Saturday, July 11, 2020

My Experience Getting a COVID-19 Test


7 am. I’m standing in line at a local “doc in the box”.  I won’t mention which one.  It doesn’t open for another hour but there are already 4 people in front of me in line.  I’m curious what they are here for.  They don’t look or act sick.  Is it perhaps the same as me?  I’m here for a rapid result COVID-19 test.  I’m not symptomatic. I have no fever, no cough, no more congestion than I normally do.  I feel fine other than I get out of breath easily – which could be due to any number of factors, non the least of which is my weight. 

I’m here because my wife has been struggling with – well, let’s just call it intestinal issues- for over a week. My daughter-in-law, a nurse at UAB – as well as a social media post by one of my wife’s friends indicated that such intestinal issues can be a symptom of the COVID-19 virus.  I don't know.  I'm skeptical. She has no other symptoms – well, she does have headaches, too – also something both sources mentioned.  On the other hand, a typical stomach virus does not last this long.  We needed to know, so yesterday she finally went to the doctor and the first thing they did was give her the test and order her to quarantine herself.  Other than that, they couldn't tell her anything.  Unfortunately, she did not get a rapid response test.  She has to wait - five days - waiting and quarantine.  Great. 

The problem is that I am a pastor.  Tomorrow is Sunday and I have to know - today.  I came down to this same facility late yesterday afternoon because they said it is one of the few places that gives rapid response tests, but I came too late to get a test.  So here I am, bright and early, on the one day I was hoping to sleep in just a little bit late.

As I am waiting, however, I am perusing social media and read an article by a local weatherman detailing his experiences from late fall 2019 that he and his doctor wife both believe was COVID-19 – even though supposedly it did not hit the US until March 2020.   I have heard several of these stories.  I even have a pastor friend who had a terrible respiratory sickness in early February.  He decided to take the antibody test and it came back positive. So COVID was apparently here in February. Another friend had a similar experience in December but he hasn’t had the antibody test. That doesn’t matter to him – he is convinced he had “the Covid” or as he sometimes says "the covert" or "the plague."

Chris and I in Eluru, India
Flashback to January 2018 – a full 2 years before the pandemic hits the US.  Chris Bond, Executive Director of Designs for Hope (www.designsforhope.org), and I are in Eluru, India.  We are to spend a few days there and then head on to Sri Lanka.  It was a scouting trip for potential ministry partners.  Within a day or two of being on the ground in India, I develop a cough.  By the time we leave Eluru for Sri Lanka the cough is persistent.  By the time we land in Colombo, Sri Lanka (about a day later) I am truly sick, but we are headed about 8 hours inland.  By the time we get to our destination, I am very sick.  I have fever, chills, difficulty breathing, and a horrific cough.  By midnight, there is no avoiding the inevitable.  If I don’t get medical attention, things are going to get very interesting. 

With a little coaxing, we got our host to drive us back to Colombo and the hospital there.  Our host was clearly concerned for my health because he drove like a maniac through the winding mountainous roads.  If I had not been so sick I would have feared for my life.  Chris said he did. 

Me, in a Sri Lankan Hospital
So there I was – on the far side of the world in a hospital in Sri Lanka – and it wasn’t good.  Let’s just forget about the fact that conditions weren’t exactly what we might be used to here in the US.  I’m sure the doctors were competent, but it wasn’t home. They really had no idea what I had, except to say I had a severe respiratory infection. My lungs were in really bad shape and my oxygen levels were below 90%.  They wanted to admit me. I wanted to go home.  We were at an impasse, so they brought in a specialist to convince me to stay in the hospital. 

After much urging on his part, I finally looked him in the eye and said “Doc, tell me the truth.  If I get in that plane, will I die?”  His response wasn’t encouraging but it was all I needed to hear – “You won’t die, but because of the altitude, it will be a horrible trip and you will be in far worse shape when you get home than you are now” - to which I replied “Maybe, but at least I will be home and with my own doctors.”

They said I was not contagious (I wonder about that now) so I walked out of the hospital a very sick man. Chris was awesome – he really took care of me on the trip home – even made sure I had a first-class ticket so I could be more comfortable.  However, I have to say it was the most brutal, most excruciating 24 hours of my life.

The doc was right about one thing.  I was in pretty bad shape by the time we got home.  Keep in mind, this was January 2018.  Even our doctors really had no idea what I had except they knew it was a bronchial infection of some kind.  I have permanent scarring in my lungs from it (which could explain some of the shortness of breath). I did eventually get better but man was it a rough go. 

Fast forwrd to today.  Standing here waiting to be tested, this is not the first time I have wondered over the last 5 months – could it be?  Did I have COVID-19 back in 2018?  That was well before anyone knew of such a thing.  I just don’t know.  To my knowledge, no one got sick from me back in 2018.  Maybe it was exactly as advertised - just a very severe lung infection brought on by the poor air quality in India.  After all, the air pollution in India is really bad. 

Nevertheless, I do have to wonder.  What if I test negative and my wife tests positive?  Given our daily close proximity, there is no way I could avoid getting the virus - unless I must be immune – and that means 2018 was probably COVID before anyone knew what COVID was.

All this is just speculation...

Today, questions are racing through my mind:
Does my wife have COVID-19? Do I?  Between my weight and the weakened lungs, that would be really, really bad – especially based on what I experienced in 2018.  If COVID is worse than that I do NOT want it.

If I can’t get results back today, should I cancel church services tomorrow – or at least cancel myself from the service?

But what if I don’t have it?  How many of the people standing here in close proximity to me have it (the line now is really long)?  Thankfully, we all have on masks – and at least for now are outside.

Am I just overreacting?

To be honest, I’m not really looking forward to this.  My wife said they put a Q-tip up both her nostrils and literally touched the back of her brain – or so it seemed to her.  Yeah. I don’t do so well with stuff like that. 

Inside now.  It turns out everyone is here for the same thing – a rapid results COVID-19 test.  Like me, none of them appear symptomatic.  One of the other patients is like me in another way – a pastor trying to decide what to do about church tomorrow.  What a world we live in now. 

