Pastor's Note
Lessons From Wuhan -- Embrace the Challenge -- March 22, 2020
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Last Sunday, we were reminded in James 4:13-17 [ http://odbcmemphis.com/podcast/ ] that our best plans are uncertain, life is fragile…and short, and that our God is very much in control. Open Door’s Board of Elders met Monday evening and made the decision to suspend all classes and services for the week. Not meeting together this Sunday (March 22) was a tough decision, but we agreed it was the right and responsible thing to do. Some (though I should say no one from our congregation has suggested this) question the faith of those who would “cancel church.” I would simply point out that we will only be calling off church services. The church, Open Door Bible Church, is not a building. Nor are we a bunch of services. We are “the church.” The challenge in these days of “social distancing” becomes how we can continue on as the family of faith God has called us to be. I’ve been thinking of this scheduling upheaval as God’s gift—a sort of Sabbath rest. Busyness is often the enemy of holiness. The tyranny of the urgent pulls us away from His presence. Routine causes us to miss opportunities to meet specific needs as we “pass by on the other side” the way nice people avoided the injured man on the road in the Good Samaritan story. What Lessons from Wuhan remain for us to learn? What “first things,” important stuff, have we been missing in the rush of life? Perhaps it is as simple as “self-quarantining” to get time alone with the Lord. Maybe we will capture (or recapture spiritual truths that have eluded us in the crush of living life.
Yesterday I received an email from Brittany. She attended Open Door for a couple of months back in 2018. Her boyfriend, Connor, came a few times when he was in town. Then he left for Marine officer training school, and Brittany moved back to Colorado. I told them about a church near Ft. Collins. And, as happens sometimes, I was left to wonder what God had in mind in that brief turn of events. We observe life as a passing parade. God’s view is more like that a person atop a skyscraper, seeing the beginning and the end all at once. He was doing so much more than any of us imagined. It would be silly to try to take credit for any of it. But it reminds me that God has a plan in all of the craziness of these CoronaVirus days. Brittany gave permission to share the story, so here it is:
Pastor Starbuck,
I am not sure if you remember me, my name is Brittany. I came to Open Door for a few months of 2018. My boyfriend, Connor, came with me a time or two. That year he was in training to be a USMC Officer.
I write today to say THANK YOU. I grew up in a Bible church and accepted Christ as my Savior when I was 6 years old. Though I still had faith in high school, I began to stray. During my 20s, I completely stepped away from my relationship with God and from a church family. I was questioning many things. I wasn't sure what I believed or what was true. Your church was the first church that I attended that started to bring me home. I hadn't consistently gone to church in about ten years. Connor and I started dating before I came back to God. One thing you didn't know was that Connor was an atheist at the time we started dating and the time that he was attending Open Door. Surprisingly, he was the one who encouraged me to seek out a church family. He said he saw that it was something important to me. In the background, God was drawing him to Himself as well. Your church was the start of God moving in our lives in big ways. Open Door welcomed us both with open arms, your sermons are enlightening and true food for the spirit, the worship is genuine (no strobe lights and overdone theatrics), and the church's doctrine and values hold true to Biblical standards. It was exactly what I needed to press me to step back into a relationship with God.
Before I moved back to Colorado, Connor tried out Loveland Bible Church, one of your recommendations. He was "just doing it for me," but I could tell God was slowly pulling on his heart. He called me after church, excited. He IMMEDIATELY knew that was where we were supposed to be. He met a former Marine there (who is also an elder of the church) and had some other conversations and meetings that day that I now know God intended him to have. He texted me this later, "I have to admit that the connections were not just random...My belief is still the same (him speaking of not believing in God), but if I'm being honest I have been thinking about the sheer chance of all of these things coming together in that one little room the way they did, all day. And I felt good there, I was happy. Just the way I felt at Open Door." That began the journey of us going to Loveland Bible Church, a journey that God has blessed. It took many months, but Connor came to know God and has come to see and know Jesus Christ as his Savior. He is a man ON FIRE for God. It is such an incredible thing for me to witness. He truly feels God's call to him is to make a difference and be a witness in the lives of the young enlisted Marines that so very much so need God and godly counsel. We are also now married. :) We were in CO together until last fall. I am still in Colorado and Connor is on temporary training duty in Virginia. We are hoping that I will be able to move to be with him soon. Between the Marine Corps and the unfortunate times our nation is seeing with COVID-19, we don't know when that will be. However, I continually ask God to guide us and to help us bear the burden of our separation. He has been so good to us, and I know He will continue to keep us in His loving arms.
I wanted to share all this with so that you would know what a difference you and the congregation at Open Door made. You were/are a true light for Christ. His love, His radiance, and His truth show through you and others at that church. It drew me back to God and started Connor down his path to salvation. I would be happy for you to share this with any others that remember us. Thank you so much for all you do.
Love in Christ,
Brittany
