"Still here, God...!" Finding Good Gifts while Hard Times Persist
Half a year later, the costs of the coronavirus continue to mount. Lost lives, lost livelihoods, lost sleep… the world is sick and tired of being sick and tired. But the only certainty is that the uncertainties are ongoing. What does faith look like, in these circumstances? Is “enduring” the best we can do? Or is God’s goodness still sovereign, even now? Asking ourselves two simple questions can refocus us and replenish us with tangible reminders that God is good, God is with us, and God still holds the future.
Seven "Bees"
Bumble bees are amazing creatures. Defying the laws of aerodynamics, physics, and gravity, they meander through their lives’ work of collecting pollen and transporting it back to the hive where it will be transformed into honey.
As someone whose seasonal allergies make “pollen” a bad word, I am struck by the little miracle of that transformation of pollen-into-honey. Something that causes asthma and sneezing and red eyes made into something that really soothes sore throats and helps heal wounds and tastes like heaven. Really?!
Meditating on the work of the bumble bee at the beginning of the lock down period in spring 2020, the similarity of the work of moms-under-stay-at-home-orders and bumble bees transforming the pollen struck me. Listen in for several “bees” worth of gifts of grace.
Why Books? Why Now? And Why Paper?
The summer of 2020 is a unique place to be. We are hemmed in physically, oppressed emotionally, and confronted with depression both psychological and economic. Most of us desperately need a way to release the pressure that’s built up inside. Most of us desperately need a fresh infusion of hope.
Let’s begin with this premise: Because all truth is God’s truth and all beauty is God’s gift, great literature (books which are true and beautiful) can provide us with the relief and hope we crave.
A surprise bonus: when books are enjoyed as actual material objects as well as for their content, the benefits of reading abound even beyond relief and hope!
In Search of "the Cure" ... Racism and Lesser Pandemics"
Just when the virus that humbled and halted the whole world started to loosen its grip, symptoms of a deeper and more deadly disease – long the plague of humanity – flared into prominence.
What is “sin”? Why is it no longer permissible to talk about it? How does denying infection preclude healing?
Regarding the sin of racism … how do we seek peace with and for our neighbors? The ethos behind this class suggests that sharing our stories is a good place to begin.
Some Survival Tips for "Sheltering in Place"
Locked down at home with air conditioning, full refrigerators, and 24/7 internet access: what does this set of circumstances mean?
First, can learning about other contexts of confinement make us more grateful for our present circumstances?
Second, is there a way to thrive in cramped quarters by going on fabulous summer vacations .. at least in imagination?
And third, since we are all obsessed about food anyway (what to make, how to make it, and whether to post a picture of it on Instagram before we eat it) what books speak to that Primal Hunger in meaningful ways?
Sign of End Times?
Zombies, nuclear Armageddon(s) and alien invasions were part of our collective cultural imagination way before Covid 19 turned up the volume on existential crisis. Then “Hell broke loose” in our city streets and added grist to the mill grinding out doomsday scenarios. Panic and despair are so mainstream as to be – normal. But what does it all mean, really?
Disease. Division. Anarchy. Are these the end of days? Does “now” point to the grand finale of history? Or might we simply be marking another chapter in history and recycling more of the same old plot twists?