March 18, 2020
Dear SCC & Friends,
Hope you are faring well in the midst of these unprecedented times. Thank you for your prayers for Dudley and Paige. We are very grateful they got back just under the wire, and the Lord was with them in a unique way. The impact and potentialities of the coronavirus is on everyone’s mind. I’ve been reminded of Joshua and the word of the Lord before he was to go into the promised land, “You have not passed this way before.” Earlier this year we spent time focusing on “the wilderness experience.” Israel was facing so many unknown factors…How long? Social and spiritual uncertainty…together but isolated in the desert. Later, they spied out the land and reported it was good land, flowing with milk and honey. The good land was also filled with bad giants that made them look like grasshoppers. The spies gave a bad report in Numbers 14 resulting in fear, panic, blame shift and unbelief. In the midst of it, two men stood out, Joshua and Caleb, whom the Lord referred to as having a different spirit. They did not follow the crowd or crowd mentality. Their eyes were not on the size of the giants, but on the power and placement of their God. May we emulate Joshua and Caleb, not captured by the spirit of the age, but know that God is with us and has made us for such a time as this.
Sunday services will return when the time is right. The overall situation in our community and nation remains fluid. In the meantime, let us continue to be good citizens, focused on the Lord, our families and our neighbors. We have absolutely no limitations on prayer and devotion to Christ. I have been blessed by the creativity that is emerging in so many of you to overcome present limitations by using web and video opportunities to stay connected in prayer and purpose.
Please check our website, www.saddlebackcovenant.com, as there are some excellent messages on podcast that you may have missed earlier in the year. Also, I will post a new podcast this weekend with a message that I hope proves helpful and encouraging. Let’s continue to fight the good fight, knowing the Lord has much for each one of us in this very unusual and challenging season. Miss everyone but know this time will pass. I plan to send a pastoral letter and update each week…God bless you!
Yours in Christ,
Kevin