Resolved, Resting and Preparing for 2022
A New Hope:
To the doom-scrollers, the holy rollers,
the scornful and the mournful,
the head-shakers and the moneymakers,
The pray-ers and the burden carriers,
the nail-biters, the good fight fighters, and…if I must, Steve Camp,
may the Lord Jesus bless you, save you and hold you in this new year.
Announcement:
It is with sadness (to some) that we announce that we here at Modern Day Zorro have decided to increase our hours, staff, and will be working from home, coffee shops and the J-section of the Hollywood Bowl, in season and out of season, in this the year of our Lord 2022, the third year of Covid as it will be known from now on (trademark pending).
Housekeeping/Decluttering:
What can be said about 2021 that has not already been said? It started with a riot, an insurrection at the Capitol (depending on who you talk to) that has its one-year anniversary today and ended with a fifth surge of the coronavirus overwhelming the emergency rooms of already under-staffed hospitals.
Economic uncertainty. A world full of violence, much like the days of Noah. Something to think about. Yet, despite the trials and tribulations of an ever-changing world, we trust because we must. Our strength cannot come from our balance sheets, the stern word of a celebrity pastor (take your pick), or even from the comforts that we enjoy today because as you step into eternity, it will not matter how many houses you owned or books you didn’t write, but the love, empathy towards your neighbor and devotion to the Lord. These are the things to write about; the Legacy to treasure.
Were It Not for Grace
What then can be said about a church who influenced the evangelical world to believe that Covid was a hoax, a mere program perpetrated onto the Church by the principal players and powers that be onto the “most scrutinized Church in the United States”?
And, even as the numbers grew into the thousands and hundreds of thousands, still maintained that no one in their congregation had had Covid implying that God Himself was protecting Grace Community Church and providing a magical “divine immunity” upon the congregation (I kid you not) because they chose to obey a commandment in Hebrews about gathering (which has been argued so many times I stopped counting).
The crowds came, the In and Out truck armies dispatched, and over $5 million spent on SWAG, tents, bonuses, “lawyers”, plaques, signs and banners and wonders, you know, like the Early Church did.
(Just another day in Laodicea, amirite, Steve? Fear the world’s become a friend.)
And even, still now, as we learned that Dr. MacArthur had Covid last Christmas, though we were told December 27, 2020, and January 3, 2021, during the announcements that he was “resting” and then subsequently, “resting and preparing for Shepherds’ Conference” (which, if you didn’t know is a large annual conference presented by the church), a conference 8 weeks into the future and that many members had taken ill and died, they still contend, Dear Reader, that this is a “phony pandemic”.
If Church was Essential, ministering to it would have been the priority. But, instead, many were fired for not adhering to the narrative with the fervor required or “laid off” even though $4.4 million in PPP loans were received, but not disbursed for the second of the 3 P’s.
If Church was Essential, pouring your heart and resources to the community would have been an ongoing ministry. Instead, food banks and pantries sprung up all around the Valley from civic and para-church organizations with .001% of GCC’s resources.
If Church was Essential, there would have instruction and admonishment to live peaceably among the powers that God Himself put in charge.
If Church was Essential, you all would have preached Christ, loved the poor and cared for your neighbor.
Better Luck Next Year, Thoughts and Prayers
