The Leader of our Band

A Minnesotan
From points north
A Finlander by name
He loves the cold,
water, Duluth
Knows that trees aren’t all
the same
He spent his childhood skiing
Summers at the lake
Then felt the call
To do much more
Said to God, “I’m yours
to take.”

He met a gal named Peggy
Married her at twenty-one
Spent his best years raising kids
Preaching, getting projects done
We laughed a lot,
We watched him build
On rock, not on sand
His passionate aim of winning souls
Wasn’t hard to understand

The leader of the band is here
And to God we give the praise
You taught us all to serve
Him first
And to Him our hearts to raise
We’ll live our lives in an attempt
To imitate the man
We’re all a living legacy
To the leader of the band

We’ve all gone different places
Sauk Center, Ankeny, Ames
One became a pastor
Others took some good men’s names
We’re rooted in the Bible
Seeking Him each day to grow
Living out this life you chose
So many years ago

Thanks for loving people
Thanks for knowing and making known
For Matthew 5, Corinthians 4
Winter walks out in the snow
We thank you for your faithfulness
Even when the times got tough
And, Papa, we don’t think we’ve
Said we love you near enough

The leader of the band is here
And to God we give the praise
You taught us all to serve
Him first
And to Him our hearts to raise
We’ll live our lives in an attempt
To imitate the man
We’re all a living legacy
To the leader of the band
We’re all a living legacy
To the leader of the band