Clearly, first come, first served is not as advertised.  I was fourth in line, but 8 people have gone back ahead of me.  “Our system just does that sometimes. We are working it.  I promise you are on the list.”   I get it.  They are overwhelmed.  This is God teaching me patience in the face of incompetence.

Finally, in a room.  As I was walking down the hall with the nurse, I could hear other nurses talking.  "Did you find him?"  "Yes, I’m putting him in 5."  They were taking about me.  Hello.  I was in the waiting lobby.  Where I was supposed to be. How could they possibly "lose" me?

They get to business immediately. 
It's swab time, and they are NOT kidding here folks.  Touched my brain. That ought to be illegal.

Thirty seconds with the doc and I am ready to go – and now we wait – for a phone call. The doc says, “It should be around lunch time today, maybe later, but definitely today.”  However, with a twinkle in her eye, the nurse says “You’re one of the lucky ones. You got here early. It won’t take that long.”

“Twinkle in her eye”.  That is not a statement I would have said 6 months ago, but her smile (assuming it to be there) was hidden beneath a colorful surgical mask.  This pandemic has changed lots of things, and one of them is that I have become far more adept at reading people’s eyes.  Your eyes don’t lie.  They tell everything.  Love, kindness, anger, hate… emptiness.  Her eyes said “despite being overwhelmed with all these COVID tests, I am going to be kind.”

And overwhelmed is probably an understatement.  As I left, I noticed there were more people waiting now than when I first went inside.  There were cars parked in the middle of the parking lot waiting for people like me to leave so they could have our spots.  These are strange times.  2020, you not our friend.

The nurse was right about one thing.  I did not even get home before I received the call.
Rapid results.  Very rapid.  I’m impressed.

Oh. And in case you are wondering.  Negative.  ***whew***
Church is not canceled this week.

Now we wait for my wife’s results.



Wednesday, July 1, 2020

A (White) Pastor's Perspective on Racism




Hello, my name is Joel.  I am white and I am racist.  Hold on. Hold on. Don’t cancel me yet. There is a second part of that statement.  Give me a chance to explain.  I am a racist – and (no matter who you are reading this article) you are too.  Still want to cancel me?  Please - bear with me a few moments and read the rest of this article.

No, I am not a neo-Nazi, name-calling, bigot.  I do not wave around a confederate flag.  I do not use the n-word or any other derogatory language – although if I said that I never have, I would be a liar.  Sometimes I cannot keep up with the latest in what is derogatory or offensive; but trust me – if I knew it was derogatory or offensive, I would not say it.  Here is the thing:  I am just a human being – but one who knows who he is and has taken steps to overcome it (more on that in a moment).  You see, the tendency to see others who are different than yourself in a different light is part of the human experience.  It does not matter how much melanin you have in your body.  It does not matter if you are red, yellow, black, or white (or brown or any other shade).  Because you are human, you are racist.

Sociologists will tell you that racism is a learned activity.  I am sure there is truth to that.  I can tell you many stories from my childhood.  I grew up in a part of town that was “changing” (you know what I mean there).  All around me were scared white people trying to deal with what was happening around them.  “White flight” was happening all around us – and eventually we moved also.  My grandmother was the last remaining white person in her community.  I can assure you, there was PLENTY of sociological influence towards racism.  I can even remember my grandmother talking about how much she loved her neighbors – individually and collectively - even as she called them by the n-word - and no, she did not mean it derogatorily at all.  It just was.  You see, my grandmother (God rest her soul) had no idea that, despite the love she had for her neighbors, she was still a racist.  If you had accused her of it, she would have been mortified.  Ignorance in this area does not necessarily mean you deserve to be canceled.  It just means you still need to make progress.

Recently a friend of mine spoke to me about a Zoom meeting in which he recently participated.  In that call,  an African American pastor said “I truly believe that all white people are inherently racist.  It is part of their DNA.”

My friend was a bit surprised when I said “He was not wrong.”  But then I explained, because what that African American pastor failed to see or acknowledge is that there is nothing different about a white person’s DNA than there is his own DNA.  That African American failed to see that racism is just as much a part of his DNA as it is mine or anyone else’s.

You can deflect it and say your feelings are not racist at all.  Many people of all colors do this every day. You can deflect it and say it is all someone else’s fault – either my fault because I am white or the fault of all the white people who came before me.  You can even justify it and say your own thoughts, words, actions, and feelings are a righteous response to decades of actions by others – something that MUST be to overcome an insurmountable problem.

But at the end of the day, you are just deceiving yourselves – whoever you may be – whatever color you may be.  The truth is simple.  The first step to overcoming racism in our society is for all people of all colors to acknowledge and accept that we all have racist tendencies.  Having done that, we can then begin to take steps to overcome this basic human deficiency – a deficiency that exists because we are all unrighteous from birth.

And if you will bear with me, I would like to share a solution to my problem – and yours – on this topic.

I believe that there is only one thing that can overcome our universal tendency to racism, which means I believe there is only one solution to the problem of institutional or even personal racism.

Ironically, it is a solution that was put into place over 2000 years ago by a man of color who was living during a time in which some pretty intense racism existed.  His name was Joshua, although these days we refer to him by his Romanized name, Jesus – or as we often refer to him, Jesus the Savior, Jesus the Messiah, or simply Jesus Christ.  During his day, his own people, the Jews had a pretty nasty racial relationship with pretty much everyone – the Samaritans (half-Jews), the Greeks (non-Jews), the Romans (also non-Jews), pretty much they were the cream of the racist crop.

Racism, however, was only one of many problems that Jesus came to solve, because racism is only one of many problems caused by the unrighteousness that we were all born into.  We call that unrighteousness sin.  Sin is at the core of all of us and it separates us from a Holy God who wishes to have a personal relationship with us but cannot because of that sin.

