She used her summer months to attach herself securely to God in the daily rhythm of prayer for herself, her husband, her children, her community, and her world. And inside with you can feel really cramped really quickly.īut Brooke used her summer to…are you ready for this… pray. You are driving me crazy.” They are either inside with you or outside in a pool in a bathing suit with you. There is no telling your kids, “Go outside and play. Outside on the concrete is simply not an option. And Houston heat means you are either inside or in a pool. It requires lots of Sonic ice, air conditioning, and two showers a day to simply clean off all the sweat. Spending a whole summer in Houston is not an easy feat, out-of-state and out-of-country friends. They chose to stay home and brave the summer heat in Houston to focus on establishing rhythm and routine with their four children and in their own lives before the school year started. Brooke shared how disappointed she was at the beginning of the summer that their family was not going anywhere on a vacation. The Saturday before the hurricane, Brooke and I met for lunch and ate chips, salsa, and fajita grilled chicken (the best kind of lunch) while catching up and sharing stories about our summer. So when the hurricane hit and the flood waters rose, although their floors crumbled, their faith did not simply because their foundation was securely attached to the only floor that cannot fail – the saving, faithful character of Jesus Christ. It was born in the months and days and moments preceding the flood, when quietly, persistently, consistently, they chose to make the fear of the Lord the stability of their days and the bedrock of their home. It requires supernatural intervention.Īnd the radical dependence that Randy and Brooke showed on that supernatural grace that was not born in the moments of a flood or water filling their house. Because let me tell you something: speaking kindly to your spouse when every single square inch of your floor, your carpet, and your sheet rock is being pulled out from the aftermath of a storm, speaking kindly to your spouse when every article of clothing, every damp book, every single piece of furniture, scrap of paper, photo book, and memory that represents your lives is in black trash bags all around you to either be taken to the curb, taken to the car, or floated over to a neighbor’s dry house for storage is not normal. In fact, the words I heard them speak most often were, “Thank you. They walked it out as neither one of them uttered a word of complaint or self-pity or despair in the two days I was with them in the moldy dampness of their home. They walked it out as they consistently spoke kindly and respectfully to one another in the tenseness of ripping out flooring and sheet rock and deciding what possessions to keep and what to throw away. They walked it out as they waded onto their street with three kayaks and a paddle boat and for three straight days, salvaged all that they could from their home. Because if you look at the picture at the top of the blog, while standing in their water-logged living room, every square inch of their house soaking wet, Randy holds in his hands a picture of a verse that says, “And He shall be the stability of your times” (Isaiah 33:6) and Brooke holds a plaque that says, “Choose Joy.”Īnd for all the world and their submerged neighborhood to see, they have walked out that verse with quiet humility and patient trust in the Lord. I can’t even write that sentence without crying. Randy works for an oil and natural gas company and Brooke is a stay-at-home mom who homeschools her kids on Tuesdays and Thursdays.īut when the flood waters rose and their home went under, Brooke and Randy Keeney showed just how extraordinary they really are. They have four kids and live in a quiet neighborhood on the West side of Houston. By outside measures, Brooke and Randy Keeney look like deceptively ordinary people.
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