Community in the Time of COVID-19

Morgan Farr is a strong voice for biblical truth and practical Christian living. In this Spiritual Life and Ministry UPGRADE, she reminds us of the strength found in Christian community, especially during tough times like the coronavirus pandemic.

"Social distancing and isolation can be incredibly lonely." Morgan says.

"Many people all over the country are feeling the strain of Covid-19 on their lives and relationships. But it doesn’t have to be that way!"

I (Dawn) have watched lonely neighbors struggle during the coronavirus pandemic. This isn't the time for Christians to hunker down, but rather to reach out to them. There are ways to safely minister to others—especially to the "household of faith" (Galatians 6:10).

Morgan continues . . .

Dietrich Bonhoeffer said,

“Every Christian community must realize that not only do the weak need the strong, but also that the strong cannot exist without the weak.

"The elimination of the weak is the death of fellowship.”

The good news is that we live in an age of incredible technology, allowing us to still communicate despite the separation! 

As Christians, we should still have the best community out there.

Here is how to maintain community during the Covid-19 social distancing without needing fancy online technology or computer access.   

1. Make a List.

The very first thing I did to prepare for social distancing was to make a list of all the people that I wanted to stay in contact with. This list included people from my Bible studies, moms from our homeschool co-op and distant family members.

I have:

• a list of people that I text every single morning,
• a list of people I text on Sundays, and
• a list of people that I am sending snail mail to multiple times per month.   

Who can you reach out to today?

2. Set an Alarm.

A list is great, but how do you remember to look at your list?

• I set an alarm on my iPhone labeled “Text the Love” for my daily check in,
• I set an alarm for “Love on the Lord’s Day” for the Sunday texts.
• I set an alarm that just has an emoji of a snail for naptime on Saturdays to write my letters and cards.

When the alarm goes off, I do the activity.

No pauses; no snoozing the alarms.  

3. Reach Out.

If you are feeling lonely or having a hard time, do not hesitate to reach out to people in the body of Christ.

I know the diaconate at our local church is working tirelessly to be available to the church via phone, Zoom, FaceTime and more.

Titus 2:2-8 says, 

"Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.

"Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good.

"Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.

"Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled.

"In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us."

If you are in need of someone to talk to, contact your local church, and ask to be put in contact with an elder or deacon.

Let the elder men and women of the church love and instruct you. It is what God has called them to do!

Finally, in this time of social distancing, don’t distance yourself from God.

• Maintain your quiet time,
• be in the Word of God every single day,
• memorize scripture, and
• pray as much as you can.

This is a scary time for many people, but for the followers of Jesus Christ we know that this is just a part of the story, and that it is all in God’s hands!  

Who can you reach out to today? 

Morgan Farr is a Texas-loving, succulent-cultivating, book nerd. Stationed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this Army wife is working to better love her husband, develop her three (soon to be four!) small children, and learn more about homeschool. Morgan is a homemaker dedicating her time to ministering to other Army wives through Bible studies, one-on-one mentoring, and physical training. She writes about her transition out of feminism and into biblical womanhood at The Forgiven Former Feminist.

How to Trust God with Unanswered Prayer

Debbie W. Wilson is not only an exceptional Bible teacher, she is a life coach who applies scripture in practical ways. In this Prayer UPGRADE, she addresses a topic that sometimes causes Christians to question the Lord.

Debbie asks, "Have unanswered prayers ever shaken your ability to trust God?"

I (Dawn) know I have had many unanswered prayers. I wondered, "Isn't my faith strong enough?" My focus was all wrong, regardless.

Years ago, a movement named Promise Keepers called men to faithfulness. But this article is about the faithfulness of God. Debbie is calling people to the Faithful Promise Keeper.

Debbie continues . . .

My friend and I prayed for her teenaged sons who were rebelling against her faith and values. Nothing she did seemed to reach them.

One day while reading the Bible she came across a Bible passage that resonated with her.

^"This is what the Lord says: ‘Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for your work will be rewarded,’ declares the Lord.

‘They will return from the land of the enemy. So there is hope for your descendants,’ declares the Lord. ‘Your children will return to their own land’” (Jer. 31:16-17 NIV).

My friend believed this was God’s promise to her.

She repeated “they will return” to herself when their behavior worsened. This word from God boosted her faith whenever she was tempted to worry.

