March 16 – “Corona-Prayer”

Some 50 brave souls made their way through coronavirus madness to do some worshipping with the Body at church yesterday.  We even had our usual third Sunday dinner on the grounds.  I know the media is really hyping things up into a fresh new gear.  And I don’t mean to downplay the seriousness of what is going on.  We are still watching the CDC website.  We understand that this morning they are recommending cancelling any gathering over 50 people for eight weeks.  And our Easter activities loom on the horizon.  Maybe we will need to make some adjustments.  Perhaps with the breakfast.  Or the egg hunt.  Or maybe all will be well.  At this point I have no qualms about having services next Sunday.  This famous saying will be our guide: “Don’t be stupid.”  If you are sick, don’t come.  If you come, wash your hands, regularly and thoroughly.  Here is the statement I made as an introduction to worship yesterday.

DIRECTED PRAYER CONCERNING THE CORONAVIRUS:

Before we get started with anything else this morning, I know that heavy on all of our minds is the situation around the world with the coronavirus.  Some have tried to make light of it.  Others have honestly gone off the deep end a little bit.  I really think that most of us are somewhere in between.  We want to be responsible.  We don’t want to put others at risk in any way.  And, after all, who wants to get sick?

Many of you may know someone who has personally been affected by this crazy situation.  Our own Cathy Duncan is self-quarantining as we speak because apparently someone who had been exposed to the virus came into the ophthalmology clinic where she works.

This past week my son Josh, who is a pastor in Waco, was here for Spring Break, but he had no break.  Their church had a missions team in Utah, and he was arranging for them to fly home early.  But on a more pressing note, they also had a missions team in Denia, Spain.  And Spain was on the verge of following in Italy’s footsteps and closing its borders to all international flights, in or out of the country.  They were scrambling at the airport to find a flight back to the U.S., but it was not easy.  To make a very long story shorter, they found a flight to Frankfurt, Germany.  From there they finally boarded a flight to San Francisco.  And this morning at 6 a.m., they touched down in Houston.  Now “all” that remains is renting a few suburbans for the drive to Waco, and then self-quarantining for two weeks. 

           

I’m sure most of us have experienced the panic buying this past week as well, although I am still hard-pressed to understand what hoarding toilet paper has to do with anything!  Schools have “extended” Spring Break for at least another week.  Many businesses are encouraging – or demanding – working from home.  Activities and events are canceling right and left.  Many churches have canceled services for today in favor of online options. 

Sometimes when a situation we face is unexpected and overwhelming and scary, like – oh, I don’t know, a pandemic, for example - it can be hard to know exactly what to pray … even how to pray.   Here are a few ideas.  Kind of a directed prayer experience, if you will …

1.  Pray for the victims, of course – the folks who have actually contracted the disease and their families.

2.  Pray for first responders and medical workers who are swamped with calls and walk-ins, and who are doing their job in spite of the personal risk.

3.  Pray for the decision-makers in government, in education, in industry, and especially in families.

4.  Pray for those affected by travel restrictions and quarantines.  Some have been stranded in an unfamiliar place and have no resources to carry them through.

5.  Pray for our world that has been overwhelmed by fear and its subsequent results – resource hoarding, mistrust, and even panic.

And finally, do what you can do.  If you find yourself at the grocery store facing a fresh shipment of toilet paper, and you know you have plenty at home, pass it by … or better yet, buy a small package and take it to that neighbor you know of who can’t get out easily.  Take a meal to someone in quarantine. 

Sure, it’s a risk.  So is life.  Remember the goofy saying …

Praise the Lord and Wash Your Hands;

Jesus and germs are everywhere.

Our call to worship this morning is this:
Philippians 4:4-9 – Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again: Rejoice!  Let your gentleness be evident to all.  The Lord is near.  Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

            Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.  Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice.  And the God of peace will be with you.

This morning we are going to do things our usual way.  You don’t have to.  No one will judge you.  Want a hug?  Open your arms.  Prefer a fist bump?  Lead with one. 

