Well I am breaking my long silence. I have thought long and hard, and prayed even longer and harder before I posted this post. Oddly enough, I was thinking about doing this and a friend of mine, who I didn't even realize read my blogs, told me that he missed them. Yes, God is always at work.
So, here it is, The 11th day of May, we have been in at least some form of social distancing for going on two months now. I have watched emotions unfold in real life and on Facebook. I have seen things that I thought were impossible, happen. And so, now I'm going to speak my mind. Everything I am saying, I hope is received in love.
Most of you know that my life's real work is working for a Community Action Agency. I get the honor of helping people that may never be able to help me back but my existence might make their lives better. It is very humbling. Right now, I am watching as people who were already financially insecure dip below a stability line that is unfathomable to most people reading this blog. And just for the record, I work with State and Federal Grants that come through the Illinois Department of Commerce, which is under the ultimate authority of the Governor, so those of you who have sent me requests to do this or that "against JB", please just don't. In 5 days, I will have been there 20 years, which means I have worked with grants under several Governors, good and bad, but still, understand my position. When all of this started, our offices started scrambling for how we were going to be able to help people without seeing them. We first sent everyone home and there was a handful of us that kept the agency running. We never went a day without helping someone in need. My part at that point was making sure our customers who had propane, didn't suffer because of this and that we didn't have people sitting in the cold. Others made sure food was made available for curbside pickup and yet others dealt with housing issues. Head Start teachers scrambled to switch to helping parents teach their kids from home. All of this in hopes of keeping people safe. And as anything anymore, it was met with mixed emotions.
We brought everyone back on April 1st, to help as there are now a lot more people out there needing our help than ever. Most of you also know that I am the IT Coordinator for our agency. So when challenges are put out there technology-wise, I am on the front line. Until this happened the thought of having a way for our customers to communicate with us through our website was very minimal. We needed to be able to ease the burden of getting assistance though and once the thought was put into my head, I didn't stop until I found a program that I could make forms with and upload them to our website. The thought of having people be able to sign their applications with us and securely upload their documents seemed like a pipe dream. Yet, funny enough, as I type this, I just got another notification that someone has just submitted an application. Where there is a will, there is a way. And as long as it is God's will, we WILL find a way.
Several years ago, I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis. It is an autoimmune disease so we already know my immune system is compromised. I was put on two different medicines that would deplete my immune system, according to the manufacturers. I was told not to be around kids. I had to give up two things I really enjoyed, helping with AWANA and going to the head start centers while the kids were there. Did I scream at the doctors for taking away my freedoms? No. Did I do as he said? yep. Do I know if it made a bit of difference? Nope. If I would have went anyway, and ended up with something that could have made it so I couldn't take my medicine, could it have landed me in the hospital? Yep, and even though I didn't know that beyond a shadow of a doubt, I decided it wasn't worth the risk.
I don't understand how us being told to social distance, wear a mask, and clean up after yourself is any different. Most of you know I am a Christian and that when life is normal, you can find me on Sunday mornings in church. Many of you know my habits well enough to know I say I don't have time to NOT start my day with God. I have seen things on facebook lately that just kills me. I think the final straw was the post where someone said while talking about not being able to go to church that "what happened to survival of the fittest". REALLY?? And calling Pritzker names, or Trump depending on what side of the aisle you are on? So, at what point did God lose control? When Pritzker was elected? When Trump was elected? Because complaining about the church not being able to meet in person 2 hours a week sure makes it look like to the world that someone other than God is ruling. I have to think about the story of the Good Samaritan and all the people that passed on the other side of the road. Were they thinking, "huh, poor guy, survival of the fittest though."
Have we not seen in history, even in Biblical history, times when people who were not Christians were in control of the land? But we also could see, because we are looking backwards that God was ALWAYS in control. We were fortunate in those times to be told what God was thinking through scriptures.
I'm not trying to be judgemental, but what if God is using this time to see what WE can do for HIM. Personally, I don't think blasting government is what He is wanting from us.
Yes, I miss that 9am-11am meeting of our congregation. Being the song leader, I get to look out and see those faces and yes, I miss them. My mom is 80 and I asked her not to go the last week before we stopped meeting. I know people probably thought I was wrong and it was even mentioned about not having enough faith. God gave us brains though and the health issues she had, and not knowing exactly what we are dealing with, I wasn't risking it. She wanted to come, so if you blame anyone, blame me. I know I am pretty thankful to God for letting me go see her for a couple hours yesterday.