Abraham and Sarah, an Old Testament couple, also found hope in a promise from God. This couple tried for decades to have a child with no success. Sarah was infertile.

Imagine their surprise when God approached Abraham when he was pushing 100 years to say the time had come. Sarah would give birth to a son next year.

“As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her” (Gen. 17:15-16 NIV).

Sarah was at least 89. If she couldn’t conceive during the normal childbearing years, how could she hope to conceive a child now?

When their circumstances contradicted God’s words, they focused on the promise.

Their placed their hope in His ability not in their circumstances.

“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed… Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised” (Rom. 4:18-21 NIV).

Abraham didn’t live in denial.

Neither was he a Pollyanna.

He considered his “good as dead” body and Sarah’s dead womb and laughed. God sure had a sense of humor to bring a son from them—now!

At age 100 Abraham held his infant son in his arms. At age 90 Sarah sang lullabies as she nursed her newborn.

God ALWAYS keeps His promises!

God fulfilled His promise to my friend too. Today, both of her children walk with the Lord and are raising their children in the Lord.

How do we trust God when our prayers seem to fall on deaf ears?

1. Ask God for His will and perspective and then expect to receive a word from Him. It may come from your regular Bible reading, a sermon, or what the Holy Spirit brings to mind.
2. Focus on His promise—not on what you see or don’t see. Memorize it and say it out loud.
3. Trust God’s timing. Some of God’s promises—like Abraham being the father of many nations—are bigger than our lifetime.

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Heb. 11:1 NIV). 

God always keeps His promises.

Has He given you a promise, but you can’t see anyway it will be fulfilled? Trust Him. He is the Promise Keeper.

Debbie W. Wilson—drawing from her walk with Christ and decades as a Christian counselor, life coach, and Bible teacher—helps women give themselves a break so they can enjoy grace-filled lives. Based on Hebrews 11, her most recent book, Little Faith, Big God, shows people how to live strong and finish well. Debbie enjoys a good mystery, dark chocolate, and the antics of her two standard poodles. Refresh your faith with free resources at debbieWwilson.com.

We Will Rise!

Julie Sanders cares about helping women think biblically. In this Easter UPGRADE—in the midst of a pandemic—she helps Christians focus on our future in Christ.

“Can you remember a time when everyone was thinking about the same thing?” Julie Sanders says. “Right now, we’re all tracking the same information and asking many of the same questions.”

Yes! With the Coronavirus coverage, I (Dawn) am on the same page as many Americans—but not always from the same perspective. As I move toward Resurrection Sunday, I want to be sure I am thinking biblically. And that’s exactly what Julie encourages us to do with this post.

Julie continues . . .

Daily, we watch to see where lives are impacted by COVID-19.

We wonder if we’ll get it and, ultimately, if we’ll die.

So much about life is uncertain.

• We never envisioned watching Easter Sunday services online from home.
• We never envisioned obeying government “Stay Home” directives.
• We never envisioned daily briefings on the lives lost.
• We never envisioned people passing away alone, without the presence of loved ones.
• We never envisioned THIS LIFE.

As we celebrate the Resurrection, we have questions. There’s so much we don’t know about life and death, yet there’s so much we’re sure of.

1. No one lives forever; we will all die one day. (Hebrews 9:27)
2. No one knows what tomorrow brings; we don’t know when we’ll die. (James 4:14)
3. No one is alone when they die; God is with us in death. (Psalm 23:1-6)
4. No one can defeat death but Jesus; one day this will be over. (Revelation 21:4)
5. No one can be separated from God’s love; Jesus guarantees it. (Romans 8:38-39)

This weekend we celebrate the sacrificial death of God’s Son Jesus, leading up to His history-making, life-changing resurrection. Christ secured a chance at life for all of us.

Not even disease or death can rob us of the gift of life.

While sin secured our suffering, Jesus secured our salvation.

Every person wondering how this Coronavirus will change their life has the chance to receive eternal life.

Because He rose, we will rise.

WE WILL RISE!

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.

For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.

For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.

For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.

Therefore encourage one another with these words (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

COVID-19 reminds us of the limits of our knowing and our controlling.

This Easter, we approach the celebration of Christ’s resurrection victory over death with fresh comfort, gratitude and relief. We may not know what tomorrow holds—life or death.

The same One who sees every tear is also greater than every disease, even today’s disease. His battle on our behalf lets us face tomorrow with a certain hope. We will rise.

