Dedicated to Adam Chu
Released: 8/17/1997
I first met Adam at the Valley Church Sanctuary Choir rehearsals. We had a huge tenor section (ten of us - more voices than the basses, and nearly all soloist quality as well!), and I understand that before my time they'd been doing things like convening "tenor parties" and such. Over the next few years, I learned more and more about Adam - and even now, much later, I'm still seeing new layers of depth to his spiritual life and personality.
There were a lot of lighthearted moments, such as the time Adam brought a "water balloon factory" to choir the morning of senior high camp - it was a device to be attached to a garden hose which had eight or nine ends for attaching uninflated balloons. With enough water pressure and enough hands, the Valley senior highers were set to supply munitions for the entire hot, thirsty week they were going to spend in the mountains!
The serious side came forth too. Adam was particularly adept at bringing the Word to others when they needed it (I presume that he still is!). Among other things, he continued to demonstrate that special discipline required to commit Scripture to heart. I wouldn't be surprised if, by now, he's memorized all of the Pauline epistles...
One quality which Adam showed was an absolute desire to seek and follow the Lord's will in all he did. And so his ability to perceive the Spirit's leading manifested itself in ways which most of us would consider unusual. It didn't take a lot of pushing by God, ever: by the end of the first nudge Adam customarily was off and running in the right direction. One example of this was his move to Colorado - the Lord's will was apparent to him and, after sewing up loose ends around here, off he went. One thing which set this all in perspective for me was that our mutual friend Susan once told me, "For us, it's unusual. For Adam, this sort of thing is normal."
And so Adam's leading the way for more brother and sisters in another state, showing them by example and understanding that special willingness to follow God's will. It is this characteristic which is the basis of the title of this song.