The Day that LIndsay and Emily Hope Died.

Happiness does not always last.

I was so happy when my wife Robyn and I had our second child,  Lindsay. She was somewhat fearful but also loved to laugh. She was a very law abiding citizen and never really hurt anyone. I remember taking her and her older brother to the movie Saving Private Ryan. I wanted to show them how our "forefathers" lived and died for our freedom. At one point Lindsay leaned over and said, "Now what war  this Dad?" She was never great at history. But she was a thankful young lady.


























Marriage 

.Lindsay was married  July 10,2001.  It was a great ceremony and the Lord was glorified. She and her husband decided to name their baby, "Emily Hope." They like many parents felt that God would use their baby some day. The name meant to Robyn and me that a great future for their family would be filled with faith, hope and love. But we never expected that  in the near future, a day would end in great violence and could be likened to the "fog of war."



















 Helpful Scriptures On Suffering

It was beyond our human comprehension how God would make something good out of this tragedy. But we did know what the Bible said, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren" ( NASB, Romans 8:28-29).

He is the great God of Heaven and earth.

 The Psalmist said, "Not to us, O LORD, not to us, But to Your name give glory; because of Your loving kindness, because of Your truth.Why should the nations say, Where, now, is their God?" But our God is in the heavens; He does whatever  He pleases" NASB) (Psalm 115:1-3,).

Two More on  September 11,2001  


On September 11, 2001, our nineteen year old Lindsay was excited to go to church and pray for our nation.  On the way home from church, she smiled and pulled ahead of us. A little after that she was hit on the driver's side of her car,  she and her baby,who was fully formed in her womb, died almost instantly. The man that hit her was shooting up heroin and was smoking crack.



She and Emily were like roses trampled on the ground by terrorists at home. 

 That night, when chief of the police said, "your daughter has passed;"I felt like  someone had stuck  his hand in my heart and pulled it out and threw it to the ground.In my opinion, there is no such thing as closure (except in Heaven). Today as every anniversary day of their deaths, her three brothers and Robyn and I still experience the loss of those we miss and lost.




An Angelic Escort

I believe with all of my heart and mind that the moment Lindsay and Emily died, they had an angelic escort carry them to heaven.  Earlier in her life she had trusted the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. We know though our sorrow is great, we have a hope of reunion. Remember that I said that Lindsay was fearful? She must have been amazed when  the angels who probably stood by the accident and worshiped the Lord  for all his ways and works, took her and Emily in his arms and carried them straight to heaven.






Have you been confused about the losses in your life?
We are in the process of writing a book on the great losses of life.  We know the subject, we lived it. Please pray for us that we would do a good job of presenting Biblical grief!
We have already written a book that I had been slow in writing.  Losing Lindsay and Emily was a reminder to Robyn and me that our lives are like a vapor, a breath.

  Our book (Kregel Publications).
.Broken Minds Hope for Healing When You Feel Like You're Losing It" is dedicated to Lindsay and her baby Emily.

In this ground breaking book we tell our story about Robyn and I dealing with the mighty blows of major depression.  But it is also an explanation of what the church needs to know about depression, so they can  help the believers in Christ that are suffering this painful malady.




Don't let the copyright fool you.  We wrote this book with "staying power." It is just as relevant today as it  was  in  2005,If you would like to order this book you can find it in both book and digital formats. All you need to do is to go to:   
https://www.amazon.com/Broken-Minds-Healing-Youre-Losing-ebook/dp/B004EPYNLE/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=