We are having dinner on the grounds after worship.  You are all invited to stay.  Don’t feel comfortable with that?  Fine.  We’ll see you next Sunday, if not before. 

I love you, family.

Philippians 4:19-20 says, “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.  To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever.  Amen.”

Father, may that be our prayer throughout this crisis … to you be glory forever and ever.  Amen.

March 15 – “We’ll be there”

Here are the final few notes from Spring Break, Week One around Galveston.  That would be the one with the Waco cousins still in attendance. 

Fishing trip did take place.  Instead of going out to Jamaica Beach, though, we headed right nearby to the Boat Club where Nathan and April are members.  There we fished off the dock, but it didn’t take long for the allure of the playground and especially the swimming pool to draw attention away from the piggies and croakers.  The kids seemed to have great fun, though. 

There was a Corona Bowl: Part Two as well.  The Old Man didn’t participate in this one on the field, but some have said there may or may not have been some suspicious behavior spotted on the sidelines near where he was seated in his metal chair.  Intermittent sounds of banging mysteriously pierced the early evening quiet.  My sources tell me the culprit may have been AnnaGrace.  Nothing was ever proven, however.  Other rumors were flying as well.  Because of the immensely popular Corona Bowl I (CB1), many expected ESPN to pick up Corona Bowl II for televising.  After all, what else did they have to cover …

On the last night of the Wacoans’ visit, a cousin swap was negotiated.  Zak (age 13) was traded for Josiah (9) and Noa (6).  I know.  There was a bit of a disparity in the numbers.  Thirteen to a total of fifteen, but Zak’s greater experience with sleepovers made Aunt Christi willing to take on the challenge.  It was just for the one night, after all.  So Zak went home with Micah, and the little guys stayed here.

Once they all went to the yellow bedroom and fell asleep, the remaining adults actually stayed up and watched a movie – the new version of Maleficent.  And for the first time in a few days Josh wasn’t on the phone.  Their mission group that had been in Utah was back home.  The group that had been in Spain had made their way to Germany and was waiting for a flight to anywhere in the U.S.A.  It looked like their best bet would be to San Francisco, then to Houston.  And as of 6 a.m. this morning, they had touched down in Houston.  Now they just have to work out the final logistics of their self-quarantine once they get back to Waco.  But their family is quite relieved to have them back boots on the ground on American soil.

Hebrews 13:16 says, “And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”

Father, please send your protection upon the churches that will still be meeting this morning.  We’ll be there.  Amen.

March 14 – “Lego Masters, Cousins’ Edition”

We made good use of some extra time around the house the other night.  All ten grandkids were here, as well as most of their parents.  By “most” I mean Josh was in the area, but he was still dealing with the crisis of having a missions team stranded in Spain because of the coronavirus travel restrictions, so he spent a lot of time on the phone and on his iPad tracking down information and in turn disseminating it to their church web site.  Classic example of “working from home.”

But our creative kids came up with an activity.  They grabbed the huge bucket of Lego bricks that we have accumulated over the years and placed it near the big dining room table.  Nani set a timer in the kitchen and three teams had thirty minutes to use Lego bricks to create a theme park ride.  Those of you who have seen the new TV show know what I am talking about.  They worked steadily for that half an hour, scrambling for bricks and mini-figures and finding a place for all of them.  We flashed the lights and loudly announced times to let them know where they were in the process.  And then we all counted down the final ten seconds, followed by a loud, obnoxious beeping sound and the announcement to “Step away from your creations.”  The builders flung their hands into the air and took a few steps back.  The contest – and their creations – were done.

Uncle Kel and Jachin and Aunt Christi were judges for the event.  They studied the structures hard and listened to the builders’ stories of explanation about each one.  And miraculously, the event ended in somewhat of a tie.  Judge Aunt Christi explained their thought processes …

Luke worked by himself throughout the event, blissfully ignoring the work of the other teams.  His theme park ride consisted of horses - lots of horses - and a great story line.  Seems the horses have escaped their enclosure and you are needed to capture them and bring them back home.  He was awarded Most Fascinating Story Line.

