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Chris Burkley and his wife Meagan have an amazing, hard, beautiful story of trusting God through tragedy. They are one of the first people God prompted me about to pursue for the Restory Show.

How Our Stories Intersected

Chris and I have been in the same circles in our church for a while now. My husband Patrick went to Montreal with him, but we really connected with him online when he and Meagan walked through a very difficult pregnancy. Their blog about their struggles, Adventures with Asher, was such a beautiful picture of how Christ followers can find hope in the midst of devastation. If you have a chance, read through the posts there.

Here’s a current picture of Chris, Meagan, and their son Cedar Jude.

About Chris’ Story

Chris is a campus pastor at Lake Pointe Church. Partway through their first pregnancy, they learned their son Asher had a fatal birth defect. The doctor said, “I do not have good news to tell you” he replies after finishing the test. “I am so sorry to say  your baby has three severe birth defects. The first and the most severe is Anencephaly. The skull and brain have not and will not fully form; I hate to tell you this, but this is a fatal defect. This will not be a viable baby.” Today’s show chronicles Meagan and Chris’ journey through that diagnosis, the loss of baby Asher, and what they learned in the aftermath.

In His Own Words

“It was one of those moments where you hear about the Body of Christ reaching out, but until you really experience it, you find it carries you through difficult times.”

“Asher means blessed and fortunate. People asked, ‘how is this baby blessed?’ But God has used his story far more than we could imagine.”

“We went to high school camp and took Asher down the alpine slide [while Meagan was pregnant.]

“You pray toward the miraculous, but you prepare for the reality.”

“Have faith that God will either heal Asher, or give you grace to endure what happens.” Pastor Steve Stroope

“Asher is going to have a great impact. I know God is using it and doing great things with it.”

Restory Recap

• They took baby Asher (in utero) to Colorado, Disneyland, and Hawaii, and shared their stories on Adventures With Asher.
  
• Asher passed away at 31 weeks.
  
• They delivered him on July 31.
  
• What seems significant in this world is large and strong and big in the kingdom of God.
• Meagan and Chris got pregnant again, delivering baby Cedar Jude.
• They learned about the presence and faithfulness of God through the entire situation.
• God fixed and renewed their story way before the birth of Cedar Jude. He was faithful to them throughout the life of Asher.

[Tweet “Pray toward the miraculous, but prep for the reality @ChrisBurkley. Hear more at the Restory Show.”]

As in all my episodes, I pray for you at the end. It’s my sincere hope that you’ll walk away from the Restory Show changed and challenged.

{Aside: For those of you who have lost a pregnancy, this may trigger some difficult emotions.}

They Help us Bring You More Stories

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The End

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Get on the Show

Soon, we’ll be featuring your mini-story at the end of the Restory Show. If you’d like to be featured, record your voice below.