The story here is not a short one, but to jump to the point, when Jesus gave his life on the cross (and was subsequently raised from the dead – and is alive even today), he made it possible for that sin condition within me to be forgiven so that HE could reconcile the differences between me and himself.  And in so reconciling me to himself, he made it possible for God himself to come and live within me.  And because he lives within me, he teaches me HIS ways – helping me (over time) overcome ALL my human deficiencies, including racism.  In fact, part of what he teaches me is that in Jesus Christ, there are no races other than one – the human race.  Here are some of the things that we learn from him through some of his teachers:

Romans 10:12 - For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him.

Galatians 3:28 - There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Colossians 3:11 - Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

Ephesians 2:14 -16 - 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.

Oh, did you notice that the same teaching that deals with the racism issue also deals with the #metoo issue as well as the issue of slavery?  That is right –we “White Christians” in the South got it wrong on the issue of slavery before because we did not listen to the teachings of the very one in whom we place our faith.  We also got it wrong in the 60s.  Yes, God is still working on all of us.  And there have been many apologies for that.  But here’s the thing.  I cannot promise we – even Christians - will not get it wrong again.  We all have to work together to keep that from happening.

To that point… because he reconciled me to himself, he teaches me that I, too, must reconcile myself to others.  He teaches me that I have to overcome all of those inner tendencies, putting them to death, and to actively seek reconciliation.  In fact, he has given EACH of us the ministry of reconciliation.

2 Corinthians 5:18 - All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.

To which he was referring not only to help others reconcile themselves to God, but to actively seek reconciliation with each other.

You see, the solution to racism is for each of us to first be reconciled to God and then to be reconciled to each other.  Racism will never be solved politically.  Racism will never be solved socially. Racism will never be solved forcibly.  Sure, one side might “win” a fight and suppress the other side for a time, but racism will only be solved within the heart.  And THAT will only happen when we are given a NEW heart upon our reconciliation with God himself.

Jesus has not taught me to be color blind.  Rather, he has taught me to see the beauty in ALL colors - to recognize the magnificence and creative flair of our creator.  Color (or even the lack thereof) is NOT the source of racism, sin is. 

Do you want to solve racism?
Put your faith in Jesus for your own salvation.  Ask him to give you a new heart and surrender yourself to his Lordship of your life.

If you have already done that, LISTEN to what your King has taught you. LIVE what he has already accomplished.  This is not US vs. THEM.  This is US vs. the forces of darkness that has kept OTHERS OF US in bondage and captivity.  We need to RESCUE those held captive by the forces of darkness – but we can never do that until we look at one another and say “WE ARE ONE IN CHRIST”.

Sunday, May 31, 2020

Four Perspectives on the George Floyd Situation



Everyone seems to be weighing in on the George Floyd situation.  Everyone has an opinion or perspective and many have rashly jumped into the social media sphere to give their perspective on it.  I don’t want to give my perspective.  I would rather stay out of it.  But as a pastor, people look to me for guidance during tumultuous situations like this.  And as a pastor, maybe I do bear a responsibility to take a stand.  A friend of mine recently told me his son asked him, “Dad, why aren’t white pastors saying anything about this?”  He’s right.  We need to do so.  We need to stand up against racism.  We need to stand up against injustice.  Biblically, we fight for the downtrodden and the oppressed.

But I live in Birmingham, AL and not Minneapolis, MN.  The only thing I know about the George Floyd situation is what I have seen and read in both the professional and social media spheres.  And to be honest, I don’t know enough about any of it to say I know the truth.  What I saw with my eyes was heartbreaking on many levels, because what I saw appeared to be the death of a man crying desperately for help and no one was giving that help.  What I saw appeared to be a man who took an oath to protect and serve snuff the life out of an unarmed, begging man while others who also swore an oath to protect and serve did neither.  It was appalling to see.

But there are so many perspectives to consider here.  Maybe, as a pastor who takes “Blessed are the Peacemakers” seriously, it is my job to consider all of those perspectives before providing guidance to the people who look to me for that guidance.  I know I cannot consider them all, but I do want to share with you four of them.  You don’t have to agree with them, but I’m going to share them anyway.  I only ask that you bear with me through all four of them.  Then, after that, maybe some guidance will find its way to where it needs to go.

First…
The Perspective of a Father of a Police Officer

As a father of a police officer, I look at what happened in Minneapolis and I cringe.  I cringe because I know that there, but for the grace of God, goes my son.  I cringe because I know that given the right circumstances any person can make a mistake that will be construed as evil, hateful and bigoted.  I cringe because those officers in Minneapolis have taken another step towards tarnishing the image of a proud and noble service to which my son is a member.  I cringe because so many people will now look at my son and rather than see the great man for whom I am so proud, they will see the despicable man I watched on that video.  Every day, my son puts on his uniform, goes out into the public, and puts his life on the line to serve and protect his community.  He does so knowing that there is an element of the public that desires to put a bullet in his head just because he is an officer of the law.  He is under constant stress and must remain ever vigilant to make sure he doesn’t cross the line himself.  And now, because of the action of these police officers, his job will become even more difficult. I cringe because I know a harsh truth:  Because of what happened in Minneapolis, the target on my son’s back just got a little bit bigger.

Second...
The Perspective of a White Man

Right – who wants to know the perspective of a white man at a time like this?  We are the bad guys, right?  The privileged.  The status quo.  The MAN.  The establishment.  But yet we are still people, just like everyone else, and maybe the African American community needs to understand our perspective as much as we need to understand theirs.   As a white man, there is so much about this I just don’t understand.  I don’t understand how this can keep happening.  I don’t understand from what I have seen on video why it was necessary to pin this man down with a knee on his neck.  I don’t understand how a human being who has sworn to protect the citizens can just ignore this man’s cries that he couldn’t breathe.  I don’t understand how three police officers can allow a fourth to put his knee on a man’s neck until he dies.  And if I were being truly honest, I don’t understand how the African American community sees this as a RACIAL injustice rather than simply a straight up injustice – a rogue cop committing a murder. I know I will get lots of negative comments about that (and maybe that is appropriate), but I’m just being real and telling you how most of us see this.

