Monthly Archives: May 2019

This week has been a rollercoaster of emotions; sorrow and joy; laughter and anger, acceptance and denial; despair and hope. One moment I’m remembering the fun times we had with Dad, then the realization hits those days are over.

At other times I see his face in my mind, but then I can’t remember his words, his little sayings and his corny jokes. While there is joy in the certainty I will see Dad again when Jesus comes, there is also excruciating pain knowing I’ll have to wait until then.

The hardest part is watching Mom go through this. My heart breaks for her as she tries to find her way into a new phase of her life, making tough decisions, and facing the uncertainty of what come next.

Of course, we’re all trying to make it as easy as possible for Mom, but none of us can replace Dad. Still, I’m amazed at her strength, her faith in God, and her ability to find peace in His promises. I think, in some ways, she’s stronger than all the rest of us.

Yet, no matter how strong Mom is, there are still moments the tears flow. But she knows those tears do not fall unnoticed. Psalm 56:8 says, “You keep track of all my sorrows. You have collected all my tears in your bottle. You have [our] grieves recorded each one in your book.”

Mom knows we serve a God who feels our pain. He sees our tears. “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18) He “comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.” (Isaiah 49:13)

Someday soon God “will wipe every tear from [our] eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” (Revelation 21:4).

Until then, in the midst of our pain we take comfort in knowing we do not grieve alone. God sees each tear. He collects each one in a bottle, held close to His heart.

God bless and Happy Sabbath!

This is a post I knew I would someday have to write, but hoped I never would.

Two days ago our father, Jay Edison, passed away unexpectedly at home. He apparently fell asleep sitting on the couch and just never woke up. Thankfully it appears he didn’t suffer, for which we are very grateful.

Dad was an amazing man and an incredible father. He dedicated his life to helping others, both as a physician and later as Health Director for ADRA, traveling to 48 countries helping to organize child survival programs and other much needed humanitarian and health interventions in the developing world.

Although he loved helping others, Dad’s passion was his family, willing sacrificing his own comfort to give us a good life, yet always being ready to play catch or ping pong, give a hug or some much needed advice. But his greatest desire was that we would know Jesus and be ready when He comes. Daily Dad led us in morning worship and in everything he did he pointed us to Jesus, both by his words and, more importantly, by how he lived his life.

The next few days are going to be rough for our family and we need your prayers. However, though our hearts our breaking, we “will not grieve like people who have no hope.” (1 Thessalonians 4;13 NLT). For us this is not “good-bye”, but “see you soon”!

Dad knew Jesus as His dearest Friend and his Savior. He was ready for this day. We will see him again! Right now Dad is resting, just taking a little nap, but someday very soon Jesus will come back to wake him up.

On that bright morning “the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God.” Then Dad and all “the believers who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).

So, yes mourn with us today, but also rejoice! Jesus is coming soon! The night is almost over! A new day is about to dawn! Soon God “will wipe every tear from [our[ eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain.” (Revelation 21:4)

We will see Dad again! I can hardly wait!

I had an argument with gravity this week and gravity won!

I’d found a dead snake on our lawn and, not wanting to hit it with the mower, I threw it in the field across the road. Well, it ended up wrapped around the barbed wire fence, looking pretty nasty hanging there. Not wanting to gross out the neighbors, I climbed up to take it down.

On my way back down the steep bank I tripped and fell, landing hard on my left side in the middle of the road. Dragging myself to the shoulder I assessed the damage. I’d torn the callus off the end of one of my fingers, banged up my knee and bruised my ribs.

Since then, everytime I breath, cough, laugh, sneeze, move (etc., etc.) my ribs give me a friendly reminder of my stupidity. The pain also reminds me I have a lot to be thankful for. If a car had come around the corner while I was laying in the middle of the road I would have been a PA pancake!

All of us fall at one time or another. Sometimes it’s a physical fall like mine, which leaves us bruised and bleeding. More often it’s a fall from grace, poor choices which leave us with scars on our hearts and our souls, overwhelming us with guilt and remorse.

Thankfully we do not have to remain in that condition. God tells us “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.” (James 4:10). No matter what we’ve done or how far we’ve fallen, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9).

If this last week has left you bruised and bleeding, if every breath is a painful reminder of how far you’ve fallen, do not despair, do not give up. Instead, “Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.” This morning, take Jesus’ hand and let Him direct your steps. Then, “when you walk your steps will not be hindered, and when you run, you will not stumble.” (Proverbs 4:12).

God bless and have a wonderful (and safe) Sabbath!

This last week I came across the story of Zuly Sanguino, a 25 year-old young woman from Columbia, born with Tetra Amelia Syndrome, a rare genetic condition which left her with only partially developed arms, no hands, and no legs. You can see a video of her story here.

In spite of her difficulties, and with the help of God and a loving mother, Zuly has more than just survived – she has thrived! Using her mouth to hold her brush she has become an accomplished painter. She is also an inspirational speaker, motivating thousands to reach beyond their limits and live life to the fullest. The words “I can’t” don’t seem to be in Zuly’s vocabulary.

Unfortunately, for too many of us, “I can’t” has become almost a mantra:
– I can’t loosed weight
– I can’t stop smoking
– I can’t go back to school
– I can’t exercise
– I can’t, I can’t, I can’t…

This is not what God wants for us. He created us with huge potential. Christian author Ellen White, in her book Our High Calling, wrote, “When the human will cooperates with the will of God, it becomes omnipotent…” (p. 298). “Omnipotent” – that means “unlimited…able to do anything.”

This is what God is calling us to, a life where “I can’t” is no longer in our vocabulary, a life lived to the fullest, within the context of a loving relationship with our Creator.

As the band Kutless puts it, in their song What Faith Can Do, “Impossible is not a word. It’s just a reason for someone not to try.” “Impossible” is just an excuse and excuses just hold us back from living the life God wants for us.

Today let’s stop making excuses. Let’s banish “I can’t” and “impossible” from our vocabulary and join forces with the God who “can”. Jesus said, “…apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5), but “with God nothing shall be impossible.” (Luke 1:37).

Zuly Sanguino’s example proves “impossible is just a word”. Don’t let it limit you any longer. Banish “I can’t” from your vocabulary and step into the life God wants for you – a life limited only by His limitless imagination!

Happy Sabbath!

BTW – You can learn more about living a life where “impossible is not a word” by listening to my sermon at CashmereSDA. God bless and have a great day!