None Of Us Can Imagine. . . But We Need To Know. . .

With the permission of Spencer and Kristin, I'm writing today's blog. It's not an easy blog to write. Spencer and Kristin have spent the last few months living through the unimaginable. They are working through the grief of losing their precious17-year-old son, Brad. They want to issue warnings to other parents and youth workers. What I have found especially amazing is their ongoing journey of faith and their transparency that has come with inviting others into that story.

I want to be sensitive in what I write and how I write it for many reasons. I don't want to wander into the realm of exploitation. I don't want to communicate very sensitive things in the wrong way to the wrong people. What I want to do is share the story that Spencer and Kristin Scoggins have been living and that they want to tell.

The best way to share the story is to point you to a post Kristin put up on her blog. Please take the time to read her blog and hear the story of God's faithfulness and sustenance. Here's a paragraph from her blog post:

As most of you know, on May 21, 2012, we lost our seventeen-year-old son, Brad. He was our first child. He was smart, funny, and kind. He was rowdy, rambunctious, and always the first to try something, especially if it involved a hint of danger. He had an impish little grin that followed him into his teenage years. He kept us on our toes. He had that teenage boy disease that so many boys do, invincibility. Brad had just finished the 11th grade. He was enjoying working with his dad for the summer. He had plans for work and continuing his education, and all too abruptly, those plans came to an end. The manner is which Brad died was preventable, making this all the more devastating for his family. For those of you who don't know the details, we have been very open in person, but I won't put them here unless I know it is time because the issues are sensitive, and there are teenagers who might read this. I would rather their parents talk to them about those issues. I respect a parent's right to inform their children about certain things in their own time.

It would take days to tell you everything that I have learned and am still learning. My main purpose here tonight is to tell you that in the midst of the darkness, in the bottom of the pit, in the wee hours of the morning, when you think you can't take it anymore, there is a God who loves you. There is a God who comforts. There is a God who takes ashes and turns them into beauty. . . . continue reading here.

Finally, I want to point you to a blog post I wrote back on April 27 of this year. This post will help you understand more about the Scoggins' story.

If you would, please take some time to lift the Scoggins family up in your prayers.