Here are some things I remember about Glen...

Glen was one of my favorite facilitators, passing through Beijing from about 2004 (I can't remember when Glen came on) to 2014. I'd brace myself when I heard he was coming...always energetic, on the go, just being Glen.  Yes, that's the most distinctive thing about Glen, he was always just being Glen.  No complicated agenda or pretense, just himself.

No matter who Glen met he acted the same.  Once I met him at the Beijing International Christian Fellowship, a church of upper class Asians, diplomats, and educators in Beijing.  He walked in looking a little seedy, scruffy red beard after being hidden away somewhere teaching Greek in western China.  He did look a sight, not like a scholar.  But he was shaking hands, saying howdy, and grinning like it was Texas.

Glen made connections everywhere he went.  Once we had dinner with one of the top leaders of the Chinese house church movement.  The man was famous, in charge of millions of believers, and a very busy man. I was coaching Glen about Chinese etiquette...ha!  Glen was just Glen, joking, showing photos, ordering his own steak, doing everything wrong.  But pretty soon they were carrying on together, and Glen had made a connection.

He met a general's wife on a train.  Well, Glen got invited to her home, and met her husband, one of the highest ranking army officers in the country, who was open to the gospel.  He visited their home on several occasions.  He was just whistling on the train, being Glen, sharing what made him happy, why people could be totally carefree in this life.

Glen loved Chinese food, and always had students come meet up for dinner.  We mostly listened to Glen talk.  He loved to talk about grace and all the Greek words used in connection with salvation.  He drew an umbrella, salvation, that had all kinds of words on it.  He would spin into deeply felt convictions about our freedom in Christ, but showed us all a lot of discipline in his own life... like running marathons and diligently studying the original languages of the Bible. Glen was not what he sometimes gave the impression of, a hillbilly or maybe a simpleton, he WAS a scholar, only one who had very little ego, a rare man.

On one occasion we were talking about "paradise."  Maybe we were talking broadly, like what would be the most enjoyable thing to you.  My thoughts went to living in a beautiful place, etc, etc.  Glen just said that for him, paradise was being locked up all summer with 20 Chinese Greek students, studying together, eating together, and living together.  I'll never forget Glen's answer.  Maybe its just that Glen enjoyed discovering God, in detail, knowing what was really true about Him, so much!  And now he knows everything!  Hey Glen, see you there, scholar, friend, example of grace.  We'll catch up with you some day soon.