But despite all that, I just don’t understand why rioting and looting Target and destroying small businesses in one’s own community is an appropriate response to a racial injustice.  And even if it could be (which it can’t be) justified in Minneapolis, how can it possibly be justified in Atlanta or here in Birmingham?  What’s more, I don’t understand how small business owners get arrested for trying to provide for their family in one place while violent protesters get a pass in another – and I’m not saying they all got a pass, but many of them did.

Honestly, I just don’t understand any of this.  But that just scratches the surface of what I don’t understand, because the real kicker is that I, as a white man, could not possibly know or understand anything at all about the perspective of the black man or woman during a situation like this.  The truth is, I don’t think I or probably the vast majority of any other white people ever could – and I think that is exactly the point.  I have tried.  I have talked to several of my African American friends about what has happened and about their perspective.  And those conversations have broken my heart.  To hear the anguish of my friends and to know as it relates to this topic, I will always be an outsider and can never really comfort or console them – its crushing. 

Third...
The Perspective of the Black Man/Woman

To say that I could possibly understand this perspective would be arrogant and presumptive.  But at the very least, I could listen to what they said – which I did.  And I have looked through the social media storm – wading through the hate and vitriol in an attempt to try and find the soul underneath.  And the themes are pretty common.  So, let me share with you what I heard from them, because their voice was unified.

First - frustration.  And, of course, with frustration comes an accompanying emotion – anger – but there is a difference.  As a white man, I can be angry with them about the specifics of what happened, but I can’t really understand the higher level of anger about the broader dynamics that gave birth to the situation.  As such, frustration is unique to their experience, not mine.  Frustration that says, “Oh, no, not another one.”   Frustration that says, “When will this ever end?”  Frustration that says, “You talk about being pro-life for those in the womb, but what about the lives of our sons and daughters out on the street?”  Frustration that says, “there is simply a long history of systematic injustice for people of color.” Frustration that seems to have no apparent solution.  This is a frustration that, from their perspective, is rooted in institutional corruption.  Not that they believe all police are corrupt, but that the institution of law enforcement itself is corrupt because it will not root out the bad apples.  As one of my friends put it, not all the apples in the barrel are bad. However, because the bad ones are still there, the whole barrel is spoiled because when you reach in to pull out an apple, you just don’t know whether you will get a good one or a bad one.  The whole barrel is bad because no one stops this from happening again and again.  As another friend said, the hoods are gone, so now they are hidden in plain sight and we just don’t know from where or when they will come.   According to CNN (https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/28/us/minneapolis-officer-complaints-george-floyd/index.html), the officer that killed George Floyd has 18 previous complaints against him.  Maybe there is something to that.

Second - fear.  I simply cannot comprehend this.  My fear is for the safety of my son, the police officer.  They fear my son the policer officer – obviously not my son specifically, but my son is a part of that institution that they do fear.  And since you don’t know what kind of apple will come from the barrel, you fear the whole barrel.  Fear that the wrong apple will pull over your son or your daughter.  Fear that your own child’s immature anger and frustration will cause them to do something stupid that will precipitate another situation (after all, our kids can be really stupid sometimes).  One of my friends grew up in a more impoverished and challenged community.  Growing up, she was taught (and experienced) that if the cops were coming, they were coming to hurt you, not help you.  Calling the cops was a non-starter. To say “the last thing you would do is call the cops” was actually the way it was.  You only called them after everything was over – the last thing.  Even then, those who had been victimized would sometimes be further victimized by the police when they arrived.  I’m sorry, but I just can’t even imagine.

Third – hope – or rather lack thereof.  All of this leads to a lack of hope.  All of them said the same thing.  There is no hope of this ever going away.  Well, that wasn’t exactly true, because they are all believers and they all know that HOPE comes through faith in Jesus Christ (I will get to that in the perspective of the pastor below).  But what they universally recognized is that this world is comprised mostly of non-believers and so for those in the black community who do not have hope in Jesus Christ, there is simply no hope.  No hope that racism will ever end.  No hope that their own children can avoid being targeted.  No hope that the institution will ever be reformed.  This might be the only time you will ever hear me quote Jesse Jackson, but since one of my friends quoted him, I will honor that and quote him too – “Let hope live.”  But where there is no hope, the frustration, anger, and fear become overwhelming.  And THAT is why they are rioting and looting their own neighborhoods.  As one of my friends said, it was Martin Luther King who said “a riot is the language of the unheard.”  Sure, maybe some of it is fear-baiting and being instigated from the outside, but it is the lack of hope that keeps the riot fuels burning.

And it is that sense of lack of hope that brings me to the fourth perspective…


The Perspective of a Pastor

Fortunately for me (I think), all of my African American friends that I talked to were born again believers and understand the hope that comes in Jesus.  So despite the fear, anger, and frustration, they do have hope.  Let me just explain it this way…

I am currently preaching through the first 11 chapters of Genesis, and if there is a truth that pervades those 11 chapters it is this – mankind is broken and in need of help.   Because of the brokenness of this fallen world, the only hope we have is the hope that God has promised to fix it all.  I know that seems a little hollow in the midst of all the riots and fear, but as believers, our hope is in the return of Christ, the resurrection of the dead, and the glorification of our bodies through the removal of the curse of sin.  The world, however, cannot understand that because their eyes are darkened to that truth.  The world has been deceived into thinking that mankind is essentially good at the core and, thus is capable of reforming itself to be good.  Nothing could be further from the truth. We dream of a utopian society where the air is clean, everyone has a job, and violence has been eliminated.  Therefore, the longer we go without making substantial progress towards that dream the more hopeless everything feels.  That hopelessness results in a closing of the ranks around oneself and those closest or most like you in order to protect yourselves from those who might do you harm.  The result is increased divisiveness and polarization.

To those who truly understand human nature outside the redeeming power of Christ, this is the natural progression of man.  In fact, if you look back over history, the human race has always been a violent, barbarous, divisive people.  Sure, there have been moments of unity, but they are few and far between – and short lived.

