There are moments in life when a person’s faith is not measured by what they say publicly, but by what they quietly do when no one is watching. I experienced that kind of faithfulness from U.S. Rep. Barry Moore during the darkest season of my life.
In 2018, I was under indictment for crimes I did not commit. I was destroyed financially, emotionally and publicly. The government had drained every resource I had, and month after month the case dragged on as the government delayed trial over and over again. For almost a year, I was unable to find meaningful employment and spent most days just trying to survive.
My wife Wendi and I were trying to hold our family together while raising two teenage daughters, and in the middle of all of it, Katie, my oldest, received the opportunity she had dreamed about for years – a scholarship to Auburn University. Tuition was covered, but we had no realistic way to pay for her to live there.
By then I was barely functioning. Most days I struggled just to get out of bed. I would go help at my parent’s restaurant, just to have a purpose.
At night I would pray for God to take me because I truly believed my family would be better off without me. I was worth more money dead than alive. I couldn’t fathom leaving them for decades, if this ordeal didn’t go my way.
In the middle of that hopelessness, I sent a text message to several people I knew who had connections to Auburn. I simply asked where a safe and affordable place might be for Katie to stay. Affordable was the key word.
Several people responded with suggestions. Then Barry Moore called me.
I was sitting in the Kroger parking lot in Hartselle picking up bread for the restaurant when Barry said he had pulled over because the Lord had spoken so heavily to his heart after reading my text. He told me that he and his wife Heather had been praying about who might live with their daughter Claudia after their oldest daughter graduated that spring. Then Barry said words I will never forget:
“God has been good to me. Let me give Katie a place to stay.”
I didn’t know how to receive that kind of kindness. In my brokenness, accepting help felt like weakness. I told him I needed to talk with Wendi.
When I got home and told Wendi and Katie, we immediately started discussing what we could pay because we could not imagine taking something like that for free. Katie was willing to work to help cover expenses.
Then the phone rang.
It was Heather Moore.
To this day I can still hear her voice clearly. She said, “Ed Henry, Barry just called me and told me what God laid on his heart. Please let Katie live with Claudia. We have been praying for someone like Katie. We know her. We love her. We love y’all.”
I tried again to insist that we pay something, but Heather lovingly refused. She said this was something God had placed on Barry’s heart, and they wanted to do it.
By that point, all of us were crying, and I relented.
My nightmares did not immediately disappear. The fear and uncertainty still loomed. But in that moment, through Barry and Heather Moore, God delivered peace to me. For the first time in a long time, I knew the Lord was going to take care of my family.
That is who Barry Moore is when cameras are not around. That is the measure of a man’s faith.
The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the policy or position of 1819 News. To comment, please send an email with your name and contact information to [email protected].
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