The Pastor’s Garage March 14th, 2020

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and
sound judgment.” – 2 Timothy 1:7

Has fear crept into your mind over the recent developments surrounding the
coronavirus? If it has you are probably quite normal, especially
considering how some of the media has capitalized on our fears. That being
said, I do think it is something that deserves our attention. As believers
we need to recognize that fear is not from God, instead God imparts to his
children “power, love and sound judgment.” As believers, let’s walk in that
sound judgment, taking action where needed and reducing risk where needed,
but not succumbing to fear and panic.

*In an attempt to use sound judgment, I wanted to inform you that we will
not be holding potluck this weekend. *This is not a decision made out of
fear, but out of wisdom. If we can do our small part to reduce the risk and
spread in our region, our province and our country, that put’s us all in a
place where we can be a help to those who are at risk in our region, our
province and in the world. It is also a decision made out of trying to
follow our Saskatchewan government’s guidelines (here
<www.saskatchewan.ca/government/news-and-media/2020/march/13/further-measures-for-covid-19>).
I think it is our duty to try as best as we can to honor our government.

*We will still have Firm Foundations and our regular church service
tomorrow. *That being said, I’d like to encourage the following based on
the Saskatchewan Health Authorities site (here
<www.saskhealthauthority.ca/news/public-health-alerts/Pages/Covid-19.aspx>)
for our service tomorrow.

– Come with clean hands.
– Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth.
– Fist bumps and head nods instead of handshakes and hugs.
– Cover your nose and mouth when coughing and sneezing with tissue or a
flexed elbow.
– Stay home if you feel like you have cold or flu-like symptoms.
– Stay home if you have traveled internationally in the last 14 days.

There may be many who don’t have access to email or the internet, would you
do me a favor and call 1 or 2 people who might not see this.

Again, we don’t do this fearfully, but out of sound judgement and to reduce
risk and the load on resources- not necessarily for ourselves but for
others – those who might be at risk or those in our world who can’t
necessarily get the help that they need.

In my life I have found two things that help me when I am anxious, which
may help you. *One, I simply remind myself of who God is and that He is in
control. Two, I change or work on the things that I can (the key here is
can) do to make my situation just a little bit better. *For example, I read
somewhere that the best “prepping” a person could do for the outbreak is to
be healthier today. So eat your veggies, drink lots of water, get 8 hours
sleep and exercise.

Finally here is Pastor Dave’s 10 things to do or not do in response to the
coronavirus:

1. Do go for a walk and get some fresh air.
2. Do read your bible and pray.
3. Do phone a friend and pray together.
4. Do enjoy good food.
5. Do enjoy family time together.
6. Don’t use Facebook as your source – check legitimate and non-news
websites like the Saskatchewan Health Authority.
7. Don’t let panic and fear grip you.
8. Don’t check the news every 5 minutes.
9. Don’t pick your nose.
10. *DON’T WORRY. GOD IS IN CONTROL. HE REALLY IS, SERIOUSLY.*

God bless,

Pastor Dave