e@cyclosporin: Days 79-87 -- Standing Up

Even though Ensay's immune system is still weak enough to contract viruses or bacteria much more readily, he has been extending his scope of activities more and more.  This week he volunteered as a scorekeeper at a local water polo tournament hosted at his high school pool for about eight hours straight.  He's been going to the gym more regularly (although not sure if he goes there to exercise or to watch the Olympics events on cable TV! :-).  Watching his mental strength growing beyond sustaining make me very proud of him.  He has been studying for the classes he's been making up from last school year and currently studying for a final exam coming up next Monday.  And as mentioned, he will be going on his High School youth group's retreat most of next week.  I PRAY that it will be a sweet time of encountering God there.

This week's CBC results show that his platelet counts went up another 10,000 to 86,000.  That is power of your prayers at work.  Other indicators all look good as well, and most of all, he has been feeling very well.  Now the doctor ordered CBC every other week.  We praise God for lightening all of our burdens (and our feeble worries) as we witness the gradual progress in Ensay's condition.

This week's devotional reading on 2 Peter 3:10 (NASB) -- But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. -- reminded me of the 9/11 crisis of the Twin Towers in NYC.  As you well know, after the sky scraping Twin Towers crumbled down in flames and ashes, the rescue workers carefully comb through the rubble and to their surprise this piece of destroyed steel beam in form of a "cross" was discovered.  (If you like to read more about the background, please read this article from Washington Post. And here are other images of this cross.)  This cross has become one of the icon for this terrible act of terrorism that we will not forget and it will be placed in the 9/11 museum.  There are many angles to this cross but for me, based on 2 Peter 3:10, in light of God's eternal presence everything we treasure in this world will be nothing more than any element burning up in intense fire; and just like how in the midst of such a disastrous environment something of a value or something that stops us to reflect on life while blanketing our hearts with some comfort, peace, and hope, The Cross Jesus died on 2,000 years ago provides us with the same message -- that will be the only one standing up through the time and all sorts of ups and downs in human history.

To this Cross which stands forever I PRAY for our family's purpose be aligned, then yielded.  And to stay on this path for each member of our family to carry out the purpose-driven life, I ASK God's miraculous power, strength, and healing (especially for Ensay) to rest upon Kimfamily.org.  Thank You, God, for allowing us to taste a glimpse of Your power right in our family in and through the community of loving friends and saints.