While that sounds nihilistic, that is why as believers our hope is not in this life but the next one.  However, that does not mean our hope is only in the next life.  What Jesus promises in full in the next life, he gives us in part in this life.  We are not expected to be perfect to come to Jesus, but Jesus will change everything about us from the inside out.   He will give us a new heart.  He will change our perspective, our desires, even our preconceptions.  He gives us common ground to overcome our differences and make one people out of two:

Ephesians 2:13-18
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility 15 by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, 16 and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. 17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.


Ephesians 5:1-6
I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

1 Peter 2:9-10
9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Galatians 3:27-28
27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

Colossians 3:11
11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

The point is… only through Christ can unity truly be found because only Jesus can tear down our differences and give us something in common worth binding over.  I hear people say all the time – we are all the same on the inside.  We all bleed red.  Maybe that’s true, but its simply not enough to overcome the darkness within each of us.  Only Jesus can do that. 

And here is the beauty of it – when we join in unity through Christ, we can actually celebrate our differences.  I will never say “I don’t see your color.”   OF COURSE I SEE YOUR COLOR.  You are BEAUTIFUL.  God LOVES colors.  RED. YELLOW. BLACK. BROWN. WHITE. Who knows, maybe somewhere out in the cosmos there exists blues and greens as well.  Who are we to say?  I know – maybe that’s going too far, but the point is this:  Jesus loves ALL the colors, which is why he made us different!
 The old saying goes.  Once I was blind, now I see.  Without Jesus, I see color – and I am blinded to its beauty because of sin and fear.  With Jesus, I see color for what it is – the poetic artistry of a loving, creative God.

Listen carefully.  There is a message all my African American friends wanted me to give you, so here it comes.

Stop trying to fix this – you can’t.
Stop trying to deflect this – Statements like (a) “All Lives Matter” (b) “What about the riots” and (c) “What about black on black violence” – they are all true and legitimate statements, but they all deflect the issue at hand – another black (presumably innocent) black man was murdered by a white police officer.

Rather – just stop and listen. If you are like me you probably will never fully understand, but that doesn’t mean either of us should ever stop trying.  They just want to be heard.

The more I listen… the more brokenhearted I become, because I realize there is NOTHING I can do to make it better.  That just drives me to my knees, which is probably where I should have started from to begin with.

Monday, May 25, 2020

A Pastor's Reasoned Response to COVID-19 (edited)




***EDITED***

As a matter of clarity and full disclosure, I did publish an article in mid-March on why I believe churches should not close their doors.  That article can be found here:

http://surrenderdaily.blogspot.com/2020/03/to-assemble-or-not-to-assemble-response.html

And for absolute full disclosure, while I never closed the doors to the church I pastor, I did strongly encourage my congregants to be safe and stay home as much as possible.  We did utilize live streaming and video conferencing for Bible Study.  Most, but not all, of them took advantage of that opportunity.  Now that restrictions are being partially lifted, most of them are beginning to come back to in-person worship.

***ORIGINAL POST***

Up to this point, I have been very cautious about what I have said concerning the COVID-19 pandemic.  As a pastor, it is my obligation to lead my flock responsibly.  That means I need to be knowledgeable of the truth and careful not to mislead.  The problem with this pandemic has been that truth – the real truth – appears to be elusive.  There are many who say they have the truth, and many others who say the they also have the truth – but the two truths contradict one another.  As believers, we are called to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves as we venture out into the big bad world of the wolves (Matthew 10:16).  My general silence to this point has been an effort to gain the proper wisdom without reacting quickly and losing innocence. As we enter into the fourth month of the pandemic, however, I feel more confident in my understanding and am ready to share some pastoral advice on the matter.  There are many theories, presumptions, and outright accusations out there, so allow me to share with you a few cautions followed by some encouratement - as we navigate these waters together.

Caution #1.  Don’t Underestimate the Severity of the Virus

This is a very serious virus.  Despite what I might think about the actions that have been taken by our national and local leaders, many of those actions have significantly mitigated the danger.  The fact that the numbers may not be as serious as originally projected does not mean the virus is not deadly. Until a vaccine is found, the virus is not going away any time soon. As we open up, there will be people exposed, and while many will be asymptomatic or have only mild symptoms, there are still countless many (myself included) who have underlying conditions that may exacerbate the severity of the situation should we contract the virus.  If you get it and it becomes life-threatening to you, then it makes no matter at that point what you thought before.

Caution #2. Don’t Underestimate the Seriousness of the Political Posturing

There are a lot of conspiracy theories out there, but not all theories are birthed in paranoid schizophrenia. Some are birthed in observations of true situations. Do I believe our constitution is being shredded in the name of safety?  Absolutely.  Do I believe it is some nefarious attempt at permanently destroying that constitution and ushering in a New World Order?  Well that depends – thus the political posturing.  Our leaders, some of which have had the best intentions in mind, have taken away freedoms properly granted in the constitution.  Some are beginning to see the danger of that and are trying to reinstate those freedoms, but there are others whom I believe want nothing less than to use this pandemic to initiate sweeping and permanent socialist change - perhaps even outright totalitarianism.  No – I’m not being paranoid about that because if you watch and read carefully, an elite few out there are not even trying to hide that fact.  Even more so, I think we need to be very watchful and careful about how certain other things develop as a result of this pandemic.  If we are not careful, we have society that consists of US and THEM (as if that is not already happening).  Bill Gates may not be the Anti-Christ as some are saying, but he sure is doing things and promoting things that sound very anti-christ-like.  And whatever else may happen – DON’T GET CHIPPED!  Just sayin’.

