Peace and God's Presence to Fight COVID 19

If you've read my blog before, you know that I don't post here that often. Maybe that'll change for a bit what with social distancing and shelter in place and such. I do have to say that I haven't been exactly bored or without close to home activity with which to occupy myself. My friend Dave Huizenga and I have ramped up our work on  STREET FAITH and Marketplace Kingdom. We've been doing a Monday through Friday encouragement Facebook Live stream to sow some perspective and peace in the midst of the current fear and anxiety facing our nation and world. A "COVID 19 Prayer and Perspectives" series. As we process the raw video into a castable form, we're releasing it  as video podcasts to supplement our audio episodes. That, along with checking up on and keeping in touch online with our friends and family around the nation and world, is keeping us busy and out of trouble...for now.

If you're not familiar with me or my writing, I'll tell you up front, my starting point for everything I am and do is as an unashamed and incurable Jesus follower. That said, as for this blog and the global crisis we face and my current Sunday ruminations, I guess what I want to say today is that if we can learn anything from this here and now, it's that there is no longer an ultimate operative "we versus them" in the world. And I think we should wonder if maybe there never was. Or should have been. We really are in this together. All of us. And if our leaders, and those in other countries, can't figure that out then we need to start with us. Right where we are. And take a stand for sanity instead of chaos. Peace instead of fear. Love and compassion and justice instead of "me first" or "us first". A people can only be truly great if they live lives of practical wisdom and love. And that we can still do...right where we are.

As a whole, the headlines won't give us peace today. The daily news briefings won't give us peace. The best they can do is to tell us to "please stay calm." I want to tell you in this time that there is another peace that is real and defies explanation, at least from the general post-Christian cultural viewpoint. And I still insist on talking about it because it's real...and because I'm not a post-Christian. Jesus said, "I give you real  peace, not what the world or the world-system offers...In the world you'll see all kinds of trouble, but don't lose heart. I have overcome the world and all it's systems and threats."

I won't insult you with flowery God-talk or platitudes. But if God is real...and He IS...then He's vastly more powerful that any crisis we face. That's why we're doing these special videos and podcasts. That's why we're offering Prayer and Perspective. That's why we're calling and video chatting with family and friends. That's why we're asking people to finally connect with real peace...in God...and to set aside their fear and any past "we/they" divisions and come together in practical acts of love right now...right where they are. I want to encourage you. I want to open your mind and your heart and pour in courage...for such a time as this. Maybe you don't believe. Maybe you don't even want to believe. But right now...maybe you want to want to believe. That's enough. Pray. God will show you He's real. Jesus will show you He's real. Then find some creative way to do the right thing, right where you are...in your here and now. Keep praying. Call on God's power and love. Sow peace! Reach out. And love. Love covers a lot of stuff.

And...it makes stuff happen!