Happy Halloween everyone. I am so excited to see the kids in their costume tonight. We don't live in a neighborhood so we are headed to my parents house to trick or treat there. And I hear my dad is smoking us some steaks in his awesome BIG GREEN EGG. That thing is awesome. While today is a fun day, I am also a little sad. Today would have been Brooke's 31st birthday. I have been avoiding blogging about her, I wasn't ready. But here goes. Everyone say a prayer for her parents today.
Brooke was/is my very best friend for 20 years. Brooke and I met in the 7th grade. We sat next to each other in science class. We dissected frogs together….well, I dissected and she "ooed and ahed, that's gross!" Earlier that year, I broke my ankle. Because we attended a very old school lacking an elevator, cafeteria in the basement and 7th grade on the 3rd floor, I was allowed to eat lunch in the classroom and of course the friend I chose to stay with me was Brooke. Everyday for 6 weeks we had 45 minutes to ourselves, left to our mischievous ways! Thus the inseparable friendship began. It wasn’t just a broken ankle; it was God’s higher plan. He used a broken bone for His glory. Although you cannot compare a broken bone to Brooke’s disease, in the same way God chose her suffering for His purpose, to show others He was in control.
John 9:
As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"
"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.
Brooke was diagnosed when she was 14 with Neurofibromatosis, type 2, a genetic disease that causes spontaneous tumor growth on her brain and spinal cord. Over the years, she developed hundreds of tumors and only the ones growing and causing trouble would be removed. She lost her hearing at age 20 due to an acoustic neuroma. She lost eye sight and control of one eye a couple years later. She then lost her balance and could not get around very well. In the last year, she became a paraplegic and in the last months, a quadriplegic. It was very sad to watch. She should have been a healthy vibrant beautiful woman.
Brooke knew early on during her disease that God had a plan for her life, that she was being used for His higher purpose. The glory of God in her life spilled out onto everyone she met and they were never the same.....I will never be the same. She would tell anybody who would listen that Christ was number one in her life and that she served a God who loved her. She would also say that she had nothing to complain about...that she had a loving family and a warm home to be sick in. Wow.
She had more surgeries than I can count. She made into the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest Gamma Knife surgery (a type of laser). She once said, "When I asked God to be famous, this is not what I meant!"....lol! She never lost her humor. She also said "I probably will die choking on a cheerio than from this disease!" She was very clumsy! But it turns out, it would take her life. Actually, God had mercy and that's the only reason why.
I am honored to be called her best friend, blessed beyond words to be there with her the night she accepted Christ as Lord of her life. She went to church camp with me after our 7th grade year. I will never forget that night, when she looked over to me and asked if I would walk to the alter with her. I remember praying with her and our counselor. And her journey began....her favorite camp song was "Sanctuary."
Something happens in the life of a believer when they suffer on earth the way Brooke did. The Holy Spirit draws himself so close that when you are in their presence, you have just been in the presence of God. Since Brooke was never able to meet her soul mate here on earth, Brooke asked God if she could marry her savior when she got to heaven. She asked him to take her as His bride and for the wedding of her dreams in heaven. I know He granted this for her. I asked Brooke to describe her wedding to me. She said, “for starters, I’m beautiful of course! In a white flowing dress….” We decided it would be in an enchanted chapel with floating pillar candles like in the Harry Potter movies. And when she made it down the aisle to Jesus, He would say “I’ve been waiting on you a long time” and tell her how much He loved her. I am absolutely sure that this is the greeting she got when she entered the gates. A faithful servant like her deserves nothing less!
Recently, my husband wrote a song for Brooke. I wanted to tell you about the experience Brooke and I had that led Trey to write the song. About ten years ago, Brooke was getting a Halo, a contraption that stabilized her neck which was unstable due to the bone in her cervical spine that were removed along with her most recent tumor. She had to be awake for this procedure and it is very painful, and I promised I would pray for her. The morning of her procedure I had a class in college and when I arrived back in my dorm room, I immediately remembered that I had forgotten to pray for her at her procedure time. I was an hour late! Feeling horrible that I missed it, I sat down at my desk and not knowing what to pray, I simply asked God “please give her peace.” A couple days later, Brooke called me and said, “The most amazing thing happened. I was getting really nervous sitting in the waiting room because they were an hour late getting back to do the procedure. But as soon as they started, I heard the clearest voice say "I’ll give you peace, I’ll give you peace, I’ll give you peace". So I began to repeat the Lord’s Prayer over and over until they were done.” So the song is called “I’ll give you peace.” And in the bridge of the song, it says:
‘righteousness Adorns you my Bride” Words that the Holy Spirit gave trey to write because he was unaware at the time of Brooke’s bridal request. The song is truly anointed. Recently, Trey got to sing her song at radio stations all over the nation! I have added it to the blog, its the post right after this one "ECHOING ANGELS VISITS FAMILY FRIENDLY RADIO WIBI" Get the tissues. Its awesome. And it is projected to be the next single in the spring/summer. I am in awe at how God works. Her legacy might be on Christian radio for the world to hear!
I could sit here all day and reminisce about my friendship with Brooke, there is so much of her wit and charm I want you to know, but I would fail her if I did that. Because all she would really want me to say is how much she loved Jesus Christ. And if you don’t know Him as your savior, your healer, your provider, your friend, then you have missed what her life was all about. If you’re living an average, mediocre Christian life, not wholeheartedly running toward Christ, then you are missing the experience of lifetime, the experience of her lifetime. If she could insure that just one more of you came to know Christ through her life, then she would say it was all worth it. She was His most faithful servant, each day, running toward the prize and exiting this world boldly straight into His arms. Because of her, my cup runs over….