Caution #3. Don’t Underestimate the Spiritual Warfare Raging Below the Surface

You are never going to hear me say “God caused this virus as a punishment”.  Nor will you hear me say “This virus is from Satan.”  It’s not that black and white.  On the one hand, God is sovereign.  He wasn’t surprised by the virus and indeed it would not have happened without his “by your liege”, so I firmly believe that His plan somehow involves this virus.  On the other hand, if a politician will say “never let a good crisis go to waste” then you can bet Satan said it first (not that I was trying to imply a nexus between politicians and Satan… but if the shoe fits – maybe I should take that back).  Satan knows better than anyone how to divide and defeat Christians who are not fully dependent upon God.  Like any good predator, he will work to separate his prey from the safety of the herd.  No matter how strong you are, you are no match for Satan on your own – and while you and God are always stronger than Satan, when you are separated from the herd (i.e., the fellowship of other believers), you sometimes forget that God is with you or worse – you wander away from Him too.  That is when the lion attacks – and you are no match for that.  Listen carefully.  Watching church on TV, online, or even in a car is NOT the same thing as gathered, corporate worship.  It will NOT provide you with the spiritual strength and encouragement that is found supernaturally within the gathered body of Christ.  There is a reason why the writer of Hebrews said “forsake not the assembling together”.  Now listen even more carefully. Good intentions or bad notwithstanding, gathered worship of Christians is under direct assault in our country right now. I am amazed at how quickly we gave that up, touting (incorrectly in my opinion) principles from Romans 14.  Now that we are starting to regather, Christians are being shamed for putting themselves and others in danger.  The precedent has now been set and mark my words, it will be used again to try to shut us down – and I believe it will happen sooner than we think.  And don’t give me the whole “the church is the people, not the building”.  I’m not talking about the building – I’m talking precisely about the people – GATHERED AS ONE IN CHRIST.  We don’t need a building to do that, but we do need to be together.

Well enough of the caution – now for some encouragement and exhortation.

Encouragement #1. Never Forget the Sovereignty of God

This is the foundation of all we believe.  By definition, sovereignty means that God can and will accomplish the fullness of his plan without being thwarted by anything – and that includes COVID-19.  Furthermore, it means COVID-19 didn’t happen without His express say-so and therefore it actually will be used by Him to bring about his plan.  Will people die?  Yes.  But don’t lose sight of this important fact:

It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment (Hebrews 9:27)

Death and judgment will come to all of us.  How it comes it different for each person.  Some will live to be old; others will die young.  Some will die peacefully in their sleep; others will have tragic, painful deaths.  This is the curse of sin, but as believers, our hope is not in how long we will live or even in how we die.  Rather, our hope is in the resurrection of the dead that accompanies the imminent return of Christ.

Encouragement #2. Never Forget the Goodness of God

Related to #1, God’s plan will not be thwarted, and because we know that he is a good, good, father, we can rest assured that plan is good.  We just need to make sure we don’t presuppose what that good should be.  Too often, we decide in our own minds what “good” is supposed to look like, and when that doesn’t play out, we lose faith in the goodness of God.  Imagine standing on top of a mountain overlooking a vast horizon.  As you gaze at the horizon, you see both ends of that horizon at once.  This is how God sees all of eternity.  Imagine now holding up a thin piece of paper to that horizon so that all you see is the thin edge against the vastness of the horizon.  The thickness of that paper is essentially a horizon within a horizon and your perspective of time is locked within the thickness of that paper – not even seeing the full thickness of that paper.  In other words – you have no idea of the full picture of what God sees.

Trust Him.  He knows what he is doing.

Encouragement #3. Be Strong and Courageous (but not Stupid)

Finally, remember that as God worshippers and followers of Jesus, fear is not supposed to be part of our vocabulary.

For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.  (2 Timothy 1:7)

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. (1 John 4:18)

Everything we hear about this pandemic is meant to make us afraid. But fear is not our destiny. I’m not trying to say we will never be afraid, but I am trying to encourage us to overcome that fear so that we can be strong and courageous (like Joshua – see Deuteronomy 31:6-7). Like Joshua, the early church faced the imminent threat of danger and persecution, but they thrived in the midst of that danger, overcoming their fear and living courageously.

At the same time, though, we can’t be stupid.  Don’t forget Caution #1.  I know it can be inconvenient and even irritating, but when you go out in public, don’t be so stubborn that you are not willing to wear a mask (at least sometimes).  Fear says “I’m not going out in public” even when you need to do so.  But stupid proudly proclaims its lack of fear and rushes headlong off the cliff.  Don’t be stupid.  Until we get a believable all-clear, wear a mask when you can and keep your distance when it makes sense.

In closing – I want to say something about social distancing.

I get it.  The most credible evidence we have suggests that the virus spreads person to person within a 6-foot parameter.  Unfortunately, it has been 3 plus months now with everyone holding out this large, 6-foot personal space bubble.  I think we may be underestimating the negative social consequences of that.  We are a people made and designed for close, physical, intimate contact with one another.  Depriving ourselves of that has to have horrific consequences on our psyches and I would think even our health.

As such, I want you to hear me VERY carefully – are you listening?

You know I am a hugger, but the world has changed.  I won’t come up to you anymore and force a hug on you.  But hear me.  If you come up to me and say “I need a hug” – you can bet your Aunt Fannie’s secret blackberry jam recipe that I will have one for you.

Monday, March 16, 2020

To Assemble or Not to Assemble - A Response to COVID-19 (edited)



***EDITED***

Since originally published, it has been pointed out to me that during other events such as the Spanish flu and similar hisotical situations many churches have closed.  I don't have the facts to back this up, so I am ready to stand corrected, but I do not believe churches were mandated to close, but rather were asked to close for the public good.  Furthermore, I would like to have historical evidence as to whether all churches closed, some churches closed, or only a select few in highly dense populations closed.

Reglardless.  I don't change my opinion in the matter.  Constitutionally, government does not have the authority to mandate church closures.  Whether we choose to close is a matter of conscious and in this post I am stating my arguments for why we should not close.  As churches, we can remain "open" while still encouraging distancing and even encouraging at risk people to stay at home as much as possible. We simply should never close our doors to those who need us.

And for absolute full disclosure, while I never closed the doors to the church I pastor, I did strongly encourage my congregants to be safe and stay home as much as possible.  We did utilize live streaming and video conferencing for Bible Study.


