Healing Prayers Needed

May God bless all of you in this new way of living.  The world is in quarantine mode and many of us are probably feeling a little claustrophobic.  It is such a different mentality.  I'm waking up and acting like a Pastor.  Being a pastor of  church is like having your own business.  You make your own schedule in most cases and seek God as you take care of tasks needed for the believers.  Although, I'm continuing teaching, I'm in such a different mode.  I have much more time to think, pray and not be busy. 

During this time may we all be in prayer for those struggling with this disease.  You might have heard the questions-"do you know anyone that has the COVID-19 Virus."  I've heard that question posted over and over again.  Up until last night I didn't know anyone.  One of my niece's friends Dad died two weeks ago to COVID-19.  That was as close as I have come to actually knowing someone with the disease.  Last night a childhood friend and her family I found out are all infected.  My family grew up with a missionary family to France as one of my parent's best friends.  We used to send cassette tapes and our moms would talk for at least an hour-just visiting with one another.  On those tapes we talked with our counterparts.  The Bittner family had kids that were almost the same age as all of the Evins 5 kids.  Malea was the youngest of the Bittner's.  She followed in her parents footsteps and ministers to the French speaking part of Belgium.  We heard yesterday that their family has all come down with the Virus.  Malea is suffering with strong symptoms.  Let us stop and pray for Malea and Ted Winston and family.  They are involved in youth evangelism in Belgium.  Another related person, Valerie, who is the niece of Malea and daughter of our Trinity Baptist Missionaries, Mike and Melanie Webster also has the virus.  Let us pray that God would proved healing and comfort for these our friends.  May God use this situation for the Glory of God.  May we as believers trust Jesus and act with hope of heaven.  Let us be intentional in our witness in the isolation.  May these words from Colossians encourage your hearts:  James 5:

14 Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:

15 And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.

16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.

Upside Down!

That's how I feel.  Do you?  Its truly a different world in just two weeks.  Its amusing to observe many of my teaching colleagues who have been teaching all of their lives and have sent their children off to school every day.  They now are in home school mode.  Well, many of us have been there and done that.  Right?  At least 50% of the folks in our town are now unemployed.  Some will be taken care of with the stimulus package.  But, we all have to start looking ahead on how we are going to survive this wild time.  Our God is good and He always provides for his own.  Today we were reading in Luke 6.  Such encouraging teaching from the Savior.  Luke 6 is all about Kingdom Living.  Living like sons and daughters of the King of Kings.  But we might be in for more of how the King lived while he walked this earth.  We are forced to live the simple life.  Jesus in these words teaches the Beatitudes, asks us to "turn the other cheek and produce good fruit.  Goals!  Yes, Goals for Coronalife 20.  We have more time.  We can now be intentional in living for the King.  Love, do good, be meek, and all the other humbling things that God asks us to do.  Hmmmm.  Maybe a slow down will make us more intentional in being a son or daughter of King Jesus!

Lots of amazing teaching here:  Luke 6  20 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said:

“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

21 “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied.

“Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.

22 “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you and revile you and spurn your name as evil, on account of the Son of Man! 23 Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.

Jesus Pronounces Woes
Love Your Enemies

24 “But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.

25 “Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry.

“Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep.

26 “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.

27 “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic[b] either. 30 Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. 31 And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.

32 “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. 35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. 36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.

A Coronavid 19 World

Its like nothing most of us have ever experienced.  Over the last 10 years there have been scores and scores of movies telling of a post-apocalyptic world where disaster strikes and the life of the citizens of the world becomes very difficult.  Unless you are nearly 90 and lived through World War II you probably haven't experienced anything like what's going on this last week.  This is nothing like a nuclear disaster or what some people in this world are experiencing as they try to survive bloody wars.  Americans have been asked to sacrifice.  Sacrifice their freedom's, entertainment, jobs and other hugely important things.  Las Vegas is dark tonight.  Really?  These days are immense-are they not?  What is our response?  What should we as believers do?  How are we to respond.  Let us be peacemakers, let us be "the light" as Jesus would be.  Let us not fear but speak of hope.  

Hoarding is one of the most selfish actions that I have seen in this last week.  This behavior demonstrates a lack of community and caring for others.  If you are one of Jesus' I hope this is not you.  I hope you would ignore those who have become the most immediate problem for many.  In fact, the right response is to give away anything that you have robbed from others in hoarding.  

What words give the most comfort in this week like none other?  Its the words of Paul from Philippians 1-3 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, 4 always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, 5 because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. 6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. 7 It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace,[d] both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. 8 For God is my witness, how I yearn for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. 9 And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, 10 so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.  I love these brothers in Philippi.  They lived in perhaps the most difficult times of all the early believers, yet they were the greatest of all.  They lived genuine lives of grace, humility and love.  They lived without fear.  Paul shows his gratitude for all they did for him and also shows the example that he demonstrates in difficulties in these verses.  May we be like the Philippians and Paul during these perilous and difficult times! 

Finally Found My Blogs!

Today is March 18th, 2020 and its been a long time since I posted a blog here.  For some reason I could not find my blog in searching for my google account over the last almost 3 years.  Not that I was posting all that much-but its good to capture my life in both my blogs-this one for the church and the one I posted for Caleb's journey with Leukemia.  This week has been a crazy one and I want to leave my thoughts at out newly designed website with a link to this blog.  The next post will be my thoughts on The Coronavid 19 World.  Its earth shattering!  But, so glad I have my blogs back!