How do you shelter in place? Are you climbing the walls? I have learned this skill over many years. So many people have asked how I’m doing during the quarantine. That‘s a tough question to answer! I am in the ultra high-risk category, so my rational mind is telling me to be anxious. But frankly, my everyday life hasn’t changed much at all. I’m still in the same routine. I “shelter-in-place” as a lifestyle to protect my immune system … and I’m watching much of the world experience the quiet isolation I live in every day. SO, I thought I’d share some of the tools I use to shape my days, handle my anxieties, and enjoy life. From a seasoned “shelter-in-place” survivor to all of you newbies out there: 1. Create a time schedule that you stick to every day. Wake up and go to sleep at the same times. Set the hours you’re going to work, to rest, to exercise, to play. Otherwise, you’ll find your days blending together in a mass of wasted time … and that leads directly to depression. 2. Start every day with prayer. Reach up and out to our Father and tell Him everything that’s on your mind … He knows anyway. Ask for comfort, peace, and the strength to face what’s ahead. Pray for your family and friends, know and share their needs. When we pray, God hears and RESPONDS. 3. Connect with people intentionally. I love having  Brad  home with me all the time. Good thing I married my best friend! But even before quarantine, I chased him around the house every morning, talking his ears off. We always chat on the phone when he’s driving, no matter what time of day. I also try to chat with my folks daily, and social media has been a lifesaver. When you’re in isolation, it is absolutely critical to get your mind off of yourself and onto others! 4. Move! I spend a good hour exercising every day, but because of my physical limitations, I break it up into pieces. I love to swim, to ride my “work bike”, and especially to do yoga. My brain needs those endorphins to fight off anxiety and depression, and my body desperately needs that movement to relieve pain. 5. Do something that matters. Every day. Maybe you’re able to work from home like I do, a situation I’m constantly grateful for, because I get to help ministries raise the funds they need to do what God has called them to do. But there are so many needs you can help fill right now! Maybe you could send encouraging FB messages to a few friends each day and pray for each other. Maybe you could check on elderly neighbors, making sure that they have enough food, meds, and essentials. Maybe you could FaceTime a colleague or two to chat through work things rather than just sending emails. Help combat loneliness any way you can! 6. Find or create things to look forward to … small or big. This just might be the most important tool for me! My family loves to take vacations together. Mom and I talk about possibilities for months, and I get so much joy out of dreaming. On a smaller scale, I look forward to singing in church every Sunday. Sometimes I can’t be there because of illness or pain, but I still sing all of the planned songs at home … and I LOVE it when Brad will sing with me. Movie marathons with  Abby  and  Emmeline , working on a home project, or even waiting on a new book release are important to me. Try to plan something special for today AND for when quarantine is over. If you’re really struggling with loneliness, fear, or depression during this time, please don’t suffer alone. Reach out to friends or family by whatever means you can … just connect with others … and if you need to chat, I’m here. Praying for all of you daily. God is in control … and we can get through this together! Much love, Brie

The small band of church leaders had been praying earnestly for revival in their community—a village on the Isle of Lewis, the largest isle of the Outer Hebrides, just off the coast of Scotland. They were particularly burdened for the young people of the island who had no interest in spiritual matters and scorned the things of God.  For 18 months they met—three nights a week, praying through the night, right on into the early hours of the morning, beseeching God to come and visit in revival. But there was no evidence of any change.  Then one night, a young deacon rose to his feet, opened his Bible, and read from Psalm 24 : “Who shall ascend into the hill of the L ord? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart . . . . He shall receive the blessing from the Lord” (vv. 3–5, kjv).  Facing the men around him, this young man said, “Brethren, it seems to me to be just so much ‘humbug’ to be waiting and praying as we are, if we ourselves are not rightly related to God.”  There in the straw, the men knelt and humbly confessed their sins to the Lord. Within a short period of time, God began to pour out His Spirit in an extraordinary awakening that shook the entire island. Before its impact can be felt in a home, a church, or a nation, revival must first be experienced on a personal level in the hearts of men and women who have encountered God in a fresh way. And the single greatest hindrance to our experiencing personal revival is our unwillingness to humble ourselves and confess our desperate need for His mercy. Programmed for Happiness Our generation has been programmed to pursue happiness, wholeness, affirmation, and cures for our hurt feelings and damaged psyches. But God is not as interested in these ends as we are. He is more committed to making us holy than making us happy. And there is only one pathway to holiness—one road to genuine revival—and that is the pathway of humility or brokenness. God is more committed to making us holy than making us happy.   The Scripture makes it clear that this is the number one prerequisite to meeting God in revival. “For this is what the high and lofty One says—he who lives forever, whose name is holy: ‘I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly’” ( Isa. 57:15 , niv). We often think of revival as a time of great joy, blessing, fullness, and celebration. And so it will be in its fullness. But the problem is that we want a painless Pentecost . . . a “laughing” revival. We forget that God’s ways are not our ways, that the way up is down. You and I will never meet God in revival until we first meet Him in brokenness. That does not mean, as some think, having a gloomy countenance or being morbidly introspective. Nor can it be equated with deeply emotional experiences. It is possible to shed buckets of tears without ever experiencing a moment of brokenness. Further, brokenness is not the same as being deeply hurt by tragic circumstances. A person may have experienced many deep hurts and tragedies without being broken. Brokenness is not a  feeling ; rather, it is a  choice , an act of the will. It is not primarily a one-time experience or crisis (though there may be crisis points in the process of brokenness); rather, it is an ongoing, continual lifestyle. Brokenness is a lifestyle of agreeing with God about the true condition of our heart and life, as He sees it. It is a lifestyle of unconditional, absolute surrender of our will to the will of God—a heart attitude that says, “Yes, Lord!” to whatever God says. Brokenness means the shattering of our self-will, so that the life and Spirit of the Lord Jesus may be released through us. It is our response of humility and obedience to the conviction of the Word and the Spirit of God. Brokenness is a lifestyle of agreeing with God about the true condition of our heart and life, as He sees it. Scripture provides us with numerous examples of broken people. Interestingly, these examples are often set in contrast to people who were not broken. In every case, both individuals had sinned. The difference was not so much in the nature of their sin, but in their response when confronted with it. For example, two kings sat on a throne. One king, in a fit of passion, committed adultery with his neighbor’s wife, and then plotted to have his neighbor killed. Yet, when the story of his life was told, this man was called “a man after God’s own heart.” By contrast, his predecessor’s sin was relatively insignificant—he was only guilty of incomplete obedience. But it cost him his kingdom, his life, and his family. What was the difference? When King Saul was confronted with his sin, he defended and excused himself, blamed others, and tried to cover up both the sin and its consequences. In short, his response revealed a proud, unbroken heart. On the other hand, when King David was faced with his sin, he was willing to acknowledge his failure, to accept personal responsibility for his wrongdoing, and repent of his sin. His response was that of a humble, broken man. And his was the heart God honored. Brokenness Brings Blessings Jesus said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit” ( Matt. 5:3 )—i.e., the “broken ones,” those who recognize that they are spiritually bankrupt and poverty-stricken. God’s Word teaches that brokenness brings a number of blessings. First,    God draws near to the broken ones . He lifts up those who are humble, but stiff-arms those who are proud.   Second,  new life is released through our brokenness . On the eve of His crucifixion, as He broke the bread and distributed it to His disciples, Jesus declared, “This is my body, which is broken for you” ( 1 Cor. 11:24 , kjv). His death on the cross released eternal life for us. When we are willing to be broken, His abundant life can flow through us to others. Third,  brokenness brings an increased capacity for love and worship . The “sinner woman,” who anointed Jesus’ feet with her tears and precious ointment, was a broken woman ( Luke 7:37–38 ). As a result, she was free to lavish her love and worship on the Lord Jesus, without restraint, without being bound by the opinions of those who watched. Some of us are not really free to love and worship the Lord Jesus with all our hearts. Perhaps that is because we are not broken. We are still more concerned about what others think than about the object of our devotion. Fourth,  brokenness brings increased fruitfulness,  for God uses things that are broken. When Jacob’s natural strength was broken down at Peniel, for example, God was able to clothe him with spiritual power. When the young boy’s five loaves were broken, they were supernaturally multiplied and became sufficient to feed a multitude. And when Jesus’ body was broken on Calvary, eternal life was released for the salvation of the world. Finally,  the fruit of brokenness is seen in revival —the release of God’s Spirit through our personal and corporate brokenness. During the Welsh Revival of 1904-05, the song that was heard frequently from the lips of broken, contrite hearts was, “Bend me lower, lower, down at Jesus’ feet.” Where Do We Start? We must come to see God as He really is, for the closer we get to God, the more we will see our own need in the light of His holiness. In the fifth chapter of Isaiah, the great prophet pronounces well-deserved woes on the materialistic, sensual, proud, immoral people of his day. Over and over he cries out, “Woe to  them  . . . .” But then Isaiah comes face-to-face with the holiness of God, and his next words are, “Woe to  me !” ( Isa. 6:5 , emphasis mine). The broken man or woman is more conscious of the corruption in his own breast than in the heart of his neighbor. Having seen God for who He is, we must cry out to Him for mercy. Learning to acknowledge and verbalize our spiritual need to God is essential to a lifestyle of brokenness. The broken person does not blame others. His heart attitude is, “It’s not my brother nor my sister, but it’s me, oh, Lord, standing in the need of prayer.” The broken person is able to verbalize his needs to others, as well. There is no brokenness where there is no openness. Almost without exception, the greatest victories over sin and temptation that I have experienced have been won when I was willing to humble myself and confess my need to a mature believer who could pray for me and help hold me accountable to obey God. Ultimately, brokenness is a matter of surrendering control of our life to God. The heart that has been emptied of itself and broken of its willfulness is the heart that will experience the filling and the reviving of our glorious, holy God, who humbled Himself, that He might lift us up. www.reviveourhearts.com .