***ORIGINAL POST***

I think this blog post may be directed more towards my friends and brothers who are pastors than it is to anyone else, but whether you are a pastor, a lay member, or just someone who is looking at current events with an eye of uncertainty and confusion, I am hopeful that you will see a perspective in this article that transcends the current tide of social wisdom and trend.

If the last week has taught us anything at all, it has taught us just how fragile our perceived way of life truly has been.  Within the course of just a few days, everything we took for granted under the name of freedom has been taken away from us and we have given it away freely – our freedom to move from place to place, our freedom to go out and purchase what we want when we want it, and our freedom to assemble together willingly.  It wasn’t taken away from us by an overwhelming military force.  It wasn’t taken away from us by terrorists seeking to destroy our way of life.  It was taken away from us by our own willingness to give in to the fear of a pandemic.  In the course of one week, everything we thought we knew about our own way of life has been ripped away from us – and with the snap of the finger, we live in a different world.  A week and a half ago, we would have all agreed that any threat to our freedoms would have been met with a grass roots uprising of homegrown military force the likes of which the world could not imagine.  Today, those freedoms have been voluntarily laid down without a single finger being raised in opposition.

To be clear, I am not suggesting those freedoms are gone permanently.  I truly hope that the promises we are hearing that all of this is just for a few weeks will render itself true.  Likewise, I am not suggesting in any way that restricting our travel and our movements – in general at least - is necessarily the wrong thing to do under these circumstances.  Nor am I suggesting that putting limitations on the gathering of large groups in general is the wrong thing to do.  I have personally said on many occasions that the gospel of Jesus Christ does not guarantee us any such freedoms and that we ought not to presume we have any rights to them at all.  Yet to see how easily and quickly we laid them down was a surprise even to me.

It is into this new understanding of who we are and what we are willing to do in the face of circumstances such as the outbreak of COVID-19 that I wish to speak.  It is within this context of self-quarantines and restricted movements that I speak this urgent exhortation to every pastor that may find himself reading this article: 

NOW, more than at any time in our lifetimes, it is imperative to the cause of the gospel for the doors of the church to remain open.

And having said that, I want to urge each of the pastors who have canceled in person gatherings in the name of love not only to reconsider their position on this matter, but also to consider whether they need to repent of that decision and what it means regarding their own understanding of the gospel.  Even having said that, I fully expect to receive the ire of many of my pastor friends, but before coming down too quickly on me for those words, please let me give you my reasoning for such a strong exhortation.

I want to give you four reasons why I believe the church, along with pharmacies, grocery stores, hospitals, etc. should remain open during this terrible crisis – after which I want to give you my thoughts on how I believe the doors of the church can remain open without overly exacerbating the risk of spreading this contagion.

1.      The precedent of the past as it relates to the present

When we look back on history, can we really say that COVID-19 is really that different than any of the many threats the world – and the church – has faced throughout history?  This is not the first plague the world has known.  This is not the first time in history that government leaders have suggested – or even forbade – the gathering of the church.  In all these prior circumstances, the true church remained open.  Yes, in some cases, the true church had to go underground, but in the face of plagues, war, famine, and even persecution, the precedent of the church has always been to remain open for business.   In the first century, there were regular concerns over potential plagues and there was imminent concern about governments forbidding the church from gathering for worship.  Yet it was precisely at this precarious time in history that the author of Hebrews said these words that – at least to me – seem as if they could have been writing to pastors and church leaders in March, 2020 as easily as the first century.

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.  Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV)

Those words were written to encourage us that our responsibility is to gather as saints so that we would continue to urge one another to love and good works. We do that through corporate worship and the proclamation of the word.  If we close the doors of the church, foreclosing any opportunity for gathering and worshipping and encouraging one another to good works, we will be at risk of falling into the trap of closing ourselves off from doing the good work that this time, more than any other time in our lifetime, is calling us to do.

And just as there is a precedent established by our forebears in the past, we too are establishing a precedent for the future.

2.      The precedent of the present as it relates to the future

We have closed our doors in the name of love.  Please – will you just say those words out loud.  Consider about how silly that sounds.  Let’s be honest as to why we are closing our doors.  We are closing our doors out of fear that a virus will hurt us or someone we love.  We are closing our doors out of fear that the rate of spread of the virus will overwhelm our health care system.  I get it.  I understand that.  But think about the precedent we are setting in closing our doors.  If we are so easily willing to close our doors today for this situation, what will be the situation that we are willing to close our doors for tomorrow?  This is supposed to be a temporary thing to stop the spread of a deadly virus, but the ease in which all our freedoms were stripped away underlines the risk that those same freedoms could be taken away at any time for any reason.  Who is to say precisely how long this will last or how it may evolve?  What happens if the social order starts to break down?  We are already seeing pandemonium in the stores.  What happens if that spreads into neighborhoods and the public in general?  How easily will the state of emergency become the new *permanent* normal? Today, we are unwilling to gather when the risk – for MOST people – is that we may or may not get sick for a few days – even though, yes, there is a possibility that some could die.  What will we do when there is a greater risk that we will be severely punished or imprisoned because we have gathered?  Has not the gospel called us to lay down our lives for the kingdom of God?  The truth is, in many cities across the country, church services aren’t just being discouraged, they have already been banned.  That’s right.  The time has come and is now that in the United States, church services have been banned.  Say that out loud.   Have not we all said on many occasions in our Sunday School classes and bible studies that we would all be willing to lay down our lives for the cause of Christ? Have we not said that we would not forsake the assembling of the saints even if it were against the law? Have not you, pastor, preached from the pulpit that exact message?  How quickly our tunes have changed.

 And that bring me to the third reason.

