Gratitude is defined as the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.

I read an article the other day of a man around my age who was critical of COVID-19 Coronavirus. He posted on Social Media that the virus was (oh well, my word here…bull manure) and a Political ploy. He died a few days ago from the virus. What was real, what he believed wasn’t true but was, or what he wished wasn’t true, into not being true?

Brenda and I were talking about this and to our never ending amazement for people to ignore, criticize, politicize, this pandemic as though nothing significant has occurred.

I read where one televangelist believed that he could blow Coronavirus away! Well, he tried, and it’s still here.

Democrats and Republicans deeply divided over who will get the political edge over this pandemic to hurl at the other side.

What keeps a country so divided? What has people so skeptical about padded numbers of the growing list of loss of life, people with names, having left families, jobs, friends, memories and some folks dying in just a matter of days.

My Dad had a friend, that spoke to him one Tuesday by phone, two days later he died COVID-19 took him away.

What is it going to take? There seems to be a willful blindness by some, and hyperbole by others.

One of the most puzzling things ever invented on an alarm clock (in my opinion) was a snooze button. If you’re a person that thanks God for it, what can I say?

I thought an alarm clock was to wake us up or alert us and call us into action, but with the snooze feature we can condition ourselves to not to take the alarm seriously and defer response times to it.

When the alarm is not being used in this case for action but deferred response, we can say to ourselves (‘I have more time’, or ‘that’s only the first alarm, another will follow shortly.’)

The world has changed, however in this case I believe God has sounded the alarm.

The question today is , what is the correct response to His alarm seeing that God’s alarm has no snooze feature?

Can we hear it? Do we hear it but drown it out?

How many more warnings do we get?

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Here in the U.S. millions of Americans are expected to receive “stimulus checks”. Some folks received their checks nearly a week ago.

A stimulus check is a check sent to a taxpayer by the U.S. government. Stimulus checks are intended to stimulate the economy by providing consumers with some spending money. When taxpayers spend this money, it will boost consumption and drive revenues at retailers and manufacturers and, thus, spur the economy.

The U.S. took tremendous financial hits with businesses, in the markets, restaurants, and many other things to cripple the economy during this Covid 19 pandemic. Some owners sadly admitting, their business’s will never recover. While I hope that isn’t true, so much is unpredictable now.

How much will this stimulus help the economy? How much will it help people over the long haul? Don’t get me wrong, it’s a helpful gesture by our government anyway you look at it. Here’s my point.

Things are still shaking, we are not out of the woods yet. While many are eager to reopen the country and get the economy resuscitated, things are still dire from a coronavirus and economic standpoint. There are those that have strong opinions about what should be done. There are political positions on it, healthcare positions on it, business and economy pundits on it. While there can be serious hypothesis and healthy conversations volleying back and forth, and afterwards are no more closer to solutions.

I’m suggesting, we listen for God. Sounds religious huh?

I’m not speaking from a religious perspective but from God as a Creator. Yes, God the creator of heaven and earth, God the creator of you and I. God, the originator of all things. God, the One who knows where COVID-19 actually came from and the complete properties it’s made of AND the cure. God the One who knows what tomorrow holds, and the day we will close our eyes for the last time.

Until we listen to, and inquire from the One who knows all things past, present, and future, we are “straining at gnats.” (Matthew 23:24) We are trying to cover cancer with a band-aid. But we must come humble enough, open enough, less skeptical enough…and trusting enough.

The kind of stimulus we need, is one that doesn’t spend, but one that replenishes our hearts with resilience and gives us true perspective and hope. A divine stimulus. A talk with God to get answers we don’t have for a future we can’t see.

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Many are feeling the pressure and stress of these times. Loss of jobs, closing of businesses, people unable to make ends meet. Schools closing, parents are asked to become tutors and oversee remote education via internet. New and uncomfortable norms are emerging for children and parents.

Abuse has risen on children, husband and wives abusing each other in some cases, turmoil has seemed to have crept in, invaded and seized families under pressure. Without it being anyone’s fault plenty of blame is passed around, as though passing blame is the ultimate gratification.

We are seeing in this season problems reaching all tiers of class, economy, gender, race, and culture. There are perplexities in all levels of life. What are the answers to help lift and alleviate these changes in life?

It’s important to know there is hope.

The hope I’m referring to can’t be in a vulnerable economy that can easily be neutralized over time by a pandemic. No, we need something impervious to viruses, plagues, or anything other thing that makes vulnerable a people and an economy.

We need something stronger than the security of a good job that can be taken away for any reason. Many things we trust in are unstable, but we give our faith to theses unsecured and unstable things, often without other known options, so we press on and hope for the best .

We all believe and disbelieve in something. What if there was something no, even better, SOMEONE to trust and put our confidence in who won’t fail us.

Nope. Not offering religion. Not offering pie in the sky, no guarantees. I’m not offering anything unreasonable. People have problems without religion. People go through difficulties without God, so He can’t be the reason for not accepting His help.

Some believe God is angry with them, He’s unforgiving and disapproves what they’ve done to the extent He wouldn’t want to hear a word they uttered. These are all false.

Here’s what I’m offering, only if you believe in the existence of God. Go to God and just talk. It may be that you don’t know the formality, you may not know the protocol, here is the good news, it doesn’t matter.

Just ask God if He’s real to prove Himself to you. Give it time. Don’t have a preconceived expectation. Let Him reveal Himself, when He wants, the WAY He wants. God can speak for Himself. Be patient. It will be worth it.

Ask Him about your situation and what you should do, invite Him to help you. God is able to speak to you in a manner and language you understand. If you try this and give it time. If you approach God humbly without argument and skepticism, you just might be surprised. Try it… then listen.

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You may be asking today, ‘where is the silver lining?’

There is one. The Peace of God is indeed the silver lining amid these dark and challenging days. The good news is that we don’t need to wait to receive it. It is found in the presence of God.

What’s important? Housing, Food, Clothing correct? How about life?

Without life there would be no need for housing, without life, there would be no need for food, without a living body no need for clothes.

It’s a LIFE that makes all these things necessary, not the other way around. May we never sacrifice what is important for what’s MOST important.

What’s most important is not just having life and living it, but living the life we’ve been given, on behalf of The One who gave His life for us.

Matt 6:25-34

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LUKE 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He hath anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He hath sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; NKJV

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