~ Children In Heaven ~ 2 Cor 1:3-4

[kgreen20]

Seems to me God knows everything each person's going to do. Nothing we do or say takes Him by surprise.

[FaithContender]

I had a friend who was convinced that her daughter was preordained to die and go to hell.

There is absolutely no way she could know this. The Bible never tells us we can sense who will be saved and who will be damned. Jesus said to preach the Gospel to everyone everywhere and those who are foreordained will respond to it b/c the HS will regenerate their heart. But God, Christ, and the HS are the only one(s) who know whose name is in the Book of Life.

[Sing4Him]

:offtopic

[jayna]

I haven't finished reading all the posts but I want to add my Katie in here. She passed on Friday night March 2nd 2007. Much missed. Instead of writing right now, I will just post a link. Hope it works. It puts it in a nutshell. Sometimes you just need to share when people get tired of listening to you go on and on. Just need a shoulder to lean on today.
http://www.telegram.com/article/20080509/NEWS/805090712/1116


I'm getting article not found when I click on this :idunno\

Glad you found us but sorry your one of us!!!
Tell us about your Katie sometime. Is your avatar a pic of you two... beautiful!
:hug

[jayna]

Faith&Hope, How'd you make it Wednesday? Hope your ok!!

[katiesmom07]

WORCESTER— In an unusual display of forgiveness and compassion seldom seen in a courtroom, Katherine MacDougall’s family urged a judge yesterday to allow the man accused of her murder to plead guilty to a reduced charge of manslaughter.

Ms. MacDougall was 23 years old and three months pregnant when she was found strangled last March in the apartment at 90 Elm St. that she shared with her fiancé, Taylor Hurst. Mr. Hurst, born and raised in Louisiana, later admitted to police that he killed Ms. MacDougall on the night of March 2, 2007, by choking the life out of her with his own hands. He also acknowledged to investigators that he had been smoking crack cocaine on a regular basis.

After her death, police say, Mr. Hurst traded a diamond ring he had given Ms. MacDougall for more drugs.


Investigators learned from the victim’s mother, Sheila Jewell of Randolph, that Ms. MacDougall and Mr. Hurst got into an argument on the night of the slaying. Ms. MacDougall told her mother Mr. Hurst left the apartment, but later returned and everything was all right. It was the last time Mrs. Jewell spoke with her daughter.

Mr. Hurst, 25, who was charged with first-degree murder in the slaying of Ms. MacDougall, was sentenced to 18 to 20 years in state prison yesterday after pleading guilty in Worcester Superior Court to voluntary manslaughter. The charge concession and the term of imprisonment imposed by Judge John S. McCann were jointly recommended by Assistant District Attorney Maura K. McCarthy and Mr. Hurst’s lawyer, Christopher P. LoConto.

While the prosecution had planned to seek a murder conviction in the case, Ms. MacDougall’s family asked that Mr. Hurst be allowed to plead guilty to manslaughter, according to Ms. McCarthy. Mr. LoConto said members of the victim’s family recently met with his client at their request and extended Mr. Hurst an “expression of forgiveness” that has helped him deal with his guilt and grief.

Mr. Hurst had been held at Bridgewater State Hospital while awaiting trial. Mr. LoConto said he is suffering from depression and has been suicidal at times.

“In the course of trying to make sense of all of this, from blaming ourselves to anger with Taylor, to a sense of hopelessness that things would never be OK again, we have had to ask ourselves some difficult and important questions,” Ms. MacDougall’s brother, Damien MacDougall, said in an impact statement read in court yesterday.

“The biggest of these were about love, about Katie’s love for Taylor and about Taylor’s love for Katie.

In exploring the depths of these issues, we have come to an amazing conclusion,” Mr. MacDougall wrote.

Under the circumstances, he said, the family naturally had to question whether Mr. Hurst’s professed love for his fiancée was real.

“But we also realize that Taylor was under the influence of very powerful drugs,” the victim’s brother said.

“Yes, what Taylor did was horrible and inexcusable. But was it unforgivable? We all know what it means to need forgiveness and have chosen not to withhold such from anyone. God implores us to forgive as we have been forgiven,” Mr. MacDougall said on behalf of his family.

“So, in questioning whether or not Taylor could love Katie and still do something so horrible, we believe that he could, and did, and still does.”

Mr. MacDougall said his family believed Ms. MacDougall was aware of Mr. Hurst’s drug problem, but “chose not to abandon the man she loved despite the obvious challenges she would face.

“In the end, she paid with her life, but she never gave up on Taylor. We have decided to honor her by continuing what she has begun as well as we can, beginning with choosing forgiveness and mercy for Taylor and, in the end, choosing to love him,” Mr. MacDougall wrote.

