It's a Mad, Mad World

Or so it may seem these recent days, with routines upended and normalcy crumbling with every new announcement of numbers, outbreaks, bans, and closures. Here in New York, restaurants, theaters, and gyms are closed as of tonight, other non-essential businesses are strongly encouraged to close, our county's schools are closed until at least mid-April, and gatherings of 50 or more are barred. As hillbilly homelearners, we are touched much less by the anxiety of this virus than those parents scurrying for care for their children, for small business owners whose income is frozen for the foreseeable future, and for those whose compromised immune systems make them more vulnerable than the majority, but I hope that, even if we were members of these stricken groups, God would enable us to live the truth that we should be anxious for nothing.

Yesterday, our local assembly of believers didn't meet, and we gathered in our living room for family worship. Afterward, John asked Annika to read this essay aloud. Moses Lee brings a timely reminder to Christ's people, one I welcome you to read:

...rejoicing in the opportunity such circumstances present for testing our faith-- to go out of our way to love and serve our neighbors, spreading gospel hope, in both word and deed, in times of great fear.

Praying for heart-peace and safety for all of you! We may run out of toilet paper soon, but we're well stocked with dried beans and rice. You know where to find us if you need either. Give us a heads-up, and we'll even make cookies. :)