When I was in high school, Richard Young was our pastor. He gave an illustration of a young man in a flood. He was in this house and a boat came by to take him to safety. The boy refused to go and told the men in the boat, "My God will save me". The water rose to the windows and the boy was sitting on top of the open door. The boat came again, and the boy said again, "My God will save me", the water rose more and the boy ended up on the chimney of the house, and again, here came the boat. And again, the boy said, "My God will save me". When the boy drowned and went to Heaven, he approached God and said, "But God, why didn't you save me?" God said, "I sent the boat three times."
Don't ever underestimate what God uses to bring His people back to Him. There are folks in my own congregation that I see the church alive and well in. Those that stop at my mom's house and stay in their car but just stop to visit for a few minutes. Those that make arrangements to get her little care packages through me and the several that messages and texts me just checking on her. THAT is the church. There are several people outside our congregation that have done this too, it is not overlooked. Knowing people care is priceless and seriously, most of the time, takes so little.
I see all these opportunities that we as believers could be using. All of these messages that are being shared through Facebook live and are recorded. Once you've heard a message, why not send it with a note through messenger, especially if a message has something in it that reminded of you of something that person might be going through. I tell you one thing I have REALLY enjoyed is listening to some of my favorite preachers that I never get to hear because, well, I'm not going to a different church and they are preaching the same time I am in church.
I hesitate to say this next one because the first few weeks we were on quarantine, I feel my life was one big blur between conference calls but there is a wonderful tool out there called Zoom, you don't even have to have a computer, you can just call in and have the audio but it is a phone call. Sunday School could go on through means like this. I saw so many people use this for Easter dinner with their families that I know people know it is there. Just because "we have always done it that way" doesn't mean it is always going to be the only way to do things.
Or, when we get to the phase with 50 people, why not have sign-ups for however many church services it would take to get all of your members in, say you have a congregation of 110, do three services, ask your members to sign up pretty evenly for the three and save 10 slots at each for visitors. ( I am sure not going at your regular scheduled time would be little inconvenience compared to not going at all) Our congregation isn't that big and will be able to meet again when they have it to be 50, but being song leader, I would be more than willing to lead singing through several services. Think outside the box a little. And still, this is all about coming to Worship Him, how many years has He fed you a lot more than you have fed others though. Please, lets as a church, show LOVE more than HATE and that GOD'S LOVE is way more important to us than any political theater. But most importantly, let's show how God gave us, as Christians, the ability to weather the storms for HIM.
Another dear preacher friend of mine, Ted Rhodes, mentioned one time in a revival service that God seems to have a way of making our mistakes keep coming back around until we get it right. Ted used the illustration of going around and around the same mountain. His example was if you have a problem with anger. God is going to keep throwing things at you to make you angry until you realized you need to get a grip on your emotions and behave differently. Let's stop going around the mountain with this. Lets figure out how to get on down the road and grow as a church.
I personally think now more than ever, we need an attitude of gratitude. Maybe God is telling us we were all getting so crazy busy with life that we forget to be thankful for what we have. Look around you, you have a lot to be thankful for, no matter what. Saturday morning, I was on the phone with my mom. she was watching as the deer were coming out of the woods behind her house and there was a baby. She was excited and animated and I just about cried hearing her excitement as she described him trying to keep up with his momma. I have been trying to stay more present in the moment as life has been pretty stressful on the work front. One day last week, I had to travel to different offices, I decided to make sure I looked around as I drove. I watched a huge bird take off, I watched windmills being put up, I watched a family of deer, and I took deep breaths and I thanked God that I could take those deep breaths, as I knew right here in my own county, there were people that struggled to take every last one. When I taught the high school boys in AWANA, they would come in and start in about how terrible their weeks were. I would make each one of them name 5 good things that happened that week. I have been in this boat too, and have to remind myself, I have a roof over my head, food in my belly, clothes on my back, water in my glass, and a God who loves me no matter how many times I screw up.
So, unfriend me if you wish, I had prayed about this so much and this morning Matthew West's Do Something came on and it was my final push. Please stop bashing the things that have had to change in our lives a few hours a week, and let's start trying to find new solutions to the problems. And let's start being the example of how if God is for us, who can be against us, and come up with the ways necessary to keep the church going. If we truly know our final destination, what is a few bumps in the road?
And PS, if anyone needs technical assistance to make their congregations more online present, let me know, I am more than happy to help.
Leaving you with Matthew West's Do Something, May it inspire you today as it did me.