Cailyn, Zak and Micah had a much more intricate development.  They actually spelled out the word “Hello” in a monstrous welcome sign.  They included a ticket booth with people in line.  All very detailed and impressive work.  However, the ride itself was a bit brutal.  Would stand in line to be attached to a wagon with a cable and dragged through the town?  Ouch.  But in her indomitable style, Aunt Christi found a twist of an award for this group as well: Theirs was the Story I Would Most Want to Watch the Movie Made Based upon the Structure.  I’d like to see that one, too.

And finally, Caleb and Josiah put together an actual adventure ride into the treacherous waters of a lagoon patrolled by dangerous pirates.  Once you row into the pirate-infested waters, you can shoot at them with your very own water cannon.  But beware … they shoot back.  The Aunt Christi Award for this Lego Build was worded: Best at Carrying Out the Theme Requested.  And secondarily … the One I Would Most Like to Ride. 

Three highly creative presentations.  Three totally different approaches.   Three award-winning masterpieces.  Loved it.  That’s my grandkids. 

Psalms 71:22 says, “I will praise you with the harp for your faithfulness, my God; I will sing praise to you with the lyre, Holy One of Israel.”

Father, keep our Waco bunch safe on their journey home today.  And please bring those stranded travelers home as well.  Amen.

March 13 – “Corona Bowl 2020”

Joshua’s family has been here for a little breather over Spring Break.  Yeah.  He didn’t get a breather or a break.  From the time they pulled up into the driveway he has been either on his iPad checking health department notifications or on his phone with even more critical issues to confront.  What was happening?  Coronavirus, of course.  COVID-19.

On the one hand he was dealing with matters at his church back in Waco over whether to cancel activities and which activities might make the cut, so to speak.  They have a rather large senior adult population in the church, so it is of concern to them.  On the other hand they have two mission teams actually out on mission adventures.  One was in Utah.  They received word that quarantines and travel restrictions were being actively enforced, so they scrambled to find an earlier flight home.  Once the travel agent stuff was complete, they picked up suitcases and dragged them out to the local church’s van to head to the airport … only to find the van booted.  They had somehow parked it in a no parking zone.  Fortunately, however, they were able to secure its release and actually made their way home last night. 

The real missions adventure challenge, however, has not yet been 100% rectified.  They have a second missions team on the field with their sister church in … Spain.  Yep.  THAT Spain.  The one that went from a zero point of worry to a level four overnight.  They will be allowed back into our country (on the condition that they impose a self-instituted 14 day quarantine) … if they can find a flight that is coming back to the states.  As of last night they had located one leaving Frankfurt, Germany, tomorrow.  Now all they have to do is get from Valencia, Spain, to Frankfurt, Germany.

On a lighter note, we started what we hope will NOT be a new tradition.  We played the first ever Corona Bowl Cousins’ Football Game.  All the cousins who are old enough made their way outside and into the street for an exciting … nay, uproaring … game of football.  I think if we had advertised a little we could have had a street full of fans as well.  Hey, what else is there to do?  All the other sporting events were canceled.

As one might suspect on such an auspicious occasion, the game was going great … until it wasn’t.  Touchdown passes were flying.  Brennan was displaying his blinding speed.  Cailyn caught a pass, and instead of running toward the goal line, she turned and chunked the ball as far as she could.  Amazing.  Luke made a similar throw, but his found Caleb’s midsection.  Speaking of Caleb, he played some outstanding free safety, breaking up passes even to his slightly taller Dad.  Micah and Zak ran windsprints of pass patterns every play, and did a little jump and bump action after every score.  Jachin played the whole game barefoot.  Josiah probably had more receptions than anybody.  Noa and AnnaGrace and Ezra were busy with less stressful activities on the sidelines.  They were all set up in the back of the truck, selling imaginary ice cream.  I recommend the rainbow.  Yummy.

