QUARANTINE BLOG # 12

April 11, 2020

Ian McRae Spencer is a precious brother in the Lord with whom I shared ministry in Russia.  In one of those divine coincidences (I’ve often said I think God’s middle name is luck or chance or happenstance or coincidence), he and I showed up at the same new fellowship of Russian believers.  Neither of us had ever heard of the other, and neither of us knew the other was serving Maranatha Christian Center in Samara.  One came from Augusta, Georgia, and one came from Barnstaple, England.  But one Sunday, there we both were.  Great times together!  Great blessings from the Lord!

I tell you that, to tell you this: yesterday Ian sent me a comment about my reference to William Barclay’s Daily Study Bible.

He said, “Remember when we first went to Russia and Barclay’s commentaries were translated into Russian?  I saw many people with armfuls of Barclay’s commentaries [there are 17 volumes in the set].  One man said to me in Moscow, and we were in the first week of the month, ‘We have no money left for the month BUT we have this real food at last!’  What a time!”

And all who shared that ministry with us say, “Amen!”

👉 I receive periodic emails from the Vice President of Entertainment for Carnival Cruise Lines with updates from the fleet.  Today he said that Australia has ordered all ships to leave Australian waters.  No explanation was given, but earlier all guests  disembarked and returned home.  Carnival has two ships there – with crew members still on board because of travel restrictions in their home countries.  A certain number of crew are required to stay on board because of safety matters, between 150-170.  These folks have been moved into private cabins and given free internet, free movies, and free pay per view.

👉 With hopes of normalcy, yesterday one of my agents sent me information about Caribbean cruises in late November and early December.  May their projections be correct!

👉 And with dashing of hopes, several hours later the CDC issued a report barring cruise ships from American waters until July 1.

👉 I finished constructing the International Space Station, Lego version.  Now I need to find a place to display it.  The Lego room is mostly occupied with Star Wars rebels, clones, droids, and ships.

👉 At Michael’s work place, one of those essential businesses doing good for all of us who are sheltering in place, they had a contest for an Easter basket.  I don’t know what was required to win, but he won the basket.  Check the contents.  Glad we can keep up our sense of humor even in stressful times.

👉 Another bit of humor is this map which suggests appropriate travel for all of us who are sheltering in place.  It reminds me of the Moscow Metro Map.

👉 I have not reported on the goings on going on outside of 233 for a while.  So for a catch up, here are pictures from the Spring Break Olympics going on at Herrington Manor.  The first is “Grenade Toss,” and the second is “Air Hockey.”  Team Mac won both games!  Today Jack is off, so he will join Team Tate (which is in need of a win).

👉 And the doings at Windtree Palace where they are making tie dyed Easter eggs.  Internet site https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYXtstRQQNY for recipe included.  Egg salad for Easter Monday?

👉 “Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord” (John 20:19-20).

I know this text is about Easter Sunday night, and today is Saturday, but there are no passages which tell anything about what was going on that dark, awful day after Jesus died.  The dream was crushed.  His body was buried, and the Romans set a seal on the tomb with a guard stationed in place.  It is my guess that the disciples would have been on Saturday in the same place where Jesus found them on Sunday night.  They were behind closed doors in fear of their lives.

Some of the most wonderful words they ever heard Jesus speak were those first resurrection words: “Peace be with you.”

I will leave the rest of the story for tomorrow, but those are good words for today.  We are living behind closed doors, not fearful because “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7), but we are living with uncertainty.  When will shelter in place be lifted?  When will stores and shops open and people go back to work?  When will we be able to congregate, go to school, go to the movies, go shopping without wearing a mask?  When will a vaccine be ready to rid our world of this horrible virus?

Those answers are not yet available.  But, no matter how dark Saturday is, rejoice because Sunday is coming!

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