So you’re leading through the biggest crisis in recent history. I’m guessing you feel overwhelmed, not to mention exhausted. You barely have time to read this post. So let me keep this short. Foundationally, three of the best things you can do when under stress are get plenty of sleep, eat healthily, and get exercise. They’re all also among the first to go in a crisis. I know I’ve been tempted to sacrifice all of them in the last few weeks, on have been cutting back on sleep and a bit on exercise as well. I also know that needs to stop. Turning in early, taking a 15-minute naps, or even doing a few sets of pushups when you’re in lockdown can help your mental and emotional health, and basically, that’s what you’re bringing to leadership in a crisis—your energy and your mind. But since you already know about sleep diet and exercise, here are three other things you can do to help you navigate the crisis. Three of the best things you can do when under stress are get plenty of sleep, eat healthily, and get exercise. They’re all also among the first to go in a crisis. CLICK TO TWEET WALK AWAY Your brain can only process so much. Same with your heart. There are moments where a crisis demands that you have to push through. But you’re not a machine. You have limits. Nothing makes you want to push your limits more than a crisis. If you’re exhausted and perhaps even before you get there, one of the best things you can do is walk away. Just take a break. I realize it’s not always possible, but it is possible more than we admit to ourselves. If you struggle spiritually with the idea of walking away or taking a break, even Jesus walked away. There were times where more people wanted to be healed, and he left. On numerous occasions, his disciples couldn’t find him. Jesus was off praying or resting. I called this practice ‘walking away’ rather than taking a break largely or stepping away because as a responsible, caring leader you will tell yourself  there’s no time to take a break . That’s correct. Which is why you need to think of it as walking away. You will be walking away from  need . In a crisis is there’s always more to do. The need  never  goes away, and you can  never  do enough. But leaders who never take a break end up breaking. Leaders who never take a break end up breaking. CLICK TO TWEET Which is why, for your sake and for everyone’s sake, you need to sometimes walk away. Just because you can’t every day or at a particular moment doesn’t mean you shouldn’t. So how do you know when it’s time to walk away for a moment or two? Let your energy levels guide you. When your energy is low, you won’t accomplish much anyway. What if you  cooperated  with your energy levels instead of fought them? Instead of blinking mindlessly at your screen for another 30 minutes, get up. Stretch. Take a nap. Go for a walk (if you are allowed). Grab a coffee. Grab some silence. Or maybe…call it a day. A rested you—a restored you—is a better you. After all, an empty leader is incapable of filling anyone. A rested you—a restored you—is a better you. After all, an empty leader is incapable of filling anyone. CLICK TO TWEET CARVE OUT SOME SILENCE Every day, find at least a few minutes of solitude alone. Mornings are easiest because they’re often the most quiet. In those silent times, naturally, you’ll want to pray and meditate on scripture. That’s wonderful. Do it. But also just sit in the silence. Let your mind wander. Ponder problems. Think. Often you’ll discover a few things: The silence will help you filter through what actually matters amidst all the noise. You’ll stumble upon breakthroughs that result from giving your mind and soul some space. The silence will be tremendously replenishing. Spending time in silence will help you make a meaningful contribution in the midst of all the noise a crisis creates. Spending time in silence will help you make a meaningful contribution in the midst of all the noise a crisis creates. CLICK TO TWEET TALK TO A FRIEND As a leader, mostly what you do in a crisis is give. If you think about it using a banking metaphor, crisis leadership is a series of withdrawals. You give day and night to help other people. That’s appropriate and exactly what a leader should do. Too many leaders burn out when the withdrawals are matched by zero deposits. In addition to sleep, diet, exercise, taking breaks and making time for silence, the final deposit you will want to make comes from friends. In a crisis, you can be surrounded by people but feel all alone. That’s why friends are so important. I find in a time like this that friends help me work through the issues, hear my fears, help me process and I do the same for them. And sometimes, just knowing that someone else doesn’t know the answer is comfort enough. Loneliness is a choice in leadership. So is friendship. Loneliness is a choice in leadership. So is friendship. www.careynieuwhof.com

Many of us are stuck at home right now, and all our usual activities are either cancelled or forbidden. So, how do we make the best of a difficult situation? How do we turn our stress and anxiety into productivity? When we focus on ways to build our brain instead of panicking about current events or what we just heard on the news, we actually increase our cognitive resilience and ability to cope. Just like working out strengthens our body, preparing us for physical action, working out our “thinking muscle” prepares the mind for what may come, including scary, stressful situations at home or in our community. As we think deeply and build good, healthy memories, we are essentially buttressing the brain, so that when we do face challenges, we are more prepared to deal with them and not let them upset our inner peace and happiness. Indeed, deep thinking and learnings is important because every morning we wake up with a bunch of new nerve cells (this is called neurogenesis) that are ready to be used. When we are curious and feel the drive to learn and think deeply about what interests us, or have important and stimulating conversations with the people in our lives, we build these new nerve cells into our brain, strengthening the overall health of the brain and improving our mood and clarity. When we don’t use these brain cells correctly through lazy thinking and isolation, however, they can become toxic waste in the brain, which will affect our ability to think well and our mood. Deep thinking and learning also stimulates our imagination and helps us see multiple possibilities in any given situation—even during a global pandemic! Instead of fearing uncertainty, we can get excited and happy about the future because we are not locked into plans that might not go as, well, planned. This helps reduce fear of the unknown, giving us the self-confidence to keep learning when faced with a challenge: we don’t fear not knowing something because we can learn. We don’t stop ourselves from moving forward; we don’t get trapped in a box and let the circumstances of life define our happiness.  We begin to realize that, when it comes to our life, there is no “box” . So, every day,  choose to be curious . Think of ways you can challenge your brain: Make a list of books you have been meaning to read, and schedule in time to read them! If you are not a big reader, or if you list is really long, you may be interested in the app  Blinkist , which teaches you key ideas from thousands of bestselling non-fiction books in a short period of time (for free week see  https://blinkist.com/drleaf ) . Audiobooks are also great if you are not a big reader, if you are doing things around the house or exercising. I love  Audible , which also offers original audiobooks like  Caffeine by Michael Pollan, which I just listened to and highly recommend! Start a virtual book club! You don’t have to meet in person to enjoy books together; just schedule a Zoom/Facetime/Skype/video call to discuss the book you are reading! Listen to podcasts. Some of my favorite ones to listen to are: The Daily The Intelligence The Dream Post Reports Stuff You Should Know History Extra Podcast NPR Life Kit The New Yorker Radio Hour Beyond Today The TED Interview Outlook Swindled Mad in America TED Radio Hour . However, make sure you don’t listen to too many news podcasts, which can be quite stressful during this period! Take online courses . Many of these are free, such as those offered by  Future Learn and  Coursera , and are based on courses offered at Ivy League universities.  YouTube  also has a great selecting of lectures and courses, so check them out! Make thinker moments a priority .  “Thinker moments”, when you take time to switch off to the external and switch on to the internal and just let your mind wander and daydream, give the brain a rest and allow it to reboot and heal, which increases your clarity of mind and ability to problem-solve when face with a tough situation (which we all need right now!) So, be intentional about creating “thinker” breaks throughout your day by taking a few moments every day, or when you are feeling stressed out, to switch off and just daydream or meditate. For more information on thinker moments and how to make them a part of your daily routine, see my book,  Think, Learn, Succeed . Learn a new language! There are many great online programs available, such as  Rosetta Stone and  Berlitz , as well as language learning apps like  Duolingo , which are fun to use and often free to download. Take up a new hobby like painting, cooking, building furniture, playing with Lego blocks, dancing, playing a musical instrument, knitting or drawing. Creativity can have real, positive effects on the physical health of the brain and on our overall mental health, and has the potential to heal damage from toxic thinking and toxic lifestyles. This, in turn, can improve both our physical and mental health by giving us a deeper perspective and reducing feelings of depression and anxiety. Make time to do what you enjoy doing, and watch your brain health improve! Spring clean !  