Yes, it was a wonderful Corona Bowl family gathering, in the midst of the big Corona Virus Scare.  Until …

Out of the blue, a casualty was born.  A certain grizzled veteran of the gridiron had one final flash of brilliance within him.  With one touchdown grasp already under his belt, this time he faded into the flat.  The pass was on the money.  And in an instant he had faked a lateral back to Quarterback Micah, completely juking (or deke-ing) his nearly 30 years younger defender completely out of his shoes.  It was breathtaking … in more ways than one.  All that remained was planting a foot, making a cut, avoiding a truck bumper and four or five defenders, and a touchdown was in his grasp.

But then …

Then the old guy seemed to have his legs ripped out from under him.  The unseen opponent sent me … er HIM … flying through the air, not toward the goal line, but straight toward the unforgiving pavement.  The brunt of the fall was taken by a bionic knee implant.  Sparks flew all across the playing field/street.  And the burning sparks from metal on asphalt seared a small portion of his leg.  The impact knocked a few holes in the hapless receiver’s hand as well.  And on the ensuing roll, his arm twisted underneath his body at a horrendous angle, as his athletic instincts transferred some of the brunt of the fall to his shoulder.  Fortunately the arm was fine.  The miraculous catch ended the game on a victorious note, however.  The Corona Bowl 2020 was in the books.  (P.S.  Yes, I’m pretty sore this morning, but so far I don’t seem too very “worse for wear”). 

John 6:35 says, “Then Jesus declared, ‘I am the bread of life.  Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.’”

Father, thank you for the time we are having with our kiddos.  Will you please intervene in this whole Coronavirus thing, though?  Amen.

March 12 – “Mission accomplished”

Guess I need to do a quick truck update here.  We took a pretty big hit on it this week.  It needed an inspection sticker, so we had to bite the bullet and approve repair of the horn.  Well, that turned out to be somewhat worse than I imagined.  The report was that both horns under the hood were bad, and the connection in the steering column was broken as well.  OK.  I knew about the connection in the steering column.  I saw that and even looked it up on YouTube.  But I didn’t even know there were two horns under the hood.  Oh, well, we now have two new horns and three horn connections that work.  The truck can once again make a horrendous noise to warn you to get out of my way. 

The other issue I was worried about was what appeared to be some kind of electrical ground problem with one of the headlights.  Everything else was brand new.  Well, come to find out, one of the new bulbs we just put in had a short in it.  New bulb … no problem.  At least that was an easy one.

As I was pulling away from the curb to head over to the mechanic shop, I turned on the windshield wipers to erase some of the fog that had accumulated therein.  And lo and behold, one of the blades tore apart from its casing.  That’s another expense.  At least I could let Dennis take care of it this time.  For some reason that is one of my least favorite car duties to perform.  I always forget how to get them on and off.  But that is now taken care of. 

The final task was a quick trip over to the old City Hall building to the county clerk’s office.  Time to get the registration for the truck paid and get a new sticker.  That was just a matter of waiting in line and writing a check.  Once I got home with all the paperwork, it took about three minutes to scrape off the old sticker and slap on the new one.  Finally.  Mission accomplished.  She is ready to roll.  Good thing, too.  Chris said the truck has received its quota of expenses for the year … or two … or three …

James 4:8 says, “Come near to God and he will come near to you.  Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

Father, that’s a pretty good verse for all the hysteria that’s going around right now.  Wash hands.  Physically and spiritually.  Amen.

March 11 – “The frightening visitation”

We received yet another early morning unexpected wake-up call yesterday.  Our bodies are going to get used to Daylight Savings Time whether we like it or not.  But this one … this one was special.

It began a little before seven.  And it was a familiar sound.  The faint, yet clearly discernible “yip, yip, yipping” that is unmistakably our beloved little Freddy, informing us that she sees something out of the ordinary that we need to be made aware of.  But as I slowly came more and more into focus with the world around me, there was just something different.  It wasn’t her usual continual, non-stop yappery.  It was intermittent, as if she suspected something was awry, but wasn’t completely sure.  As is our custom, I followed her outside to the back yard, and she took me to the usual place where she sees outside critters.  I saw none.

