Monday Morning Manna: Then Came COVID!

What a year this has been! In January I participated in the semi-annual meeting of America’s National Prayer Committee. No one packed a facemask for the meeting. In February, I conducted my Disciple All Nations. Inc, Board of Directors annual meeting with no concerns about social distancing. In March, I had a steroid procedure on my neck without a second thought about the safety of the Surgicare Center. My spring and summer calendar looked comfortably full. Life was good. Retirement was rewarding. In April, I accepted an Interim Pastorate with great excitement. Then came COVID, and the first seven Sundays I preached in an empty worship center to an online congregation. Meetings got replaced with Zoom calls. The few remaining engagements on my calendar got cancelled when I suffered a pancreatitis attack, followed by a colonoscopy, then the surgical removal of my gallbladder, with more worries about being exposed to the virus than thoughts of the effectiveness of the medical procedures. On the positive side, my Wite-Out covered calendar allowed time for one book to be written, another to be co-authored, and a third to be in the works. I’m just glad I didn’t waste my money on a fancy 2020 Daily Planner. I have re-learned the truth of Psalm 90:12, “Teach us to number our days and recognize how few they are; help us to spend them as we should” (TLB). So, how’s your year been so far?

Dr. Dan Crawford, Senior Professor at Southwestern Baptist Seminary, is the WestCoast Baptist Association’s Spiritual Life & Leadership Mentor. Follow Dan on Twitter @DrDanRC and Facebook www.facebook.com/dan.crawford.