July 11, 2020
Dear Cathedral Family,
Shout in celebration of praise to the Lord!
Everyone who loves the Lord and delights in him will cherish his words and be blessed beyond expectation.
They will not live in fear or dread of what may come, for their hearts are firm, ever secure in their faith.
Steady and strong, they will not be afraid, but will calmly face their every foe until they all go down in defeat.
Psalm 112:1,7-8 (TPT)
Thank you for keeping our family in your prayers this week. It’s been quite a challenge on the health front, but I’m happy to update you that our crew is on the mend. As Dave mentioned in his video last week, he started experiencing symptoms consistent with having COVID-19 early last week and has since tested positive. Since we had all been together for a family birthday just prior to Dave getting sick, we’ve all been on quarantine.
Over the last two weeks, most of our family – Dave and Macie’s crew, Luke and Megan’s crew, Dean and I – have experienced COVID symptoms to a varying degree, some worse than others, including extreme fatigue and headache. Dean and I have lost our sense of taste and smell. Megan is still battling shingles on top of other symptoms. Luke’s coronavirus test came back positive, and he was diagnosed with double pneumonia this week.
Based on the advice of the physicians, only Luke and Dave have been tested – the assumption being that if they were positive, the rest of us were most likely positive, as well, since we’ve all been together and are experiencing symptoms. Thankfully, we’ve all been able to stay home for the recovery process. Please keep praying for complete healing for us and all those who are sick! Let’s also keep covering our healthcare workers as this health crisis continues.
And, please, please, please – keep taking precautions to keep yourself and others safe. We’ve all been incredibly careful to limit our exposure and it still happened. We keep doing the absolute best we know to do and keep trusting God to work all things for the ultimate good.
Are we afraid? No. Do we live in dread? No. Are we all getting tired of living on guard? Yes. That’s why it’s vitally important that we stay connected to God and keep encouraging one another.
We need each other, and we truly are better together. I cannot emphasize how essential relationships are to our health, especially in stressful and trying times like these. So, let’s take some intentional steps this week to reconnect:
- Pray and see who God brings to your mind.
- Send an encouraging text, email or message on social media.
- Make a phone call.
- Drop a card in the mailbox.
- Reach out to someone if you’re struggling. Don’t try to go it alone.
Are you as grateful for Pastor Eddie Tilley as I am? He didn’t know he signed up for a mini-series! He’s back on this Sunday for the next installment in our Designed to Overcome series about Joseph, and I know it’s going to be amazing. Joseph has passed several tests so far. Let’s see how he handles the Prosperity Test.
I hope you’ll join us online at 11am via Livestream or Facebook Live or in-person at 9am and 11am!
Staying steady and strong in the Lord,
Mike Lewis
Cathedral