Storms and Goodbyes

"I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together." Psalm 34:1-3

I have never understood how people praise God in the good moments and then curse Him in the bad. It is as if He owes them something and then fails to follow through on paying His debt. I have come to understand that my Jesus owes me nothing at all. Rather, I owe Him everything. As a result, he deserves my praise and worship through the storms as well as the clear weather.

God is good, regardless of the circumstances in which I find myself. Right now that truth is such a comfort and peace in the midst of our current storm. My Jesus is good, and He holds me and my family.

On Sunday Wanda and I will be flying to NC to say goodbye to my mom. Unless she receives a miraculous touch, we will remove her ventilator on Monday and let her go be with Jesus. In that moment, she will exchange her frail, broken body for one without blemish or defect, and she will get the chance to see first-hand how good our Savior really is.

I expect the funeral to be Wednesday or Thursday, but do not know for sure. To be on the safe side we are planning to stay until Saturday. It will be good for us to be able to spend time with my sister and brother and their families celebrating mom’s life and comforting one another. Your prayers are appreciated.

I have worked hard this week (as much as I have been able to focus) to catch up on work and plan for another absence. However, I ask for your patience with me over the next couple of weeks. If you have business with our ministry that I need to handle, if possible please wait until October 8th to send it. If it is urgent and cannot wait, please be patient with my response time. I will try to keep up with e-mail, but will not have ready access so my response will likely be delayed. If you are awaiting communication from me, please be kind enough to remind me as I am afraid that my cluttered mind may have forgotten. As always, feel free to contact our Office Manager, Emily, at our US office (937-216-1300).

Please note that I will be out of phone communication for much of our time in the States. The best means of communicating with me is through e-mail. If you need to speak via phone, send me a message and I will call you when I am able. Thanks for your patience.

Once again, thank you for all your prayers and kind words to me and my family. They are precious and I savor each one.

Because of Him!

Daryl (Wanda and the Crew)