March 23 2020

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.