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The Call to Quarantine!
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit! Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
This essay and newsletter were delayed by a week because of the worldwide Coronavirus pandemic and the lockdown in the U.S. and many other countries. Our entire lives were thrown into an upheaval: What do we do now? How can we handle this? Will my family and I survive, and will we be able to cope with all the changes: no meetings, keep your "social distance" when going to the grocery store or pharmacy -- most other stores, restaurants, and businesses are shut down. Who and what will be left standing when it's all over?
Why is this happening, anyway? This Scripture text from the prophet Isaiah tells us the likely reason why: the Lord has finally had enough of those who practice iniquity and shed innocent blood. For several decades, I've been publishing the true stories of Christians being persecuted and killed behind the Iron Curtain and now in the former Soviet bloc countries. I've also publicized the horrific worldwide genocide called abortion: over sixty million unborn babies killed -- that's ten times more human beings slaughtered in the U.S. than the six million Jews killed in Hitler's concentration camps.
But what is the response from most people who call themselves Christians? - Little to none. When people are comfortable and content in their little corner, they don't want anyone or anything to disturb them, to "rock their boat." They want to believe that life will just keep on going on "like normal" for them... until crash! - it doesn't keep on going on anymore. Psychologists call this "the normalcy bias." But when society grinds to a halt because of this pandemic... when the healthcare system is overwhelmed by the flood of millions who are dying... when the economy comes to a standstill and the government can't get it cranked up again... then we're finally brought to our senses that life "like normal" is gone forever.
In a meeting with our architect to develop plans for building "The ARC" - our Agape Restoration Community - we told him about the collapse of the Russian economy in 1991-99: grocery store shelves being completely empty, people standing outside the store in long lines waiting for it to open in the morning because word had gotten out that fresh milk would be delivered, and when the clerk began to unlock the doors, the crush of people literally broke the doors down! We've witnessed lines of people around the block waiting to get into the bank to exchange their old paper currency because the Russian government had to devalue the ruble by 1,000 percent and issue new currency; so elderly people standing in line were dying of heart attacks out of panic that their entire life's savings were being wiped out. What savings that could buy a summer house in the country... could now only buy a cheap car... and in a few weeks would only buy a bicycle - this is no exaggeration! There were three such devaluations and reissuing of the currency during our time in Russia.
Altogether, during those years 1991-99 we witnessed one million percent hyperinflation due to the Russian government issuing so much worthless currency with nothing behind it because the Russian economy wasn't working. Finally, toward the end of that decade, the economy began to come together. But there were still times when the electric power would suddenly go out for hours in large parts of Moscow, the capital city. Or else, in the high-rise apartment building we were moving into, the elevators were broken and we had to carry all of our furniture and possessions up seven flights of stairs. Or an elevator would get stuck when we took two disabled young men to a meeting several floors up, and we had to carry one of them down the stairs in his wheelchair. After telling our architect those stories, he still wouldn't believe that it could ever happen here in America.
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But now it's happening, right here before our eyes. And still, some young and foolish university students won't believe that a pandemic is happening, so they flock to Daytona Beach by the thousands for spring break to play "beach blanket bingo" - engaging in drunken sex orgies for days on end. Homosexuals continue to engage in anal sex, claiming it's their "right" to lead that lifestyle... all the while, knowing that the new Coronavirus can be spread through feces, that is, by anal sex. And Planned "Barrenhood" strove to get special exemptions to continue providing non-essential surgeries for abortions and get special handouts in the Two Trillion Dollar economic stimulus: how disgusting!
I've not heard any news commentator or read any analysis about the effect of adding Two Trillion Dollars to an economy that formerly was producing about twenty trillion dollars of output annually and now is grinding down to a halt. Let's see: if there's very little production of goods and services and twenty trillion dollars in circulation to buy what little is available, what happens when we add two trillion? Now there are twenty-two trillion dollars in circulation for those limited goods and services... so sellers raise their prices to gather up all those new dollars: hyperinflation! The Old Testament Scriptures condemned using unequal weights and measures, the old equivalent of currency manipulation. Won't we ever learn?
Some Christians will say that God would not bring judgment on a nation because of the people's sins: God is supposed to always be merciful, kind, loving, and generous... like a big, warm-fuzzy teddy bear in the sky. But that's not what Isaiah wrote! The Lord deeply regrets, grieves, and mourns when calamity is about to strike:
"When Jesus drew near, He saw the city [Jerusalem] and wept over it, saying, 'If you, even you, had known today the things which belong to your peace! But now, they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come on you, when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, surround you, hem you in on every side, and will dash you and your children within you to the ground. They will not leave one stone on another in you, because you didn't know the time of your visitation.' He entered into the temple, and began to drive out those who bought and sold in it, saying to them, 'It is written, "My house is a house of prayer," but you have made it a "den of robbers"!'" (Luke 19:41-46).