How does the global crisis of COVID-19 change how you look at the death and resurrection of Jesus this Easter?

What does His life mean for your life? How will that look and sound in your attitude, in your words, and in the expression on your face?

Julie Sanders loves lifting women who lead globally. She’s the author of The ABCs of Praying for Students and Expectant, a devotional for new moms. Julie finds joy in helping women discover and develop their gifts to influence others. She writes from her online base at juliesanders.org.

Graphic adapted, courtesy of Luis Galvez at Unsplash.

Upgrade Your Self-Care

Morgan Farr is a wife and mom who's always on the go. In this Self-Care UPGRADE, she asks us to consider what self-care looks like, especially from a biblical perspective.

“Self-care is all the rage right now,” Morgan says. “When you type ‘self-care” into Google, there are over 3,980,000,000 results! People are desperate for an understanding of what it is, how to do it and when we need it.”  

I (Dawn) feel I need some self-care right now. With everyone sheltering in place with the coronavirus, it's too easy to lounge around in pajamas. But I know I need to stay intentional about so many things—including wise self-care.

Morgan continues . . . 

Self-care is defined as “an activity that we do deliberately in order to take care of our mental, emotional, and physical health. Although it’s a simple concept in theory, it’s something we very often overlook. Good self-care is key to improved mood and reduced anxiety.” 

When I went to Pinterest to get ideas on what self-care looks like practically, I was bombarded with everything from “paint your nails” to “take the vacation.”

I am going to share my Top Five Tips on how to Upgrade Your Self-Care.

1. Stick to a Schedule.

The primary challenge that a lot of people struggle with is when to have “me time”—or self-care time—simply because they don’t know how to fit it all in.

If you are following a schedule, you can see where the gaps are to allow you time for self-care.

It may be difficult in the beginning, and you will need to start small. Scheduling in 15 minutes somewhere in your day just takes creativity.

The more that you do it, the easier it will be. 

2. Create a Code.

The second challenge that I saw was knowing what to DO for “self-care.” This will look different for different people, depending on their interests.

What I did was create a list of 10 activities that make me feel refreshed. When I am ready for self-care, I pick one of the items off the list. 

Here is what my list looks like:

• Reading one chapter in a book,
• Sketching,
• Reading my Bible,
• Going for a walk,
• Relaxing in a bubble bath,
• Crocheting,
• Sewing,
• Scrapbooking,
• Listening to a CD, or
• Listening to an audiobook.  

3. Recognize the Reality.

This is the part where people say, “I have small children; I can’t do everything on this self-care checklist from Pinterest!”

And I would say, you are right!

Be realistic about your season of life, finances and ability level when you start to practice self-care.

I saw a list of self-care items that recommended going rock climbing outdoors. Sure, it sounds fun. But if you have never done it before and you don’t have the gear, that probably isn’t the best place to start for self-care. Instead start small.

Love to read?

Hit the library to save money on books.

Love to craft?

Check out the clearance section of your local craft store. Check out YouTube for free tutorials and inspiration.

Also, recognize that if you are in the season of little children, it may be all that you can do to sit alone in a room and read one chapter in a book.

And that is 100% OK. (I’ve been there, it does get better!)  

4. Filter Out the Funk.

I am going to say something super unpopular here.

We consume a LOT of funky stuff and call it “self-care.”

I don’t care who you are, sitting down to binge watch “Game of Thrones” or the newest true crime documentary is NOT self-care. 

Now, before you freak out, let me phrase it this way: would you say smoking is self-care? 

No way! It is bad for you. It causes cancer.

Watching violent and sex-saturated television is the exact same thing. Philippians 4:8 says,

“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” 

If you are filling your mind with funky stuff that does not meet the Philippians 4:8 criteria, it is going to rot your heart and mind.

Stop and think about what you are ingesting with your television shows and movies.

Would you be comfortable watching it on the big screen in front of your entire church?

If not, you probably shouldn’t be watching it at all.

5. Praise the Prince of Peace.

Philippians 4:6-7 says,

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” 

If you are trying to find freedom from anxiety and you are looking for peace, no amount of painting your nails or going for a walk can compare to knowing Jesus, the Prince of Peace. 

As human beings, we spend a lot of time trying to make ourselves feel better. As believers, we cannot expect worldly things to be able to give us the peace that surpass all understanding.

That kind of peace can only come from Jesus Christ.

