Have you heard the good news?

Easter is my favorite holiday. It's because Jesus isn't some guy in a painting or immortalized in a story - he is alive. He's here. He came back. He fought back hell for us. He conquered sin. He took the punishment that was due us and gave us what he deserved. He gave us forgiveness and a promise of a relationship with him.

The good news of the gospel is that Jesus did this for every single one of us. In the words of probably my favorite preacher ever, "we are more sinful than we could ever imagine, but more loved than we ever dared hope." -Tim Keller

We got the MRI results back, and the good news for us is that Emily has "probable" mild to moderate brain damage. This means that she may have a little trouble with things like speech, memory, or gross motor skills. But, the neurologist emphasized to me that the "probable" part of it was actually great news: it's not definitive, he kept saying. In other words, she may not have any lasting damage. The neurologist showed me her scans, other photos of the brain, yada yada, but the gist of it is that she does not have major damage.

This, my friends, is great news.

Hey, the way I look at it is this: we're none of us perfect. And Easter reminds me of just that very truth. We're not perfect. But love and grace and time can change a lot of things. It can change our hearts to know God. Those things can also change little Emily's brain so that it recovers and grows, and whatever challenges she may have will be faced with love and confidence and no fear. Because you'll be just fine, baby girl. You'll be just fine. No matter what.

Your prayers have meant the world. I have often been too tired or my brain too fuzzy to say prayers that have made much sense. And maybe that's the point, anyways. It's not about pretty words. It's about our heart.