Why were the things that would bring peace "hidden from their eyes"? It was because they refused to believe that there would be any consequences for their evil actions, that they could keep on doing what they had always been doing and life would go on "like normal." But eventually, the social capital of shared morality grows thinner and thinner, until finally, it falls apart. "Be sure your sins will find you out!" (Numbers 32:23). When King David committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband Uriah the Hittite murdered to cover up the fact that she was pregnant, he was sure that nobody knew. But word got around and the prophet Nathan confronted the king about his dual dastardly deeds. Then David deeply grieved and repented of his evil acts:
"Have mercy on me, God, according to your loving-kindness. According to the multitude of your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity. Cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions. My sin is constantly before me. Against you, and you only, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in your sight; that you may be proved right when you speak and justified when you judge. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity. In sin my mother conceived me. Behold, you desire truth in the inward parts. You teach me wisdom in the inmost place. Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean. Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow. Let me hear joy and gladness, that the bones which you have broken may rejoice. Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all of my iniquities" (Psalm 51:1-9 [Ps. 50 in the Septuagint]).
We must pray -- we absolutely must! -- that the American people, from the politicians in Washington to the barbers and shopkeepers and white-collar workers and doctors and nurses and paramedics, all of us, you and I, will deeply repent and turn away from our sins!
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit! Christ is among us! He is and ever shall be!
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NOW, THE NEWS:
While you're sitting at home during this pandemic, wondering what to do with your time, here are a few helpful suggestions:
In the past few weeks, my wife and I have made over 100 face masks. Twice this week, three times last week, and twice the week before, we gave out over a dozen free paper-towel face masks at the grocery stores: a few people declined them, but many people were still not wearing a face mask and/or gloves. Why? You can hardly buy them anywhere! Most people, however, gladly took a mask and our instruction sheet on how to make them. The people are ready and willing... but they're not able: they don't know what to do and how to do it!
The CDC says if the current rate of spread remains at 2.5 new infections for every 1 person already infected, COVID-19 will grow exponentially, overwhelming our healthcare system, because often you can't tell if you or someone else is infected. What is "exponential growth"? Here's an example: 2.5 x 2.5 x 2.5 (etc., 12 times) = 149,011 COVID-19 infections from just one person. Now, if my wife and I spend several hours every day, we could make 100 paper-towel face masks per day, so in 30 days we could (theoretically) make 3,000 masks. but if we would make just a dozen face masks per day and teach a dozen other people to make a dozen per day, then they would do the same for just 8 days... that's 12 x 12 x 12 x 12 x 12 x 12 x 12 x12 = 429,981,696 -- that's way more than the entire U.S. population.
So if we can bring the rate of spread down to 1-to-1 or lower, we can keep that "exponential growth" of COVID-19 from happening. The problem is: N95 respirator masks, surgical face masks, gowns, gloves, and ventilators are all sold out. At present, you can hardly get them anywhere. The U.S. textile industry is ramping up to produce 5,000,000 face masks by the middle of May, but we need face masks now to slow down or stop the spread of this pandemic. Some people are sewing masks for themselves and for others - that's very commendable, but that requires a sewing machine, the skill and patience to make them and fabric that would be suitable. My wife bought some fabric and elastic, found a pattern online, got out the sewing machine, and made just six masks in one day. That's good, but it's not enough!
The solution is a surprisingly effective way to slow down the spread of the Wuhan Coronavirus: "Do-It-Yourself" nose-and-mouth masks made from paper towels. Please read "Grocery stores are the coronavirus tipping point" - grocery stores are now the primary vector of people cross-infecting each other! While these paper-towel masks don't filter out as much as other masks (which you can hardly get), they keep you from touching other objects and then your nose, mouth, and eyes, then touching your grocery cart and other things: this is the key to slowing the spread of this virus! And they're cheap and easy to make. You can make a dozen of them in about twenty minutes! See my -
How-to-Make-Nose-and-Mouth-Masks.pdf - Get our "D.I.Y. INSTRUCTIONS" here:
www.Agape-Restoration-Society.org/ARC/How-to-Make-Nose-and-Mouth-Masks.pdf.