A clean, orderly environment does wonders for our mental health, and can help you feel less oppressed by your surroundings if you are spending a lot of time indoors. Start a vegetable garden, if you have the space! Not only will this save you from stressful grocery runs in the future, but it is also incredibly therapeutic! Don’t know where to start?  Square foot gardening is a great place to start if you have never had a vegetable garden before; it requires little space and can be set up on almost any surface. You can also use this method of gardening for small herb gardens, container gardens or wall gardens! Thankfully, many hardware stores are open even if where you live is under shut down, and you can also order supplies online through distributors like Amazon and Home Depot. Join online exercise classes , find free exercise videos on  YouTube , go for a walk/run/bike ride outside if possible, or just move around your house and apartment in fun and interesting ways, like dancing up and down the stairs or crawling from room to room. I cannot say this enough: exercise does wonders for our mental and physical health, and can dramatically improve our mood and help us deal with stressful situations. For more on the mental and physical benefits of exercise see my  recent blog and podcast . Explore the world through your computer! Yes, many of us are stuck at home and can’t travel anywhere, we can still explore the wonders of earth through our computer with  Google Earth ! Watch enriching TV programs like documentaries (we love National Geographic!) and  The Great Courses (which are now available on Amazon Prime Video and as audiobooks on Audible). Watch your favorite TV show or movie, but take notes! Think of the way the music matches the scene, or the development of a character, or the use of narrative time. How do these stories draw us in and keep us hooked? How do they reflect reality? Is there a deeper message here? You can even start a video chat club that, like a book club, watches movies or TV shows and discusses their significance together. If you are at home with children, a lot of these suggestions work for them as well, so make it a family affair! www.drleaf.com .

FINDING HOPE IN CHAOS CRAIG GROESCHEL Well, we're living in an unprecedented time in our lifetimes, for sure. Fear all over the world, and unquestionably, the most talked-about subject whether it's on social media, on the news, or in a conversation you may be having with someone, at least six feet apart, is how do we stop the spread of COVID-19? Now, because we're in such an unusual time, we are gonna do something unusual today. I'm in a completely empty auditorium. If you'll notice, there's nobody in here but me, and even the cameras, check this out. These are robotic, so in other words, people are operating these from backstage. In fact, let me talk to the camera person. Are you the best camera operator ever? Yes! Are you incredibly excited to hear this message? Very good answer. That's probably because you work for our church, and that's a great answer. I do wanna take a moment and just enjoy and embrace the moment, and recognize that, even when we cannot meet physically, we can meet digitally, that we'll do anything we can to get the message out, but we're getting the message out in a time when it's really difficult. We know this virus is incredibly contagious. In fact, if you haven't been with us over the last few weeks Pastor Bobby Gruenewald and I traveled about three weeks ago to Germany, and we attended a leadership conference, and the night before the conference, we were with 14 people. The 14 speakers gathered together, and we found out later that one of them tested positive. Unfortunately, eight of the 14 people in that small dinner ended up testing positive. That's just how contagious this virus is. In fact, I would argue that perhaps the only thing that's more contagious than this virus is the fear that's impacting lives all over the world. The virus is incredibly contagious, but so is fear. In fact, there are a lot of reasons for people to be afraid today. The stock market seems to continue to tumble and struggle. Schools are closing. Some businesses are shutting down. More businesses are shutting down. Every business, it seems like, is shutting down. We're supposed to practice social distancing, and we are, obviously, even as a church, and then there's the global shortage on toilet paper, which has many of my friends incredibly freaked out more than anything else you could ever imagine. And I just want to acknowledge, this thing's tough, man. It's tough. For those who are older or have a compromised immune system like many of my relatives who are up in age or also have challenges, this threat is very, very real, but on top of just the health challenges, we've got all sorts of other issues as well. Many of you right now may not be working as much as you had before, or not at all, and the economic hurdles that we have, not just as a nation, but around the globe, it's something that we haven't seen perhaps the same way in our lifetime. Fear is contagious. It's contagious. It doesn't take a lot of fear to spread uncontrollably. In fact, whenever Pastor Bobby and I were on the airplane flying home from Germany, we didn't know that we'd been exposed to someone who'd tested positive, until we turned on wifi and we heard the news that one of the people at dinner had, and so we immediately told the flight attendant, who told the pilot. almost like in hazmat suits and masks and such, and they moved people completely out of our section because they were all so afraid of us. The interesting thing is, we were afraid. We were afraid, not so much that we were gonna test positive or have the virus. We were afraid because, what if we were carriers? What if what we had could potentially hurt somebody else? What if we were carriers? What if what we had spreads? I hope you'll understand, wherever you're watching this, I hope you'll embrace this truth, that we were carriers, and you are a carrier. Not necessarily of the virus, but you carry something. You are a carrier. You're carrying something. You might be a carrier of fear, and you're passing around fear to anybody you interact with. Or you might be carrying faith, and what you're carrying, you pass on to others. The bottom line is, whenever people get near you, they tend to catch what you have. I hope you'll recognize, you are a carrier. The question is this. You are a carrier. Is what you're carrying worth catching? I want to share with you today a portion of scripture from the New Testament. The Apostle Paul was the author, and he was writing to the believers in Thessalonica. They were very, very afraid. They were in a situation that might be a little bit similar to ours today. They were being persecuted, facing all sorts of significant trials, and in a posture where it was very easy to be afraid, this is what the Apostle Paul said. He said in 1 Thessalonians 1, verses two and three, he said, "We always thank God for all of you and pray for you constantly. As we pray to our God and Father about you", he said, "we think of", and then he lists three things. He says, "We think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, and your enduring hope. We think of your faithful work, loving deeds, and enduring hope that you have because of our Lord Jesus Christ". Paul said, "Whenever we think of you, we think of your faithful work, your loving deeds, your enduring hope". Why did they have faith, love, and hope? They had faith, love, and hope because of the Lord Jesus Christ. Not because of what was going on in their world, but because of the one who was Lord over their world, because of the Lord Jesus. In verse five, Paul goes on to say, "For when we brought you the Good News, when we brought you the Good News, it was not only with words but also with power". We brought you Good News, Good News, Good News. Not only is a virus contagious, but good news is also contagious. Imagine, if you will, when there's a treatment that's discovered for COVID-19. Imagine perhaps if there's a cure or a way to prevent the spread. What do you think will happen when there's that good news? Do you think the good news will spread? It will spread uncontrollably, because good news is contagious. What I'd love to do, is I'd love to tell you about some very, very good news today, and this isn't just good news that cures a sickness, but this cures a spiritual sickness. Not just physical in nature, but this cures a spiritual sickness, because Jesus did not come for those who were healthy, but Jesus instead came for those who were sick. He didn't come for the righteous, scripture says, but He came for sinners, people like you, people like me, people who are broken, and