Almost twenty years ago a quiet man named Scott Baker redefined for me what a worship leader looks and sounds like. Monk-like in appearance and speech, Scott led music sitting down, often with a cherry red electric guitar. The Kingdom-soaked songs he wrote shaped many hearts, including mine.

This week Scott, 60, passed unexpectedly. You don’t realize how much someone means to you until this moment comes. I’m off to the funeral this weekend. With old friends, we’ll celebrate his life and grieve and sing his songs together.

This little note to you is one of my ways of honoring him. And to remind each of us that life is brief, that your life matters more than you can imagine, and that God is near to the brokenhearted.