A Man of Passion

While on IV staff, I recall meeting Marc at the beginning of his freshman year as Dusty Ellington and I were starting a Bible Study in Stern Hall. It wasn’t long before Marc got frustrated with the commitment level of some of the upperclassmen in the group. As we discussed his feelings over slices at Pizza-a-Gogo, Marc set out on a passionate diatribe about Christians in InterVarsity, Stanford, and pretty much the whole of California not being as “on fire for Jesus” as his circle back in Reno. When I questioned whether he was including me in this lukewarm pool, the extended pause couldn’t be written off as part of his trademark speech cadence. While the chances to see each other came few and far between in more recent years, they usually included a reminiscence on this conversation and the chuckle it gave me when I would hear not only of Marc’s continued commitment to the IV group, but of the steps into leadership as Bay Area staff. Praise God for the passion that never died and for the diplomacy that was birthed beside it.

Rolf Geyling
Santa Barbara