In a time of much fear,
We have AMAZING NEWS!
What should our response to COVID 19 be? Here are some thoughts from a variety of leaders in the church. There are so many amazing voices out there right now and these are just a few …
Some useful paradoxes:
“Let me encourage you with this thought: these are the challenges the church was made for: light in darkness, strength in weakness, courage in fear, calm in crisis. Let that sink in. We were made for this.” — Rob Sweet, Lead Pastor Fellowship Bible Church.
A heart for the lonely I want to have during this time:
“No one should be refused a loving look of attention and a gesture of goodness.” — Pope Francis, Vatican News.
A call to action I concur with:
“Let’s humble ourselves and take a stand against the Coronavirus! …To take a stand against the destructive spread of the Coronavirus, we are calling the global Church to a three-day Esther Fast, March 18th – March 20th.” — Lou Engle, The Call.
This is a man I know follows God. I had an amazing heavenly encounter as a young man in May of 1995 regarding Lou Engle, and all that I was told has come to pass. Recently this movement has gathered thousands of young people and sent them to the nations.
Practical wisdom worth considering:
“You could think, ‘Well, I’m probably going to have mild symptoms, so I’m not going to worry.’ I’d rather have people say, ‘How can I support the common good — of our church, of our community?’ For instance, it’s the reason we vaccinate — to serve the common good.” — Dr. Lisa Gilbert, MD, FAAFP, CTropMed, The Living Church Foundation.
A simple reminder I love:
“It takes the same amount of energy to worry as to pray.” — Georgian Banov, Global Celebration.
A simple action:
“Spread love and not fear by offering to look for elderly and immune compromised and offer to do shopping trips or errands for them.” — Jill Monaco (Ministries).
More rest is good for us:
“This global health crisis is a ‘sabbath’ opportunity for us all to slow down.” — Michael Sulivant, Life Model Works.
Do you carry good news or bad news?
“When people are hearing bad news all day, they need some good news! Good news is Jesus faced some serious fears before his rejection and death. Death was troubling for Jesus. He asked his Father, if it’s possible, remove this cup from me. But setting aside his feelings, he obeyed and said yes to the cross. Jesus was not made for death, and neither are we. Death is sometimes terrifying but Jesus through his death gave us the good news of the cross; God is unstoppable love for all of us.” — Marcus Young, INFire.