Colossians 3:16
Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
This week I’ve been calling through the church directory and checking on members and frequent attenders. (If you haven’t gotten a call yet, hang on, I still have some to make.) I’ve been asking them if they had any needs we as a church could help meet and if there were anything we could be praying about. One word I heard frequently was “isolation.” “Pray for those that will be isolated from people.” “Pray for our family stuck in isolation together for this extended period.” One parent put it kindly: “Pray for ‘general kindness’ in our home.” : )
We all hope for time… time when we aren’t so busy… time to spend reading or working on our hobbies. So what do we do with such time when we have it thrust on us? And what happens when, after a period of “isolation,” all we desire is human contact? The people of Italy are in full lock down right now due to the current pandemic. But they have found an interesting way to encourage one another: singing from their balconies! Could that be something we as a community could do here at Lucas Grace Bible?
In the book of Colossians, Paul called upon the body of Christ to “let the peace of Christ rule” in their hearts. The reason for this was that they were called to “one body.” The first example he gives of that bond we share as believers is singing. There is something about voices being lifted together that melts away division and shoos away fears. We need that kind of unity right now.
So I’m opening up my blog (which I haven’t touched since 2016) and will write daily (hopefully) through this period of “self quarantine” to provide a forum where we as a church can encourage one another. I am going to put up encouraging stores, humor, inspirational verses, etc. And I’m asking you to please comment below with anything similar. This will give us as the body of Christ a chance to “sing from our balconies” and encourage one another in Jesus.
Please be encouraging and hopeful! We need hope right now! I ask that you plan on coming back daily to share. This is open to anyone, whether you attend Grace Bible or not. I’ll be awaiting your responses.
Until then… Be wise. Stay safe. And remember to love one another.
Pastor Wayne
Pastor Presnell's Blog 
Love this! Thank you!
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I know exactly how the kitty feels. Although it isn’t the right way to feel since it’s for the good of us all, you kind of feel like someone dropped the box over you instead of crawling in or under it yourself. I always think of songs and music for every situation and I keep thinking, “if He carried the weight of the world on His shoulders, I know my brother’s (and sister’s.) that He can carry you”, and me and all of us, through this. We have such an awesome God and He’s still working.
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