Hag Samech! (Happy Holy Day!)

April 7, 2009

Tomorrow we celebrate Passover. Jesus is the Passover Lamb, the Lamb of God, that takes away the sin of the world! Hallelujah! He was the perfect sacrifice for our sins and conquered death through His resurrection. O death where is your sting? It is gone!

Matt and I just arrived home from visiting the southern part of the state (LA) and I thought I would give you an update on the goings on from a couple weeks ago:
I went to LA to spend some time with my mom before our (Bob and I) trip to Israel next Monday. Her congestive heart failure is increasing and she is getting IV Lasix at home as well as depending on oxygen for part of the day and night. Her reserve is dwindling and she dozes on and off throughout the day. I don’t really envision her situation improving. Nevertheless, it was great to be with her for several days and last night all 5 of her offspring entertained her for a bit which she loved.
Matt went with me, visiting his grandmother as well as friends at Biola where he probably will be going to school next fall. This summer he heads to Hume Lake Christian Camp to cook for several hundred jr high kids! He still does not know why the Lord called him to Lodi from Jerusalem, a place he loved, but he is learning the ways of obedience to God.
My brother in law Ray is feeling much better, but is still undergoing tests for a final diagnosis and treatment.
Dan and Ashley came up to my mom’s for lunch one day and it was great to see them and hear about their lives. Dan heads to Stanford next week for his check up and scan. He is also hoping to have his hip replacement surgery this summer if all works out well with his other issues and we sure pray it does!
Ashley’s heart is doing better and she has been able to return to her part time CNA work. She is looking forward to her next rotation of pediatrics.
We are thankful that Bob will not need back surgery, but is still undergoing tests for a final diagnosis and treatment (sound familiar?)
Please keep praying for Diane and her situation.

Sometimes the physical problems that surround us can weigh us down, but when compared to the eternal, they seem to lose their impact. As I look at the global picture unfolding before us, it too could seem overwhelming, but when I compare it to the prophetic word spoken thousands of years ago, I take heart that God is on the throne of the universe and the affairs of man are in His mighty hand. Stand strong in His strength.

2 Corinthians 4:16-18
So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day.
For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.