COVID-19 NEWS FROM PASTOR DOUG
Updated: Feb 9, 2021
Dear St. Paul's Family,
I was visiting with one of our Family who shared their own “insight” into the virus regulations and social distancing. She said she had no desire for the fear in the air these days. However, she had realized that fear was in the panic, but the precautions were not necessarily fear. She had begun to see them as strategy.
I think it would be wisdom for all of us to understand that the difficulties of this day are our leaders’ best efforts at good strategy. No one is perfect – the precautions will not be perfect, either. But, we can remember that we can be voices and examples of support for the best intentions and efforts of our leaders.
In the last few days IT IS CLEAR FROM THE GUIDANCE OF OUR PRESIDENT AND GOVERNMENT, THAT WE SHOULD NOT GATHER IN GROUPS LARGER THAN 10 UNTIL APRIL 1, AT LEAST.
THEREFORE, WE WILL WORSHIP ONLY BY YOUTUBE LIVESTREAM THE NEXT TWO SUNDAYS.
(link to be live on Sunday)
We believe we have the problems in our broadcast solved. We will be testing the next two days.
THE LINK TO THE LIVESTREAM WILL BE SENT BETWEEN 9 AM AND 9:15 AM FOR OUR CLASSIC WORSHIP, SUNDAY MORNING.
THE LINK FOR OUR FLAME WORSHIP WILL BE SENT BETWEEN 11:15 AND 11:30AM, SUNDAY MORNING.
Special Message: CORONAVIRUS JIU-JITSU
I feel led to call us at the St. Paul’s Family to once again “Take Courage, and Work” in this challenge. I don’t know about you, but I don’t think Jesus wants us to be “marking time” during these days. Due to some computer problems, I was talking to a computer technician far from here today. I explained we used the computer in church ministry. While we waited for the laptop to reload she began to share a struggle in her life. Toward the end of this gracious mystery of conversation, she shared that she felt a lot of people were beginning to develop some spiritual questions in the midst of this virus. She encouraged me to remember that some people are listening more than ever.
“ARE WE LISTENING?” Can you hear the questions of a generation that is facing an uncontrolled threat? More and more each day, persons will join us in moving from the question of how can we “stay normal” to how do we face the possibly stark dangers of this virus? I can guarantee you that there are persons of all ages measuring their understanding of life and death in ways different than they were on March 1.
We need to be a Lighthouse! We may be “back to normal” in 2 weeks. We may not be normal for 2 months… or longer. Our first prayers are usually to somehow escape struggle.
Often, Christ delivers from struggle, pain by taking us through it, rather than away from it. I am like everyone – I want to know the way out, and the shortcut there. But, most of the time God does not give us escape – he gives us strength for the arduous journey through the valley of the shadow of death.
Tomorrow, I want to share more about a “Lighthouse Vision” for St. Paul’s between now and May 1. For now, I just want to encourage us all to embrace the power of the Holy Spirit and our own opportunity in this difficult time to cast the Light of Jesus – He IS the Light of the World!
Enjoy the video below, if possible. It is a song from my good friend, Karen Jordan, Christian folk artist who sang here in 2013.
ISAIAH 49:3,6 He said to me, “You’re my dear servant, Israel, through whom I’ll shine. What an honor for me in God’s eyes! That God should be my strength! He says, “But that’s not a big enough job for My servant— just to recover the tribes of Jacob, merely to round up the strays of Israel. I’m setting you up as a light for the nations so that my salvation becomes global!”
