Arrangements

Thanks for all the prayers and encouraging words for our family.  We are humbled by the out pouring of HIS grace and the love of so many friends and family.

Listed below are the various arrangements for Deb.  I was not able to submit these to the newspapers, so please feel free to pass them on. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Midway Community Church – Preschool.

Viewing – Monday – May 30 - 6:00 – 8:00

McDonald & Sons Funeral Home

150 Sawnee Drive

Cumming, GA  30040 

770-886-9899

www.mcdonaldandson.com

Funeral Service – Tuesday – May 31 – 1:00

Midway Community Church

3365 Francis Road

Alpharetta, GA  30040

www.midwaycommunitychurch.org

Graveside

Green Lawn Cemetery

950 Mansell Road

Roswell, GA 30076

770-993-4444

www.roswellfuneralhome.com

Family will return to the church following the graveside service.

Dan

At Peace

Mom passed at 6:00 this morning.  I’m speechless. Dad, Missy, Peyton, and I all sat around the table this morning crying, praying, and worshiping the Lord. Our family is stronger than ever and God is helping us every step of the way. We know that mom is with Him in heaven. Thank you for all the prayers. Please continue to pray for peace and joy for our whole family. 

The Smith Family

Big Change of Plans

Well, many things have changed in the last few days that I must inform you of. I will not being going to Thailand right now. To be as honest as possible, my mom doesn’t have much longer to live and I need to be home. That is a hard pill to swallow but it is the realty we face right now. I cannot begin to explain how I feel. My mom currently has cancer in her brain, which is causing memory problems, her lungs, which is causing shortness of breath, her liver, which is causing many other problems I can’t really explain and her lymph nodes. All we know is that her time is short and we need to spend as much time with her as possible. I know that God wants me to go to Thailand, just not now. Despite my frustrations, my pain, my tears, or my sheer hatred for this situation, God is still faithful. His peace has been overwhelming. I beg you to pray for my family as we face the coming days. Pray for wisdom, clarity, peace and a willingness to obey the Lord, whatever it takes. Here is a verse that I have found comfort in.

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”- Isaiah 41:10

Tate

Prayer

I didn't mean to post twice in two days but I just can't help sharing what God is doing right now. This quote sums up what He has been teaching me today:

"So let me say loud and clear that I believe the proclamation of the gospel in Word and deed is the work of missions. Prayer is the power that wields the weapon of the Word and the Word is the weapon by which the nations will be brought to faith and obedience." -John Piper Let the Nations Be Glad

There are so many things here that I can highlight but I'll just do one. "Prayer is the power that wields the weapon of the Word." Piper is explaining that everyday on this earth is a battle and our ability to wield our sword (the Word) will determine the outcome of the battle. As I started to think about my wielding abilities, I realized my prayer life stinks! I have this massive sword (the Word) but I can't use it! I started to think about how I can go about developing my wielding abilities and there is only one solution. Pray through memorized verses of Scripture. I've heard different preachers tell me to do this but I have never actually done it. I need have a verse memorized so that when I have to fight, boom, I whip that verse out to shut down the enemy. I've got some memorizing to do.

For the King,
Tate

Just Jump

Have you ever had the feeling that you were about to be part of something much bigger than you expected? It’s weird to explain, but I’ve had this feeling this week just thinking about all that God is going to do in the next two months. It’s exciting!

I have three weeks between finishing finals and my departure, so I wanted to make that time count. The first two weeks I’ll be in Athens finishing up work at Chick-fil-a for the summer and then packing all I own. The last week I’ll be hanging around the house, spending some quality time with the family.

I wanted to use these three weeks to prepare myself for what God is going to do in my life. As I began reading different books and talking to friends I realized that every aspect of my life will be affected by this trip. It will take more faith, more trust, more prayer, more humility, more everything. I began to realize that there was no way I could be completely ready and that is exactly how God wants it to be.

This reminded of the time I went skydiving freshmen year. I had never been before so I was obviously jumping tandem. (attached to someone who knew what they were doing) There is not a lot of prep time. You have to watch a 15-minute video on the dos and don’ts, put on a special suit along with a helmet and goggles, and then just jump.  Could I have done this by myself? No way! I’m putting my life in the hands of a guy named Chuck who knows how to jump, knows when to pull the parachute, and knows how to take us to the ground safely.  It was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done! This is a cool picture of the next two months. All I can do is make sure I know the dos and don’ts, put on all the needed gear (relationship with Christ, faith, prayer, ect.) and just jump. Can I do this by myself? No way! But I’m trusting that God has everything in control. Just jump and enjoy the ride!   

For the King,

Tate