1996, what year to forget - but, at the same time, what a year
to remember God's faithfulness! We certainly were able to experience this
faithfulness this past year during some very difficult times. This album is entitled Peace In The Storm because we know that in the journey
of life you will encounter many storms, and the only way you will be able to weather those
storms is to have the Lord Jesus Christ as the captain of your ship. He
provides the peace that passes all understanding (Phil. 4:7) to help you through
your crises.Our "storm" commenced with the miscarriage of our second child.
We certainly were shaken up by this, but we chose to hold onto the only truth we know - God promises that He will be with us in time of trouble (Ps. 91:15)
and . Thus we came that he will never leave nor forsake us (Deut.
31:8) to the realization that, though we suffered this loss in our lives, God had
great things in store for us, and He would use this experience in a positive way in the
future.
The very week we found out about our miscarriage, the Lord in His perfect timing
brought us into contact with several people who had recently experience similar grief.
Through the pain and the tears we shared with these people, God showed us that in the
difficult times in our lives He will provide brothers and sisters to help us carry the
load. Psalm 37:25 tells us that God will never forsakes His
righteous children, and our family knows now - better than ever before - that
although God does not guarantee pain-free lives (just look at Job!), He
does promise that all things will work together for good for those who love Him and who
are called according to His purpose (Rom.8:28).
Soon thereafter we suffered another loss in the death of Huntley's Great Aunt
Esther. Aunt Esther was like a grandmother to Huntley, and though we knew that her
homecoming day had been imminent for some time, this did not soften the impact of the loss
for the family members remaining.
Just when we thought things couldn't get worse, we were stunned to hear of the
death of a very close family friend, Katherine Hope Ritchie. "Hopie," as we
affectionately called her, was a fine musician in her own right and a young woman of God
who was wise beyond her 19 years. As empathetic a soul as there ever was, she made
manifest our Lord's command to carry each other's burdens (Gal. 6:2),
often lending an understanding ear to Huntley during the times he would practice at her
home. She was always a great source of comfort to everyone who knew her, and her death has
deeply affected our family.
Psalm 30:5 says, "Weeping may remain for a night, but
rejoicing comes in the morning." We experienced the depth of that verse on
January 9, 1997, with the birth of our second daughter, Natasha Marie Brown. Natasha
arrived at a whopping 9 lbs. and 1oz., and she has certainly turned our mourning into dancing (Ps. 30:11). While we rejoice and in the
birth of our daughter, we continue to grieve with those who are still "going through
the fire." Scripture exhorts us to rejoice with those who
rejoice and to mourn with those who mourn (Rom. 12:15), and we want to assure those
of you who are currently going through trials of any kind that our prayers are with you.