people who are in need. In other words, I hope you'll understand that our God didn't just shout His love from heaven, but He showed His love on earth, when God Himself stripped Himself of all the heavenly glory and became one of us, in the person of His Son Jesus. Jesus was born of a virgin, therefore He did not inherit the sin nature of an earthly father, but instead the heavenly nature of a heavenly Father, and He was perfect in every way. Who did Jesus hang out with? Well, He befriended prostitutes. He touched the lepers. Jesus reached out to the people that religion rejected. Have you ever not felt good enough, spiritually? Have you ever felt like you've failed and let God down? You can't believe you did what you did, said what you said, thought what you thought, and you feel guilty and you feel ashamed. Jesus didn't come for the perfect people. He came for those who are messed up. He came for those who don't have perfect faith. He came for those who've sinned and fallen short of God's standard of holiness. He came for people like me, people who've hurt others, done things that they're embarrassed by. This is the Good News, that we're not made right with God by our own good works or religious efforts, but we're made right with God by the grace of Jesus through faith in Him, who is perfect and gave His life on a cross, died in our place, the perfect sacrifice, but He didn't stay dead, you see. There's really, really good news, that three days after Jesus died, our God raised Him from the dead so that anyone, and this includes you. Doesn't matter who you are, doesn't matter what you've done, anyone who calls on His name, you will be forgiven, you'll be changed, you'll be completely saved, not just saved from hell, but saved for a life on earth to make a difference. his is good news, and good news spreads. Good news is contagious, that we can be made right with God, not by going to church or by giving money or by trying really hard to stop doing bad things and only doing good things, but we're made right with God by beleiving in Jesus. That's the Good News Paul was talking about, and that Good News is worth spreading. I hope you'll understand, wherever you're watching, you're a carrier, and you're carrying something. Is what you're carrying worth catching? Paul goes on to say this. 1 Thessalonians 1:8. He says, "And now the word of the Lord is ringing out from you to the people everywhere. The Word of God is echoing to people everywhere, all over, even beyond Macedonia and Achaia, for wherever we go we find people telling us about your faith in God". What if your faith became so contagious that wherever we went, we found people talking about your faith. Even in dark times, you believe in the goodness of God. Even when everybody else is afraid, you put your hope in the Good News that Jesus is risen, and God will never leave you, He will never forsake you. Scripture says the Word was ringing out. I love that. It was echoing, it was spreading from these people to people everywhere. That's what happens when we catch a passion for the best news in the history of the world. When we catch a passion for Jesus, what we have starts to spread. In fact, I'll give you some examples from scripture. Whenever Jesus raised a little girl from the dead, that's good news. Matthew 9:26 says, "This news of this spread all through the regions". In fact, another time, when Jesus cast our evil spirits, that was good news. He reigns over darkness. Mark 1:28 says, "News about him spread quickly over all the region of Galilee". Whenever God used His disciples to do a miracle, Acts 6:7 says, "The word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly". Why did this good news spread? Why did this message spread? Why did God's work spread? Three reasons. These believers, they were faithful in their work, they were full of loving deeds, and they had an enduring hope. The three marks of a contagious Christian. Faithful work, loving deeds, and enduring hope. You're a carrier. You are a carrier. Is what you're carrying worth catching? We need to embrace the truth. People all over the world, with very real reasons, are scared to death. One little girl from church I ran into said, "Is this the end of the world? Is this it"? The problem is, fear is contagious. It doesn't take much for fear to spread uncontrollably. That's the bad news. But there's also good news. Fear is contagious, but so is faith, and so is love, and so is hope. I don't know about you, but I am a carrier. What am I? I am a faith spreader, I am a love giver, and I am a hope dealer. I promise you, if you get too close to me, you will catch what I am carrying. Because of the Lord Jesus Christ, not because of what I see, not because what is around, but because of the truth of who Jesus is, I am full of faith and not fear. Someone asked me recently, "But Pastor Craig, aren't you afraid for the church? I mean, the church can't meet physically in buildings. Is this the end of church as we know it? What's going to happen? Will people stop gathering one day? What's going to happen to the church"? And I just want you to know this. I'm full of faith, I'm full of hope. I've told you, those of you who are part of our church since day number one, the church is not a building. The church is not what takes place inside of four walls. We know, we embrace, and we believe that we don't go to church, that we are the church, and the message that we carry, the Good News of Jesus, it is the hope of this world. In fact, if I can brag of those of you in our church family who are so generous to give, who are faithful to tithe and even give beyond that, because of your generosity, we've been giving away resources to hundreds of thousands of pastors for well over a decade, and the amazing news is, as we've been giving away the Church Online platform, we're giving it away and honored to do so faster today than ever before. In fact, on the day of this recording, we're outpacing how many people downloaded yesterday and agreed to part in the broadcast through Church Online. Yesterday, yesterday, we had over 2500 churches sign up to use the free Life.Church Online platform. Over 2500 in one day. Today will be even more than that. In fact, last weekend, all of the different churches that use the platform, we saw over 4.7 million unique users log on for global worship experiences all over the world. We saw almost 16,000 people come to faith in Christ. I don't know where you are, but I hope you're doing this right now, because that is amazing, that is good. That is the power of God, and God is using you, this one little local church, to help the light shine in churches all over the world. We have to remember, embrace the truth. Jesus didn't say, "Go in to your houses and hide for the rest of your life". He said, "Go into the world and let your light shine". Listen to me, if we can't gather physically, we will gather digitally, because the Good News will spread. What are you? You're a carrier. You're a digital evangelist. You can share this message or other messages of faith and hope. You can invite others to be a part of Church Online. You can share your faith on social media from wherever you are. You can let your light shine digitally, and as a church, we will continue to do anything short of sin to reach people who don't know Christ, and to reach people no one's reaching, we will do things that no one is doing. What can we do? We can pray. We can share. We can take what we have, and we can give it to those who are in need, because we are faith spreaders, and we are love givers. In fact, Jesus said, "Do you want to know how people will know that you're my disciples"? He didn't say, "They're gonna know you're my disciples by the way you hoard bottled water". They didn't say, "You're gonna know that you're my disciples by the way you fight over things at the grocery store". No, He said, "You will know, they will know that you're my disciples by the way you love one another". By the way you love. By the way you care for people. By the way you empathize and pray with others, and give generously and encourage others with a word of hope. In fact, the very first meeting that our staff did this week is we gathered together and tried to answer the question, how can we continue to meet the needs of people in our community? How can we serve and empower other churches? And how can we meet the needs of people in our community? We're looking at ways to offer tutoring for kids that can't go to school now. We're looking at mobilizing thousands of volunteers to run errands for those who may be elderly or compromised in their health. We're looking to partner with local missions around the world. We'll do whatever we can, church, because we're faith spreaders, we're love givers, we're hope dealers. We have a hope that no virus can kill. know, I have way more hope than that. I'm not just hoping things go back to normal. I've got way more hope, because normal was comfortable. Normal was selfish. Normal was spiritually safe for most people. Normal for most was spiritually lukewarm. I believe with all my heart this is a wake-up call for the church to stand strong, to stand united, and to be bold in what we know, that Jesus is the Good News that changes lives. I've got hope in my Savior. I want you to know, my hope is not in the government, although I love and pray for and support and believe God will give wisdom to our government leaders. My hope is not in the doctors, although I pray for our doctors and pray for those who are treating people, and go to doctors when I need help, but my hope is not in them. My hope is not even in the spiritual leaders in our nation and our world. My hope is in the one who spoke all things into being. My hope is in the one who is all-knowing and all-powerful and ever-present, the one who heals blind eyes, who opens deaf ears, who has the power to raise the dead. That's why I'm a faith spreader, a love giver, and a hope dealer. It's because of Jesus, it's because of Jesus, it's because of Jesus, the name that is above every name, the soon-returning, conquering King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Who is Jesus? If you don't know Him, He is the door through which we enter. He is the spiritual bread that strengthens our soul. Jesus is the one who delivers the captives, restores the broken, and strengthens the weak. He is our provider, our comforter, our source, our strength, our redeemer, our rock, our sustainer, our assurance. He is our firm foundation. He is our shelter in a time of trouble. He is our light when the world is dark. He is the Prince of Peace, the Lamb of God. