Reflections on the Coronavirus and #FaithOverFear: Day 53: The One Constant……

Hi, everyone!

I pray y’all are having a blessed week, no matter what your circumstances may be and I pray we all remember, if nothing else, the following:

”

“Comfort, comfort my people,”
    says your God.
² “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem.
Tell her that her sad days are gone
    and her sins are pardoned.
Yes, the Lord has punished her twice over
    for all her sins.”

³ Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting,
“Clear the way through the wilderness
    for the Lord!
Make a straight highway through the wasteland
    for our God!
⁴ Fill in the valleys,
    and level the mountains and hills.
Straighten the curves,
    and smooth out the rough places.
⁵ Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
    and all people will see it together.
    The Lord has spoken!”^[a]

⁶ A voice said, “Shout!”
    I asked, “What should I shout?”

“Shout that people are like the grass.
    Their beauty fades as quickly
    as the flowers in a field.
⁷ The grass withers and the flowers fade
    beneath the breath of the Lord.
    And so it is with people.
⁸ The grass withers and the flowers fade,
    but the word of our God stands forever.””- Isaiah 40:1-8, NLT

In sum, there is a God Who, from the beginning of time as we know it- and well before that, all told- is Who He says He is, died and rose again to take away our just punishment for our sins and restore us to Him, and will be with all Who call on His Name throughout eternity, just as He promised even before humanity existed.

Scriptures to get you started or reacquainted with God’s plan for humanity, the Fall of man, and our redemption by His grace include: Genesis 1-3, Isaiah 1-10, Jeremiah 1 and 29, Matthew 1-7, Mark 1-2, Luke 1-2 and 15, John 1-3, John 13-21, Romans 6-10, Revelation 1-3, and 21-22. If nothing else, truth be told, may we remember the One, True, Eternal God Who is perfect, wiser, more intelligent, more truthful, more just, more merciful, and more gracious, among many other attributes, than we can fathom. His Word stands forever and now, as always, He is calling you to come Home and know Him as your [God, Lord, Savior, Leader, Forgiver, Father,]* and Friend, dear reader. May we, fallen and prodigals left unto ourselves, recognize that we have a Redeemer Who can and is more than willing to save us, if only we call on Him to do so!

God Bless, Michelle

*I also realized that I am writing much like my pastors would and described our Lord exactly as they so often do in their sermons, thus why I mentioned Mosaic in the tags! All told, glory be to God in the end, no matter whether He calls individuals to encourage and point people to Him, or churches including and like Mosaic, or….you get the idea. All told, Soli Deo Gloria and thank God for His love and His plan for us!

Reflections on the Coronavirus and #FaithOverFear: Days 32-37: Little To Write, Losing Track, and Renewed Hope

Hi, everyone!

I hope all is well and you haven’t had the moments of boredom, stagnation, and isolation that I have felt, understanding, of course, if you have! I am coping, to all who are concerned, but also admit to weak moments, being human. I’m also incredibly grateful that God has allowed a new week to bring new blessings! Then again, after all, I feel like Paul more often than not lately as well. That is, “²¹ For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21, NIV, emphases mine) No wonder Paul was torn, since he wanted both that the Philippians would know Christ our Lord and that he would be with our Lord himself!

That’s what I’ve been hoping to accomplish by this blog as well, thus the title (you may recall that I have said this in previous posts if you’re a regular follower.)! In short, my friend Sam, the pastor of a new church in Hagerstown (Hagerstown Church of Jesus Christ, to be specific!), captured what I believe perfectly and what I’ve been thinking more than ever since my late maternal grandmother passed away on Christmas Eve 2018: “The way we live, will guarantee the way we are remembered.” Sam is exactly right. I want to be remembered just the way my grandmother is, as Jesus called us to do: “³⁴ So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. ³⁵ Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” (John 13:34-35, NLT, emphases mine) I admit even writing this blog is helping to me to cope since it gives me something to do and brings me back to living life with purpose and focus!

Speaking of anxiety, boredom, etc., of course I am going to plug my church again! We’re going through a series entitled “Anxiety Issues” right now and it helped a lot! Take a look: Anxiety Issues: Part I: The Answer To Your Anxiety. Jesus, loved ones, music (think, for example, of Christian music, classical music, country music, the Piano Guys, Peter and Evynne Hollens, Paul Greene, etc., for anyone who knows me well!) , and writing have helped much, truth be told, and there will be more writing coming from all of this. Thank you, if you have read to the end of this post, as well. I apologize for failing in my commitment to write daily and promise to be more careful to do so! I ask your pardon, too, as well. May the Lord Bless you and I look forward to seeing more from y’all as well!

God Bless,

Michelle

Reflections on the Coronavirus and #FaithOverFear: Day 27

Hi everyone!

I had something else in mind, but, this will do. Pastor Ponder’s work is adequate to sum up my current state of mind. May we reflect on the words carefully and the significance, more importantly, of what Jesus did and does for us- best of all, Who He is, too!

Additionally, if you don’t have a church home or….no matter what the case, really, come worship with me tomorrow at 9:30 a.m., EDST! (https://mosaicchristian.churchonline.org/ or https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFXGsw8gvk_yPkrG-526EZg) We’ll be broadcasting all day as well, so would be happy to have you join us then and at anytime from this day forward!

God Bless,

Michelle