Here are some excerpts from our little Jace's funeral service. I have posted the words to the song I sang as well as the words Danny spoke about his son.

"Praise You In This Storm"- Casting Crowns

I was sure by now God, You would have reached down
And wiped our tears away, stepped in and saved the day.
But once again, I say "Amen", and it's still raining.
As the thunder rolls I barely hear Your whisper
Through the rain "I'm with you."
And as Your mercy falls I raise my hands and praise
The God who gives and takes away.

And I'll praise You in this storm and I will lift my hands
For You are who You are no matter where I am.
And every tear I've cried You hold in Your hand
You never left my side and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm.

I remember when I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry to you and you raised me up again.
My strength is almost gone
How can I carry on if I can't find You?
But as the thunder rolls I barely hear You
Whisper through the rain "I'm with you."
And as Your mercy falls I raise my hands and praise
The God who gives and takes away.

I lift my eyes unto the hills, where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord the Maker of Heaven and Earth.

That song that Lauren just got done singing definitely applies to the season that we have been in with Jace. It has been a really hard season but a season in which God’s goodness has been magnified. God has used all of you to bless us immensely. Thank you for praying, for cooking meals, for giving money, and for speaking words of encouragement to us. God has been so good to us in regards to financial contributions so much so that we actually have more money in our bank accounts today than we did before Jace was born. God is always faithful to provide. It has been amazing to be at the receiving end of such an outpouring of love.
I wanted to invite y’all into my family’s life by sharing some of my memories of Jace. In one respect, Jace was very much like me. He was so fascinated with Lauren’s hair to the point that he would just lie in her arms staring as Lauren would periodically shake her head back and forth to entertain Jace with her swishing hair. I too love staring at Lauren and especially take notice of her hair.
Jace was also a bit of a squirmer. At times he would disappear from his bed or so we thought. Because we needed to keep him elevated with his constant feeding and issues with reflux, we kept Jace slightly propped up when he slept. Due to the elevation and his constant movement, sometimes he would slide down in his bed to the point where he was scrunched up, totally covered by his blanket. When this happened, he would vocalize his discontent with the cutest cry you’ve ever heard. I’m sorry to say that I cannot reproduce such a cry thus am not able to convince y’all of the extent of its cuteness.
Jace loved to lie on his momma’s chest. If you were able to visit him at the hospital, you would most likely find him with his head resting over Lauren’s heart. The downside to Jace’s preference was that Lauren often needed to visit the restroom. So I would have to fill in for mom until she got back from the bathroom. Jace did not like this periodic switch and would often cry until mom returned. Most often I would encourage Lauren to hold Jace because I wanted him to be comfortable. Thankfully, he eventually warmed up to me or more accurately I began to cater to how he liked to be held.
One final memory centers on Jace’s eyes. Right after Jace was born, the first thing that I noticed was his eyes mainly because they were wide open. In fact, Jace’s eyes were the last thing I noticed minutes before he died. Lauren and I often wondered what color Jace’s eyes would be. It appeared as though his eyes were tending towards a lighter shade of blue or green, but it was clear that he was a brown-eyed boy like his Daddy when I looked him in the eye as he was taking his final breaths.
God not only sustained Jace through this season but he sustained Lauren and me as well. 2 Corinthians 12:9 states that God’s “grace is sufficient for [us], for [His] power is made perfect in weakness.” Jace’s weakness was apparent in his broken body while Lauren and I felt weak because we had minimal control over our son’s situation. We could not have weathered this storm without God’s help, and it’s God who will see us through the mourning process. It’s been a blessing as well to see how God has used all of you to bear this burden with us.
Thank y’all again for being here. I know that funerals can be hard because you don’t know what to say to us but know that just being here to support us is a blessing. Now I would like to speak a blessing over y’all that I often prayed over Jace: “The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace” (Numbers 6:24-26).
There is one more story I want to tell y’all. One book was highly instrumental in helping us through our hard journey with Jace. This book is called The Hiding Place. In the program, there is an excerpt from Lauren’s blog that talks about the influence reading that book had on us. We have some copies of the book out in the foyer that we would love for y’all to take, but the story about the buying of these books is really cool. Lauren’s parents happened to stop by Half Priced Books to see how many copies of the book they could get. As they were looking through the books, they came across one book that actually had Jace’s name written on it. It’s amazing how God works in our lives. That Lauren’s parents would stop at that particular book store and find that particular book is something only God could orchestrate.

These are the words I briefly added to what Danny spoke at the service:

Danny and I often prayed that God would heal Jace. We know that at last He has. Our little man is now in the arms of Jesus, and although it’s hard not to have him in our arms, we know that he’s in better hands now. Heaven only seems that much closer knowing that our little boy is there. One day, we’ll see our Jace again.

We miss you so much, little Jace. Our home is very empty without you, but we know you are happier where you are now. Know that your Mommy and Daddy will always love you. Goodbye sweet boy...for now, but not forever.