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the resurrection and the life. Let me tell you about Jesus. His goodness is indescribable. His power is incomprehensible. His grace is irresistible. At His name, darkness trembles. In His presence, demons flee. Death could not defeat Him. The grave could not hold Him. He is the risen King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Come on, somebody, wherever you are. You are a carrier. Is what you're carrying worth catching? Fear is contagious. So is faith. Hate is contagious. So is love. Worry, anxiety is contagious. So is hope. The three marks of a contagious follower of Christ. Faithful work, loving deeds, and enduring hope. What are you? You're a carrier. You're a faith spreader. You're a love giver. You're a hope dealer. Oh, I hope I'm speaking to some carriers today, because what you're carrying when you catch the passion of Jesus, it is worth catching. Good news. Good news is contagious. Good news spreads, and when so many are afraid today, uncertain and looking for hope, I hope you'll be one to let your light shine, because hope is contagious. Love is contagious. And faith is contagious. I promise you, you get around me, you're gonna catch what I'm carrying. I'm carrying a passion for the one who gave His life to forgive my sins, and to make me new. Is the world scary? Yes. Is it complicated? Yes. Is God alive? Yes. Is He all-powerful? Yes. Is He in control? Yes. Was He surprised? No. Can He all do all things? Yes, yes. Will He always be with you when you call on Him? Yes. He will never leave you. He will never forsake you. He's always good. There's good news, and good news spreads. As the world is growing darker, church, our light must shine brighter. Because of Jesus, we're not afraid. We live by faith. Because of Jesus, we share the Good News. Because of Jesus, we have hope. So whatever you're going through, whatever you're facing, whatever challenge seems to big to handle, today, we look to Jesus. We look to Jesus, because He's here, because He's good, because He's with you. Father, we ask that in your presence today, you would reveal your love, your goodness to those who need you all over the world. In fact, I'll just ask, even as odd as it may seem, wherever you're watching from, those of you who'd say, "I am a follower of Christ, and I want to spread the Good News", just even from your bedroom, your living room, wherever you are, you might just lift up your hand right now and say yes. Just, I mean, it may feel silly. Just lift up your hand. Click right below me. Church Online, just say, "Yes, I want to share the Good News". Father, I pray that you would give us opportunities daily, not once a week, but daily, when so many people are hurting and afraid, to let your light shine. God, may we be love spreaders. God, love givers, faith spreaders, hope dealers, in all that we do. God, show us those who need your love, and maybe what we're carrying be worth catching, as we share the Good News of your Son, Jesus. Use us, God. Use us, God. May your church continue to thrive. If we're meeting publicly, from house to house, or computer to computer, phone to phone, TV to TV, God, we will let your light shine. As you keep praying today, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that there are those of you from all over the world, you maybe stumbled here by accident, maybe somebody invited you, and you recognize there's something really missing in your life. You're falling apart. You may have internal guilt for something that you did in the past or something you're even doing right now, and you don't know where you stand with God. Others of you, fear is just overwhelming you right now. The good news is, I believe you came to the right place to hear some really, really good news, and I want you to hear it. I want you to recognize that this all may be just for you. God loves you. He really does. He loves you so much that He became like you in the person of Jesus, who was perfect and without sin. Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice. He died in our place, for the forgiveness of our sins, and God lifted Him from the dead so that anyone that calls on Him would be changed, would be forgiven, would be saved. Those of you all over the world today who say, "I want His peace, I want His forgiveness. I want the assurance that I'm with Him, that I'm in His family. I need this assurance, I need His peace", just turn from your sins today. We're gonna pray a very simple prayer. Those who say, "Yes, I want Jesus to be first in my life. I want to give my life to Him", you just lift your hands where you are, just click right below me, if you will. Just indicate, "Yes, I want to become a follower of Jesus. Yes, I'm surrendering my life to Him". And as we've got people from all over the world saying, "Yes, I need His grace", I'm gonna encourage you, just right where you are, just pray this prayer. Just pray it. Pray it out loud, if you're comfortable. Just pray after me. Heavenly Father, please forgive my sins. Jesus, save me and make me new. Fill me with your Holy Spirit, so I could follow you and serve you for the rest of my life. Use me to shine your light, to show your love, and to spread your hope. Thank you for forgiving me. Thank you for saving me. My life is not my own. I give it all to you. Hope is contagious. When the fear of the unknown spreads, our hope in Christ can spread even faster. Replace panic with peace. Replace anxiety with comfort. Replace the “what-ifs” with faith in what God can do. Join Pastor Craig Groeschel for a special message to see how, in the face of coronavirus fears and isolation, we can have a contagious hope that fights back the fear of the unknown. www.lifechurch.tv

Many people, including many readers of this blog, are facing some level of financial uncertainty right now because of the coronavirus crisis. These are challenging times, and you may find yourself worrying, and wondering what the future might hold. I believe one of the best things we can do to find encouragement and perspective in times like these is to start by remembering God’s ownership. He Owns It All From beginning to end, Scripture repeatedly emphasizes God’s ownership of everything: “To the Lord your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it” (Deuteronomy 10:14). “The land is mine and you are but aliens and my tenants” (Leviticus 25:23). “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things” (1 Chronicles 29:11-12). “Who has a claim against me that I must pay? Everything under heaven belongs to me” (Job 41:11). “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters” (Psalm 24:1-2). “For every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird in the mountains, and the creatures of the field are mine. If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it” (Psalm 50:10-12). “‘The silver is mine and the gold is mine,’ declares the Lord Almighty” (Haggai 2:8). Not only does God own everything, but He grants us our money-making skills and determines how much of His wealth He will entrust to us: “Remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth” (Deuteronomy 8:18, NIV). “The Lord makes poor and makes rich; He brings low and lifts up” (1 Samuel 2:7, NKJV). In my books Money, Possessions, and Eternity and Managing God’s Money, I share how a distraught man furiously rode his horse up to John Wesley, shouting, “Mr. Wesley, Mr. Wesley, something terrible has happened. Your house has burned to the ground!” Weighing the news for the moment, Wesley replied, “No. The Lord’s house burned to the ground. That means one less responsibility for me.” Wesley’s response wasn’t the sanctimonious reply of someone who thought I’d be quoting his words hundreds of years later. We might say, “Get real,” but his reaction didn’t stem from a denial of reality. Rather, it sprang from life’s most basic reality—that God is the owner of all things, and we are simply His stewards. When we realize our possessions belong to God and not us, it removes from us the burden of worry or despair. What we value most, the treasures we will enjoy for eternity, are in Heaven, not on earth. Will We Trust Him? In Reflections of God’s Glory, Corrie ten Boom, who traveled the world speaking and sharing about God’s love, said, “My finances are always in the realm of God’s miracles. He is my heavenly treasurer. When I need money—and I often do—I say to Him, ‘Father in Heaven, in the Bible it says that you have cattle on a thousand hills. That’s quite a lot. Will you sell Your cows and give me the money?’ He always does so.” If we believe that God can create us, redeem us, and bring us through death to spend eternity with Him, why can’t we take Him at His word when He says He’ll provide for our material needs? “The Lord is my shepherd; I have what I need” (Psalm 23:1, CSB). (God wants an opportunity either to provide for our needs or to show us that they aren’t really needs.) Jesus said, “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things [what you eat, drink, and wear] will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33). Unlike the pagans who “run after all these things” and “worry about tomorrow,” believers are told to follow Christ, live a radical life of faith, and trust God to provide (Matthew 6:25-34). In this passage, Jesus says that God cares for the birds. Yet birds aren’t created in God’s image. Christ didn’t die for birds. The Holy Spirit doesn’t indwell birds. Birds won’t reign with Christ. But we will! So Christ asks His disciples, “Are you not much more valuable than they?” (Matthew 6:26). If He takes care of the less valuable creatures, will He not take care of us, who are far more valuable? If God calls on you today to share your resources with another, you must not say, “I can’t, Lord, because I don’t know where my own provisions are coming from.” Yes, you do know where they’re coming from. They’re coming from God, the owner of all. You may not know the form this provision will take, but you do know the Source. Like the poor widow who had no cash reserves, you know that God will take care of you, even if there are no visible resources. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you won’t face hardship, including financial difficulties and pressures. It does mean that you can trust Him. Where Is Our Hope? Financial concerns can help us evaluate what our real hope is in. All of us trust in something. The more dependable the object of our trust and hope, the less we need to worry. The stock market isn’t God, the Wall Street Journal isn’t the Bible, your asset manager isn’t your pastor, and financial experts aren’t prophets. (Prophets were put to death when their prophecies didn’t come true!) That doesn’t mean the stock market is bad, but it does mean it’s not trustworthy. It may do well for a day, a month, a year, or even a few decades. But because the stock market is uncertain, it can only produce anxiety when it becomes the object of our trust. God is the only totally trustworthy object. Therefore, He’s the only one who cannot betray our trust. The Apostle Paul says that the rich should not “put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but . . . in God, who richly provides” (1 Timothy 6:17). The one whose greatest riches are deposited in the bank will be destroyed when the banks fail, as will the farmer whose greatest asset is in crops when the crops fail or when the commodity markets fall. In contrast, the one whose hope is in God will be devastated only if God fails—and He never does. Elliot Clark writes in Evangelism as Exiles: Life on Mission as Strangers in Our Land, Hope for the Christian isn’t just confidence in a certain, glorious future. It’s hope in a present providence. It’s hope that God’s plans can’t be thwarted by local authorities or irate mobs, by unfriendly bosses or unbelieving husbands, by Supreme Court rulings or the next election. The Christian hope is that God’s purposes are so unassailable that a great thunderstorm of events can’t drive them off course. Even when we’re wave-tossed and lost at sea, Jesus remains the captain of the ship and the commander of the storm. Consider these verses from the Psalms, reminding us to put our hope in God: “And now, O Lord, for what do I wait? My hope is in you” (Psalm 39:7). “For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken. … For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him” (Psalm 62:1-2, 5). “The LORD upholds all who are fallingand raises up all who are bowed down.The eyes of all look to you,and you give them their food in due season.You open your hand;you satisfy the desire of every living thing.The LORD is righteous in all his waysand kind in all his works.The LORD is near to all who call on him,to all who call on him in truth.He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;he also hears their cry and saves them” (Psalm 145:14-19). May the truth of God’s ownership of all, His providence over everything, and His promise to provide for His children’s needs help you completely put your hope in Him, whatever the coming days, weeks, and months may bring. www.epm.org

What do you do when you feel that the world has gathered against you? The hardest thing you ever do is to wait in God’s promises and rest. That’s where you come to know Him. God doesn’t cater to wicked men. He breaks them and brings them to repentance. Your pain is going to become your pulpit if you wait long enough and trust Him. Preached at Denton Bible Church. Used by permission.

God has placed grandparents in the uniquely designed position within the family to be the rememberrs. As the patriarchs and matriarchs, it is our job to remember and to tell. And there’s so much to tell – our family stories, our personal stories (the testimony of God’s work within our life), and the goodness and greatness of God. But where do we begin? 9 Ideas for Telling the Story Gather and Tell Whenever our family gathered, one of the things my children looked forward to most was hearing grandpa tell his stories – even the ones he’d told millions of times before. The stories held such a special place in their hearts that once they were grown, the kids gathered some of their favorites and made them into a book. Verbal storytelling brings the stories to life and provides structure for fragmented memories so gather the family and hone those storytelling skills. Journal Your Stories Don’t cringe. Journaling can take many forms. You simply need to find the one that works for you. Yes, our stories can be recorded in a traditional journaling style – handwritten memories formed into paragraphs. But if that’s not your style, try capturing your stories by jotting them down in bullet list form or typing them into the computer. And don’t forget scrapbooks. Holding both our words and memorabilia in the form of ticket stubs, programs, and photos, scrapbooks provide a exceptional link to our stories. Make a Family Tree Create your tree on your own or involve the entire family. With names and dates and even photos in front of them, grandchildren become more engaged with and connected to their family story. They come to know who they are and from where they came. Not an artist? No worries. A simple interest search will yield a plethora of styles and formats.  Try typing in “free family tree template” or something similar. Photo Albums Photos can be a powerful way to help connect our grandchildren to our stories. Pictures put faces and places to our words. Organize your photos. Then the albums will be ready for you to pull out and share with your grandchildren at any time. Video Most kids love technology. Check with your grandchild’s parents, and if you receive the okay, challenge your grandchildren to help you put together a video. Apps such as Animoto and iMovie are great tools for making videos. Whether your video is tells your family history, portrays the story of your life, or declares the work of God, log on and let your collective creativity shine. Interviews Did you know that family history can be lost in the span of 3 generations? If you can get to any of the members of your family’s older generations, grab your pen and paper and go spend some time with them. Draw out their story by asking good questions. Then share it with the younger generations. A Personalized Bible Tell your story, the story of God’s goodness and greatness, through a personalized Bible for your grandchildren. Purchase a Bible for this purpose (a journaling Bible will provide plenty of margin for your handwritten notes). Over the course of several years, record your thoughts, reflections, questions, and personal notes to your grandchild in the Bible’s margins. Gift this precious treasure to your grandchild for a milestone birthday or other event. Pull Out the Family Recipes Family Recipes are a yummy vehicle for remembering. Get your grandchildren into the kitchen and cook up a family recipe. As you cook, talk. Share the history of the recipe. Want to get some more mileage out of your family recipes? Create a cookbook of family recipes. Get Out of the House When Allowed Schedule a “remembering” family vacation or day trip when you can. Take your grandchildren to the places where their family members have lived and walked. Help them connect to relatives they otherwise could never know. Show them from where they come. While you are out and about, don’t forget cemeteries. Visits to family gravesites are an insightful way to help grandchildren connect. www.deborahhaddix.com .

