5/2/2014
Precious – praying for you all.
Always a joy to see a smile on Chads little boys face. Today is also one of my sons birthdays. My son turns 18 today and with Gods guidance he heads off to Bob Jones this fall. Please keep him in your prayers as I will your family. May my sons make me as proud as yours has.
Wow, what a wonderful picture, What a wonderful reunion when we all step on heaven’s shore. Oh, come quickly Lord.
Praying for you!
Prayers for you daily! Such a sweet testimony!
Such a precious little boy!! Always was a happy boy when coming to his 1 yr. old Sunday School class. He is definitely his Daddy’s son…they look SO MUCH alike!!!
Handsome Boy. May the Lord continue to use the testimony that is being shared to so many!
Thank you for sharing this journey with all of us. God is using your journey in so many lives. Among the tears, there have been so many wonderful things that God has been given praise for. A friend who lost her husband and then oldest son of seven children that “God has filled to overflowing the void that He created.” That same friend also shared that she had experienced “the peace that passes all understanding.” You are right. You haven’t lost them if you know where they are. You and your family are loved, prayed for and a blessing. May God continue to hold you and receive glory from what He has allowed in your lives.
What a blessed testimony. Godcontinues to be glorified in and through you as well as Chad and Courtney. Our prayers continue to be with you all.
We have prayed for you and precious family since the day that we followed your church vehicles out of Camp CoBeAc. Our sons were in many classes together at Maranatha. Thank you for sharing these beautiful thoughts.
The photos are priceless and amazing! Thank you for sharing the painful, joyful expression of your heart, that no doubt were penned with many tears . . . each one stored! You and your family continue to be an encouragement and blessed testimony and are on many hearts, uplifted in prayer. May this special day, commemorating the birth of your son Chad, and upcoming Mother’s Day be filled and running over, as only the Lord can provide. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
God’s purpose and glory live on in each of you. We continue to hold you in our prayers.
Thank you for taking the time to share this. It brought tears to my eyes. What faith and what peace shines through! I will be sharing Chad’s morning routine with my sons as a good example of a well-ordered, balanced and faith-led life. Hoping that our sons will learn from Chad’s testimony which continues to live on in so many ways. Our prayers continue to be with you and your precious family as well as your church family.
What an edifying and Christ-exalting read. Thank you. It was a privilege to know Chad and be influenced by his life.
Linda,
I have prayed often for you and Pastor and for Courtney’s family during these months. May God continue to strengthen you.
Love and praying for you all!!! Just wanted to say that we wore our #EDGEstrong shirts for the Mini Marathon today and we had MANY runners come and say they remember that day! Such an encouragement to know that people don’t forget!!
Yesterday your family and the Gaddy family were on my prayer list. Now I know why.
In April our daughter miscarried. The verse “The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” was the verse God gave to me. My thoughts are on heaven more and who is meeting their Savior and others who have gone before us.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us. You all are a blessed example to us and we pray for you often. May the LORD bless and keep you and yours and make His face to shine upon you! We are so grateful your foundation is unshakeable, even in trials and sorrow that seem too much to bear. His grace is sufficient and you are shining proof of that!!
Linda, I have been praying for you and your family. There have been many times that I’ve sat down to write but each time the words just sounded messed up and didn’t make sense in light of your loss. It was at those times that I decided to bring you to the Lord instead. I am so thankful that we know the true God, and that he does all things well. May you continue to gain strength and peace from the Lord for each new day! Blessed be the name of the Lord!
Our thoughts, love, and prayers are for you today.
My husband and I went to college with Chad and Courtney. The Lord brings your families to mind often. Praying for you all.
Thanks for sharing your heart! It is a good reminder for me as Luke turns 29 a week from today followed by his and Charlotte’s commissioning service on Mother’s Day. After Leigh’s homegoing, it is bittersweet for me to think of saying goodbye to four family members for four years as they head to France and then the Ivory Coast. Resting on God’s promises, Beth
We continue to pray for your family. We enjoy seeing little Chase from time to time at BWM meetings.
Thanks for blessing us with you sweet and gracious testimony, Linda! I love how you glorify the Lord, and love the pictures of your sweet grandson!
Thank you so much for sharing more about Chad and Courtney and how God is using this in your life. Thank you for “blessing The Lord” at all times. We still pray and their lives are encouragement to us to be faithful until death, and we never know when that will be.
Thank you for sharing your mother’s heart for your children and the Lord. We look forward to our time together again.
The memory of the just is blessed. Praying for your family.
This is beautiful! I am so thankful for all the memories I have with Chad! It’s hard to think about him without smiling or laughing!
Linda, these words are so helpful and encouraging. Spiritual salve. Thanks for ministering to all of us in the midst of your pain by sharing this. I think of Chad nearly every day. Praying for God’s continued sustaining grace for you, Pastor and the family.
What a beautiful and precious tribute, Linda. My favorite was the quote by Ann Judson. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for sharing your heart. Thank you for your faithfulness to the Lord through such heart-breaking times. Thank you for finding Him faithful!
From one mother to another, this is a beautiful tribute to Chad and testimony to the Lord. I can’t imagine how it could have been done any better. Thank you for sharing your heart with us. It gives great food for contemplation and prayer. We never know how long we have with our loved ones. They are His before they’re ours. What a wonderful reminder for us to stop and thank the lord for his gifts and mercies. Thank you for providing this. And the pictures, well they’re just amazing. What a great idea. May God bless you richly for your faithfulness to Him.