3.      The understanding of the gospel as it relates to the current situation

Think about the gospel.  So many of us right now are thinking about how dangerous it may be for us to gather in person for worship.  If we love our elderly and at-risk saints, we will cancel our services so as not to put them at risk.  Brothers and sisters, this is not the gospel at all.  The gospel is not “God is love and he wants everyone to be ok.”  The gospel is “Jesus willingly laid down his life so that we may be saved – and he calls each of us to lay down our own lives so that others may be saved.”  Jesus himself said in Matthew 25:16

For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. (ESV)

We say that we are protecting these saints, but true saints understand the risk of the gospel and would never want their safety to be the reason that someone failed to hear the gospel message.  I am painfully reminded of Paul’s words:

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.  Galatians 1:6-7 (ESV)

I urge you to go read the entire letter to the Galatians again in light of our current situation.  If we believe that cutting off access to the physical gathering of saints in the name of love is the gospel, we have lost our way.  If only 5 people are willing to show up for corporate worship, we need to be open for business so that those 5 may gather.  If one lost soul, desperate to find an answer to the chaos that is trying to carry him/her away, shows up at your doorstep, those doors need to be open so that we may share with him that our hope is not in this world, but in the resurrection of the dead through the grace of Jesus Christ.

But you say:

“We haven’t closed the doors; we still have livestreaming, and we still have digital church.”

That brings me to my fourth reason.

4.      The fallacy of digital church as it relates to an alternative to in person gatherings

Livestreaming is good.  Digital church is good.  There will be those who truly are homebound because of their exposure to the virus, just as there are those who are and have previously been homebound for other reasons.  This is one of the many reasons we have ventured down the path of digital church.  But neither livestreaming nor digital church can substitute for in person corporate worship.  Prior to this week, you as pastor would have told your congregation precisely that truth.  What has changed?  The virus?  Don’t be fooled by that line of thinking.  You know as well as I know that no amount of technology can substitute for being together in person.  Just as the lepers needed the personal touch of Jesus…  Just as the hemophiliac woman needed the personal touch of Jesus…  people need our personal touch.  They need our presence and we need theirs.  Let us not for one moment believe the lie that technology is the answer.  We know there are those who have no access to this technology.  Are we abandoning them?  We also know there are those who are not nearly as savvy with technology as others – especially some of our older saints. Are we abandoning them? And most importantly, we also know how unreliable technology can be.  We have been livestreaming our services for a number of months now, and we encourage our members who cannot physically be present to join us during the livestream.  This past Sunday we had an unprecedented number of people voluntarily stay home and participate in church via the livestream.  I’ve read the comments. 

“I can’t hear.” 
“No sound.”
“Still can’t hear.”
“Better but still having trouble.”

How could those people be truly worshipping God when they were struggling with the technology so?  You can’t worship under those conditions.  It really is hard to say what was the cause.  On our end, everything seemed fine.  So, even when it is seems good on our sending end, it is not always good on the receiving end.  Is it internet bandwidth?  Is it user error?  Is it something wrong in our setup?  Honestly, the playback seemed fine to me after the fact.  The point is this: livestreaming your worship serves a purpose, but even under these conditions, it cannot substitute for the gathering of the saints.

Most importantly, how can you, as a pastor, perform your solemn duty as shepherd of the flock over the internet?  How can you keep up with the needs of your flock?  How can you even know whether or not they are watching?  As a pastor, you know how easy it is for believers to get into the habit of not coming to church.  How much easier will it be for them to get into the habit of not watching church – especially if there are difficulties for them in watching the stream.  How easy will it be for them to become lax and start watching it half-heartedly while they are doing other things?  Their worship will become divided with other interests.  There is a reason we gather in person – so that we may focus on Jesus without interruption.  Pastor, you will be held accountable for their souls, but how can you know the condition of their soul without constant interaction with them?  For your sake as a pastor as much as theirs, digital church is NOT church – and it is not the final answer to this problem.

So, how can we keep the doors of the church open under conditions like these?  In what way can we be faithful to Hebrews 10:24-25?  We adjust and we adapt.  We put protective measures in place.  We change how we do church without canceling the in-person gathering.  For a small church like mine, the adjustments may not be quite as difficult.  For larger churches, the adjustment may be more extreme. 

First.  We have grown accustomed to and even prefer the large church gatherings, but if we look at history, this is not how we began.  If we look at areas of the world today where church is regulated or banned, this is not how they gather either.  The church of history has always been small.  If your church is larger, consider going to multiple services to keep the gathered number as small as is practical.  This is going to be especially difficult for those large churches that have already gone to multiple services.  I’m not naïve enough to think it will not be a challenge for them.  It will be more work and will require greater commitment on the part of all the workers – or we could just cancel church, right?  On the other hand, if my suspicions are correct, even if you keep the doors of the church open, you are going to see a massive reduction in attendance as people choose to stay home.

Second.  We accommodate with technology, but we don’t substitute technology for the real thing.  There will be many who choose to stay away.  There will be many who MUST stay away because of sickness and contagion.  We need to be able so show them grace for their circumstances while still doing everything we can to reach them with the gospel.  Technology is not the best solution, but just as it was two weeks ago, we don’t ignore it as one of many tools that may be used to proclaim the gospel.

Third. We take all necessary precautions.  This means cleaning.  This means having sanitizer available (assuming we can still get it).  This means not passing the offering plate.  This means respecting social distancing where it is desired but risking everything – even our lives – to maintain close, physical contact where it is needed.  This is NOT the time to distance ourselves from those who truly need us.  Many will want us to keep our distance, but there will still be many who need us to be there for them.  The gospel is about intimacy with God that results in intimacy with others.  Let us take the precautions we need without eliminating the intimacy of the gospel when it is needed.  Make yourself available to them.  Trust God for protection but recognize he may allow you to suffer for the cause of Christ.  If he does, rejoice in the privilege.

Fourth.  BE THE CHURCH.  This is a time where the church can show true leadership.  People will need the church.  People will need the people within the church to step up and be the church.  Show the world we are not afraid to risk our lives to serve one another.  Offer to go to the store for people.  See if they need rides to the pharmacy or doctor.  Be willing to risk everything for the gospel.

I know this article will anger many.  I may even lose a few friends as a result.  But I must speak the truth.  Now is not the time for the doors of the church to close.  This world needs us now more than ever.  Perhaps God is using this to bring to light the true church – to purge the true church and help identify the wheat from the tares.  Brothers and sisters, consider these words.