ParentLife Blog

One Good Thing for the McDougals by Bill Conger

Greg and Diane McDougal, who are featured in the May issue of ParentLife, are learning to let go and let God. Over the last several years, the Christian couple has endured the faith-testing challenge of their children’s health problems. Three of their four kids have cystic fibrosis, but the story began with their first child, Jeffrey. He was born with a hole in his intestinal tract and nearly died. The members of First Baptist Church Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, rallied behind the scared mom and dad. 

“Almost every one that showed up told us, ‘Listen, you’re doing the one good thing. You just take care of your son. We’ll take care of everything else,’ and they did just that. Now, God is reminding us of that to show us this picture of how He wants us to do the one good thing, and that is to go and be shameless about telling of the redeeming power of Jesus Christ in our lives, and He’ll take care of everything else.”

Through divine provision, the McDougals special allergen-free home is now two-thirds of the way complete with the plumbing, most of the hardwood flooring, and several other essentials in place.

“The house is His,” McDougal affirms. “He’s the one that’s raised it up. In His good time, He’ll finish it. In the meantime, we’re just doing what He’s given us to do.”

For the McDougals, that job is a calling to fulltime music ministry. In January, the family packed into an RV and left the Nashville area with a handful of concert dates. Three and a half months later, their journeys have taken them to Virginia, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas, and Oklahoma.

“We’re just going and telling, taking a guitar and a song and using it to get in the door and share a testimony of how God has taken a couple of knuckle-headed kids that used to never pay Him any attention at all and worked miracles in our lives.”

Their children have enjoyed a better time with their health after a tough struggle last year. “We’ve been doing really well,” McDougal said.

The family is spending time off during most of May, but they’re still hitting the road to sing at churches on the weekends. The McDougals will return to touring across parts of the south and west for the summer. Greg says, “We’re learning a whole lot about each other, and a whole lot about Him, and stewardship, and making the most of every day.”

For more of the McDougal's amazing story, check out "A Carpenter's Mission" in the May 2009 issue of ParentLife.