Thursday, October 23, 2008

In His Presence

When time permits, I will share as much as I can about my Brother's last few days. For now, though, suffice it to say that yesterday around 4:00 p.m. he awoke in the presence of a gracious, loving-kind Savior who greeted him with open arms. Praise His holy name!

Your prayers for Daniel did not go unheard. As Daniel would say, "God has good plans." Please continue to pray for us. Our lives will never be the same.

Funeral arrangements will be posted on this site as soon as I can.

Blessings to you all,

Doug

". . . In my Father's house are many mansions." -John 14:2

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

I rejoice that my brother is once again singing to The King of Kings. This time, however he has the AWESOME priviledge of doing it FACE TO FACE! I rejoice in his presence with our Father. My prayers are with each of you. Please know I am lifting your hands for you during this difficult time. May the peace of God rest on each of you mightily through every moment of your pain. He will NEVER leave us or forsake us!! What a wonderful promise we can all hold on to. I love you!
Ashley

Anonymous said...

Dear Doug,
I am not sure if you remember me but this is Daniel's UT friend from Malaysia living in Colorado (back in Malaysia now)and several of us run races together. Ever since I got to hear of Daniel's cancer it broke my heart and started to follow his journey through his blog and have been praying hard for this dear brother of mine whom I have many memories with. I am astonished by all of your faith through this trying period. My hat also goes out to you for the being the brother who stuck to the very end. I only wish I could have seen Daniel before he passed away but I am thousands of miles away. My prayers and condolences are with your precious family. I love him and will truly miss him.

Anonymous said...

Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. My heart aches.
Randy Smith

Anonymous said...

Hello Doug,
I just read your brother's story. I hope you, your family and your brother find peace. I am a dentist who regularly tests for oral cancer. Your brother and you have reminded me to continue my efforts to do my part to heal the world, as you and your brother have done these past months. G-d bless.

Anonymous said...

I'll never forget Lloyd Shadrach's definition of hope - believing in advance what will only make sense in reverse. We trust that Daniel understands now what only can make sense from his eternal perspective.

None of us were foolish in hoping for a full recovery for Daniel. He's gotten it!!! It wasn't naive or uneducational, it was faithful, both to God and Daniel. Thanks for all the reminders, Doug.

Craig and I rejoice with Daniel this morning. And we grieve with those he leaves behind. May God grant you all peace, rest, and joy - yes, joy! - in the upcoming days.

Love,
Craig and Karen Berger

Anonymous said...

We will miss Daniel! And we are praying for you as you grieve.
I can't even imagine the amazing things Daniel is seeing and knowing this morning in the presence of our Saviour!
Thank you for sharing his inspiring story with us all.
-Love & Blessings,
Chris & Brea DeTray

Anonymous said...

My heart aches until I see him again, and rejoices knowing I will!

Anonymous said...

I came to Daniel's site through a friend's blog and have followed his battle for many months. I just want to say how sorry I am for your loss but at the same time how joyful I am for Daniel to be safe in the arms of Jesus. Both you and Daniel have been an inspiration and incredible example of faith in the face of this very difficult trial. You are obviously men of great faith, as your parents must also be, to trust so fully in the Lord. I am praying that you will be comforted in the arms of friends and family and that you will feel the blanket of prayers that will cover you from them and from those of us you may never have opportunity to meet on this side of eternity.

Anonymous said...

As I listened to Kaitlyn sing I Can Only Imagine yesterday and realized that Daniel was no longer imagining he was there able to sing to God. My heart was filled with joy that he had such a sweet legacy even as tears ushered into my eyes. I am praying for your family as you miss your brother, son and friend.

Michelle Bowman

Anonymous said...

We are all heart-broken and will miss Daniel during our time away from him more than words can describe. He was an amazing person and great friend to everyone who knew him. He was aware how blessed he was to have such a wonderful relationship with his family. Our prayers are with you and your family Doug. Thank you for keeping us informed throughout this process.
-Moran

Anonymous said...

You are all in my prayers. Daniel was a wonderful soul.

Unknown said...

Doug, I am yet another friend of Daniel's from college. Stacey & I lived together after seminary in S.F. I so often enjoyed the trips he made to the Bay Area on his work trips, especially since he forked the bills at Cheesecake Factory or coffee, or what not. I will always remember his laughter, one liners, heart full of love to share, and sincere encouragement to others. I saw him wrestle with decisions & really seek God's will for his life direction. These & so many other things I admired about Daniel. The boy could sing. I will miss him.
Ellen Pitre, Houston, TX

Anonymous said...

DANIEL,has crossed over the Jordan.. he is walking on streets of Gold, he is no longer in pain, he has run the race and run it excellent..Jesus is saying" well done my good and faithful servant.. to live is Christ.. to die is GAIN.. Yes we are all so sad for his family because your heart aches and breaks for missing him.. Daniel is waiting for all of you with open arms.. so Run the RACE as Daniel did.. God Bless you all, We send our love from Nebraska.. Ron and Kim Schields

Anonymous said...

Our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family right now. At our office located in syracuse, NY will pass on Daniels message.

Dr. Brent A Bradford, DDS and Staff

Unknown said...

Hi,

You don't know me, but Daniel was in my community group at Fellowship a couple of years ago. I came to appreciate his humor, good nature, and his integrity very much. I was so sad to hear about Daniel's battle with cancer, and of his passing in October.

I am an artist. After hearing of Daniel's passing, God led me to create a painting about loving and letting go. It is now complete, and can be seen on my website.

I dedicated it to Daniel. I hope it touches you. Please feel free to contact me if you'd like.

Sincerely,

Kelly O'Neill

(link to the painting: http://theartistoflife.com/stories/moment.html)

Anonymous said...

I don't know if this will be read by Daniel's family or not. I'm an old college buddy from UT. I heard through the grapevine that he had been sick and found this site. I just wanted to express my utmost sympathy to your family. You don't need me to tell you how special he was, but just know I have fond memories of him. He was amazing. This blog is such a testimony to that boy's faith. It humbles me.

many blessings,
Molly