“By faith they passed through the Red Sea as through dry land”

Hebrews 11:29 “By faith they passed through the Red Sea as through dry land; and the others, when they attempted it, were drowned.”

A few weeks ago, I began researching people who struggle with a high secretion burden and looking into potential solutions to help them. During my search, I discovered a device that functions as both a swallowing and speaking valve, which has shown a high success rate in individuals dealing with this condition. I have suggested this device several times to the doctors at UAB, but each time my recommendation was dismissed. However, when I walked into Ricky’s room yesterday, guess what was sitting right there on the counter? The Passy Muir valve—the very device I had been begging them to try. Needless to say, tomorrow the trial phase with this valve will begin. We are incredibly hopeful that these trials will be successful, and that before long, Ricky will be able to speak again.

Jokingly, Brittany mentioned last night that Ricky might start cussing us all out once he regains his voice, but I don’t believe that for a second. Instead, I am absolutely certain that Ricky will be speaking Jesus all over the place. Can you even imagine the stories he’s going to share with us? After being so close to death multiple times over the past nine weeks, I know he has witnessed things beyond our understanding. I am confident he knows the One who carried him through every moment of this trial.

Today, before prayer with Woodville Church of God, I wrote on his glowing board this message: “Faith – The things they said you couldn’t do turned into the things God has allowed you to do.” During the prayer with the congregation, I barely suppressed a giggle when Uncle Steve said something strikingly similar to what I had written, even though he was over 100 miles away. Funny how God works isn’t it?

Ricky continued to sporadically hold his head up, raise his left leg, move his left foot, and occasionally shift his right foot as well. Today, he surprised us with a new movement: straightening his right arm and raising it nearly to shoulder level during prayer with the church. We are so thankful that God has allowed us to witness these small yet incredible miracles unfolding right before our eyes.

Each time I leave Ricky, a wave of anxiety washes over me. Just today, as I was preparing to leave, two helicopters arrived in quick succession at Children’s of Alabama. As I prayed for the children being transported on those flights, I was deeply that God is truly in control and that this situation are completely beyond my grasp.

What would life be like without a God whose boundless love, unending grace, and infinite mercy allow us to lay all of our deepest burdens and worries gently at His feet? I don’t know about you, but for me, life without such divine comfort would likely resemble the chaotic and troubled environment of a psychiatric ward in a mental hospital, filled with unrest and despair.

The very fact that God can take a man or woman—no matter how broken or flawed they might be, whether covered in tattoos, struggling with addiction, having endured multiple divorces, or weighed down by the heavy chains of past sins—and completely transform that person into someone Godly, wiping away every one of their sins and generously granting them a second, third, or even fourth chance at life, is nothing short of astonishing. This reality becomes even more incredible and reassuring to me with each passing day, deepening my faith and hope.

If we all stopped limiting our faith and opened our hearts fully to trust in God's power; if we all truly believed and deeply knew that our God can perform incredible miracles, can bring the dead back to life, can heal even the most horrible diseases, and can restore what is broken—physically, mentally, and spiritually—can you imagine the kind of world we would live in? The countless miracles we would witness daily? The hope, peace, and transformation that would fill every corner of our lives and communities? Faith could change everything.

Can you truly imagine what our world might be like if each of us chose to see the broken and hurting in the same compassionate way that God sees us? What if, instead of turning away from the homeless man or woman on the street, we approached them with open hearts—offering a warm meal, a refreshing shower, a kind word, or even a gentle hug to remind them that they are not alone?

Consider the drug addict—those individuals we often write off with harsh judgments, saying things like, "There’s no hope for him," or "He’ll never change," or even, "He did this to himself." What if, instead of giving up on them, we reached out during their darkest moments, visited them when they hit rock bottom, and shared with them stories of hope and transformation? What if we dared to offer a glimpse of the miraculous power of grace and renewal? Imagine how different our world would be if compassion replaced judgment and kindness became the language we all spoke.

I remember a specific time when Ricky had relapsed on Spice, and the memory remains vivid to this day. I still have a video still saved from that difficult period, showing him while he was struggling. At that time, he was still living at mom’s house, trying to find some stability, in all of the wrong places. This was a while after Sav had passed away, a loss that hit all of us hard. Like many addicts, Ricky tried to numb the overwhelming pain with something he believed could take it away—a substance he turned to instinctively. He would sit on mom’s carport in the rocking chair, getting high to escape reality. I remember approaching one day and finding him completely passed out from the effects. In my frustration and hurt, I yelled at him and hit him repeatedly for over seven minutes before he finally came back to his senses and attempted to lie his way out of the situation I had just witnessed. My anger towards him was deeper than I had felt in a long time. In a moment of desperation, I jumped on him and took the remaining Spice from his pocket. Although he fought back, he was too impaired to win that battle. Later that night, he called me in tears, overcome by withdrawals, and he was literally begging me to give him some of the Spice back—just a little bit to ease the torment he was feeling. The next day, I reached out to people he had previously attended NA meetings with, asking if they could go speak to him. The answer I received was discouraging: “Not while he’s high,” and, “It won’t do any good to talk to him now.” Let me say quickly, this wasn’t the response from all NA members; many reached out and showed genuine concern. As Christians, I think sometimes we adopt a similar mentality. We can forget where God has brought us from and the places we might have ended up without His grace. If God—or someone else—hadn’t spoken into our lives during our own rock bottom moments, we could easily find ourselves in a situation much like Ricky’s then, struggling and lost in pain. This perspective reminds us to hold onto compassion and hope, even when it feels like all is lost.

If you’re an addict, God can fix it. If you’re the family member of an addict, have faith and don’t give up. If you’re lucky enough to have never been in either category, thank God every second you get a chance.

Please continue to keep our family in your prayers, as well as all of our UAB families. Remember our children in your prayers, and especially my brother, Ricky.

We ask you to continue to seeking miracles for everyone who is facing illness and struggling with their health. Your ongoing prayers and support mean so much to us during this challenging time.