On Wednesday morning, just after 3 am, Ronnie Walker passed from the pain of this life into eternity. It was a peaceful passing. While it sad to lose a brother in Christ, it is a rich blessing to know he is free from all the painful suffering cancer brings.

Last Saturday, we spent part of our day visiting Ronnie Walker at hospice. Ronnie, if you don't know, is Stacey Walker King's Dad. About a month or so before Stacey found out she would begin her battle with ovarian cancer, Ronnie found out he had a brain tumor. He has been battling for 3 years now. He's nearing the end of his road.

It was good to be at the hospice to spend time with his wife and family. As I left, I couldn't help but think of his life. Ronnie was a truck driver, a "man's man" who loved to work outside. He was also an elder. He and his wife have spent many years together and have raised four wonderful children -- all of whom serve the Lord with their families. He and his wife have accomplished everything I could wish for in terms of raising godly good children.

I also couldn't help but reminded of what is truly important in this world. As I scurry around in the constant hustle and bustle, I need to remember that it will all come to an end and I will be left with a shell of a body but a glorious soul that is ready for the spiritual journey ahead. Ronnie kept his priorities in tact and I'm sure, with his work, that couldn't have always been easy.

My prayers today are simple. One, I pray that Ronnie will have a peaceful passing when the time is right. I pray he will be surrounded by his family who can share his last moments until they rejoin him in heaven. I also pray that I may keep my own priorities in order -- remembering that the things of this world are passing.

Please keep this wonderful family in your prayers. Even with all the comforts of knowing Ronnie will share a heavenly home with His Father, it is challenging to watch the deterioration this horrible disease brings.

It's late Saturday night and I'm enjoying the quiet. Everyone in the house is asleep ... and it's barely past 11 pm. I don't have anything especially exciting to report. We are well, healthy and ready for the Lord's day tomorrow.

This week was certainly an interesting week, with the inauguration and all. I was amazed to see the news coverage -- 2 million people in such a small area. I spoke to many who were so passionate about our new President and saddened to observe the lack of respect for Former President Bush.

President Obama is certainly moving quickly on his campaign promises. On one hand, it is impressive to see a politician hold true to his word. On the other hand ... some of the promises can have frightening consequences. In the next few weeks, with a smooth stroke of a pen, we may see the passing of embryonic stem cell research ... and legislation to allow the marital and parenting rights of homosexuals cannot be far behind.

Tonight, I was reading the book of Leviticus this evening about all the things that were considered "unclean" and detestable to God. I couldn't help thinking about God's views on all this wickedness. I pray that our freedoms can be preserved and that our children may know the freedoms we have enjoyed.

Well, this week was Rob's first week on the job. It was a tough week but we survived, even with Ian getting the stomach flu. Thankfully, it was a less than 24 hour bug but that didn't mean that it was a good day. Me and vomit -- not a good combo!

We've been easing into the New Year ok around here. Corbin returned to school this week and thankfully, had a good week. Over break, the entire school staff received training on Aspergers. Hopefully, this will result in some more understanding and better tools for all. We also found a family therapist who works specifically with "spectrum kids". We have hope that he will help our entire family on managing the issues.

Monday, Rob starts a new job. He wasn't unemployed but his position just wasn't a good fit and we were quite concerned about the stability of the organization. This new position pays for Rob to complete some technical certifications -- a real resume booster! We feel so blessed that he found this role and hope that he'll be able to settle in.