Derek Taatjes

somethings are distracting during worship. but this wasn't.
people knew who you were talking about when you described the tall man with long stretching arms in the front row. it's one of the first things I remember about Crossroads.

I remember most of his messages. they were sincere and bold and he talked a lot about repentance and forgiveness and I remember meeting with Jesus during one of the college retreats where he encouraged us to get on our face and remember who God was. It was as if God was huge and large and filling the room, and yet, Jesus was standing right there in front of me. He lived the things he spoke about. there were countless stories of how he constantly found himself on his knees and then humbled himself before his wife asking for forgiveness. I still have the notes of a message he gave about marriage. He told us that never once did Charity have to get up from the living room to get her own drink from the kitchen, never once did she have to empty the trash, because Derek wanted to be a servant. And that He was. And she spoke about submission to this zealous passionate man - she spoke about it with love in her eyes and she spoke of the word as if it meant the same thing as safety, not duty. Because He was safe to her because of his love for God. I have in my notes from that sermon that like Christ lives to intercede, so he wanted to do for Charity - so he wanted to Cherish God's daughter. Life Long. He said. And now his life has ended and He has moved into a place Ephesians calls, "far better." His advice to us was, "BLAZE." to "blaze after God."

I remember his message a few summers ago on Psalm 34:1 (NASB, of course) -

"I will bless the Lord at all times
His praise shall continually be in my mouth."

He spoke of how their family had gone through some tragedy, and how Charity's Father got up in the funeral of His son to say this verse. And it hit me today. Now, we must say that about Derek. And now Derek does praise the Lord at all times.

I remember Him making his way to our table at Rose's on Valentines Day with his arm around His wife. He asked intensely (the only way he knew how to ask, with passion and zeal and direct eye contact) if Max and I were in love. Charity stood next to Him, with Dylan's dinner on a small part of the front of her dress, smiling. watching him. I asked them both what the key to success in their marraige was, and he said, Repentance and Forgiveness. And she kept smiling.

Some say that Derek was intense. Other raved about His teaching and couldn't stop talking about all they learned. God sent that man with a message. God sent that man to our youth, (to our church, how priviledged we were for God to send Him to us) to speak. And Derek was faithful with the message God placed on His heart no matter how radical it seemed. And now he has joined the great cloud of witnesses to encourage us on to follow our God. to love Him and serve Him well. I cry as I write this. Partly for sadness for his family, partly for joy that He is now with Jesus, partly for jealousy that he beat me there. :)

You will be missed Derek.
Thank you for your faithfulness.