Which step can you take today to upgrade your me-time? 

Morgan Farr is a Texas-loving, succulent-cultivating, book nerd. Stationed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this Army wife is working to better love her husband, develop her three small children, and learn more about homeschool. Morgan is a homemaker dedicating her time to ministering to other Army wives through Bible studies, one-on-one mentoring, and physical training. She writes about her transition out of feminism and into biblical womanhood at The Forgiven Former Feminist.

Graphic adapted, courtesy of StockSnap at Pixabay.

Beauty Is in the Heart of the Beholder

Deb DeArmond often focuses on families in her writing. In this Biblical Thinking UPGRADE, she focuses on the family of God and how our Father in Heaven sees His beloved children.

“Beauty is found where you choose to see it,” Deb says. “Sounds a lot like our life in Christ. At least, that’s my personal experience.”

God recently reminded me (Dawn) that He was taking my brokenness and creating something of beauty. My "scars" are being transformed! It's a little like the Japanese art of Kintsugi, where the artist "sees" beauty when he or she accents cracks in broken pottery with pure gold (see photo below).

Consider what God sees.

Deb continues . . .

Do you know what a picker is? A picker is someone who finds value in what most of us might easily discard.

It’s become America’s new obsession, with TV shows and magazines dedicated to reclaiming and recreating something grand from broken and discarded items.

Weekend warriors haunt estate auctions, Salvation Army stores, garage sales, and even the dump. I once saw a man pick up a love seat my neighbor had taken to the curb for the garbage pickup. I’m certain the picker had a vision of what it could be.

Some might consider these items junk, even trash. Pickers find treasures in every old garage and country barn.

Seems beauty comes in many forms.

My sister-in-law and her husband were the first pickers I ever met, and they were active long before these guys on TV. Not long ago my brother-in-law posted a photo online of a trunk he found in the trash at work. He took it home, cleaned it up and handed the trunk off to his wife. She worked her magic with a little paint and flair and, voila!

A treasure emerged—resurrected from the garbage heap.

Beauty is found where you choose to see it.

Sounds a lot like our life in Christ. At least, that’s my personal experience.

Jesus picked me. He saw in me a treasure, someone of value.

In His eyes, I was priceless, beautiful—though I’m certain it wasn’t obvious to the world around me.

I never considered myself extraordinary for a single minute. I never imagined that out of my existence could come a life of joy, peace, and abundance, far greater than anything I deserved.

I was ignorant of the true appraisal of my worth. The life I lived had little purpose or vision to guide me.

But God.

God valued me as precious, of significance so great, He would send His perfect Son to purchase my life. He viewed me with His heart and saw the life of Christ, alive in me.

He didn’t just clean me up. Through his precious blood, He lovingly restored me to the original He had in mind when He created me.

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good works he planned for us long ago” (Ephesians 2:10 NLT).

And unlike an earthly picker's trash to treasure, I will never again be available for sale. He bought me, straight out, to keep as his own.

How is it possible?

Like the picker’s prize, God has a vision of what we can be. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well" (Psalm 139:14).

Today’s Tips and Challenges:

• Spend some time today to gain greater insight as to how God sees you as His beloved son or daughter. Start with the verses listed below.
• Notate or highlight the words He uses to describe the characteristics, qualities, and descriptions of His children, and any promises He’s made to us.
• Then go to Him in prayer. Ask Him to adjust the lens of your heart to allow you to see yourself as He sees you.

Scriptures to Consider

1 Peter 2:9 - "But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."

James 1:24 - "...and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like."

Jeremiah 29:11 - "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'"

John 1:12-13 - "Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God."

Galatians 4:7 - "Since you are no longer a slave, but God's child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir."

Ephesians 1:13-14 - "And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory."

Remember, God views you with His heart and sees the life of Christ alive in you!

As you reflect on the vision God has for you, do you need to make some adjustments in your thinking?

Deb DeArmond’s passion is family—not just her own, but the relationship dynamics within families in general. Her books focus on the joys—and challenges—of those connections—from in-law issues to constructively managing marital conflict. Her most recent book, Bumper Sticker Be-Attitudes is a light-hearted quick-read devotional with deep spiritual messages for the busy believer. For more about Deb, visit her website "Family Matters" at deb.dearmond.com.

Graphic #1 adapted, courtesy of BRRT at Pixabay.

Graphic #2 - the Japanese art of Kintsugi.