Brooke was/is my very best friend for 20 years. Brooke and I met in the 7th grade. We sat next to each other in science class. We dissected frogs together….well, I dissected and she "ooed and ahed, that's gross!" Earlier that year, I broke my ankle. Because we attended a very old school lacking an elevator, cafeteria in the basement and 7th grade on the 3rd floor, I was allowed to eat lunch in the classroom and of course the friend I chose to stay with me was Brooke. Everyday for 6 weeks we had 45 minutes to ourselves, left to our mischievous ways! Thus the inseparable friendship began. It wasn’t just a broken ankle; it was God’s higher plan. He used a broken bone for His glory. Although you cannot compare a broken bone to Brooke’s disease, in the same way God chose her suffering for His purpose, to show others He was in control.
John 9:
As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"
"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.
Brooke was diagnosed when she was 14 with Neurofibromatosis, type 2, a genetic disease that causes spontaneous tumor growth on her brain and spinal cord. Over the years, she developed hundreds of tumors and only the ones growing and causing trouble would be removed. She lost her hearing at age 20 due to an acoustic neuroma. She lost eye sight and control of one eye a couple years later. She then lost her balance and could not get around very well. In the last year, she became a paraplegic and in the last months, a quadriplegic. It was very sad to watch. She should have been a healthy vibrant beautiful woman.
Brooke knew early on during her disease that God had a plan for her life, that she was being used for His higher purpose. The glory of God in her life spilled out onto everyone she met and they were never the same.....I will never be the same. She would tell anybody who would listen that Christ was number one in her life and that she served a God who loved her. She would also say that she had nothing to complain about...that she had a loving family and a warm home to be sick in. Wow.
She had more surgeries than I can count. She made into the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest Gamma Knife surgery (a type of laser). She once said, "When I asked God to be famous, this is not what I meant!"....lol! She never lost her humor. She also said "I probably will die choking on a cheerio than from this disease!" She was very clumsy! But it turns out, it would take her life. Actually, God had mercy and that's the only reason why.
I am honored to be called her best friend, blessed beyond words to be there with her the night she accepted Christ as Lord of her life. She went to church camp with me after our 7th grade year. I will never forget that night, when she looked over to me and asked if I would walk to the alter with her. I remember praying with her and our counselor. And her journey began....her favorite camp song was "Sanctuary."
Something happens in the life of a believer when they suffer on earth the way Brooke did. The Holy Spirit draws himself so close that when you are in their presence, you have just been in the presence of God. Since Brooke was never able to meet her soul mate here on earth, Brooke asked God if she could marry her savior when she got to heaven. She asked him to take her as His bride and for the wedding of her dreams in heaven. I know He granted this for her. I asked Brooke to describe her wedding to me. She said, “for starters, I’m beautiful of course! In a white flowing dress….” We decided it would be in an enchanted chapel with floating pillar candles like in the Harry Potter movies. And when she made it down the aisle to Jesus, He would say “I’ve been waiting on you a long time” and tell her how much He loved her. I am absolutely sure that this is the greeting she got when she entered the gates. A faithful servant like her deserves nothing less!
Recently, my husband wrote a song for Brooke. I wanted to tell you about the experience Brooke and I had that led Trey to write the song. About ten years ago, Brooke was getting a Halo, a contraption that stabilized her neck which was unstable due to the bone in her cervical spine that were removed along with her most recent tumor. She had to be awake for this procedure and it is very painful, and I promised I would pray for her. The morning of her procedure I had a class in college and when I arrived back in my dorm room, I immediately remembered that I had forgotten to pray for her at her procedure time. I was an hour late! Feeling horrible that I missed it, I sat down at my desk and not knowing what to pray, I simply asked God “please give her peace.” A couple days later, Brooke called me and said, “The most amazing thing happened. I was getting really nervous sitting in the waiting room because they were an hour late getting back to do the procedure. But as soon as they started, I heard the clearest voice say "I’ll give you peace, I’ll give you peace, I’ll give you peace". So I began to repeat the Lord’s Prayer over and over until they were done.” So the song is called “I’ll give you peace.” And in the bridge of the song, it says:
‘righteousness Adorns you my Bride” Words that the Holy Spirit gave trey to write because he was unaware at the time of Brooke’s bridal request. The song is truly anointed. Recently, Trey got to sing her song at radio stations all over the nation! I have added it to the blog, its the post right after this one "ECHOING ANGELS VISITS FAMILY FRIENDLY RADIO WIBI" Get the tissues. Its awesome. And it is projected to be the next single in the spring/summer. I am in awe at how God works. Her legacy might be on Christian radio for the world to hear!
I could sit here all day and reminisce about my friendship with Brooke, there is so much of her wit and charm I want you to know, but I would fail her if I did that. Because all she would really want me to say is how much she loved Jesus Christ. And if you don’t know Him as your savior, your healer, your provider, your friend, then you have missed what her life was all about. If you’re living an average, mediocre Christian life, not wholeheartedly running toward Christ, then you are missing the experience of lifetime, the experience of her lifetime. If she could insure that just one more of you came to know Christ through her life, then she would say it was all worth it. She was His most faithful servant, each day, running toward the prize and exiting this world boldly straight into His arms. Because of her, my cup runs over….
Post a Comment