Download this PDF and share it with all your friends: If three million people would each make 50 of these face masks, that would be 150,000,000 people wearing face masks (one person from each household) at the grocery stores!
Make a dozen masks plus one for yourself, wear it at your grocery store, and give away 12 along with our D.I.Y. Instructions to other customers. Then wash your hands after washing your fruit and veggies when you come home. And do the same next time you go grocery shopping, and the next time, and the next. The situation isn't hopeless, this is something we all can do! Let's slow down the rate of spread by Easter! [read more~~]
"I can do something. I can't do everything,
but that doesn't give me an excuse to do nothing!"
"ON THE INCARNATION OF THE WORD," by ST. ATHANASIUS OF ALEXANDRIA
from: Agape Restoration Society
Early this year I began developing this course to teach it "in house" in our church and online. This is my project for one of my three classes this semester in the diaconate program I'm taking. A few weeks ago when the news of the Coronavirus began coming out, I added an online discussion forum. But two weeks ago the lockdown order came: no public meetings in the churches!
So I scrambled to add live video meetings to take the place of our in-house class sessions. It took most of that week, but by that Friday we had a fairly successful online class, spending half of the session helping the students figure out how to work with the Webex.com video system. And by last Friday it went quite smoothly, after learning from the first experience and getting a few more bugs worked out. Last week's Lesson 5 was on "The Resurrection of Christ" and this week's Lesson 6 is on "The Refutation of the Jews" - an amazing, powerful chapter by St. Athanasius!
St. Athanasius of Alexandria wrote this famous and fundamental essay, "On the Incarnation of the Word as an archdeacon who assisted the Patriarch of Alexandria, Egypt, during the time when another cleric in Alexandria, Arius, began preaching that Jesus was a created being, a godly person or a prophet, but not pre-eternal God in the flesh (incarnate). Athanasius recognized the danger of this heretical idea and preached against it. People nowadays might say - "Well, what's wrong with believing that Jesus was just a good man or a prophet? We have freedom of religion!" But St. Athanasius' most famous saying is - "Without the Incarnation, there is no salvation." That is, if you don't believe that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man, you're going to hell. That's what's wrong with such defective belief!
He became a leading opponent of Arianism, and when the First Ecumenical Council was called in AD 323, the Patriarch of Alexandria was ill so he sent Archdeacon Athanasius to Nicaea in his place. Athanasius led the debate against Arianism which the Council then officially proclaimed a heresy and formulated The Nicene Creed. St. Athanasius also compiled the list of the 27 books that was recognized after his death as the official New Testament canon at the Ecumenical Council of Carthage in AD 397. [read more~~]
I can help you put the above course and this program of six courses on your church's website! I will build a custom link for you so that your church's heading instead of ours is at the top of the web-page and these courses are below on the main part of your website's screen.
How many disabled people attend your church? Think about how the likelihood of disability increases with age. How does your church compare to society at large? How can we more effectively minister to these people in our churches and society at large? What did Jesus Christ and His disciples do about these people?
Jesus Christ first proclaimed that His ministry would be to "the poor, the maimed, the lame and the blind" (Luke 4:18-21). Then He showed His disciples how to preach the Gospel and minister to the sick, handicapped and poor (Luke 5:12-15). Next, He sent them out two by two and they practiced what He taught (Luke 9:1-2): preach the Gospel, care for the needy and heal the sick. He taught His followers to minister to the same people - (Luke 14:12-13 and 21), and He put it into practice: "Jesus went about all the cities and the villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness among the people" (Matthew 9:35).
And in the Great Commission, Jesus commanded His disciples to make more disciples and teach their disciples to FULFILL ("observe" but not just watch!) everything He had taught His disciples to do (Mat. 28:18-20). So the Apostles selected seven deacons to carry out diakonia-ministry to the poor, widows, etc. "...and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem exceedingly" (Acts 6:1-7). St. Paul taught that the bishops, pastors and deacons should equip the saints to do the work of diakonia-ministry "to the building up of the body of Christ" (Eph. 4:11-12). This is not just dry theory or theology: it is practical, hands-on ministry that helps the church grow. Please study these courses so that you will be able to "teach others also" (2 Tim. 2:2)! [read more~~]
THE SECOND LITURGY: ENCOUNTERING CHRIST AT THE TABLE OF THE POOR
from: Discover Original Christianity
“St. John Chrysostom speaks about two tables: the table of the Lord and the table of the poor. There are two tables, one where the Lord is present in the Divine Liturgy, and the Lord has many servers at that table, but He finds very few at His table with the poor.” - Fr. Roberto Ubertino, St. John the Compassionate Mission.
