Good day to all,
I have always been fan of local proverbial sayings. I guess that is due in part to my mother's influence. She was known to answer questions or making a point by repeating a proverbial saying. Each country has its own treasure of sayings designed to convey wisdom or to point out a human tendency.  Sometimes, the same saying is repeated in more than one country and generates a debate as to who originated it. Our years of living in Chile was cause to learn a lot of local proverbs. I always found they were a pretty good at denoting realities of life. One of my favorites was "es otra cosa con guitara". Translated, this is "it's a whole other thing with a guitar".  The proverb points out that it is one thing to pretend ot play a guitar and a whole other to actually have one in hand. It conveys the truth that there is a big difference between theory and practice.

In James 1:2-4 we read, [Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.] The testing we are all going through now is something we likely never thought of as a possibility. Yet, we are told in Scripture that this will yield positive fruit in our lives. Some of us have only considered "I will carry on through trials" in theory because we had never been tested like at the present time. Now we given the opportunity to go from theory to practice.

Let us consider what is happening now from the perspective that it will help us grow in our faith and  develop in our steadfastness.
What helps make this possible is the prayers, support, and encouragement of each church family member for another.  Steady on my friends, we are not alone. 
blessings, Vic

Good day church,
As we move into a new day of adjustments to our routine, how exhortations in the Scriptures are fleshed out may differ. For instance, in Hebrews 10:23-25 we are exhorted with the words, [Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near] An exhortation to encourage each other and to not neglect meeting together. The meeting together is for the purpose of supporting each other, praying for each other, connecting with each other for mutual uplifting. 

How can we do that in our present reality? We are only limited by our imagination and spirit of adaptability. For example, two of our church family followed each other through the drive through and then parked next to each other, rolled down the windows and visited while they had their breakfast without leaving their car. Last night our GO group had Bible study via a Skype connection. In addition, a church member dropped off some supplies to us, while keeping a social distance. The supplies were welcome but not as much as the act that said, "We are in this together."   

I encourage each of us to think outside the box and find ways of staying connected. Make a phone call, send a text, write to someone on messenger, send a letter. 
Have a blessed day, Vic

Good day to you all,
As we move forward in yet another day of adjusting to the changes we are facing, many of us strive to stay informed via the news on television, radio, or the net.  Some news is encouraging, some is dark, some is based on bad intel, and some news just downright frustrates us.  There are several factors that contribute to frustration with the news. Some frustrations are because we are disappointed with some of our country's leadership and the manner in which they are behaving; some frustration comes about because of how some media outlets are still striving to emulate the tabloids rather  than an objective news outlet.; and some frustrations come about because of the reports we hear.

Among those reports is the question that has come to the forefront that basically asks when the economy is more important than human lives. The debate centers around shelter-in-place vs. getting back to work.   Like any valid debate, there are valid arguments on both sides. However, as people, we can't help but wonder, "how do our leaders determine our worth?" Is there a point where our citizens are considered an acceptable collateral  loss?  Some of us face the answers with disappointment and some with dispassionate pragmatism, while others with anger at having no say.

The worth of our lives from a Biblical perspective is clear. When calling on his audience to behave in a holy manner, Peter provides a wonderful reminder of our worth. In 1Peter 1:18-19 [Knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.]

As we move through another day of our current reality, let us face the day encouraged by the truth of the worth God has given us. That worth also reminds us of the value of our neighbor and thus provides a guideline for how we should treat one another.
​Have a blessed day. 

God's blessing to you all,
For many of us, this is the first day of  "stay at home" (or whatever name it is given)  instructions from our state governor.  The thoughts on the need, the legality, and how Christians should respond are legion. I am sure that there is no shortage of folks re-reading the thirteenth chapter of Romans and weighing in on how exactly we should respond. There are basically three views on Christians and civil authorities which range from keeping separate from  civil authorities to Christians should get involved and influence civil authorities. None of the views advocate rebelling against or refusing to obey government laws unless those laws clearly require us to violate morals standards revealed by God.  Therefore, we must strive to be responsible citizens and responsible Christians.

So, what does being a responsible Christian looks like? This too, may present a plethora of responses and opinions and what I am about to share is by no means the only answer.  As I thought of it, I thought of the ministry of all believers and I thought of the"one another's" in the scriptures.  Depending on the list we choose to view, the "one another's" in the Bible vary. Some lists will only count the "love one another" once while other lists will count each "love one another" every time it is written.  In the list, Ephesians 5:19 reads [addressing one another in psalms, and hymns and spiritual songs, signing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart What Paul is getting at is that we should be infused with an attitude of joy, thanksgiving to God, and encouragement to others. 

There.] is a lot of talk of critical needs, among those needs is hope. Through our prayers, communications via phone calls, emails, and texts, we can encourage one another, remind each other of the joy found in Christ, and be thankful that we have a church family to weather this through with. Let us never lose sight that whatever decisions our local authorities make; how inconvenient the current situation may become, we are children of God and that our God is very much in control.
Blessings, Vic

Good day to all
As our lives continue to adjust to the current reality, we encounter some things that give us a reminder, "things are different now", just in case we forget. This morning I thought of stopping at the local Costco to pick up some supplies for my mother-in-law and discovered that if I chose to stay in the line formed outside the store, the process would take a huge chunk of my day. The option taken was to order online and pay a significantly higher price. This was followed by receiving two sales calls within thirty minutes of being in the office. The sales calls were an indicator of the adjustments some businesses are making in order to continue to generate revenue. One call was from an advertising branch of a local television network; the other was from a transit company that I know is dealing with sharp drop in passengers. 

I thought, "everyone is scrambling to adjust"; sales reps are beating the brush for new customers; folks getting up early to stand in line in order to purchase food and other necessities. Our family, as most of our church families, have also made some drastic adjustments to our daily lives.  The one constant in our lives at this time, the one thing we can be sure is a non-negotiable source of strength, is Jesus Christ. As His children, we can choose to focus on the negatives or we can choose to focus on the unparalleled opportunity each of us have been given to be heralds of hope, proclaimers of God's grace; and examples of the peace found only in Christ.   

In the first chapter of Acts, Jesus' disciples were standing by for their marching orders. In Acts 1:8 Jesus said: [But your will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, an to the end of the earth.] We know that the Holy Spirit came down on Pentecost Sunday as taught in the following chapter. Therefore, we, who have proclaimed Jesus as Lord and Savior, have been blessed with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Now, more than ever, it is time to be His witnesses. At the appropriate social distance of course. 
Have a blessed day.