"And a Good Time Was Had by all", or, "Are We having Fun yet?"
We are now into our fourth week of social distancing and are finding that parameters have been changing weekly.
For instance, the first week, groups of fifty could congregate.
By the end of the second week, it was groups of ten.
By the third week, only if it was essential could you be in groups of ten and then only if you practiced social distancing.
You have experienced a whole reality shift in the last few weeks. No meetings face to face, coffee shops and restaurants ordered closed, work that is remote, no toilet paper (yikes!), and even March Madness canceled along with Baseball, Basketball, Hockey and Professional Soccer.
Kids have been sent home to online classes or, gasp, to homeschool.
On a more somber note, people have lost jobs, been furloughed and some have been infected with this invisible scourge know as the Wuhan or COVID 19 virus.
In the midst of all this, new skill sets have had to be developed. New practices have had to be adopted and new rhythms made part of our lives. Truly like no other time in history has this been true: blessed are the flexible for they shall not break!
This is the current reality that we find ourselves in. We both believe and declare that it is not the norm, but simply the place we find ourselves before we get back to normal. With all the daily news wanting to crush in on us, we find that one cry stops the madness and the noise so that we can hear, see and think through life on a different level - BUT GOD!
“What is God doing?” is my constant question. Where do I see Him at work? What are His purposes that He is working out for our good in this situation?
This where we need our renewed minds to see and think differently.
Here is what I see:
He is developing a new level of intimacy between Himself and His people. This is available for anyone who truly wants it. It takes recalibration and refocus….and a whole lot of intentionality. Understand, we are in a fight for resources and one of the front lines is your attention. If the enemy can get you to focus on a thousand different things, then you won’t have time, energy or resource for the One thing. Cooperating with the Holy Spirit is paramount here. Remember what the Lord said in Matthew 6:25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."
New closeness will come with one another. Except for the few of you who are incredible introverts (I am not talking to you because you are living the dream!), this has probably created a longing to be close to one another again, to connect, look into the eyes of another human and connect.
New ways of thinking will emerge from this that will be the result of a kingdom based renewed mind. Everyone’s mind gets renewed by something, during this time it is imperative that we pursue a kingdom agenda in the renewal of our minds..
New ways of training in the kingdom.
New ways of evangelizing and wining people to the kingdom.
A new passion for Jesus and His holiness. (As opposed to our version of external holiness)
A new commitment and depth for prayer.
Finally, I believe there will be new discernment and ways to see the truth.
The plain fact is, God is on the move! This will be our finest hour!
How to have fun in the midst.
Embrace this. Don’t fight the changes. Be adaptable, like a tree planted by the water.
Find out what God is doing. Do not focus on where you don’t see Him yet.
Reconnect with family and friends.
Be very, very selective with how you entertain yourselves.
Look to grow.
Rest.
Reflect on track record and goodness. Don’t let present anxiety win this argument. He is always good!
"If the enemy can get you to focus on a thousand different things, then you won’t have time, energy or resource for the One thing."
We will be on two times this week - Monday and Tuesday at 6pm. Wednesday through Saturday is a free conference online that we would like as many as possible to take advantage of with www.globalawakening.com - now some of the mothers and fathers close to this house will be on there including Leif Hetland and Dr. Kim Maas. Oh, did I mention that it is free?
Finally, we will have electronic church on Sunday at 10 am.
Do care for one another and bear one another’s burdens. This is our finest hour!
Much love and we do miss you!
Doug and Janice