What would happen if we were to devote ourselves to the second altar as we do to the first altar? Together, let’s explore how we can partake fully, not just on Sundays, but also with our encounters with all people, especially those in need, throughout the week. We invite you to join us at The Second Liturgy.
Here's the Intro to Part 1 (of 4): "On March 7, 2020, Fr. Theophan Whitfield was the guest speaker at a retreat at St. Jacob's Orthodox Church in Northfield Falls, VT, during which he spoke on the topic: The Servant Parish Project (Ministry to the Poor and Suffering). Graciously, he recorded the sessions and has given us permission to share them with you." Each part is about 30-40 minutes of inspiring instruction! [read more~~]
THE EIGHTH DAY INSTITUTE: IDEAS FOR CHRISTIANS SEEKING TO RENEW SOUL & CITY
from: Discover Original Christianity
Renewing Culture Through Faith & Learning - "What started as a group of friends toasting to their heroes over beer and pipes, has turned into one of the most unique Christian non-profits in the country. We are a Christian organization who promotes the cultivation of friendships through conversations about how the faith of our fathers can help us navigate the new dark ages. If you long to bring life to the decaying culture in our cities, and if you desire to uncover timeless ways to foster virtue in your soul, we're here for you."
On the New Dark Ages - "...If my account of our moral condition is correct, we ought also to conclude that for some time now we too have reached that turning point. What matters at this stage is the construction of local forms of community within which civility and the intellectual and moral life can be sustained through the new dark ages which are already upon us. And if the tradition of the virtues was able to survive the horrors of the last dark ages, we are not entirely without grounds for hope. This time however the barbarians are not waiting beyond the frontiers; they have already been governing us for quite some time. And it is our lack of consciousness of this that constitutes part of our predicament. We are waiting not for a Godot, but for another—doubtless very different—St Benedict."
-Alasdair Macintyre, After Virtue
And click the 3-bar menu button in the upper-left of that web-page to see the sidebar menu of all the other courses available too! [read more~~]
HOMES & JOBS: LIFE SKILLS AND JOB COUNSELING
from: Agape Restoration Society
When this lockdown is over, many millions of Americans will still be out of work and looking for jobs. People at your church - maybe you yourself! - can quickly learn how to utilize this website to help those unemployed people find a good job.
We have 8 sections on the left sidebar menu in this rather extensive web-page. Each "*" indicates a hopefully humorous or inspiring meme for each section. Go HERE for a 1-minute slide show of the memes! And here are the 8 sections:
1. Homes, Email, LastPass & other accounts.*
1a. Get Your Life On Track.*
2. Your goals, cover letters, references, resumes and career resources.*
3. These days you need Modern Skills to get ahead in today's Skill-Based economy.*
4. Search and apply for jobs online and upload your resume at these websites.*
5. Just a few of local healthcare organizations with lots of temp and perm job openings.*
6. Websites for seniors, people with disabilities, homeless, and ex-offenders.*
7. Ad-supported job websites: BEWARE of "special offers" that send you spam!*
8. To Your Health!**
Then click on the red word "FIRST" on the "Homes & Jobs" web-page to see how we can put your church's info in the heading so you can help people get back to work after this pandemic blows over! [read more~~]
NOW, OUR VIEWS:
Bear One Another's Burdens
(Maybe you've read this before and you're wondering, "Why am I seeing this again?" But millions of other Christians haven't seen it! So please help us by clicking on the title above, then use the "share" buttons to share it with your social media friends. Thanks!!)
How are we to "bear one another's burdens"? When Jesus Christ first started His ministry, He said: "The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim release to the captives, recovering of sight to the blind, to deliver those who are crushed, and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord" (Luke 4:18-19).
Then He showed His disciples how to preach the Gospel and minister to the sick, handicapped and poor (Luke 5:12-15). Next, He sent them out two by two and they practiced what He taught (Luke 9:1-2): preach the Gospel, care for the needy and heal the sick. After that, He taught His followers to minister to the same audience: "the poor, the maimed, the lame and the blind" (Luke 14:12-13 and 21), and He put it into practice: "Jesus went about all the cities and the villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness among the people" (Matthew 9:35).
