"Grateful" in Evergreen

A quiet morning today as our hosts, Bill and Rita Starkey, left early to make an appointment in town. As well, Trey and his friend, Hayden, are not skiing - so that B and I are left to do as we please. The result? A trip to the local bagel shoppe for bagels and coffee then back to this glorious home for a quiet morning - each with our Bibles, books, pen and pad.

The area here (Evergreen, CO) is absolutely gorgeous. On our drive this morning B and I saw a herd of Elk as we motored past a preserve and park known as "Elk Meadow." There must have been well over 200 of these amazing creatures - which was a marvelous sight to behold. Reminiscent, I thought, of the natural order and God's original design.

So today our plan is to 'lay low' and stay in the area. A hike, I am sure, as well as a local drive dotted with shopping. But, whatever the day might hold, it will be wonderful. Nothing short of a good and timely rest for this pastor with a full and grateful heart. And how else might it be in a setting such as this? For out every window that I peer I see nothing less than the glory of God.

Pastor Sam

Buffalo Gap, Abilene & Celina Texas

Celina Texas is not Buffalo Gap nor is it Abilene - but it is about as close as you will get to it here in Collin County Texas - and that's where DeLynn and her boys have decided to lay to rest our ParkwayHills deacon chair, David Shaw Parker, tomorrow.

My great grandfather, Charles Lane Dennis, came to this area in the 1870s - sometime after the Civil War. He and many other's from northeastern Tennessee and southwestern Kentucky came too. In fact, a passel of early settlers to this region hail from the same area and time. They came in search of land - a place to call their own and make their way, and the vast, young state of Texas held wonderful promise for what they sought.

Mr. Dennis farmed his entire life in this county and is buried in Melissa, TX. His eldest son, Thomas Van Dennis, or TV as he was called (long before those initials would mean anything electronic) married and followed suit, farming near a community known by old Doc Hubbard's country school - one named after his daughter - the 'Allah Hubbard School', and situated about 5 miles north east of Celina. TV was buried in the Old Celina Cemetery south and west of the town - and his wife, preceding him in death by 3 years, is buried beside him - but from here my story takes a twist.

My Dad, Delmer, was TV and Mattie's youngest child - number 13 of 14 - with the last child dying at birth. Dad's mother died when he was 5 and his father died 3 years later, when my Dad was 8. That was in 1933, and TV, Mattie and their baby girl lay in the family plot alone for many years, or until, 1989. That's when my Dad, at his request, was buried there.

Now B and I don't like to talk about death, but roots are roots, so that we've said that this is where we'll be laid to rest when our times comes. Till that times comes we've been know to occasionally pay the cemetery a visit. So that when the Parker's (as I drove them about looking for a place to bury their father and husband) were saying things to me like, "Dad wouldn't like this," and "Pastor, David was really a misplaced country boy at heart," the Old Celina Cemetery came to mind. When we pulled onto the cemetery grounds, walked across my ancestors graves, and west up a little rise to the newer part of the cemetery, the family sighed and said, 'this is it!"

Of course those of us in Christ know that David is already with Jesus. His salvation has been made - and he is with the LORD - for to be 'absent from the body' is to be 'present with the LORD.' But the Bible also teaches that one day the graves of all believers will open - and those who are 'asleep and remain' (the bodies of those passed on) will rise up out of their graves clothed with "new bodies' to live forever with Christ (1st Cor, 15 and 1st Thess 4). And, oh my! What a grand day that will be!

So my deacon chair and I, one Mr. David Shaw Parker, should the LORD tarry, will one day rise up from that spot in Collin County Texas - along with all the other saints in Christ from around the world - and "so shall we ever be with the LORD."

So that, "Yes, the place is not quite Buffalo Gap, nor is it Abilene" but it is Celina, Texas. And from this place in Celina, God will one day call him finally home.

Till then we shall remain

Pastor Sam

An update to my 'David Parker' post, from Delynn Parker

Delynn Parker, the precious wife of David, of whom I wrote about yesterday, sent me this email just after my blog post about her husband. For those of you reading this as a means of prayer and support for the family - this update will help with those natural questions.

Love to you all,

Pastor Sam

From Delynn:

Word from coroner just now. It was Sudden Cardiac Death. Not heart attack. Plaque buildup and scar tissue, enlarged heart. Altitude and heart trying to work hard to get more oxygen caused it to stop. There was a slight flutter, but with AED there was never another heartbeat. It was instantaneous. If he had had a stress test he would have probably failed, thus been sent to hospital for treatment. I believe he learned to overcome any signs of stress emotionally through his complete faith in God, yet he never thought about what those signs could mean physically (flutter, dizziness, etc.) They were never bad enough for him to feel he should go to the Doctor. If he had exercised more regularly he would have had more symptoms, thus gone for stress tests, most likely leading to Angioplasty. I can only find peace knowing that NOTHING could have been done on the mt.. They had the AED machine on him immediately.