Linda, what a great tribute to
Chad. The pictures are precious. We continue to pray for you and trust you will continue to find the Lord’s mercy and strength sufficient for each day. Miss you so much.
Thank you sharing! It truly makes me keep seeking that love and close walk with my Lord that you show.
Linda, what a joy to know you and your family. Thank you for posting this wonderful legacy of Chad and Courtney. May the Lord richly bless you and yours as you continue to minister for Him. Blessed be the name of the Lord!
I am so thankful to our Savior for Godly women who share with others our heavenly Father’s faithfulness in their lives.
Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised.
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May 3, 2014 – “Blessed be the Name of the Lord” (Written by Linda Phelps)
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Charles Richard Phelps, IV (Chase) holding a picture of his father Charles Richard Phelps, III (Chad)
“The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” Today is a day to bless the Lord. On May 3, 1988, the Lord gave us a happy, healthy baby boy, Charles Richard Phelps, III (Chad). We praise the Lord for this gift. On July 27, 2013, the Lord took this gift away. “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.” A few days after the home going of Chad, Courtney (his wife), and their unborn baby girl my father-in-law reminded our family that “they are not lost if you know where they are.” (“Blessed be the name of the Lord.”)
When our first two children were born, I had prayed for girls. I had three brothers and no sisters so I had asked the Lord for two girls. Next I prayed that the Lord would give us a boy. On Tuesday, May 2, around 10 pm we drove to the hospital and Chad was born on May 3rd at 9:11 am. Chuck and I were delighted to have a baby boy. In 1991 and 1995 the Lord gave us two more boys. What a joy to have a “quiver” with both pink and blue arrows. (“Blessed be the name of the Lord.”) Our first blue arrow was a little peanut. He weighed only 17 lbs. 5 oz. at one year old. What he lacked in size he made up for in spunk. Chad was a fun, vigorous child and young man. From a boy he loved music and sports. In second grade he started reading the sports page. Chad was always an earlier riser and in elementary school he would get up early, read his Bible, play the piano, and read the sports page. He did it in that sequence not because he was so spiritual but because he couldn’t read the paper unless he had first finished his quiet time and practiced the piano. He loved people of all ages and even in elementary school he wanted to preach. I remember one Sunday when we were snowed in. We had “church” with our family in the living room and Chad was the “preacher” for the morning. We thank the Lord for his salvation at a young age and that Chad sensed the Lord calling him into the ministry as a junior higher. (“Blessed be the name of the Lord.”) I am sure that each of our family members would agree that these past few months have been the most trying months of our lives, but they have also been some of the best months of our lives. Psalm 119:71 reminds us that “It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statues.” They have been good months because of what we have learned about our Lord and His Word. He is refining us, molding us, and preparing us for ministry and eternity. We desire that our testimony would be like that of missionaries Adorniam and Ann Judson. When the Judson’s lost their infant son, Roger, on September 11, 1815, Ann wrote, “But what shall I say about the improvement we are to make of this affliction? We do not feel a disposition to murmur, or to enquire of our Sovereign why He has done this. We wish rather, to sit down submissively under the rod and bear the smart, till the end for which the affliction was sent be accomplished. . . . O may it not be in vain that He has done it. May we so improve it, that He will stay His hand, and say, ‘It is enough.’” (“Blessed be the name of the Lord.”) In a few days (May 11th) it would have been Chad and Courtney’s fourth wedding anniversary. Chad married a godly, sweet girl. She was a dedicated and loving wife and mother. We are so thankful to call Courtney our daughter-in-law. She added joy and a tender spirit to our family. The two of them were so entwined that even after only three short years of marriage I believe that it would have been an overwhelming burden for one to live without the other. Therefore, our gracious and loving God instantly took them home to heaven together. (“Blessed be the name of the Lord.”) Chad spent 25 years, 2 months, and 24 days on his earthly journey. During the week of the funeral I remember my husband saying to several teens that though the book of Chad’s life is closed, there are no dark chapters. That happy, healthy baby boy who grew up to be a godly husband, father, son, and youth pastor continues to be a blessing – Revelation 14:13 “Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.” (“Blessed be the name of the Lord.”) If I could talk to Chad today, I would say, “Happy Birthday! I love you! I miss you! Thank you for your life and testimony. You were a precious gift given to us for a time. Now we promise to ‘Fan the Flame’ of your short, well lived life for the days and years to come.” (“Blessed be the name of the Lord.”) Written by Linda Phelps, Mother of Chad Phelps.
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“We pledge on this day (Wednesday, July 31, 2013) to fan the flame of their (Chad and Courtney Phelps) lives and work . . . To be here tonight and listen to the testimony of this dear family is profoundly inspiring.”
– Mike Pence, Vice President of the United States |
“God takes an event like this and works in infinite numbers of ways and in countless numbers of lives.”
– Steve Pettit, President of Bob Jones University |
“This is a trage-tunity. It’s a tragedy but also an opportunity to declare the glorious gospel of Christ.”
– Joe Fant, Program Director at The WILDS Christian Camp |
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