“The Lord is my Light and my Salvation. Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life. Of whom shall I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1 RSV She walks ‘with’ fear, but she does not live ‘in’ fear.  At nineteen, Anna’s story is less a story and more a most wrenching tale penned of blistering heartache, seemingly unscalable disadvantages, improbable misfortune handily spun on the loom of all things unjust, and hope ground to powder only to be blown away on the ever-restless winds of adversity.  She has known nothing other and she lives presuming that the tale of her life will continue to be penned in similar lines such as these.  And while she wishes that her faith were sufficiently stalwart to thwart all fear, she is honest enough to admit that such a faith is a work in progress.  And so, she walks ‘with’ fear, but she does not live ‘in’ fear. Her health is delicately precarious, leaving each moment she lives as a hope but not a promise.  Her life is an existence of individual moments lived out with the hope that if enough of them are accumulated and stitched together they might possibly stretch out into a future.  The physical challenges of each day render every tomorrow as something so far away that it may never arrive.  And while she wishes that her faith were sufficiently stalwart to thwart all fear of a tomorrow never coming, she is honest enough to admit that such a faith is a work in progress.  And so, she walks ‘with’ fear, but she does not live ‘in’ fear.  And it is in seizing the good in fear that we beat fear. The Hidden Opportunity in Fear In sitting with this delicate but powerful young woman, I have found that Anna has learned that the best way that she could walk ‘with’ fear but not live in ‘it’ was to turn her attention to seeking out and seizing the immense opportunities that lie within it, rather than allowing it to seek out and seize the confidence within her.  She discovered that fear animates itself and enlarges its aura sufficiently to keep our focus on fear.  That fear stealthily hides its hidden treasures by keeping us fearful and therefore allowing us to see nothing else but fear.  And she has discovered that fear is deliberate enough in executing this terribly refined strategy that we become convinced that fear is made up of nothing but fear.  Anna admits that she walks ‘with’ fear, but she does not live ‘in’ fear. And she is able to walk ‘with’ it but not ‘in’ it because she decided to look beyond the fear to what great good fear can do.  Behind the ‘fear of fear’ she has discovered a rich cache of opportunity for improbable growth.  That fear is the catalyst for growth, not the opponent of growth.  That fear is not the monster that destroys, for that is the distortion that fear lures us into and the tale that frightened people tell of it.  That the implicit nature of fear is such that it surgically seeks out the nature of our existence that is contrary to our existence.  That behind the façade of fear there is great good.  And in the oddity of it all, it is the ‘great good’ encased in fear that, when released, can be a potent solution to that very fear.  Therefore, we walk ‘with’ fear as a means of releasing these solutions into our lives so that in time we can walk with the solutions and live without the fear. The Great Good – Breaking The Nature of Our Existence That is Contrary to Our Existence Fear is the thing that deftly exposes the shallowness of our petty attitudes.  It renders the constructs that we have built our lives upon as the epitome of selfishness and the bedfellow of ignorance, thereby granting us sufficient understanding to effectively change them.  Fear strips us of the preconceived notions of ‘who we are’ that we have tediously constructed based on the fear of ‘who we actually are.’  Fear brings unprecedented collapse to the permissive morality that we have created in order to grant us permission to do all things immoral.  Fear exposes the things that we have ‘lived for’ so that we can flee the things that we were ‘born for.’  Fear takes our lives out of our hands and shows us that they were never in our hands to begin with.  And most profoundly, fear shows us that our fear persists because we have sought out refuge in some person or institution that is at the very same time attempting to find refuge for themselves.  For the only Person Who is His own refuge in order to be ours is God. Therefore, we walk ‘with’ fear as a means of releasing these solutions into our lives so that in time we can walk with the solutions and live without the fear. Yes.  Anna walks ‘with’ fear, but she does not live ‘in’ fear.  She has not fallen for the façade of fear and therefore she has not fallen to fear.  And in embracing these precious lessons, a tomorrow is on the way where she will not walk ‘with’ fear any longer. Conclusion I wish I could tell you that I don’t fear, because at times I do.  But because I do, I will seize it and wrestle the riches out of it.  I will take what I need from it, rather than letting it take what it wants from me.  And this is a time to let the lessons of our fears change the trajectory of our lives.  This is the time to work through our fear by letting its lessons work through our lives until we have vanquished it from our lives.  Therefore, I walk ‘with’ fear as a means of releasing these solutions into my life so that in time I can walk with the solutions and live without the fear. Like Amy, I wish that my faith were sufficiently stalwart to thwart all fear, but I am honest enough to admit that such a faith is a work in progress.  And so, I walk ‘with’ fear, but I do not live ‘in’ fear.  And someday soon, I will do neither.

Pastor John Piper was asked “How Do We Make Sense of the Coronavirus?” Here is his thoughtful answer: “How do I make sense of this? How do you get understanding?” — I will try to respond with an open Bible in front of me. But before I do, let me just say I have misgivings, because I make a distinction between helping people get ready to suffer by making sense of biblical teaching about suffering — that’s one thing. And then another thing is physically, emotionally embodying that theology in the moment when somebody is suffering. And we’ve got thousands of people now who are dying, which means hundreds of thousands of people who are grieving. And what I’m about to say might not be well-timed in some of their lives, because if I were on the ground, in a church, I would be discerning whether there’s a time to speak here or not. None Stronger Than Jesus With that preface, let me try to own what I’ve been asked to do: make sense of a deadly virus. Let’s start with an empirical, historical fact, and a clear Bible fact. The empirical fact is that on the Lord’s Day, Sunday, December 26, 2004, over 200,000 people were killed by a tsunami in the Indian Ocean, including whole churches gathered for worship on the Lord’s Day, swept away in death. That’s the historical fact. That sort of thing has happened to Christians, as long as there have been Christians. Now, the biblical fact is  Mark 4:41 : “Even the wind and the sea obey [Jesus].” That is as true today as it was then. “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” ( Hebrews 13:8 ). So, put those two facts together — the historical fact and the biblical fact — and you get this truth: Jesus could have stopped the natural disaster, and he did not in 2004. Since he always does what is wise and right and just and good, therefore, he had wise and good purposes in that deadly disaster. I would say the same thing, therefore, about the coronavirus. Jesus has all knowledge and all authority over the natural and supernatural forces of this world. He knows exactly where the virus started, and where it’s going next. He has complete power to restrain it or not. And that’s what’s happening. Neither sin, nor Satan, nor sickness, nor sabotage is stronger than Jesus. He’s never backed into a corner; he is never forced to tolerate what he does not will. “The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations” ( Psalm 33:11 ). “I know that you can do all things,” Job says in his own repentance, “and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted” ( Job 42:2 ). So the question is not whether Jesus is overseeing, limiting, guiding, governing all the disasters and all the diseases of the world, including all their sinful and satanic dimensions. He is. The question is, with our Bibles open, how are we to understand this? Can we make sense out of it? Here are four biblical realities that we can use as building blocks in our effort to understand and make sense of it. 1. Subjected to Futility When sin entered the world through Adam and Eve, God ordained that the created order, including our physical bodies, as persons created in his image, would experience corruption and futility, and that all living things would die. Christians, by being saved through the gospel of God’s grace, do not escape this physical corruption, futility, and death. The basis of this point is  Romans 8:20–23 : The creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him [God] who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. [And here’s the key verse for Christians.] And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, grown inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. The day is coming when all creation will be set free from its bondage to disease and disaster and death, and inherit the freedom of the glory of the children of God. Until then, Christians — Paul says, “even we who have the Spirit” — groan with all creation, sharing in the corruption and futility and disease and disasters and death, as we wait with groaning for the redemption of our bodies (that happens at the resurrection). The difference for Christians, who trust Christ, is that our experience of this corruption is not condemnation.  