Wow! I'm in northern MN too but not very rural. In my community for the most part it is mostly the medical professionals and some teachers and I guess some churches where people are worried. And liberals/Democrats. It is hard for us in the midwest, isn't it, since we all had to lock down back when it wasn't even affecting us. Now that it is, we are in the midst of covid fatigue.... I'll pray for you for your sermon this weekend, whatever route you take on this topic. Thank you for being a spiritual father!
It really depends on where you live. So if you're in a low risk area then you can honestly preach it's low risk. Where I live, we have recently had the highest infection rates in the world (yes, this is in part due to higher testing rates in the US, but in my particular community, I know a bunch of people who have had symptoms but never tested), and my personal experience is witness to this. I personally know two middle age pastors in my area who have died from it within the last three weeks. My daughter and a bunch of her friends have had it. Some of their families were hit worse than others. A few of our middle age friends have had it and some described it as the worst flu ever but others said it was like a cold. I know two nurses who are working in covid units here and one has been a nurse for 30 years and said it's like nothing she's ever seen.
This is just the reality in some places. Here is a link to a chart that shows the risk across the country: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7H10wZ4SszM. You can see that the risk is very low in many places. If you live in a high risk area, I think it would be irresponsible to deny the risk. I'm a devout Christian and I don't say that lightly. Our pastor has preached some beautiful things about spiritual preparation lately--about getting right with God, etc, and how to do it such as making time for regular prayer and Bible reading, for getting our priorities straight. If I was a pastor in a high risk area like mine, I might encourage the congregation to make freezer meals to give away to friends who become sick or to save if they themselves get sick. It's a simple thing that can be done to increase love and hope in a hard hit area.
We are so stuck on prime free shipping, our echo dots, prime movies and shows... I posted last week requesting alternatives to Amazon but it got buried. I sell books there. People use it for business. It employs so many people. Is it really that bad?
Tell this to my covid nurse friends. They are getting PTSD over this and they've seen a lot ove the years. It's hitting some parts of the country very hard right now, with more cases and unfortunately, more severe cases than we've ever had.
Unfortunately, the title is misleading. They only studied people who wore masks. The reason for wearing masks is to protect others from the shed of your virus (whether symptomatic or not). My daughter got covid from a presymptomatic friend who had symptoms a few hours later and tested positive two days later.
Absolutely. I'm sure he would agree w everything you wrote and so do I. Yes- part of life. Yes- exposure good. Yes- leftists abusing this and possibly even brought it on us (this has yet to be proven). I should have been clearer: I was trying to emphasize the need for local awareness and trying to stave it off where needed until there is a vaccine for healthcare workers- which should be able to be given by the end of December in high-need places. I think everyone of sound mind is against a nationwide mandate. My understanding from my friend is that some places, especially in the northern parts of the country where I live, are having a rough time right now. He and a nurse friend of mine who have recently been on the front lines (God bless them) are seeing things that they've never seen in 30 years in their practice. Five to six as many people in their care dying per week, etc. Coworkers dealing with enormous amounts of stress...
Yesterday I talked to one of the smartest men I know who is a covid specialist. He is a huge extrovert, a Christian, and has fought to keep churches open. Yet he swears the threat is very real in some parts of the country. You can look at the covid risk estimator for gatherings, or you can just talk to a local nurse or doctor friend to see how bad things are where you live.
- No. I am in my 40s but still hot according to my husband, God bless him.
- Never, ever. All I ever wanted from the men I dated, who were all middle class, was companionship and love. I found it interesting how many of the men (probably 80%) I dated wanted to have sex so early on and when I resisted they would say, "Oh don't worry - I'll pay for an abortion if you get pregnant." That was when I'd decide to never see them again. My husband were extremely attracted to each other. Still are. But he never once mentioned abortion and it wasn't until he had me very convinced of his devotion to me (not through material things but through his attentiveness, self sacrifice, and also his working hard to provide for a potential marriage and family, and indeed proposal to marry him) that I was open to intimacy. We have three gorgeous teenage daughters who are huge Trump fans. One had a friend who got engaged at a Trump rally. Like me they could care less about bling. They just want manly men who can provide for them and also have a strong character - at least this is what I understand from what they say to me. Now, there are women for whom gifts are their "love language," and I'm not saying there aren't women who are golddiggers. I'm just speaking up for those of us who are not.
Thx!