On February 22, 2004, we faced the difficult loss of 15 year old Josh Whiteside. Josh is shown below with his band, the The Unknown Assassins. (L-R: Stormy, Josh, Tony, Ryan, and Zac.)

The following is a tribute offered at Josh's memorial service.

Hi, I want to share my experience of Josh and his friends and then challenge the rest of us.

When Jesus was here in the flesh, He didn’t set up a fancy office then sit back and say, “If they don’t come in, they don’t count and if they do come in and they look kind of weird, I’ll pretend they’re not here so they leave.” No, instead He went out and found the guys that the rest of us would not have talked to and invited Himself to dinner. He wrapped a towel around His waist and He washed their dirty feet. He called them His friends, He made them His family. He cared about wounded and broken people. He went where they were and He loved them.

This week I’ve had the privilege of sharing my home with Josh’s friends as they struggled with their pain. I have watched these young men come together in the middle of their grief and loss with compassion, kindness and love for each other. I have seen them reach for the positive by pledging together that Josh’s life will have purpose and meaning by making sure that he is the last to go. They have shared tears and hugs and laughter in remembering their friend, Josh. And they have a deep desire to honor Josh’s memory with dignity and respect. I love and admire these remarkable young men. Josh was blessed and surrounded by their friendship. The last time Josh was at my house they were introducing me to Brad who hadn’t met me before. My son Ryan said, “This is my mom”, as I came into the room and Josh looked up with that impish grin and said, “We all call her mom.” In that moment he gave me a precious gift…, he gave us all a gift. He was saying that we are all family, even those we don’t know yet. So here’s my challenge, let’s take his beautiful gift and live by it for him. Be family to one another. Invite yourself over for dinner. Make sure no one feels alone.

I’d like to end with some words to a song I’ve been singing for Josh this week:

With your final heartbeat, kiss the world goodbye

And go in peace and laugh on glory’s side

So fly to Jesus - Josh.