And then there came the two other sounds that got even Chris’ attention.  One was the low-pitched growl, reminiscent of that movie with the demons that came to eat the souls of the faithful.  Neither of us could place that one.  It certainly wasn’t Freddy.  But the other one.  Oh, my.  It was a deep-throated bark that sounded like a full-blown wolf attack.  And it sounded like it was just outside our bedroom window.  By this time Freddy was in the house.  She didn’t want any part of it, either, I suppose.  But curiosity got the better of me.  I had to see.

So I grabbed a flashlight and this time went out the front door, hoping for a better vantage point. As I rounded the corner to the side of our house where our little shed is, I shined the light toward the shed’s roof.  Yep.  There it was.  One of the biggest opossums I have ever seen.  Kind of explains why Freddy was so hesitant in her vocals this time.  That thing made about three of her.  And if you have ever heard a cornered opossum growl, then you know that mystery sound number one was solved. 

But then it finally registered to my sleep-addled brain that mystery sound number two was once again active.  The bark.  The loud, angry, wolf-like bark.  Slowly I panned the stream of light downward toward my neighbor’s back yard.  And as the beam reach a point much farther from that ground than I would have liked, I saw two small red flashes gleaming back at me through the six-foot high chain link gate.  Frightening, to say the least.  I adjusted the beam to a wider flow of light and once again pointed in the direction of the horrifying racket.  And there, intermittently growling and barking like a police dog turned loose – now in my direction - was a Marmaduke-esque figure.  But … my neighbor does not have a dog.

For a long moment I was too stunned to move.  The angry giant opossum overhead.  The also-angry and even gianter dog below.  The only thing between me and certain destruction was a flimsy gate that Evil-Marmaduke could easily hurdle and the fact that I was pretty sure I could outrun the opossum.  In those short moments a few things began to crystallize in my mind.  No, my life didn’t flash before my eyes.  But I did recall that another neighbor’s rather large dog has been known to scale the fence into this neighbor’s back yard for reasons unknown to the rest of mankind.  Surely that was the same, ordinarily playful creature we see on our neighborhood walks.  And opossums really like to eat things like roaches, and we have begun seeing some of those big old roaches in our back yard lately.  So the ogre-esque opossum was probably just visiting for the breakfast buffet.  See?  A calm, fresh look at the circumstances can change your perspective on most things.  I must confess, however, that I may have ventured out in the yard a time or two – just to check things out, mind you.  I have to keep my little family safe, you know?

1 Peter 4:10 says, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”

Father, thank you for our little protector.  Thanks for that gigantic protector who lives a few houses over as well.  We feel pretty safe from intruders.  Amen.

March 10 – “Praise the Lord and wash your hands”

Monday, Monday, Monday.  As ever it was truly a work day.  I plopped myself down in front of the computer and stayed put for several hours before forcing myself to stretch my aching back muscles.  My back has been doing much better, by the way.  Definitely still a twitch back there, so I have been trying to be very careful with quick movements and the like.  I have to stay on the well side, since Chris is having a lot of trouble with her legs and back right now. 

She had another physical therapy appointment yesterday.  They seem to be honing in on which nerve it is that is causing the problem, but they can’t seem to find where the actual pinch is occurring.  She is being faithful to do the exercises they give her, though. 

When Chris got home she told me about a lady who was just leaving from her appointment.  She came into the lobby and doused her hands with sanitizer.  As she scrubbed them together, she approached the window to make her new appointments, all the while chatting amiably with the clerk.  He finally completed the task and said he would print the new schedule out for her.  Just as he reached for the papers, however, the lady yelled at him to stop.  “I don’t want you touching those papers,” she explained.  “I didn’t see you wash your hands in my presence.  I’ll get them myself.”  At which point she reached behind the screen and pulled the papers from the printer herself.  Now happy as a lark, she waved to the people in the waiting room, calling out as she punched the handicapped access button with her elbow, “All of you need to remember to wash your hands and use hand sanitizer.  Have a nice day.”

Hmm.  Reminds me of that thing I saw on FaceBook.  Something like, “Praise the Lord and wash your hands, because Jesus and germs are everywhere.” 

1 John 5:14 says, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.”

Father, help us all get through this whole virus thing without scaring ourselves to death.  Amen.