Addesa Family Update, December 2007

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas in the Addesa household. We have an artificial tree in our den and this year Lisa and the girls decided to “double” the cheer. When I awoke early Wednesday morning there was a “real” Christmas tree in our living room which has become Noah’s room. He loves it. Why a tree? Why the lights? Why the decorations? Why the presents?

Follow me for a moment. There are numerous times in the New Testament where giving honor does one of two things. It either attracts the favor and presence of God or dispels it. In Matthew 13, Jesus was shown great dishonor by people from his hometown of Nazareth. As a result He could not do many miracles or wonders there. On the other hand, Cornelius a Roman Centurion (Acts 10) showed great honor and respect to God’s people and was honored by God with a visit from an angel which led to his salvation and the salvation of his whole household. Jesus, Paul, Peter and other writers of the New Testament talk about the importance of giving honor to others. It brings favor from God and men.

Back to the Christmas stuff. Have you ever thought about the wise men traveling weeks simply by revelation to find the King of The Jews? What they found was a baby in a manger (a feeding trough). A baby, not a man, not a mighty potentate… but a baby. Yet because their heart was set to honor this King with royal offerings, they bowed down to worship Him and showed kingly honor to Him. Once again, an angel was dispatched to bless them and intervene in their journey home.

This one time instead of talking about Noah (he is doing very well) I want to honor you who follow this journey with us. I honor you who pray for Noah and my family. I honor you who bless us with blessings beyond measure in helping with our needs. I honor you who have cooked meals and cleaned our house. I honor you who have cut our lawn. I honor you who have sent cards and letters of encouragement.

I honor you with all that I have and all that I am. I thank God for you. The debt we owe to you is beyond our ability to repay. But my God is able to recompense each of you according to His riches in glory. Oh ya… about the trees and the lights and the decorations. There is honor in that as well. Every light, every decoration, every ornament, every wrapped present in this home are here for one reason. To honor the birth of a King who came like a lamb, but will return like a lion. As I honor you, will you join with me in this Christmas season and honor Him with all that you have? He is worthy of all of it. I look forward to sharing more of Noah’s story next week. Love…david

Last Updated: December 7, 2007 at 2:40 p.m.
Next update will be posted December 14, 2007 by 4:00 p.m.
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Sometimes I wish I could bring you all in our house when we have “Noah” moments. Frankly, I miss a bunch of them myself. :) They are captivating. Both Hannah and Emma have a “style” with Noah that provokes instant responses to their levity. As Christmas draws near the girls heighten their anticipation of the actual day by announcing to Noah how many days are left. If you are fortunate enough to be in the room you are graced with sights and sounds. The sight of Noah brimming with smiles and the sounds of deep sighs of joy. If you’re having a bad day… moments like that turn it around promptly.

I spent a few minutes with the Physical Therapy & Occupational Therapy rehab ladies to get an update from their sessions with Noah. They saw improvement in two areas this week. First, picture yourself laying flat on your back on the floor. I included one such picture. Next, picture your legs being bent at the knees so that your knees are up above the rest of your body with your feet still on the ground… a very common position for most of us. When they first began with Noah back in September he could not keep his legs in that position on his own. His legs would fall off to the sides in a “collapse” motion. Now when they place his legs upright, he can keep them up for a while and then move them slowly upward on his own. No big deal to us, but a big deal to him!

In the other picture, Noah, is attempting to move his hand from his head back to the ground in a fluid motion. I was actually there when they asked Noah to do it. It took him three times. On the third attempt bang… he did it. Once again a room full of cheers and a smile from Noah that would even melt the heart of Scrooge. So as he keeps progressing, we keep persevering. The two of them combined give me better perspective on my own so called “difficulties” of life. Speaking of that, I would like to give you a glimpse at Paul’s perspective. Here is how he put it:

Romans 8:38, 39, “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

If you are anything like me, it takes a lot to “persuade” me. For most of my first thirty-two years of life I was not persuaded. For that last twenty-three I have been . What did it for me? The revelation of “the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” It simply “undid” me. I have never been the same since. One thing more before I close... notice how Paul enumerates all the major cosmic powers of the universe as being unable to separate us from God. He even mentions death. Something worth noting is that He doesn’t mention “the past.”

The reason is simple. When God paid for my life with the blood of His Son, He not only forgave me, but He completely deleted any memory of my sin. In His mind it is as if I never sinned at all. Amazing... irresistible… too great for words. Until next week, I pray that you are as persuaded as me. Love…david

Last Updated: December 14, 2007 at 1:00 p.m.
Next update will be posted December 21, 2007 by 4:00 p.m.
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Here we are at the home stretch of the Christmas holiday and I wanted to extend the warmest and most heartfelt blessing to you who have walked this journey with us. The words that pop into my mind as I settled down to write this entry are “HEADS UP”. I spoke with Lisa earlier and she mentioned an incident with Noah that brought some “awe” moments with her and the Physical and Occupational Therapists. His Physical Therapist told me that when they were doing some upper body stretches with Noah, he held us head up so long that it caught them by surprise. Once again a rather mundane issue for us, but a major improvement for Noah. A few months ago he could hold it up at all. Now he does it for ten minutes! Lisa words to me were “pretty incredible.”

In the digestive area we have had about three weeks of stability and normality with Noah holding his food down. It is very, very encouraging. His legs and arms continue to strengthen as well. Noah’s Aunt Rebecca was with us last spring for a few weeks when Noah was in the critical early stages of recovery. She returned this Wednesday to spend some time with us as a family. I asked her how it impacted her when she walked in the room for the first time in five months.

It will help you (first) to understand a zany thing my girls often do with Noah when he is relaxing in his bed. They take the top sheet and pull it over his head and then whoever comes in the room has to “ find” Noah. It’s really a neat experience. All the while the person looking for him is saying things like: “Where’s Noah… I can’t see Noah…” as they come to the bed to “feel” if he is under the covers. Most times he can’t restrain himself so he will open his mouth as wide as he can and begin to laugh. Rebecca said when they pulled the cover off and she saw him face to face…. and heard him, her words were, “ It was incredible… I was laughing and crying at the same time.” I could hear it up in my office… she was not exaggerating.

Since we won’t be doing an update next week because of the holidays, I would like to close the year with some simple thoughts of what it meant to us. Every year Time Magazine announces the “Person of The Year” award. In that spirit I would like to nominate Noah as our “Person of The Year”. One day when he reads this, I would like him to know that I consider him a champion. Noah, my son, you have fought and won battles that would have defeated most men. You have brought joy unspeakable to the Addesa household. Your smiles and your presence are like healing balm to a weary heart. Jesus said, “The eyes are the window to the soul.” The sparkle of your eyes tells me all is well with your soul. Whether it be three in the morning or three in the afternoon, spending time with you brings joy unspeakable to me. My Muslim friend who speaks of you often said to me in his Turkish accent, “2008 with be great for Noah… he will be back.” I could not agree more and look to this year with anticipation of miracles to come.

Once again to our extended family who are traveling with us on this mystical journey, thank you for bombarding Heaven for my son and my family. May you abound in all good things this coming year and may His Presence become to you like Heaven on Earth. Love… david

Last Updated: December 21, 2007 at 11:00 p.m.
Next update will be posted January 4, 2007 by 4:00 p.m.