And in the Great Commission, Jesus commanded His disciples to make more disciples and teach their disciples to FULFILL ("observe" but not just spectate!) everything He had taught His disciples to DO (Mat. 28:18-20). What was it that He taught His disciples to DO? Proclaim the Good News and Minister to "the poor, the maimed, the lame and the blind"! P&M - Proclaim & Minister - that's Practical Ministry! It's not an "either-or" solution: either preach, evangelize, witness for Christ; or do social action things like feeding the poor, sheltering the homeless, helping the jobless find work. It's a "both-and" proposition: Do Both!
Later, the Apostles selected seven deacons (Greek "diakon" = "minister") to carry out this diakonia-ministry to the poor, widows, etc. "...and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem exceedingly" (Acts 6:1-7). St. Paul taught that the bishops, pastors and deacons should equip the saints to do the work of diakonia-ministry "to the building up of the body of Christ" (Eph. 4:12). This is not just dry theory or theology: it is practical, hands-on ministry that helps the church grow!
This Coronavirus pandemic and the lockdown requiring us to stay at home has created a need for more "face-to-face" video communication over the Internet. There are lots of apps such as Webex, Zoom, Google's Hangouts and Duo, Facebook's Messenger and Whatsapp, Apple's Facetime, and Microsoft's old-faithful Skype. But they require that at least the person hosting the visit set up an account and/or install some software; also, they don't communicate with each other: everyone in a conversation must have the same software and often the same hardware: not very "share-able." Bummer!
Wouldn't it be great if there existed an app that anyone could use "on-the-fly" and visit with anyone else - nothing to install or set up an account? Well, there is: it's "meet.jit.si" that runs completely "in the cloud" for PCs and Macs, and is open-source and secure. It automatically generates a random "meeting room" name or you can dream up one, then it pops up a note with the meeting's URL + a phone number and meeting code for people who can't connect over the Internet. You copy that info, share it with your friends, and - "Presto!" - you're visiting "face-to-face" with them! No account to set up. Nothing to install for PCs & Macs, but Androids & iPhones need an app to talk to each other. If you want, you can also integrate it into the "Slack" teamwork app, and if you use the Chrome browser, you can integrate it into your Google Calendar to remind you of scheduled video meetings. Check it out & let me know what you think of it!
We also need to look at the bright side, find fun stuff to do like playing board games with your kids or grandkids, and videos to watch like this one: Maria - about a goose that fell in love with a man on a motorscooter!
Looking for something to keep your mind busy while you sit at home? How about improving your skills so that you can "move up the ladder" in your job when this Covid-19 thing is all over? Well, check out this list of free online educational opportunities: These days you need Modern Skills to get ahead in today's Skill-Based economy.
When this pandemic blows over, there will be a huge need for more healthcare workers because of the many who will have died or become disabled: the mortality rate among healthcare professionals during this pandemic is about 8%, compared to just over 1% of the general public. So if you're still healthy and without a job when it's over, consider this: Just a few of the local healthcare organizations with lots of temp and perm job openings in the Pittsburgh area.
And how about our 1-Minute Slide Show to cheer up your day? We can customize our "Homes and Jobs" website for any church in the Pittsburgh area with or without this slide show: to see how we do it, just click on the red word "FIRST" when the slide show stops. For example, here's the customized link for our church.
Prayer and Praise: For a daily reminder to pray for the items below, go to My Daily Prayer Guide and click on the "H-N pr." link!
Sun. - Pray, pray, pray that the whole world and especially Christians will repent of their evil deeds and thoughtless, careless actions that have brought on this awful pandemic.
Mon. - Thank the Lord that all of us can make paper-towel face masks: a simple, easy and effective way to bring down the rate of spread of this deadly Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic.
Tue. - Praise God for "The Incarnation of the Word" - the famous essay by St. Athanasius that defended Christ's Incarnation, His Death on the cross, and His holy Resurrection!
Wed. - Pray that many, many Christians will enroll in our courses "The Social Ministry of the Church" to learn how they can help care for the sick, the dying, and the disabled.
Thu. - Ask the Lord to inspire and motivate Christians to move from the First Liturgy of the Eucharist to the "Second Liturgy" of ministering to the poor, maimed, lame, and blind.
Fri. - Pray that many -- perhaps you -- will take a good look at "The Eighth Day Institute" and soak up some of their excellent information while waiting out this Wuhan Virus pandemic.
Sat. - Put your prayers into action: learn how to use our "Homes & Jobs" web-page to help people get back to work after this pandemic blows over. Turn off that TV and check this out!
Please remember to pray for Christians in Secularized Countries, and for~~
Your fellow-servants,
Bob & Cheryl
Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift, which is why we call it the present.
