Rabbi’s Reflections – Sunday, July 1, 2018
Shavuah Tov,
On Saturday I gave the shortest (and possibly the best) sermon of my life.
Rabbi Trail: Since when I deliver a sermon it is for me (everyone in the congregation just gets to listen). If I’m speaking to myself (and I am) then there is no better authority than me. End RT.
It was based on the Scripture from Daniel 5 when king Belshazzar sees the hand writing on the wall.
Rabbi Trail: The hand writing is supposed to be two separate words. It was a hand with no body attached to it (no body is also supposed to be two words. It was just a hand.) writing on the wall. End RT.
A simple message… Daniel 5:25 “Now this is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, TEKEL UPARSIN.” It meant you have weighed in the balance and found wanting. It is a message we all must internalize. It doesn’t matter how talented you are. It doesn’t matter how many good deeds you do.
We must deal with this Scripture. Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” If all means all, then you all are part of “all” and you have sinned. Therefore; we have all been weighed in the balance and been found wanting.
Only the blood of Yeshua (the real gift that keeps on giving – sorry Kodak) can tip the scales in our favor. Give thanks for God’s provision through His Son.
And on that happy note, have a good week. Shalom, Michael.
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Concerning William, the 2 year old who is at Children’s Hospital with E-Coli; I just got this from Keith. The message from William’s parents was sent yesterday. William continues to be very sick. The message below explains the details. Please continue to pray for this little 2 year old’s healing. Personally, this has impacted me very hard. Shalom again.
Yesterday, William got a day off from dialysis. He was given a large dose of Lasix, a diuretic to help him to urinate and see what his kidneys could do. He had 4-5 wet diapers throughout the day totalling 150 cc’s, which the nephrologist said is a drop in the ocean compared to his fluid intake or a normal amount, but that we can be cautiously optimistic that something is happening. Please continue to help us pray that the kidneys will heal and perform more and more in coming days. Will is currently undergoing his 21st dialysis treatment. He is very puffy from skipping a day yesterday while being on the TPN.
After after 7 days and 6 nights of excruciating abdominal pain from colitis, William is now beginning to get some relief. He is still uncomfortable and needs morphine, but instead of every 2 hours it administered an average of every 4-6 hours. We hope that he will exhibit less and less pain and eventually be able to have a gentle trickle of food through his feeding tube again. After reading of other children with HUS who have lost their colon, we are so very thankful this horrible development seems to be going in the right direction. He had a few comfortable, waking moments and even a smile on Wednesday afternoon that was a great relief to us. God gives us these little tokens for good along the way to lift us up and help us hope.
It has taken us a couple of days to mentally & emotionally process his MRI results. In addition to the general atrophy around the cerebral cortex we were already aware of from the CT scan, we were informed that scarring is evident in his basil ganglia that was injured by the toxin. The neurologist explained that this is permanent and listed a variety of potential disabilities it may cause. Ultimately, only time will tell the level of neurological recovery that William may obtain.
It has been one month today since William became ill from E. Coli and the resulting Hemolitic Uremic Syndrome. He has had diarrhoea, vomiting, high fevers, 2 seizures, been on the ventilator twice, struggled to breathe for days, had numerous respiratory therapies, high blood pressure, pneumonia, Adeno virus, colitis, renal failure, encephalopathy, edema, surgery for PICC line and vascular catheter placement, multiple IV’s, hives from an allergic reaction to oral contrast, antibiotics, sedatives, pain killers, anti-anxiety and seizure meds and other drugs, hallucinations from withdrawals, night terrors from delirium, countless X-rays, 2 ultrasounds, 4 CT scans, 2 EEG’s, 2 MRI’s, 21 dialysis treatments lasting about 4 hours each, 7 blood transfusions… the list could go on.
We have also had constant intercession from faithful Christians around the globe at every hour of the day and night, hundreds of visitors to offer support at the hospital, family and friends travel from around the country to be with us, amazing meals prepared throughout the week by our church family, concerned friends donate blood and breast milk, exceptional medical care, incredible technology that has saved his life, many believers in multiple areas of the hospital staff encourage us and tell us they are praying, from housekeeping to techs to nurses to doctors, more cards and gifts than can fit in our room, monetary contributions towards our daily needs and medical bills, new friends in the HUS community, and the promises of God’s Word and comfort from the Holy Spirit when the enemy shoots his fiery arrows in our minds.
We are believing to see the goodness of the Lord. We walk by faith and not by sight. God is bigger than any test or diagnosis, and nothing limits His mighty power. William went through the valley of the shadow of death, but the Lord saw fit to spare his life and we are grateful. We trust He has a purpose and a plan. We praise Him for His mercy, love, and faithfulness and pray that He receives glory and gives us daily grace.