Predictable, Perfunctory, or Profound?

The Christian life is a journey. We are not in the same place as our friends, family, or Christian brothers and sisters. But we are all on the journey, and we can all  benefit from asking this question of our Christian habits, our Christian practices, our Christian motion: Is this predictable, perfunctory, or profound?

It's really easy to let prayer, church, Bible-reading, and other Christian habits turn into superficial practices. I am reading the Bible online with a Bible-reading plan that is supposed to keep me on track. I like the Bible-reading plan on the YouVersion Bible app, and I've been reading the plan for two and a half years. I will be done reading the entire Bible by the beginning of 2021.

Sounds good, right?

Except....

I realized a couple of weeks ago that I was speeding through the Bible reading to get done. My goal was to finish for the day. I wanted to check it off my list. My reading of God's Word, the Word of God Himself, had turned into a perfunctory task to complete before my day began. Not the way to treat God's Holy Word.

Prayer is another of my daily Christian practices. I pray with my kids. I pray with my whole family. I pray with my husband. I pray by myself. We've been trying to encourage our kids to think about what they are praying. Not to simply repeat their typical, "Thank-you-God-for-the-food. Hope-we-have-a-wonderful-day." It's easy to let our prayers become predictable, repetitive, and thought-less. Not the way to talk to our Holy God, our Lord and Savior.


Church in the time of a pandemic is an interesting proposition. It isn't very predictable, is it? My husband purposefully keeps his preaching from being perfunctory, but as a listener, it is easy to let the words go into one ear and out the other. The same thing is true of Christian music, it's easy to let the music play away without listening to the depth of the words. Without engaging. Without processing.

I've been mulling my own Christian practices and habits lately (obviously). I've tried a few different things to wake myself up to the words of the songs, the sermons, and the Word. Sometimes, my techniques helped...sometimes they didn't. I found one thing that did make a difference, though.

Every.

Single.

Time.

That was prayer, asking God to make this experience profound. I just ask God to take my prayer time and make it meaningful. I pray that the online church service will change me to be more like Jesus. I pray that my reading of the Bible would affect my heart, my life. I lift up my desire for this experience to be more than predictable and perfunctory! I ask God to use my time to bring me profound change.

Try it. It's amazing.

Where is God in This Pandemic??!

 When bad things happen, and there have sure been a lot of them lately, it is natural for people to wonder, "And just where was God when such-and-such happened?!" This question is usually uttered with indignation, because after all, if God were around, He certainly wouldn't have allowed this!

But God does allow bad things. Clearly, many times in the Bible, God allows trouble to come to His people. In John 16:33, Jesus says, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world!" It can't get much clearer than that: Trouble comes to God's people.

The Bible addresses the world's troubles frequently in the Psalms and elsewhere. For example, Psalm 10:1 asks, "Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?" But at the end of the same Psalm (verses 17-18) the Psalmist ends with, "You, Lord, hear the desire of the afflicted; you encourage them, and you listen to their cry, defending the fatherless and the oppressed..."

So, if God is here during this pandemic, why can't we see Him? There is so much hate and anger and name-calling, etc. Where is God??!!


Where. Is. God.


He is in the hands and feet of those who are helping.


God is in the congregation of Connections Church in the Denver, CO, area. The people there gathered VBS materials for us and shipped them to us. They provided snacks, lessons, crafts, and more to the children and youth here in Dulce last month. More than 60 kids here received a VBS-to-go bag of materials  to use during our recent Stay-at-Home orders from the tribe. Our own children and teen participated and found the activities very meaningful and fun.


God is in the hearts and minds of those people here on the reservation who have donated and packed and delivered food and cleaning supplies to the Jicarilla elders and others in need. There have literally been tribal members who have volunteered hours of time to receive, organize and deliver needed supplies. There have also been donations from the state of New Mexico and others off the reservation to provide for the Jicarilla people during our lockdown. God's provision for us all has been astonishing!


God has also generously provided many masks for our family to give to our community. He has moved individuals and entire congregations to make masks for donation to the Jicarilla Apache people. We are even receiving some individually wrapped disposable masks to put into the boxes for elders and others, as well as for visitors to our home who prefer disposable masks. We continue to provide food for anyone who asks at our door. Being able to give masks to these folks adds a measure of safety for us and them.

No matter where we look, there are people helping and serving in the name of Jesus. That's where God is in this pandemic. Right there. Look around to see the work that Jesus is inspiring and directing. And if you don't see anybody helping and serving, look for a way you could help or serve.

Be the hands and feet of Jesus in this world of pandemic.

Loneliness in a Pandemic

With three kids in the house, I rarely feel lonely. Their antics keep me involved in many activities each day, and I love it! We've been home with very few exceptions since March 10, 2020. 144 days with almost zero alone-time...I haven't felt lonely much.

But I've been noticing in my newsfeed on Facebook that a lot of people are feeling lonely. And I have to admit that I've been craving some friend-time that I'm missing.

Whether you're alone at home or in a crowded household, loneliness can creep in. Or a craving for a specific type of connection. I love my kids! And I am really missing my friends and family. We're all getting weary of the caution with which we are living right now.

The other day, I found myself giving our teenager some advice I received from my mom many years ago: If you need a friend, look for someone who needs a friend.

I think the same advice goes for loneliness in a pandemic: If you feel lonely, look for someone else who needs connection. 

Jesus tells us to love our neighbors, so look for "the least of these." Think of the widows you know. Those alone in their homes. Those afraid of the coronavirus. Those single adults who are raising children in a pandemic alone. Those ill with COVID-19. Look around and find those who are in need of connection.

Then connect. Call them. Write a letter. Make an art project and send it to them. Send them some popcorn or a puzzle made from a picture of you together. Connect.

And connect with Jesus. The Bible says "God is with us" at least sixteen times (depending on translation, and I don't claim to have found each example)!  “God is with you in everything you do."  Genesis 21:22b  "The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress." Psalm 46:7

There is never a time when God is not with us! Even if all your human connections are absent for the moment, there is always God. He is our strength and refuge. He is a very present help in times of trouble. He will never fail us!

So if you're feeling lonely, reach out to the Rock of our Salvation! Reach out to your loved ones! Reach out to your neighbors! You will conquer the loneliness of a pandemic for many if you do.