He was only 7 years old,,,,,when asked to officiate his memorial service i said ...NO!! Then a 2nd time...No was the reply. I couldnt help but feeling drawn in by the pain. I mean my heart was churning with compassion for these parents. I agreed to meet them. Being convicted by the power of THE HOLY SPIRIT..i felt as if this is something He really wanted me to do. I broke down in the first 10 minutes....as i witnessed my worst nightmares of a kid who is at all out war with the most wicked cancer in the brain....and i was told the father was Agnostic. Funny how that doesnt seem to matter on this level of pain..because of the mind numbing reality of life and suffering leaves a person,,,,hollow. ALL THE MORE REASON TO HOPE!! In something beyond this .....place of seemingly insignificant world of chemo trements...50 in the last 3 years to be exact...INSANE..WHO CAN HANDLE THAT??????? What we fail to realize is Is.41.10 I WILL UPHOLD YOU WITH MY RIGHTEOUS RIGHT HAND! Whether we acknowledge God or not,does not change the fact that his strength is the only thing that holding us up..and his grace is the only thing suspending us between HEAVEN AND HELL. After my time with the family, it turns out I have known them for years! Being thrown into their world of suffering I saw the true meaning of living each day like its the last...I mean birthday parties..everyday...always celebrating the smallest of victories...it was rich full fun colorfull crazy extravagant,,,out of control.//to much.. but never enough....love lavaished on a little boy....just poured out on him every day! God does that for you too, my friend,,,,Romans 8.32 He who did not spare his own son,but gave him up for us all,now will he not also along with him,graciously give us all things? Thats a question by the way..see we always think if I have just this one more thing..that situation taken care of ..that degree..that job..more money..that person in my life......our lives will be full and complete..well if thats true look around...its never complete. Once you have one area in order another area gets jacked up by unseeming consequence. Because Col.3.3 says your life is HIDDEN WITH CHRIST IN GOD. and i keep trying to find it.....apart from him..oh sure i include him in my plans and even consider it HIS PERFECT WILL ,,but the principle here is when the other things become my reward instead of him..HIS PRESCENCE, HIS SPIRIT, HIS VOICE RADIATING IN MY HEART MOMENT BY MOMENT GIVING LIGHT & LIFE......then the rest will never be enough! So I began to speak on the valley of the shadow....some could relate others never heard of this King David who walked through this Kidron valley..a grave yard on the east side of town where just because of the way the temple was built, there was no light there..at all. At this time in his life his runaway murdering son was trying to steal the throne,,,sounds a bit like our relationship to GOD ...if we think not,,the darkness has penetrated futher than we realize.... and THE KING IS DETHRONED AND BROKENHARTED.. and he walks thru this dark time in his life and writes it down for us,,he calls it the vallet of the shadow of death. Friend we will have dark times..we will have joyous times/ When the feast was going on the temple courtyard was supplied with 4 huge bowls,one in each corner filed with olive oil and old priestly garments used as wicks and lit. Lifted high up into the air,all he other court yards were li up as well/so if you had a home on the east side west side..no matter..all could see and you could save your oil and join in the feast/light every where except the kidron valley. And through there was the garden of gethsemane and the mount of olives....here through this valley david cries as he walks barefoot. fleeing Absolom who tried to steal the throne. Well absolom fails and dies. And the valley of the shadow has not prevailed. For Your LORD AND SAVIOR walked that same path the night they led him to 7 unfair,unlawful trials. He most likley prayed that same prayer David penned 900 years before on that road. Friend God is a God of light..there are no shadows in him. if we experience darkness,,understand even our SAVIOR did, yet he held to this thought...I WILL DWELL IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD FOREVER......what is the next three days ..compaired with eternity. Lord help us your people to be seekers of God...not lovers of pleasure...that corrupts because our lust for things has over taken our zeal for you. AME