Letters While Separated- Weekly Compilation
Such incredible words of encouragement and hope from our church family written for our church family.
Here are the letters from this past week if you missed one. You are loved!
Dear Church Family,
The past few weeks have truly been a whirlwind. As an owner of a local small business in town, it has been the hardest couple weeks of my working career. The flood of thoughts from my sinful nature and from the enemy is a constant onslaught doing their absolute best to make me think I am in this alone. Seeing my family’s business dive down 70% is beyond anything we ever thought we would see. Having your heart race each time another bill needs to be paid and making sure that enough cash flow has come in to pay it. Having to tell employees that their pay is being decreased each week while we are waiting for the payroll protection plan to be approved. To say it has been a struggle is the understatement of the year.
But, God.
Yes, OUR GOD. He is fighting on my behalf. He constantly reminds me through His Word and His people and His Spirit that I am not alone. To be able to understand the scripture of “when I am weak, then I am strong” because of having Christ work through me and die to myself has been so good. I would be lying if I said sweet. It’s so good as in the sense of a thirsty man drinking water. It’s good. It makes me thankful. With each lesson I have been learning these past few weeks, it has been an opportunity to share and comfort others. Without knowing it, as if there is someone else moving and working through me (SARCASM) I am living out 2 Corinthians 1:3-4.
And so it is with this letter to you. With each new blow this world gives you and each time you don’t think you can handle another strike and each time you think you want to give up on your faith, we can resonate more and more with what is written in God’s Word (Mark 9:24).
Force yourself to verbally speak your requests to God. Why? Oh, thank you, LORD we have it written why in 1 Peter 5. Because He cares. He actually cares! Thank you, Lord, that you are actively in our lives and daily completing the good work that you have started in us.
May you know that the Lord is good, for you to go and seek refuge in Him (Psalm 34:8).
In Christ,
Clifford W.
Dearest Church Family,
This letter comes from my back patio on my day off. I am having a cup of coffee and reading Psalms. The birds are singing and the squirrels foraging.
My heart is heavy for our community, our nation and the world. For those that do not know I am a nurse. I work in an office for an incredible physician and company. My physician is the guy on the ring video making a house call during this crisis. He is volunteering in the covid screening tent.
Everyday is a new day with new directions. Is it hard?
Yes of course it is. Walking through the confusion with grace is not always easy.
I have had friends and family call to check on me this week. Thank you Lord for putting me on their hearts. Keep praying saints. They all want to hear a little of my story. I will share with you a little of my story.
When my boss went to the screening tent I was proud. I never imagined what part I would have to endure. I received my first call from the lab reporting a positive covid 19. My response: why are you calling me? Call the person in the tent that is equipped to handle this situation. She replied that is you. Your doctor is responsible for the patients he tests.
There had been very little instruction given on what to do. Easiest was to notify the patient. Oh yeah we have to fill out a form. Said form located. It said to call Alabama department of health. Call made! Please do not call us or fax the form. Go online and complete the form. She very kindly walked me to the correct site. A lot of information required but not a bad process.
The next step of this uncharted experience. Letters and more letters. Work excuses for the patient and family. Letters for care givers to travel during stay at home and curfew. Letters for canceled airline travel. Check! I can write letters.
The worst part of the results have been the negatives. They had the test because they had symptoms as possible exposures. Is it really ok for them to go back to their normal
lives. What if the test was a false negative what if...
Pray for the ones that are told to self quarantine. Specifically that they fully understand and abide by the instructions. In conversation with several of them that tell on themselves, they are not following the guidelines. I was horrified to hear one went to get food and the other was caring for their children.
I had times of feeling like I should be doing more. My co workers are working the tent. They are risking getting sick. Possibly making their families sick. I am sitting here protected talking to patients on the phone. I prayed for clarity, wisdom and guidance. I pray for uninterrupted rest.
I wrestled with am I doing enough? After prayer some clarification came. You are where I need you. In reflection.
I have been the calming voice to the panicked patient thinking they could not get their prescription filled I have answered many questions about what to do about their medications and protection from covid 19. I have had conversation that lasted longer because people need to talk.
Our family is well. My husband is at the hunting camp. For those that don’t know our story. He had a heart transplant almost eight year ago. He takes medication that suppresses his immune system. Pray for him that he will not get depressed from being isolated for so long. Karrie is working and Schooling from home. She is the cook and baker.
I cannot wait to see all of you and worship together. I long for the smiles, hugs and sharing of stories. Praying for all of you to stay well. Please wash you hands and stay home as much as possible.
I leave you with this scripture Psalm 19. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Day to day pours out speech and night to night reveals knowledge.
Blessings,
Donna R.
Dear Mars Hill family,
Greetings from Europe! Today is Passover. I had the privilege of just seeing the AMAZING moon that was mega-big here in Europe. Wow!
It is fascinating when I Turned to the book of Exodus, written 3400 years ago, and see how timely the lessons are for us as, as we deal with our own plague-like contagion. The story describes mandatory confinement and provides a way of escape from a deadly plague.
The story is found in Exodus 12, where the Israelites are instructed to kill a lamb and to wipe its blood onto the lintel and doorposts of their homes. Mandatory confinement is then ordered in verse 22 when the Israelites are told: “None of you shall go out of the door of his house until morning.” Safe in their homes, marked by the blood, they would not be harmed by the judgment that would be executed throughout Egypt that night.
Obviously, this story is not 100% applicable to our situation today, because none of us – male, female, rich, poor, old, young, good, bad, white, black, bald, mullet, or Mohawk – are left unharmed by this stinky little virus. We are just as likely to get sick, or lose our temper with our kids, because they are getting on our nerves since they are stuck in the house all day, as any Egyptian. The rain certainly falls on the righteous and the unrighteous equally.
But what is applicable from the Exodus story? The blood. It is always, always the precious blood of Christ. It is what makes Christianity so different from all other world religions and worldviews in existence today. It is the difference between those homes who applied the blood to those who have not. Both are exposed to the plague, but only one is under the blood. How important is that? Well, if all there is, is this material world, then not much. We are pretty much on equal footing with everyone else. But, if there is more to this life than the material, then the blood makes all the difference.
As Nicholas Wolterstorff of Yale said when he lost his son in a climbing accident, “When we have overcome absence with phone calls, winglessness with airplanes, summer heat with air-conditioning—when we have overcome all these and much more besides, then there will abide two things with which we must cope: the evil in our hearts and death.”
Evil, and death. Two terrible things – and yet. The blood, the precious blood of Christ, takes care of both. Just like that. It creates a new heart and bestows eternal life. Amazing!
I guess what I am trying to say is that I have no idea “what God is trying to say to the world through this plague”. This is the job of modern-day prophets to determine (we do not have too many of those here in Europe, I guess they all moved to America long time ago)… I am also not smart enough, or perhaps spiritual enough, to truly understand what this means for me, how I am supposed to change – long-term. Over the years, my thought has become simple. Almost childish. I know very little. But this I know: “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so…” And the proof of this love shines brightest from that mountain called Golgotha on which the Lamb willingly laid down His life for all of us. For you and for me.
Applying this blood makes all the difference, and it is this difference that makes going through this difficult time bearable. Actually, for me, it is more than bearable. I feel deep peace.
I pray that we will all be moved to wonder and worship this week as we contemplate the cross and celebrate our risen Lord. Our cities smell of fear. We need the aroma of life—his name is Jesus Christ. I am praying for you!
Love you,
Dejan
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