# 10 - Date: 10 /05 /2020
No, this post is not necessarily about the pandemic even though we are going through it together – 6’ apart. These days it seems that everything is infected affected by C19.
Well Oct. 5th is our wedding anniversary. 2020 is 36 years of marriage and 5 years together before that, and as Janet says – most of them good. Life here on earth has given us a few, well, not so good ones. And, well, 2020 is stacking up with some of those. (note: not the entirety of the year was bad.)
Now let me make this clear, the sum of all those years is an amazing positive accumulation of blessings. God’s track record of providing, caring and shaping us is well, as we like to say, annoyingly perfect. God uses the bad to move us along. He moves us from a place of complacency or self-centeredness to a place of growth or even into a mindset of servant hood.
Janet and I have been to together a long time. We have worked hard through some very challenging trials to stay together. We are physically apart this anniversary, as we have a few others. (During my seminary training.) This time we can list it as an effect of Covid 19. She is taking advantage of the fact of being laid off during the pandemic and visiting her family in Michigan. (Her mother and brother are ill and she is trying to get in some quality time while she can). There are often blessings hidden amongst the challenges. So many of us don’t look, we just grumble. Much like the people of Israel did in the wilderness. They grumbled after God parted the red Sea to save them. They grumbled with bellies full of manna or quail.
The Epistle for this coming Sunday is Philippians 4:4–13, Paul writes:
11 Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. 12 I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. 13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
One of the places God wants to move us to, is a place of contentment and gratitude. It is a wonderful place. My challenge is to stay there. I pray you can stay or at the very least you have found that place and know its blessings and can strive to return. I further pray you allow God to move from those not so great places into better ones. Fear keeps us stuck sometimes. But the hope God has for us, for eternity, can easily break that fear, if we let it. It’s an intentional choice to chose Faith over Fear.
So I would also like to take a moment to thank all of the friends and mentors that have helped provide support, encouragement and accountability for us throughout our lives but particularly for our marriage. God has again blessed us with many people in this area.
A special piece of advice:
‘Yes dear’, ‘I’m sorry’, and ‘I will do that right away’ are just a few phrases I use to make life easier. But honestly, the best thing we do is keep Christ Centered in our hearts and home.
Hope you can come by church, either our physical site (5080 Kingsley, Montclair, Ca,) Sundays @ 9am outdoors until further notice, or you can always visit us at www.tlcmontclair.org any time and get filled up on God’s hope! You can also ask for pray or if you are able help us with an offering / donation to continue spreading the good news, the hope that Jesus Christ gives to all.
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