Tagged: Coronavirus

A global pandemic is a good time for a relationship reset with Jesus. What does the forced halt in productivity reveal in your relationship with God?  The tribe I once lived with in East Africa called us outsiders “wazungu”, which literally means “people who spin around and around.” We sure did spin around and around in the beginning, running here and there with our fancy projects and new ideas, keen on doing something Important. But the gentle people surrounding us didn’t think much about lofty goals and productivity. Their identity was anchored in land, relationships, and spirituality. Living in their midst was like existing in quarantine in many ways, far from the material comforts and resources we’d always enjoyed. As I struggled with the question… Read More

Whatever happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Philippians 1:27 We all glanced around, wondering who would go first in front of the dairy case. I needed cream cheese. After a woman finished her selection, I moved forward to grab mine. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed an elderly gentleman patiently leaning on his cart across the aisle.  Did I step in front of him? Oh, no, I didn’t mean to! Quickly I closed the cooler door and turned to apologize, expecting him to be impatient and irritated with me. After all, most everyone in the grocery store seemed to be buzzing around like angry bees ready to sting, intent on defending their space and getting their stuff,… Read More

In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.Proverbs 16:9 We could go to town one day per month if the river wasn’t too high. Our four-by-four had a long exhaust, and if the height of the water allowed it to peek above the surface, we could cross. Tightly strapped seatbelts couldn’t stop our team of eight from bouncing around, leaning on each other and bumping along as we navigated the river’s murky depths.  Life in an African village on the equator was hot and sticky. During the rainy season, mud made it nearly impossible to travel. Even walking to a neighbor’s house would land you on your back in the mud, covered from head to toe, surrounded by an instant… Read More

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”John 8:12 From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land.Matthew 27:45 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.  The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that… Read More

He will restore us in a very short time; he will heal us in a little while, so that we may live in his presence. Hosea 6:2 How strange, apocalyptic, it must have been for the people who entered our home and boxed up all our belongings after the fire. Room by room, they picked up every salvageable item and placed it carefully in cardboard boxes to be cleaned and restored. We were plucked up and removed from our life, as it were, in an instant. We did not know that morning when we threw the covers back to face another day that we would not be in our home that night to snuggle down again into our comfortable beds. Or for many, many long… Read More

for Jen and Hil, we the original Cambridge Three Get up and begin the work! May the Lord be with you!1 Chronicles 22:16 I had longed for many years to become an intercessor. I was surrounded by mighty prayer warriors, women and men who devoted regular time to deep and persistent prayer, a level much deeper than I, as a young college student, had ever committed. I could see the fruit of their prayers, the way they persevered until breakthrough came, the patience with which they tarried before the King of kings, the One who moves mountains by His servants’ prayers of faith.  I yearned for that depth of character and commitment in myself. I strived to be like those I admired. As a graduate… Read More

My counsel to you is simple and straightforward: Just go ahead with what you’ve been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live him. You’re deeply rooted in him. You’re well constructed upon him. You know your way around the faith. Now do what you’ve been taught. School’s out; quit studying the subject and start living it! And let your living spill over into thanksgiving. Colossians 2:6-7, MSG School’s out. Families are clustering around dining room tables sorting how to do school at home and everyone’s wondering… can I just sleep in every day? The Coronavirus has brought a new level of suffering to the home, the neighborhood, the city, the state, the nation, and the globe. Life as we have enjoyed it until… Read More