Mark: Nancy and I have been waking each morning hearing about the current and projected virus death rates and what we are to do to help stop the scourge. Most the advice largely focuses on being quarantined. Suggestions for what to do while confined are interesting since many normal recreational activities like going to the beach, watching a ball game, or walking in the park are now out. This means staying home. They have recommended buying more video games, watching movies, do puzzles, journaling, blogging, play instruments, reading, doing Duolingo, exercise, and so on. There are concerns that if this persists there will be more marriage problems, people becoming fearful, and suicides. One positive result was more babies. So, what are we to do in confinement?
Nancy: In the early years of our marriage Mark served on a Coast Guard lighthouse station. Just three families lived on stations like that and generally locations for these lighthouses were somewhat remote. An interesting thing we learned very soon after we moved there--families either loved these assignments or hated them. Certainly, the setting could not be anything to hate; a spacious house on a private beach! What determined either "love" or "hate" of the situation boiled down to a degree of isolation with the family together 24 hours a day, 7 days of the week. In families where conflict and selfishness dominated a lighthouse assignment was the worst possible news and a reassignment request for polar icebreaker duty was soon applied for. However, when the tone of the family/couple was love and care for each other, then the isolation of lighthouse duty was heaven. Mark and I considered that time to be an extended honeymoon--we loved it! Besides Mark's regular work cycle we filled our days with walks on the beach, bicycle rides, studying courses by correspondence, reading books that encouraged our spiritual growth and, yes, having a baby.
Mark: Good news! Due to the quarantine all our services are on Livestream and our bible studies are interactive now? Join any of these by clicking on which one you want in the list near the top of our main website www.discoverybaptist.org. Men’s Discipleship is this Saturday 8-9 a.m. online. I’ll see you guys online. I’ll provide the study and you provide the breakfast.:-)
Bad news! If you go by the church you will notice the lawns torn up badly. It is not the building project. Actually someone vandalized the lawns this week on purpose. Sheriff is aware. Deacons plan to clean it up this weekend.
Nancy and I have enjoyed being home, working on projects and just being together. So now we’re going for a romantic walk…in our driveway. The pic below is not Bonnie & Clyde. They wore sun glasses.
Pastor Mark & Nancy
P.S. My son Caleb and his wife Christina in Ukraine have some unusual and rare tips on how to survive the quarantine. It’s worth the laugh.