"Gut Wrencher"

Today is a bit of a "gut wrencher". "My Boy" leaves the country headed to the "Big Sandbox" in Afghanistan. His deployment will be a year. So he will be gone till late Spring or early Summer.

Keep him in your prayers. I know he is in the Lord's hands and He has always done a better job taking care of him than we have. But it's hard knowing he will be in harms way everyday. As far as we know their will be no breaks like last time in Kuwait and Iraq. Always on guard with his head on a swivel, this time. Last time at least he got to be safe three days every now and then.

As you keep us all in your prayers especially remember his precious wife Brantley. We are so thankful for her and her love for Jonathan. He has even more to look forward to coming home to than last time.

We serve a sovereign God. I am glad that He is in charge of every bullet and bomb in Afghanistan. Nothing can touch "My Boy" unless it goes through the hand of my Father and his Father. That theology makes some folks nervous and some folks down right mad but when scripture teaches that the Lord controls the winds and the waves. He moves the hearts of kings. Then controlling a bullet or a bomb is not difficult.

We trust in the Lord.

Gripped by Grace,
Hal

Family Talk

I have a couple of great son's-in-law (Don't tell Andy I said that) and a great daughter-in-law.

But this is not about the two s-i-l's but the d-i-l.

Just last week she waved Bye to "my boy" as he goes for further training to be deployed to "the big sandbox". I watched the two of them and I am so glad the Lord put them together.

He calls her his "puzzle piece" because it took her to make his life complete and I must say, I agree.

She makes him happy... happier than I have seen him since he was a little boy and killed his first two squirrels, two squirrels two shots, and that was happy. Don't take that wrong, that was a big happy day for an 8 year old.

Now I watch as she prepares to wait for him over the next months and I see the love of my son's life counting the days and waiting.

I believe the Lord gave him a Prov. 31 woman. Especially verses 10-12, "An excellent wife who can find? She is far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not harm, all the days of her life."

Thank you Brantley for loving "my boy" and making him happy and giving him someone to be excited about coming home to.

Gripped by Grace,
Hal

Saying "Bye"...

I'm sitting here trying to say on a blog, to the few who read it, how I feel after saying "Bye" to Jonathan this morning ... for a year.

All I can say is, I already miss "my boy" real bad.

Gripped by Grace,
Hal