Rebecca

He could also print out his sermon notes in the form of a Bible study, and mail that to them as well, it doesn't need to be long, just a page would be okay.

I'm curious as to who said they aren't "allowed" to hold services. As far as I can see, the NJ dept of health is only recommending the cancellations of gatherings of 250 people or more, not requiring the cancellation, churches aren't even on the list of things to avoid, although it's implied for larger churches. And if the church has live streaming, as larger churches commonly do, there's no need to "not be allowed" to hold services, people can watch from home. Seriously, in light of how much people are either panicking or outright denying there even is an epidemic, staying home seems to be the better plan. https://www.nj.gov/governor/news/news/562020/approved/20200312a.shtml I doubt that. They're just trying to stop an epidemic from spreading, and the best way to do that is to limit social gatherings, of all kinds. Major sporting events are being cancelled as well and you should hear the uproar over that, people love their sport ball. People are balking at being regulated, I don't see much of people quietly letting it happen. Will some governments try to take advantage of the epidemic? Probably. But it really is also common sense to stay away from large gatherings when contagious sickness (of any kind) is going around, but people in these days don't appear to have the common sense to self regulate themselves. This panic over tissue paper is a perfect example. People panic and don't think. The government steps in to regulate or try to control the panic and people panic more because they believe their liberties are being taken away. So the circle of panic continues. What to do? Trust God. Pray for wisdom. Use the common sense He gave us. Try not to spread articles that lead to panic - misinformation is rampant on social media sites being spread by the media, regular people, and Christians alike, so be careful about what you're reading, try to find the source of something that concerns you. Stay informed about what's actually happening in your area, don't give in to gossip. II Timothy 1:7 "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."

Here in Taiwan, when the virus first reared its head in China, the government of Taiwan was quick to recognize the threat. There was a bit of panic in the country at first, but the government was swift to bring it to a halt. They did so by enacting certain measures against panic buying and the spread of mis-information. They have daily public informational meetings to keep the citizens informed, certain things like masks and hand sanitizer are regulated (to prevent panic buying and price gouging), hospitals and clinics are not closed but have increased precautions, schools closed just until they were all completely sanitized then reopened with precautions such as everyone entering must have temperature taken, etc. So far people have settled down and there is no panic, just practical common sense in the face of a world-wide epidemic. The church I attend has hand sanitizer at the entrance and everyone must use it, but we don't require anyone to wear a mask (as other churches are requiring), hand shaking wasn't really common to begin with and now it's stopped completely, and just overall common sense is applied: if you're sick, stay home (regardless of type/severity of sickness, low immunity puts them at risk for other issues as well, this should be common sense whether or not there's an epidemic going on).

Just to let everyone know, Ronda passed away last month. She was a faithful servant of God to the very last, defending the faith with her whole heart. If ever I am in the same situation, I pray I am able to face it with the same grace and peace that she did.

I've tried the salt on fruit thing, and remain unimpressed.

Yep. Southern food can get a bit ...inventive. They are known as "koolickles"

Pickles and koolaid do not belong together. Surf and turf do not belong together.

Hermit crabs are an interesting critter. They use the empty shells of other critters for their protection since they don't grow their own shells. Usually when they outgrow the shell they are in they have to go in search of an empty shell large enough to fit them, and if another Hermit crab is nearby that also needs to upgrade they will wait in line to take the hand-me-down shell. I thought I was witnessing that when I saw these three Hermit crabs surrounding a larger shell. However, it turns out that there was a fourth crab inside the large shell! Two crabs were trying to evict the one in the large shell while the smallest was just waiting for the winner to leave its shell so it could take it over. I wasn't able to stay to the end of the fight to see the outcome, unfortunately.

I will concede that ketchup does go on hotdogs. Will you accept mayo on pizza?

I like breakfast burritos with scrambled eggs, bacon, and diced tomatoes. I do have to say though, that ketchup, although derived from said tomatoes, belongs on fries and hamburgers, not eggs.

I'm going to change it up and show an ugly creation: the Black sea cucumber/Black tarzan (both names are common). I at first thought this creature was a piece of garbage floating around in the shallow tide pool, but on closer inspection, it turned out to be a creature that is very ugly. However, when I looked closely at its head, it was interesting how the tendrils flowed out and around in search of food. The video quality isn't very good and my dog is splashing around, but you can see it moving its tendrils in search of food.

1 Corinthians 11:24-25 King James Version (KJV) 24 And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. 25 After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, this cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.

I'd like to add a suggestion. At the church I attended during Bible college, occasionally the song leader would bring out an interesting fact about the hymn we were about to sing, whether about the song itself or the author of the song. It really helps with the understanding or appreciation of the hymn. It would take some effort on your part to do some research about one of the hymns, but if you do this than the folks who know nothing about the hymns will grow in their understanding and appreciation of why we sing the traditional hymns. It's not something you need to do for every song and not needed every service, but just once in awhile bring something interesting out about what you are singing. Nothing more than a minute or two of talking, especially if you just had the people stand for the song! I would also like to encourage you not to worry about whether or not you have a singing talent. Just keep up what you are doing and some day God will lead someone to help lead the singing. With the way the church is growing, it's possible God has already put this on someone's heart, they just might not be ready yet.

I agree, starting with the life of Christ is a must! I started with that as well. I understand the need to restrain myself and slow down. I am already praying about what to teach after Moses. I may go back to the NT and teach about the early church.