Webmaster's Quarantine Thoughts...

Saturday was day 40 of the statewide stay at home order in Minnesota. Seems our quarantine has reached biblical proportions... it rained for 40 days in the time of Noah, Moses spent 40 days on Mt Sinai, and Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness. (Though I am sure that Jesus complained about it less than us, I like to picture him sitting on a rock and saying "Lord, 40 days is a loooong time.")

I actually started practicing my "stay at home" about 6 weeks earlier than everyone else because of a surgery, but even then I was comforted by the fact that the rest of the world was still open and active and I was still able to attend church on Sunday. There are many things to miss during this time of social isolation, but attending church is one of the biggest. Maybe it is one of those "absence makes the heart grow fonder" type of situations, but it is now easy to see that it was a blessing that so many times I took for granted.

However, I do see many positives from this time of quarantine. For one, I have more time. More time to reflect and spend with God in prayer and scripture. More time to do all those little things that I was putting off until I had the time. Time to spend in longer conversations with my wife and with my family (even though it may be via Facetime or Zoom). I am also thankful for the technology that allows these conversations and the ability to work from home. The technology that allows us to worship and watch our church service on video. In fact, our videoed services are being watched by far more people than the number that usually attended worship at church. Amazing! Perhaps this is all part of God's plan.

Another positive that I am finding in this time is that many of my favorite Christian musicians are not working and are staying at home instead of being on tour or performing. Like the rest of us, they are bored and looking for ways to share. Many are doing live "concerts" from their homes.  These are often not the best sounding, but I really enjoy the raw, unrehearsed glimpse into their personal lives and homes as they share thoughts, stories, and play their music and other songs that they enjoy playing. There is often not much lead time on these performances, but hey, my evening schedule is relatively free right now anyway. I enjoyed one of these live performances Saturday night from Michael Cochren (Cochren & Co.) and his wife from their home. If you would like to see it, the recorded video is at https://youtu.be/z4vH-YrGDy0.

Perhaps the most poignant part of the performance was when Michael sang his song "Church". (We have done this song a few times in worship services.) The words really take on a special meaning during this time:

Take me back
To the place that feels like home
To the people I can depend on
To the faith that's in my bones
Take me back
To a preacher and a verse
Where they've seen me at my worst
To the love I had at first
Oh, I want to go to church

Thought I would share. Enjoy...