Romans 8:1 : “There is therefore now no condemnation.” The pain for us is purifying, not punitive. “God has not destined us for wrath” ( 1 Thessalonians 5:9 ). We die of disease like all men, not necessarily because of any particular sin — that’s really important. We die of disease like all people because of the fall. But for those who are in Christ, the sting of death is removed ( 1 Corinthians 15:55 ). That’s building block number one for understanding what’s going on. 2. Sickness as Mercy God sometimes inflicts sickness on his people as a purifying and rescuing judgment, which is not a condemnation, but an act of mercy for his saving purposes. And that point is based on  1 Corinthians 11:29–32 . That text deals with misusing the Lord’s Supper, but the principle is broader. Here it is: Anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself [this is referring to Christians at the Lord’s Table]. That is why many of you [you Christians] are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord [with this illness and weakness and death], we are disciplined [disciplined like a child] so that we may not be condemned along with the world. Now, let that sink in. The Lord Jesus takes the life of his loved ones through weakness and illness — the very same words, by the way, used to describe the weaknesses and illnesses that Jesus heals in his earthly life ( Matthew 4:23 ;  8:17 ;  14:14 ) — and brings them to heaven. He brings them to heaven because of the trajectory of their sin that he was cutting off and saving them from. Not to punish them, but to save them. In other words, some of us die of illnesses “so that we may not be condemned along with the world” (verse 32). If he can do that in a few of his loved ones in Corinth, he can do it to many, including by the coronavirus. And not just because of abusing the Lord’s Supper, but also for other kinds of sinful trajectories — though not all death is for a particular sin. That’s building block number two. 3. Sickness as Judgment God sometimes uses disease to bring particular judgments upon those who reject him and give themselves over to sin. I’ll give two examples. In Acts 12 , Herod the king exalted himself in being called a god. “Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last” ( Acts 12:23 ). God can do that with all who exalt themselves. Which means we should be amazed that more of our rulers do not drop dead every day because of their arrogance before God and man. Sheer common grace and mercy. Another example is the sin of homosexual intercourse. In  Romans 1:27 , it says, “The men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.” Now, that’s an example of the wrath of God in  Romans 1:18 , where it says, “The wrath of God is [being now] revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.” That’s building block number three, that God can and does use illnesses to bring judgment sometimes upon those who reject him and his way. 4. God’s Thunderclap All natural disasters — whether floods, famines, locusts, tsunamis, or diseases — are a thunderclap of divine mercy in the midst of judgment, calling all people everywhere to repent and realign their lives, by grace, with the infinite worth of the glory of God. And the basis for that building block is  Luke 13:1–5 . Pilate had slaughtered worshipers in the temple. And the tower in Siloam had collapsed and killed eighteen bystanders. And the crowds want to know from Jesus, just like I’ve been asked, “Okay, make sense of this, Jesus. Tell us what you think about these natural disasters and this cruelty. These people were just standing there, and now they’re dead.” Here’s Jesus’s answer in  Luke 13:4–5 : “Those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent [he shifts from  them  to  you ], you will all likewise perish.” Now, that’s the message of Jesus to the world at this moment in history, under the coronavirus — a message to every single human being. Me, and you, Tony, and everybody who’s listening, and every ruler on the planet, every person who hears about this, is receiving a thunderclap message of God, saying, “Repent.” (And I think the Chinese authorities should especially pay attention, who have recently — and I just read another article yesterday — become so increasingly harsh and repressive against the followers of Christ.) Repent and seek God’s mercy to bring your lives — our lives — into alignment with his infinite worth.   For more practical resources and sermons, go to: www.desiringgod.org .

Breath, Week 1 June 8 / 9 Speaker: Dr. Mark Batterson Scripture: Ephesians 1:23 Sermon Overview Without the Holy Spirit, we’re ordinary in every way. With the Holy Spirit, all things all possible. His anointing is the X Factor—it helps us do what we do better than we can do it! Sermon Series Questions: 1. What did God reveal to you the Holy Spirit this week? Sermon Specific Questions: Let’s journey through scripture about the Spirit of God at various periods of the Bible. As we read scripture together, discuss what sticks out to you about the Holy Spirit. • What new revelations do you have about the Spirit? • What questions do you have about the Holy Spirit? • What experiences have you had with the Spirit that confirms scripture’s description? 1. Revelation through Old Testament: Read and discuss Genesis 1:2-3, Genesis 2:7, Job 34:14-15, and Exodus 31:1. 2. Revelation through Jesus: Read and discuss Matthew 1:18, John 1:29-33, John 14:25-26. 3. Revelation during Pentecost: Read and discuss Acts 2:1-41. 4. Revelation after Pentecost: Read and discuss 1 Corinthians 2:10, I Corinthians 12:1 11, Galatians 5:22-23, Romans 8:26, Ephesians 5:8. © 2019 National Community Church 1 Without the Holy Spirit, we’re ordinary in every way. With the Holy Spirit, all things all possible. His anointing is the X Factor—it helps us do what we do better than we can do it! www.national.cc  Used by permission.

I had a car accident about a month ago. I was driving, comfortably aware of the moment. Life was good, and then, BOOM! I instantly went into fight or flight mode. It took several hours for the adrenaline to settle down. It’s that feeling that suddenly, you don’t know what to do next. You stop! When the police officer came, I had a hard time articulating what I wanted to say. I wasn’t quite as clear-minded as I had been a couple hours early. Fear is typically triggered by some actual threat we experience in our life. That’s a normal response to things that happen in life. Flying causes some people fear. I was on flight that took off from Tucson and an engine exploded upon takeoff, which hopefully was a once in a lifetime experience. Other things that can cause fear in your life might be a medical emergency, financial difficulty or watching your children navigate something difficult. Anxiety, on the other hand, is a general feeling that something is not right in the world. It’s an undercurrent. This is where people end up going to see people like me. They go see a counselor or they go see a doctor. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) comes out of this. People who have been through a traumatic event in their life like those in the military or those who have been in war, but PTSD can also occur in other situations. People who have been physically molested, hurt, robbed or experienced other traumatic events can have triggers that will set off that response again in their life. Thirty-three percent of Americans experience anxiety at some point throughout their life. One in six Americans are on antidepressants now. That’s a 65 percent increase from 15 years ago. Depression is the number one mental illness in America. There is a difference between fear and anxiety. God gives us three ingredients for dealing with fear and anxiety in 2 Timothy 1:7 . The Apostle Paul is teaching Timothy, a young pastor just getting started in ministry. Timothy struggled with some fear in ministry, which is understandable, especially during the time in which he lived. Paul, this senior, saintly, godly leader writes: “Timothy, God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and love and a sound mind.” Let’s look at these three words.   Power In the Greek, the word  power  comes from  dunamis,  which is interpreted to mean  dynamite.  Dynamite-like power is at work in your life. It’s strong. It’s inherent. It’s powerful. You have the Holy Spirit residing in you. You have God-given power within your life to deal with the fear or timidity that tries to overtake your life.   Love The love Paul encourages you to embrace is evidenced by extending goodwill toward others. Its love focused on caring for other people. When you’re dealing with anxiety and fear, it’s truly helpful to get outside of yourself, and to see and to connect with other people.   Sound Mind And finally, God has given you a sound mind, which really means self-control – not only in your thinking, but also in your behavior. God has given you three ingredients – dynamite power, goodwill toward others and self-control to overcome fear and anxiety. I pray you will refuse to allow anxiety and fear to become a hijacked emotion in your life. www.theintentionallife.com .