God is our refuge and strength
A very present help in trouble.
Even though the earth be removed
And though the mountains be carried
into the midst of the sea;
Though its waters roar and be troubled,
Though the mountains shake with its swelling....
Be still, and know that I am God
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth.

We are back in Wake Forest and nothing seems to be any easier, in fact probably harder, not having the support we had in Spartanburg. I wanted to write yesterday but just didn't have
the strength. God kept me in Psalms 46 yesterday and today. He is our strength because we have none. As I continue to grieve, questions keep going through my mind. I pray that my question of Why? is not a question of lack of faith but a question of not understanding and grieving. My question of "why God did you take Brandon?" was somewhat explained yesterday in my time with the Lord. I was looking at it as if Brandon's life had been cut short and it wasn't fair but in reality Brandon's race was over. All of our days are numbered and we must make the most of the time God gives us. Brandon finished his race strong. He accomplished more in his 20 years than most accomplish in a lifetime. It's comforting to know God said to Brandon,"Well done thy good and faithful servant." Right now we are praying, as David Blanton said, " that God's grace would be greater than our grief." We don't know why but we must trust God. We must focus on what we do know, not what we don't. We don't know why this happened to Brandon but we do know that God is our refuge and strength, and His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. As I have been reading and meditating today I realize that blessings come to us in mysterious ways: through pain and tragedy. It's at those times that we can know God's goodness, only through trusting in Him. Our understanding will fail us, but trust will keep us close to God. We have anxious thoughts and everything, and I mean everything reminds us of Brandon, but we must listen to God, turning away all other voices, so God's voice is all we hear. We are praying for God's perfect peace, and as God gives us little glimpses of what He is doing through this we can feel that peace. Please continue to pray for us as our grief is so great and every reminder brings tears and feelings of unbelief in the pit of our stomach. We love all of you and thank you for the prayers and support.

Just Speak Life. John 6:63

Brandon

For those that don't know my brother, Brandon was killed in a car wreck Tues. March 17th. This has been the hardest thing I have ever gone through. Gina, the kids and I have been in Spartanburg since the 17th. We are heading back to Wake Forest today, the 29th. My mom is going back with us to spend some time with us. Our grief is great, but we know God is sovereign and He has a bigger plan that we don't see yet. We don't understand ,we are angry and sad but God is our comfort. When our focus is on God's presence, things that trouble you will lose their power over you. Though our world around us is confusing and falling apart, we must remember that "I have overcome the world. I told you these things, so that in Me you may have Peace." Peace is what we long for in times like these and if we are followers of Christ we alredy have that peace through Jesus who is in us.
Yesterday God spoke to me through Isiah 26: You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trust in You. Trust in the Lord forever, For in Yah, the Lord, is everlasting strength. Our family needs His perfect peace and His strength. Please pray for our family as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death. I miss my brother more than you can imagine. The pain we are experiencing is unbearable, but we are trusting in God to carry us through this pain. I am planning to update our blog regularly to keep you updated on our family and what the Lord is doing through this tragedy. Coming soon will be a website with a blog. The address will be Justspeaklife.com
Those of you that are walking through this with us remember to Be still in God's presence and let nothing distract you from your first Love.