Hi, friends out there.
So, how are ya doing out there?
Just for fun I looked up Colossians 1:9, thinking serendipitously about a connection with Covid 19. Wouldn't you know its a wonderful, perfectly timed prayer Paul had for all his readers. Its perfect for us, for you, for my friends, for my family, for me:
"For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding."
Colossians 1:9
That IS what we need, what I pray for you, what I see happening out there.
Some of you are now in your homes with kids...all...the...time. Some of you are trying to figure out working at home, do school at home, how to declutter with extra bodies around, how to reach out to people you're not allowed to be near. Many have had much/all of your work fall off the map (like our events have for a while), which can feel scary and foreign. But surely you are also seeing some good...some re-births, and re-alignments that are so positive.
My friend's husband is a truck driver for a grocery store and he's never been more appreciated.
Families are forced to spend time together.
There are a lot of hilarious memes out there about this, like
this one that just kills me--its the video I just posted on my FB page
(you need to log on to FB to see it. I couldn't find this anywhere else on the net).
Couples are stuck together like never before, forced to work things out...together.
The city of Los Angeles (3rd highest city in the U.S. for coronavirus cases) is finally figuring out how to get these precious homeless people off the streets and into some safe housing. It is good to care for the poor.
We are caring and grieving for people all over the world who are suffering. It is good to have compassion, show compassion.
And we're ALL using less gas, less toilet paper, less everything (except maybe data!), cleaning up the air a bit and learning to waste a lot less. I heard that with the closing of so many factories in China, people there have been seeing blue skies for the first time in their lives.
People are more aware of their neighbors...we might really need each other more in the days to come.
I hope you are sensing that God is doing something deep and profound in all of our hearts. Helping us realize we are not in control of much in this world. Helping us grapple with who we really are when we don't have our "stuff" and activities to fill our days. Helping us HEAR Him as the world gets more simple, as we reach out to Him. Oh, how He loves us and I believe is moving mightily.
Quick family update for me: Chandy was enjoying her first year in the transfer student dorms at UCLA. We had to pack up all her stuff (which is now in our living room) and come home. Brittany, who works as an MRI technician, hasn't been called into work because most of those procedures are elective. She thrives on social interaction, so she's really having to figure out this new normal. Lots of Facetiming. Haley and Michael are safe and sound in Boise, with Haley working super hard as a pediatric nurse. Ron is busy working at Pacific Coast Church in San Clemente helping to create online experiences of all kinds.
I was super blessed by their service last Sunday.
If you'd like to check it out, you can go
HERE. The worship was intimate and sweet, and pastor Mark Ambrose's message about the importance of our spiritual "helmet" was fantastic. And I must say, Ron did a fabulous job with all the mixing, visuals and editing.
Me...I'm busy cleaning, shopping, connecting, praying, planning. Soon, writing new songs. And other unforeseen projects like this one:
The other day I stopped by my neighbor Kathy's house. Her husband Chris owns a filming production company
(Paragon Media). A lot of his corporate events have been cancelled. I mentioned how my children's pastor wanted to film me doing motions to some of the worship songs (other than ours, which are on Youtube) we do with the kids. Out of the goodness of his heart (and maybe sheer boredom), he said, "I'll do it!" So we filmed 14 worship songs, including one I'll send in the next email, and then a quick message I created on the spot. I had read John 11 that morning and just had a thought. Spontaneous messages like this aren't really my forte, but here you have it (the comments on the screen were added by our children's pastor, Emily Talackson--thanks, Emily!) :
Yes, indeed He is. Keep your eyes and ears and hearts open.