"I will sing to the Lord
all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live." -- Psalm 104:33
 Darla Day is a worship leader and independent Christian
singer/songwriter from Bowling Green, Kentucky. Currently involved
in the cutting-edge Music Ministry of Hillvue Heights Church,
Darla frequently travels across the United States leading worship
alongside a team of other worship leaders.
Since 1992, when she first moved to Bowling Green, Darla has
been a voice on several of Hillvue's praise teams. Before that,
her hometown of Albany, Kentucky was center stage for this smalltown
girl. In the earlier days, Darla alongside her sister, Ginger,
and other friends frequently performed at churches and community
events throughout the region.
 Since the age
of four, her parents, Jack and Pat Pierce, as well as other family
and friends have encouraged Darla to lift her voice to the heavens.
Raised in a loving, Christian home, Darla never knew what it
was like to be without God in her life, and over time, having
matured in her faith, Christ has truly become "real"
to her. Darla's day-to-day commitment has led her to fall more
deeply in love with Jesus Christ and has given her a passion
to reach the lost with His transforming gospel message.
Over the years, Darla has occupied several positions in the fields
of music and broadcasting. While earning her bachelor's degree
in broadcasting at Western Kentucky University, Darla worked
at Nashville's Benson Records in the Promotions Department and
as a radio disc jockey at several Bowling Green stations.
Today, Darla continues to pursue various opportunities in music
and radio. Recent projects include voiceovers and background
vocals for numerous recording projects and demos.
 December
2000 marked the start of fulfilling a lifelong dream for this
Christian artist. Since the release of her debut solo project
Praise Him, nearly 3000 units have been sold. With a collection
of fifteen uplifting, contemporary praise and worship songs,
each track on this project represents a special, significant
moment in Darla's Christian journey.
"God chose the songs that were to be placed on this recording,"
Darla explains, "and as a result, hundreds of people have
been touched, healed, comforted and have had their joy restored
through the power of the Holy Spirit. God was honored and glorified
throughout the recording process despite Satan's attempts to
stop production. Many battles were won, and victory belongs to
God as many people are continuing to experience freedom in Christ."
The success of Praise Him is widespread with units touching lives
throughout the U.S. and reaching as far as Australia. During
the 2000 Christmas season, Praise Him was one of the bestselling
compact discs at local Christian bookstores. The project's popularity
soon hit local airwaves. In fact, Darla's original song "The
Sweetness of Your Presence" was inducted into the "Smash
Hit Hall of Fame" on WCVK, a regional Christian radio station
in south central Kentucky.
 In 2001, Darla married local marketing professional Chad Day. Currently, the couple has one child,
Jenson Elijah (see his story below), and absolutely love being mommy and daddy.
Each day, God's work remains priority as the two continue to help others discover just how meaningful
life can be in Jesus Christ.
"Delight
yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your
heart."
-- Psalm
37:4 |
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Our
Miracle, Baby Jenson is here! |
Chad
and Darla Day announce the arrival of there first child, Jenson
Elijah Day.
Jenson was born on September 5, 2006 at 8:55 p.m. He weighed
5 lbs. 12 oz. and was 20.5 inches long.
"Jenson's" name is a shortened version of a favorite
pastor, "Jentezen" Franklin who pastors Free Chapel
Church in Gainesville, Georgia.
Our Jenson had a bit of a difficult start as he had to spend
2 weeks at the Vanderbilt Children's Hospital for a condition
called maconium aspiration but is doing perfectly now.
Below is an email update I sent out while Jenson was recovering
in the hospital...
From: Darla Day <Darla@DarlaDay.net>
Sent: Monday, September 11, 2006 11:35 AM
To: Friends and Family
Subject: Baby Jenson Update
Dear Friends and Family,
Let me first just say THANK YOU for your prayers! We have literally
survived these last few days as a result of the many prayers
lifted for the three of us.
For those of you who don't know all of the details let me briefly
fill you in. Our miracle baby, Jenson Elijah Day, was born Tuesday
night, Sept. 5th at 8:55 PM by way of emergency C-section. He
was 5 lbs. 12 oz. and 20.5 in. long.
I had been in labor most of the day and went to the hospital
about 7:00 PM that night thinking that we were going to have
a normal delivery from all signs and symptoms. Everything was
fine and perfectly normal. Little did we know the nightmare that
we would soon face.