The slain woman’s sibling urged Judge McCann to adopt the disposition of the case proposed by the lawyers, saying it would “satisfy the needs of the commonwealth for justice” and the family’s desire for “mercy” for Mr. Hurst.

“As we have mentioned before, we have had to ask ourselves how we can ever go on with life and we have found that answer — love expressed through mercy,” Mr. MacDougall said.

[jayna]

WORCESTER— In an unusual display of forgiveness and compassion seldom seen in a courtroom, Katherine MacDougall’s family urged a judge yesterday to allow the man accused of her murder to plead guilty to a reduced charge of manslaughter.

Ms. MacDougall was 23 years old and three months pregnant when she was found strangled last March in the apartment at 90 Elm St. that she shared with her fiancé, Taylor Hurst. Mr. Hurst, born and raised in Louisiana, later admitted to police that he killed Ms. MacDougall on the night of March 2, 2007, by choking the life out of her with his own hands. He also acknowledged to investigators that he had been smoking crack cocaine on a regular basis.

After her death, police say, Mr. Hurst traded a diamond ring he had given Ms. MacDougall for more drugs.


Investigators learned from the victim’s mother, Sheila Jewell of Randolph, that Ms. MacDougall and Mr. Hurst got into an argument on the night of the slaying. Ms. MacDougall told her mother Mr. Hurst left the apartment, but later returned and everything was all right. It was the last time Mrs. Jewell spoke with her daughter.

Mr. Hurst, 25, who was charged with first-degree murder in the slaying of Ms. MacDougall, was sentenced to 18 to 20 years in state prison yesterday after pleading guilty in Worcester Superior Court to voluntary manslaughter. The charge concession and the term of imprisonment imposed by Judge John S. McCann were jointly recommended by Assistant District Attorney Maura K. McCarthy and Mr. Hurst’s lawyer, Christopher P. LoConto.

While the prosecution had planned to seek a murder conviction in the case, Ms. MacDougall’s family asked that Mr. Hurst be allowed to plead guilty to manslaughter, according to Ms. McCarthy. Mr. LoConto said members of the victim’s family recently met with his client at their request and extended Mr. Hurst an “expression of forgiveness” that has helped him deal with his guilt and grief.

Mr. Hurst had been held at Bridgewater State Hospital while awaiting trial. Mr. LoConto said he is suffering from depression and has been suicidal at times.

“In the course of trying to make sense of all of this, from blaming ourselves to anger with Taylor, to a sense of hopelessness that things would never be OK again, we have had to ask ourselves some difficult and important questions,” Ms. MacDougall’s brother, Damien MacDougall, said in an impact statement read in court yesterday.

“The biggest of these were about love, about Katie’s love for Taylor and about Taylor’s love for Katie.

In exploring the depths of these issues, we have come to an amazing conclusion,” Mr. MacDougall wrote.

Under the circumstances, he said, the family naturally had to question whether Mr. Hurst’s professed love for his fiancée was real.

“But we also realize that Taylor was under the influence of very powerful drugs,” the victim’s brother said.

“Yes, what Taylor did was horrible and inexcusable. But was it unforgivable? We all know what it means to need forgiveness and have chosen not to withhold such from anyone. God implores us to forgive as we have been forgiven,” Mr. MacDougall said on behalf of his family.

“So, in questioning whether or not Taylor could love Katie and still do something so horrible, we believe that he could, and did, and still does.”

Mr. MacDougall said his family believed Ms. MacDougall was aware of Mr. Hurst’s drug problem, but “chose not to abandon the man she loved despite the obvious challenges she would face.

“In the end, she paid with her life, but she never gave up on Taylor. We have decided to honor her by continuing what she has begun as well as we can, beginning with choosing forgiveness and mercy for Taylor and, in the end, choosing to love him,” Mr. MacDougall wrote.

The slain woman’s sibling urged Judge McCann to adopt the disposition of the case proposed by the lawyers, saying it would “satisfy the needs of the commonwealth for justice” and the family’s desire for “mercy” for Mr. Hurst.

“As we have mentioned before, we have had to ask ourselves how we can ever go on with life and we have found that answer — love expressed through mercy,” Mr. MacDougall said.

Oh my, the strength, forgiveness and love your family has could only come from God. I need to pray for some of that for myself. What an inspiration you are..... even though I know the pain is so great. God Bless You.

It has struck me how differently each of our children has died. I guess that when it comes time for The Father to call us home it matters not how we go.... just that we go.... HOME.

Lord Jesus bring us home. :pray

[tfcrew]

1 Corinthians 7:13-15
And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him.

For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy.

But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace.

[canuckmedic]

The Lord is the greatest giver of Justice there is. If we think it would be unjust for a stillborn baby to goto hell, how much more the Lord?

[Sing4Him]

I think the John MacArthur commentary on here gives a very strong Biblical perspective on this. (David's infant son also!)