‘Twas Easter 2020, and I sat in my room,
Looking outside and feeling all gloom.
The sun barely shining, the earth filled with fear,
And I stuck at home with my cellphone drawn near.
A virus with seemingly little resistance
Had forced me and others to “socially distance.”
A moment of weakness as I sat alone
Caused me to question, “Is God still on the throne?”
For why would a God full of mercy and love
Let bad things occur and just watch from above?
“Please tell your church that we thank them for letting you come and minister to us.”
The Ghanaian man who translated for me as I preached thanked me profusely for coming to his church while the congregation nodded their heads in agreement. It meant so much to them that my church in Minnesota would share me with them for a Sunday, one-third of the way around the globe.
The image is embedded in my mind…
…the day my bedroom became a birth room.
I’m a visual person, so when I remember things, I see them. If I can’t see it, I probably don’t remember it. The farther back you go in my life, the fewer pictures I still have, but one of them I will never forget- or, I hope I never do.
In 2015 I started getting into the habit of traveling a lot. While doing an internship in Omaha, I still had to take seminary classes in Ankeny, IA, so I estimate that I made about 40 of those 5-hour round trips that year. God also provided opportunities that year to go on a family vacation in Washington and Oregon, an orchestra tour in Minnesota, a short soccer tournament trip in Florida, and a ministry trip in the San Francisco Bay area.
Ah yes, the popular question that has an ever-changing answer. In fact, sometimes the answer is simply, “Good question,” because I do not always know where I live.
Since January 2015, I have moved 8 times. Yep, you read that correctly. In the last 35 months, I have moved my “living” location 8 different times. I need to qualify that situation though by mentioning that I am also thankful for the generosity of 7 different individuals or families who have allowed me to live in their houses.
What should I write about next? Are there issues that you are facing or that the church is facing today that need to be addressed? Take 15 seconds to let me know!
