Blog
#CoronaBonus
Back on March 14, when “social distancing” and “stay-at-home orders” were relatively new terms for us, my brother posted a picture of one of his favorite places—the lake where we spend the summer camping together. The picture showed the campground beach, blue skies, and calm waters—a welcomed respite from the chaos that was starting to overtake our world. He captioned the picture #coronabonus as a play on the word “coronavirus,” a term that has inundated our TV screens and newsfeeds in the weeks that have followed.
Seeing God Best
Meet Jacob. Jacob is the younger son of Isaac. He is the grandson of Abraham. And although he is known as one of the Old Testament patriarchs of faith, Jacob spent much of his life grasping for God’s blessing: he deceived and schemed for it, he worked for it, he dreamed for it, he wrestled for it. And then in Genesis 35, Jacob finally rests in the blessing of God. In verse 3 he says to his family – “Let us arise and go up to Bethel, so that I may make an altar to the God who answers me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone.”
ThroughTheValley
Lord, high and holy, meek and lowly, You have brought me into the valley of vision, Where I live in the depths but see you in the heights; Hemmed in by mountains of sin and disease, I behold your glory.
Let me learn by paradox that the way down is the way up, that to be low is to be high, that the broken heart is the healed heart, that the contrite spirit is the rejoicing spirit, that the repenting soul is the victorious soul, that to have nothing is possess all, that to bear the cross is to wear the crown, that to give is to receive, that the valley is the place of vision.
Calm In The Chaos
It’s everywhere – TV screens, social media newsfeeds, radio, emails, meetings, formal statements, and casual conversations – reactions to the coronavirus is inescapable. The last 72 hours have been a whirlwind of epic proportions: colleges shut down campuses, professional sports teams suspend seasons, travel is limited or prohibited altogether, and stores are void of food and supplies. Our nation is in a state of emergency and panic. I don’t tend to get worked up about these things, and the virus itself doesn’t have me in a panic. But the frenzied reactions, the ever-changing scenarios and decisions, the frazzled shoppers, the constant chatter everywhere I turn – that creates anxiety in me and tempts me to give in to fear.
March Madness
Like many of you, around this time every year our staff members (those who choose to participate) pick teams, organize strategies, and intently watch the NCAA basketball tournament. The victories and the upsets bring about shifts to those famous brackets as everyone adjusts their expectations, all the while hoping to win the title of Bethel staff March Madness champion (and the promised, though most often imaginary) grand prize. I have never actually participated in these friendly shenanigans, but I know so many were incredibly disappointed when this year’s March Madness was cancelled.