Maineville Lighthouse Church

 

I was thinking…Pastor Steve

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“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is

like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.”

2 Peter 3: 8  (NIV)

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      I was thinking about this phrase that Peter used in his second letter.  And I was thinking how long we’ve been dealing with the corona virus…it’s been almost a year for us at Maineville UMC.  In some ways, it seems like it’s been much longer, but a year can be quite a long time.  Those first couple of months seemed to drag on and on.  I would record the message early so it was available on Sunday morning.  Then, within a week or so, I realized that Dona and I could do music and add that in, too.  (I had forgotten that we had a license that allowed us to do that.  Thanks for thinking ahead!)

 

      In the midst of all of that, I thought we still needed some more connections, so Wednesday Worship with Pastor Steve began.  As of the end of February, I have made 49 of them.  Yes, in March, I will hit a year, 52 episode, milestone.  They have been frustrating at times, due to recording quality more than anything.  (Again, one of those bad days of trying to record and upload was like a thousand years!)  But, hopefully, people have felt connected to Maineville in one way or another.

 

      I keep wondering how much longer the country will have to endure this “pandemic.”  I’m hearing that, even after we have our vaccines, we will still need to do everything we’ve been doing for the last year.  I’m not sure if that will work for me.  There have not been any discussions with the leadership yet, but there should be a time when this comes to an end.  Move on, treat it like flu season.  Keep the best practices of normal cleanliness but let’s start a new day; the old days are about gone.  (Just my own little rant.)

 

      This moves me to my next item.  I was also thinking of those who have been shut in, especially over this last year.  It must be very frustrating to have limited visits (if any) from family.  What has been 12 months for us must seem like years and years to them, isolated and, sometimes, in quarantine.  Maybe they would appreciate a simple note, card, or phone call.  Someone to remember them on their birthday or Christmas might be nice.  We have a few seniors from our fellowship who aren't able to attend.  Let me remind you of them.

 

• Imogene (Delores) Swigert lives at Cedarview Nursing Care on the east side of Lebanon.

• JoAnn Weller lives at Optimized Senior Living on the west side of Lebanon.

• Flora Sullivan lives in a senior living apartment at The Ashford in Mt. Washington.

• Ruth Kroener has moved to Hawthorn Glen Nursing Center south of Middletown.

• Peggy Tracy is at Ohio Living Quaker Heights in Waynesville.

 

      Keep these people in your prayers and, where applicable, give them a call, note, or card.  I’m sure they would appreciate you thinking of them.

 

      This thing has got to have an end date, right?  But it seems like it’s been years already, and it’s only been one.  Keep the faith and don’t let fear rule your heart.  As the psalmist writes in Psalm 46, verse 1:  God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.  It would do you well to read the rest of that psalm.  The Scriptures are full of faith affirming promises.  I like this Scripture from 2nd Timothy, verse 7.  It may help you to keep it in mind for the days ahead.  Paul wrote this, and he probably faced way more issues than we do today.  For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.  Be of sound mind, reject fear, and love Jesus.  God bless.