03/18/2020
Friends, We will not be meeting this month on Friday, March 27th. All meetings of 10 people or more are being cancelled within the YFC ministry in southern Minnesota. We will update you regarding the April 24th meeting and whether or not we'll be able to meet that night. Until then, God bless you all. I'll leave you with the following post that I shared on our personal page. (Tim and Vicky Nelson) I woke up Monday morning with Psalm 23 running through my mind and the strong impression I was to write and share what I was hearing. The following is what came to mind:
“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside still waters, He restores my soul. He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil….for You are with me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. Surely Your goodness and lovingkindness will follow me (pursue me) all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord…forever.” Psalm 23
In light of coronavirus: This Psalm is so relevant today. There are times God will use circumstances that can serve to refresh us by drawing us away from what we have come to know as normal life and give us fresh perspective on what is truly of value. Do you suppose He may be inviting us to pause, lean in, get close and listen to what He may be saying to us today? What if you and I would take the time today to just rest…to be still and know that He is God….to “lie down in green pastures”. What would it feel like to rest beside “still waters”. Could a posture like that – stillness – serve to “refresh your soul”? We’d do well to remember that “valleys” are something we walk through…we don’t stay. At the same time there are real opportunities for growth while there. His promises never…ever fail. Think of the current news cycle. Then realize that what we give attention to we empower. What we focus on is magnified in our experience. If we look at the end of this Psalm we see that His goodness and His kindness are always with us. We could say that His goodness and love are pursuing us – chasing us down. By giving attention to how His goodness may be showing up in our lives today (rather than the latest dire report from the news) we may find it’s hard to stay discouraged. It’s hard to even be fearful. Choose to focus on His goodness today. Psalm 91 is a powerful passage for these days; Psalm 23 is as well. (Actually, with this book…the Bible…it’s all good. I highly recommend it)
God Bless you friends! Spend time with Jesus today!