I was involved with Jubilate in 1983 to 1987. I served as Steering committee chairman in my 4th year. During my 3rd year, Jubiltate allowed me the opportunity to meet my future wife, Michelle Smyth, who was the Chairman for that year. We were married in 1988, with a chorus of Jubilate members providing beautiful music at our wedding. So, we obviously have fond memories of Jubilate not only for bringing us together in marriage, but more importantly, for establishing the beginnings of a foundation in our relationship with Jesus Christ in those crucial years.
I graduated in 1987 and matriculated at Washington University Medical School in St. Louis. Michelle joined me after our marriage in 1988. Following my completion of medical school, we moved to San Antonio, Texas to begin a Pediatrics residency in the Air Force. After this, I returned to St. Louis to do a three year fellowship in Pediatric gastroenterology. During the years of 1997-2002, we moved a second time to San Antonio to do our pay back time in the Air Force.
During all these moves and levels of training in medicine, we began having children. Sam arrived in 1993, with Michelle stepping down from her buyer's position with Dillard's to become a full-time mom. In St. Louis, Jonathan was born in 1995 and Ben in 1997. With these three boisterous boys, we returned to San Antonio in 1997. This time marked a big change for us spiritually as we moved from having the "appearance of religion, but denying the power thereof" to surrendering our lives to the Lordship of Christ : living obedient lives, instead of living as we wanted. This "stake in the ground" time spiritually arose during a revival in our church in San Antonio and has radically changed our lives.
|
In obedience to promptings from God, we had another child, Caroline, in 1999. Soon after birth, I realized that something was amiss with Caroline. After a long two years and many medical tests (and emotional and spiritual tests for us),she finally got the diagnosis of Rett's syndrome, a delibitating neurological disorder. She is unable to speak, cannot walk, and is unable to use her hands purposefully to grasp anything or gesture. However, she has a beautiful smile, a clear understanding of who her family is and she has taught us volumes about the goodness and faithfulness of God. She is truly a blessing. After some years of searching, we have come to a place of peace and rest in the goodness of God to give a special child like her to us, who not only models dependency on God for us but teaches us daily about denying self. We are completely changed because of her presence in our family.
Since leaving the military in 2002, I accepted a job in practice in pediatric gastroenterology in Roanoke, Virginia. This has allowed us to move near our families again, to bond with our parents on both sides and be of help to them, especially Michelle's mom who is widowed and living here in Roanoke. During the last 4 years we have been blessed with two more little girls, Faith in 2004, who attests to God's faithfulness to us, and Grace in 2006 (April), who reminds us that God's grace abounds to us (2 Corinthians 9:8). Michelle is dedicated to her time with these blessings and she is in her fifth year now of homeschooling our children.
We think back with thankful hearts for God in His sovereignty moving us to be a part of Jubilate and still stay in touch with a number of singers from our years in this special group.
|
