Goodbye outside world. Hello home sweet home. That's my life for the next seven days.
I'm having back surgery on March 24. The hospital requires that I be quarantined for the seven days leading up to surgery.
So, I won't be preaching on Sunday. I'll be worshipping via our livestream service instead. I'll be working from home but contact with our staff and church community will be limited to texts, calls and Zoom.
This is another example of how the coronavirus has impacted our lives. I can live with it. But I don't have to like it.
However, this being stuck at home might give me a little time to do some reading. I'm about half-way through book two in Katie Schuermann's series of a small town church in rural Illinois. If you are a fan of Jan Karon's "Mitford" series, you would love Schuermann's books. I like them because of the way she shows how important the church is to the lives of its people. Besides getting into the lives of her characters, Schuermann shows how the Gospel makes the difference when people are dealing with illness and loss. You can order her books through Concordia Publishing House. Very enjoyable reading, indeed.
The other book I've started is "The Life You Crave - It's All About Grace" by Michael W. Newman. Newman is a great writer and theologian; this is the second book of his that I've read. If you've ever wondered, like singer Peggy Lee, "Is that all there is?" then Newman's book is for you. He takes the story of Daniel and relates it to the lives we all live - messy, confusing, stressful - and shows that God is in the middle of that life with you and it is His grace and love that sees a person through every challenge.
Following surgery, I'm expected to have a two week recovery so I'm going to miss Holy Week services - the first time in 24 years. But being on the sidelines won't be so bad. Our Associate Pastor, Chris Crume, has been sharing a series of sermons based on the various locations we connect with the Passion of Jesus. I'll watch and worship via livestream, looking forward to shouting out to my dear, sweet wife, "He is risen!" and hearing her respond, "He is risen indeed!"
God bless your day as you look forward to seeing the love of Jesus in action next week.
