He is risen – He is risen indeed!
I pray that you’ve had an encouraging Easter. We had five great services at LifePark and I’ve included two songs that were a blessing to me and I pray they will encourage your heart:
Easter is time of hope as we reflect upon the resurrection. I would like to request your prayers for a few significant matters. I invite you to join us in prayer for a Godly man – our son-in-law Matthew. Matthew is a great son-in-law and here are some excerpts from a recent letter why I consider him a Godly man how you can pray for him:
I am 33 years old and appear quite healthy. I never envisioned myself writing this email. Even as I write it, I am not without hope. In fact, Elisabeth and I both have a plan and expectation for success.
After work on Friday, I received a telephone call from the radiation oncologist in Atlanta. She called to inform me that the bone biopsy results arrived and confirmed presence of cancer in the bone. Not only was cancer found in the bone biopsy, but it’s the same kind as the tumor that we already knew about. She described it as stage 4 metastatic cancer. She, very compassionately, described what they would recommend for treatment but that there is no cure to be offered. They only have attempts to “control” or slow the progress of the cancer. The same, or very similar, combination of chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery is all that can be offered, but without expectation of cure.
What do you do with news like this? Well, it was hard for us to receive. A real emotional blow. We have received the encouragement and support of Jesus and our dear friends and family . . . You might ask, “Why do you feel safe right now, Matthew?” Here is why, another excerpt from “The Gospel According for Job” by Mike Mason: “The moral here should be evident: God’s surest protection can sometimes take the form of apparent obstruction, of darkness and difficulty and pain. Indeed there are times when the very safest place for a believer to be is in the midst of obscurity and suffering, to all appearances cut off from God . . . I need to say one more thing here. Just in case you are concerned that I have a fatalistic, Que Sera, Sera kind of attitude here, I don’t. I intend to approach every obstacle and part of the sickness with the intent to conquer it. I want to destroy it like a hated enemy. Elisabeth is with me in this. You, our dear friends and family are with us.
With love and thanksgiving, Matthew
I would also appreciate your prayers for these items:
Please pray for me as I’ll be leaving this week to teach Pastors in India. Pray for God to bring forth much fruit, fruit that will remain (John 15:16).
Please pray for the Lord’s anointing as I teach and disciple His people (both here and overseas).
Please pray for our family, that we will be strong in the Lord and a support Matthew and his family during this time and that God may bring His healing touch to Matthew.
Thank you for your prayers, please let me know how I can pray for you. Thank you for your partnership in ministry.
Associate Pastor – Discipleship. The Church at LifePark
Professor of Discipleship, Columbia International University
Follow me on twitter: rickhiggins5
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