we are going to speak the truth.”
On Friday, we received a call that our good friend Tennyson had died. As I write this now, we still feel like we can hardly believe the news. But phone calls, emails, and newspaper reports continue to confirm what in our hearts we know to be true. We have also seen, read and heard a variety of reports as to the cause of his death making it all the more confusing to understand why our friend is no longer with us. But as we have prayed and sought counsel, we have come to understand that it is not important for us to solve the mystery of Tennyson’s untimely death. What is important is to not let the shock of his death cloud the man he was and the God he loved.
Tennyson spent most of his time investing in the lives of others. He was giving and caring. He was an incredible encourager. He was mischievous and fun, a talented illusionist and preacher. He was loyal to his friends and had a zest and spark for life that was contagious. So our plan is to not focus on the mystery but to look at the truth. He is in the arms of a God who is fair and just. He is in the arms of a loving God who is merciful and knows our hearts. He is in the arms of our savior.
No matter the final report on his death – whatever the coroner concludes or cannot conclude – our hearts are reminding us to not spend our time trying to explain the mystery, but to spend our time focused on the life of our incredible friend, Tennyson McCarty.
He was a rock. Unwavering in his faith, and concerned only with truth. He was a true soldier of god, and everybody knew it. The way he was is perhaps the very thing that makes this so shocking.
Everyone who knew Tennyson will miss him.