Last Sunday, millions of Americans and many others around the world watched professional football players compete for the championship of their league. Fans screamed their delight in the game and the half-time entertainment. In his book “Half Time,” Bob Buford compares life to a football game: “The game is won or lost in the second half, not the first. It’s possible to make some mistakes in the first half and still have time to recover, but it`s harder to do that in the second half. In the second half you should, at long last, know what you have to work with. And you know the playing field – the world you live in. You have experienced enough victory to know how hard the game is most of the time, yet how easy it seems when the conditions are just right. You have experienced enough pain and disappointment to know that while losing a few rounds is certainly no fun, loss is survivable and sometimes uncovers the best that is in you.”

Last week I learned that the son of a pastor in Boucherville (near Montreal) died in December, leaving his wife and two young children to grieve. When I spoke with him, I could hear the heartache in his voice. He told me that his son knew the Lord and that his daughter-in-law is a believer and goes to the church which he is pastoring. Please join me in praying that the Lord would comfort Pierre, his family, and their church.

On February 9, 2012, Timothy Donley was very severely wounded while serving his country in Afghanistan. Timothy has suffered more in the first half of his life than most people will in a lifetime. The following update (edited slightly) was written by his parents this week:

To All our dear family, friends and brothers and sisters…Today is our Timothy’s 4th Alive Day…. yes, it was 4 years ago today that he was targeted and very severely wounded by a remotely detonated IED. We celebrate today as a triumph of his life and the many miracles that have gotten him this far!

Interestingly enough, his next younger brother, Gregg 2.0, currently in technical training in the USAF’s E.O.D. school just began the section of his training on learning how to disarm / dispatch of IED’s! Incredible. His motivation and conviction for being in this highly dangerous training is to help keep others’s ‘Timothy’s’ from suffering the same fate.

As we’ve been reading and looking over this “Praying for Timothy Donley” group communication we’re so totally humbled at the incredible, amazing, sustained outpouring of love – real sacrificial love – prayers, support and encouragement in so many practical ways… where would we be without you? Starting with the friends around us when we first heard the terrible news, to those who started this whole organized process of keeping information flowing – especially prayer requests …’friends of friends’ who arranged for cooked meals for us for months … the wonderful ladies who loved and served us continually…and meanwhile, there were literally thousands around the globe lifting a unified chorus of prayer continually! We can never repay this debt of love that each one has shown to Timothy and us. Thank you and God bless each and every one of you. We know that there are still those praying for Timothy EVERY DAY! Such a picture of Jesus’ love for us. “In so much as you’ve done it for the least of these My brethren, you’ve done it unto Me” – Jesus –

Today Timothy was not able to be with us as he was in Bethesda in a recording studio taking care of business. The Lord has honored Timothy with this incredible calling and challenge to live his life for Jesus and others.

Please keep praying for him. He still has much daily pain in his legs – more in the left one which was damaged worse – and the cold has amplified the aches in his arm and legs. He’s also had bouts of bad sciatica pain – which apparently comes and goes… but even more importantly, he really needs good, solid healthy sleep. This is a daily battle; one that we know our Sovereign Lord can handle, but also one for us to pray him through as he continues moving forward, rebuilding his life.

Yes, he continues to be a ‘joy’ and is living life to the fullest! We rejoice with him and Kelly as they enjoy married life and the amazing opportunities the Lord keeps providing for them!!

When I met Gregg and Kathryn Donley in a Missions conference in Fergus, Ontario, a number of years ago, I saw that they were choice servants of the Lord.  They shared some of the challenges that they faced while serving the Lord in the Middle East. After their son, Timothy, was wounded, they relocated in the U.S. and are grateful for the prayers of God’s people for them, for Timothy, and for their entire family.

Thought for the weekend: “Man strives for glory, honor, fame … that all the world may know his name. He amasses wealth by brain and hand … and becomes a power in the land. But when he nears the end of life … and looks back over the years of strife … he finds that happiness depends on none of these … but love of friends.” – Author unknown (from “Four Pillars of a Man’s Heart” by Stu Weber)

In His grace,

Steve