Dr. Gass discovered that as I would have contractions, the baby's
heartbeat would drop as if he were in distress. That could have
been from the umbilical cord wrapped around something the wrong
way or a worn out placenta, which is why he wasn't any bigger
than he was and he had stopped growing. So, in a matter of minutes
I was being prepped for emergency surgery to get the baby out
as quickly as possible.
It goes without saying that things were pretty scary for all
of us. During my recovery, Chad and I were told that Jenson was
a very sick baby and he needed immediate help. It seemed like
one traumatic thing after another. Later it was decided that
Jenson couldn't receive the critical care he needed at The Medical
Center and he needed to be transported to Vanderbilt Children's
Hospital. He had a condition known as meconium aspiration/persistent
pulminary hypertension. Basically, Jenson inhaled the thick,
sticky, tar-colored first bowel movement into his lungs which
created problems for him with his lungs, blood pressure, and
oxygen levels.
We waited most of that first night just to see Jenson before
he was transferred to Vanderbilt. A team of doctors came and
got him in an "Angel Bus." It was about 4:30 in the
morning before we were able to even get a glimpse of him, and
even then, he was covered with so many medical necessities that
it was impossible to really "see” him. We basically
had time for a really quick prayer and that was it because timing
was very critical. From that moment, mom and I stayed at The
Medical Center as I recovered, and Chad and my dad left with
Jenson.
The next day was probably the worst day that Chad and I and our
family have ever lived through. Jenson's life was hanging by
a thread and his status was a roller coaster. We would receive
word of improvements and then get reports that he was slipping
away. They were performing so many medical procedures on his
little one-day-old body, and we really didn't even understand
a lot of the things going on.
Our entire focus was based on trust. It's all we had. As everyone
we knew prayed, we kept hanging on and trying to keep the faith.
Things were difficult on my end because I had emptiness and a
heartache that far outweighed any physical pain I was experiencing.
On Chad's end, he was watching every second of our son's life
and not able to help him in any way. Being apart made things
that much harder as well. I can honestly say that for the first
time in my life, I was not even able to pray myself. There was
numbness in my spirit that just couldn't even utter words, but
at the same time I felt as if there were a shield of peace around
me every minute of the day.
Your prayers have made all the difference. We really did rely
on all of you to intercede for us, and that's exactly what you
did. You prayed; you had others pray; you went above and beyond
to get to the Father on our behalf, and there's really no way
that we can ever thank you for that.
Jenson truly is a miracle baby. We already have many stories
from the events of our week where we can see God's paintbrush
in our lives. We can see where He has gone before us and answered
every prayer as He has held all three of us very tightly in His
hand.
As far as Jenson's progress today (9/11/06), he is doing extremely
well. He is coming off of more and more machines, and they are
weaning him from various things every day and rather quickly.
He is now breathing completely on his own without the ventilator
which was a huge step. He is also weaned from the gas that helped
to heal his lungs which is why he needed to be at Vandy that
first night. As he is coming off more and more of these drugs,
he is experiencing "shakes," so that is still a prayer
need for him. He is still receiving some oxygen and also has
his feeding tubes in for nutrition, although he is now taking
breast milk that I have been bringing him from home.
As every new mother knows, there is nothing like holding that
newborn in your arms for the first time. I'm still waiting for
that, but God is sustaining me, and I know that it will be a
precious time when it does happen. We have rejoiced in simply
getting to really see Jenson for the first time, touching
his hand through the medical wires, watching him yawn for the
first time after the ventilator came off, and all the other little
firsts that might not seem like much for some people, but to
us it has meant everything.
The doctors are amazed at his progress, and even though we are
too, we know that it was only by the grace of God and the anointed
medical team of doctors and technology that we have Jenson today.
So, please know that we have treasured your prayers and that
you have really helped him and us this past week. We love you
all and thank you more than you will ever know.
Please pass this email along to anyone you know that might have
been praying for us. Thank you!!!
Love,
Darla, Chad and Jenson Day
"Lord,
when doubts fill my mind, when my heart is in turmoil, quiet
me and give me renewed hope and cheer." -- Psalm 94:19 TLB |
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