05/09/2026
Since 2018, it feels as though life has been one wave after another. The house fire was only the beginning. What followed were seasons of loss, accusations, heartbreak, disappointment, grief, and deep wounds that changed everything. Yet through every storm, one truth has remained unshaken: God has been faithful.
It is of the Lord’S mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is Thy faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23, KJV)
There was the pain of a church split during one of the hardest seasons imaginable. There were false accusations of insurance fraud and setting the fire ourselves, followed by a year-and-a-half investigation that eventually proved the accusations untrue. Even though truth prevailed, the emotional toll was enormous.
There were attempts to rebuild and dream again through a bed and breakfast venture before and after COVID, both ending in failure. There was the fear and uncertainty when our son-in-law became the first severe COVID case in the county, and yet we witnessed God raise him up from what appeared to be a deathbed.
There were devastating accidents, injuries, concussions, and lingering struggles. Then came the deepest wound of all: losing our daughter unexpectedly after what should have been routine surgeries. One moment she was recovering, and the next our world changed forever. Grief entered our home in a way words cannot fully describe. Our granddaughter moved away, though we cherish every summer we still have with her.
There were seasons where depression became so heavy that medication became necessary just to function. There were days when the mind and heart simply could not carry the weight alone. Yet even there, God did not abandon me.
And still, in the middle of sorrow, God kept sending people. A new associate pastor arrived who encouraged the vision God had placed in my heart instead of suppressing it. Family moved in. New life filled empty rooms. An older gentleman became “Pops” to everyone around us, bringing joy, wisdom, and quiet strength into the home. God continued building family in the middle of brokenness.
Then came another kind of loss this year — not death, but the loss of trust. Sometimes betrayal wounds deeper because the person is still alive, yet the relationship you believed in no longer exists. Some losses leave scars that permanently change the way you see people and life itself.
Yet even through anger, confusion, disappointment, and tears, God has remained steadfast.
When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned. (Isaiah 43:2, KJV)
I have learned something through all of this: faithfulness is not proven when life is easy. God’s faithfulness is revealed when everything around you falls apart and He still carries you forward one step at a time.
There were moments I was angry with God. Moments I did not understand Him. Moments I questioned why so much pain could happen one after another. Yet looking back now, I can still see His hand carrying us when we had no strength left of our own.
God did not always stop the tragedy. But He never left us in it.
And today, after the fire, the investigations, the failures, the grief, the betrayal, the depression, and the countless tears, I can still say with certainty:
He is steadfast. He is faithful. And He has carried us through it all.
