CP 286 Viral communication

CrossPurposes 286 Viral Communication

Hi people Fred here, currently with maybe 6 months of sitting on me bum wondering what I’ll do to keep both of us sane.

I pray to the Father and ask that you all be safe and well, and regardless of how it is for you that your faith remain firm.

I’ve been thinking for a while now that I’d write a series of eight or nine CrossPurposes entitled, ‘From the desk of the grumpy parson’. Given the current state of things I’ve decided to can that and simply share some good and encouraging stuff that might happen to come past my vision.

What a strange time we live in. The worst drought in living memory followed by the most severe fire storms anybody currently alive in this country has ever experienced. Next thing we knew there were terrible floods in some places where two weeks earlier everything had been razed! And now the virus, which was upon us with the speed of a bullet train. There has been one word used more than any other – apart from coronavirus – these last months, and that word is unprecedented. Thank God our faith is anchored on The Rock of Ages whose kingdom cannot be shaken! We’ll keep our eyes fixed on Jesus.

A different view of keeping a social-distance

Speaking of where our eyes are fixed: We live 200 metres from the bike path along the coast so we have the option still of riding for exercise. There are plenty of others out there. What’s fascinating is that almost all the over 40’s are happy to say G’day as you go by. Far and away among the under 40’s you get nothing because of the cables going into each ear! They’re on the bike path too but they are not ‘there’ in an aware sense. It’s a different way of being social for so many now.

Speaking of which - From Ginger Meggs:

There are people who fancy themselves as connoisseurs of good food. We call them Foodies.

Lots of people love the Star Trek series. We call them Trekkies.

A fair proportion of our workforce are tradesmen, but we call them Tradies.
There's a whole bunch of people driving big rigs around this country. We call them Truckies.

So what name might we bestow on those who spend all their time with their mobiles glued to their ears? Phoneys!

Bloke called Martin when the plague arrived 500 years ago

"I shall ask God mercifully to protect us. Then I shall fumigate, help purify the air, administer medicine, and take it. I shall avoid places and persons where my presence is not needed in order not to become contaminated and thus perchance infect and pollute others, and so cause their death as a result of my negligence. If God should wish to take me, he will surely find me and I have done what he has expected of me and so I am not responsible for either my own death or the death of others. If my neighbour needs me, however, I shall not avoid place or person but will go freely, as stated above. See, this is such a God-fearing faith
because it is neither brash nor foolhardy and does not tempt God."

(Via a friend)

Most days I get to send out a bible verse. Here’s last Friday.

’God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear though markets crash

and kingdoms shake.
Amid the pain and panic, foaming and fear,

the grief and groaning, trembling and trauma…

BE STILL and know that Jesus your Lord reigns.

(Psalm 46 sort of…)

And finally…

The answer to a question you haven’t been asking but you’ve heard.

There’s been some discussion in the media about whether you can catch the Covid-19 virus from your pets, in particular from your pooches. The World Health Organisation has considered this and consulted the experts and they said, ‘No you can’t.’

So now we know… WHO let the dogs out!

Please love each other, be available for others if needs be… and be humble, gentle and patient always… just like Him.

Fred