April 30, 2020
Weird. Crazy. Unprecedented. Devastating. Restful. Paused. Slow. Fast. Refreshing. Reflective. Sad. Happy. All of the things, emotions, adjectives could be used to describe this time. It feels a bit like a whirlwind and a pause all wrapped into a few weeks. My consistent prayer has been that Jesus would fill the Earth with His peace, power, and protection in a way so divine that our frantic hearts would be transformed and drawn to Him all the more. Perhaps the worst outcome that could come out of such a time in history is that we would not be changed by it, that we would miss out on the awareness, opportunity, and growth that comes from a fire like a global pandemic because while it is a greatly devastating force that we cannot control, one that I do not want to minimize, we do get to control out response to it. We can choose to rush back to “normal” and miss out on the opportunity to grow right now, or we can choose to sit in this time and learn to embrace the preparation that comes through the grit and hardship. Our human tendency to desire “normal” and rush back to pre-Covid-19 life is not because we do not want to become better people; we just want to escape the pain and hardship more than we want to actively allow it to be a transformative place. While it may never be comfortable to learn through the darkness, it is the most beautiful comfort when we realize the joy available to us in the midst of it: “For I [Paul the Apostle] consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18). In Jesus, there is a greater joy, a greater glory to come; it is a future joy that, through His death and Resurrection, can become our present joy even in the most uncertain of days. I would love for you to join me in leaning into Jesus’ power to sit in the hard places, clinging to His promise of joy and working all things together for our good. I also want to share a few of my favorite things that have been joy-giving the past weeks in our time. We are in this together. I am right with you.
MUSIC:
*Maverick City Vol. 3 Part 1 Album
*Patrick Droney EP Album
*JohnnySwim Albums- ALL of them
*We the Kingdom Holy Water (Church Session) with Tasha Cobbs Leonard
*We the Kingdom Free, Amen and Dancing on the Waves (Live Acoustic Sessions- EP)
*Lennon Stella’s Three. Two. One. Album
MOVIES:
*Peanut Butter Falcon
*The Lost Husband
*Top Gun
*Ford v. Ferrari
BOOK CURRENTLY:
*Romans Commentary by Kent Hughes
PRACTICES:
*Trying different types of workouts almost every day + lots of yoga- so many options
*Listening to Gospel music while I read the news in the morning (a great perspective reminder)
*Morning routine of devotion, prayer journalling, and coffee (so grateful for this slow pace and day starter)
*Passion D.C.’s walkthrough of 1 Thessalonians and Psalm 23- daily 5-15 minute videos that are just so truth-filled, all are up on their IGTV
*3 for 3- the practice of 3 minutes 3 times throughout the day to bring my mind back to my heart set on Jesus and what He has for the day
*Going on walks with friends- you can do this and still social distance!
*Enjoying the extra time- time to be intentional in my relationships with my family and time to just rest (I do not do this perfectly by any stretch of the imagination; just a work in progress!)
With love,
C