After I heard this, I prayed with a large group that was gathered at my house - and thanked our Lord for the peace that this answer brings to us.

Love,

De (Delynn)

______________________

PS. We shall continue to lift in prayer Delynn and her sons, Austin, Travis, Sam and Bo.

Services for David will be held at ParkwayHills Baptist Church, 2700 Dallas Parkway, Plano TX. 75093 - at 2:00 pm on Saturday, March 5. Additionally, there will be a viewing those from 6-8 pm on Friday, March 4 - also at ParkwayHills Baptist Church.

In lieu of flowers, Delynn requests donations be made to two ministries David loved and supported - Coaches Outreach and Need Him Ministries.

Also, friends of David have established an Education Fund for those feel led to give financial support to any future or remaining education funding needs of his sons. Checks for this may be sent to:

Parker Children’s Education Fund

c/o Liberty Capital Bank

5055 Keller Springs Road, Suite 120

Addison, Texas 75001

David Parker - 12 March 1962 - 28 February 2011

Dear Church family & friends in Christ,

Yesterday was a very difficult day for our church and for this community. David Parker, longtime ParkwayHills member and current chairman of our deacons, passed away while skiing in Beaver Creek, CO. David, who was on holiday enjoying the Trinity Christian Academy "Winter Break", was with his wife Delynn and their youngest son Bo. Also with them were several other families from the TCA community, so that David was doing what he liked to do - skiing with family and friends.

As told to me, he was on the mountain with two friends, Matt Miller and Scott Dennis. Although Matt and Scott did not see him go down, those nearest to David when he died said that it was as if he just slumped over then went down. Observers have reported "he had no accident, there were no moguls and he seemed to experience no trauma - as if the LORD reached down and just took him home." The mountain paramedics were at his side quickly, however David could not be revived - either on the mountain or at the hospital.

Our church was first contacted by Vail Social Services - just after 2:00 pm central standard time. My assistant interrupted me in meeting with our church's Executive Staff and I called Delynn on her cell phone immediately. Delynn answered the phone and said to me, "Pastor, David is gone," then crying she said, 'he died." And we began crying together. She asked me if I would locate the other boys and tell them the news. I said I would.

The next hours were a whirlwind of phone calls, prayers, tears and each of us holding one another tightly. Delynn's aunt and uncle, Jim and Cheryl Crain, were in my office within minutes of my phone call with Delynn. Together we mapped out how we might get word to David and Delynn's other sons - Austin, Travis and Sam. Going immediately to the Parker home, we made this our base of operation for talking to the boys. Sam, 16, was at baseball practice at Trinity. Austin, 22, was at work in Las Colinas and Travis, 19 and a student at Baylor, was in Waco. Over the next hours the boys were informed - Sam being the last one.

David's friend and owner of the company he worked for, arranged to fly me and the boys to Vail, to pick up Delynn and Bo and bring them home. This we did - leaving Love Field just after 6:30 pm. Travis was driven by a caravan entourage of friends and fraternity brothers from Waco directly to the area of Love Field from which we were to depart. Together, these young men and other's surrounded the Parker brothers, praying for them on the tarmac before we boarded the plane. Just short of 2 hours after take off, we landed in Vail and met with Delynn, Bo, and the Miller and Dennis family. Scott and Matt then told the boys of their Dad's last moments, reiterating to them that David experienced no pain, and that the "LORD just took him home." We cried some more, prayed, then asked God to comfort us all and to remind the boys of everything that their Dad had taught them - confident God would do just this.

On the flight home, Delynn and I talked softly as the boys, one by one, fell asleep. She said to me, "Pastor Sam, he loved me so much - and I loved him." "He called me Princess." I said, "Delynn, I know he loved you. When he talked about you and the boys, his eyes would light up." "You will always have that. No one will ever take that away."

Please pray for this wonderful family. David is not dead. Though not with us now, he is very much alive. In fact, he is more alive today than ever he has been. Because David knew Christ as his Savior, because David had put his trust for life and all eternity in HIm, he is with his LORD. (Jn. 3:16, 1st Cor. 15)

On the front door of the Parker home the words from Psalm 121 are posted. They read,

I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;

From where shall my help come?

My help comes from the LORD,

Who made heaven and earth.

He will not allow your foot to slip;

He who keeps you will not slumber.

Behold, He who keeps Israel

Will neither slumber nor sleep.

The LORD is your keeper;

The LORD is your shade on your right hand.

The sun will not smite you by day,

Nor the moon by night.

The LORD will protect you from all evil;

He will keep your soul.

The LORD will guard your going out and your coming in

From this time forth and forever.

To this end, then, we wait upon Him.

Pastor Sam Dennis

PS Once arrangements are made and the service time has been set, our church will make the information available.