With Covid-19 still raging around the globe, recent news from the Far East reminds us these types of issues will be with us moving forward. In June, Chinese researchers discovered a new type of swine flu that could be dangerous. This information was published in the U.S. scientific journal PNAS. The new strain, known as G4, is descended from the H1N1 strain that caused the pandemic in 2009.

In early June the missing children (Joshua and Tylee) of Lori Vallow were discovered dead on the property of her present husband Chad Daybell. The children were missing since at least November of 2019. Vallow is presently being held in Idaho on desertion charges.

A friend of Vallow’s reports that Vallow believed the children were “zombies” who were possessed by “dark spirits.” The friend said that Vallow had learned many of the ideas behind her present spiritual beliefs from Daybell, a religious author and declared prophet who often wrote about the end of the world and of preparing for the Second Coming.

As members in God’s Church we are servants to the people who worship with us. One of the most important ways to serve others is to listen to them. In these difficult times we see disagreements about how to react to the virus and how to overcome racial strife. The first step in overcoming disagreement is to listen to each other. Among the three primary forms of communication (listening, speaking, and writing), listening is probably the least practiced. Think about it: How many of you were formally trained in listening skills? I would ask that question in one of the classes I used to teach, and fewer people raised their hand for having had formal listening instruction versus speaking or writing instruction. Let’s understand a little bit about being better listeners.

Join Mike James on Friday May 29th at 7PM CST as he leads you through an interactive bible study on the subject of "Where are Enoch and Elijah?" Some Christian's believe Enoch and Elijah are in heaven, but what does the Bible say. The study will last 60-90 minutes. This is our first attempt at a live Church wide interactive bible study online. The GoToMeeting application will be used via your computer, but if you want to join using a phone line that is also available. To join into this study please send an email to mhjames6044@gmail.com or call Mike at 240-304-6798. You will receive an email or a phone call 20 minutes before the study begins. In the email there will be a link to click on bringing you right into the study. If you are joining by phone Mike can also call you with a number to call to join. This type of outreach may become a regular occurrence on Friday evenings when Bring on the Sabbath is not broadcasting.

Evidence now suggests that the 1993 study by geneticist Dean Hamer on a possible “gay gene” is not valid. Hamer, formerly of the U.S. National Cancer Institute, and his colleagues published a paper that suggested the X chromosome called Xq28 might contain a “gay gene.” Other studies since 1993 have suggested similar ideas. But none of the previous studies were as massive as the study published last year in the journal Science.

With so much media emphasis on the Covid-19 pandemic these days, many of us may not be aware of another issue pertaining to the “four horsemen of the Apocalypse” (Revelation 6) rearing their ugly heads in the news. I’m talking about famine. The third horseman mentioned in Revelation 6:5-6 is the black horse representing famine. Earlier this year swarms of desert locusts began spreading in countries from East Africa to South Asia. The locusts have been destroying crops and pastures at a terrible pace. I don’t believe Covid-19 and the locusts in Africa are the riders of Revelation 6, but we need to be mindful of how these scourges are impacting the world. The future tribulation will have similar scourges with much greater intensity.

With any major upheaval in society, dramatic changes occur. After 9/11 and the anthrax letters in 2001, the Patriot Act was created and has led to some changes to our freedoms. Surveillance of citizens increased in alarming ways. The 9/11 incident also led the United States into war in Iraq and Afghanistan. After major wars (WWI and WWII) the aftermath can lead to major transformation. The negotiations for peace after WWI helped lead to conditions that led to WWII. The end of WWII helped set the world up for the Cold War between the US and the Soviet Union. As we start to come out of the Covid-19 pandemic, what might change?

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to wash over the world, there are some important lessons we must learn. One big lesson is that life can change quickly and dramatically. For many of us this would pertain to our economic situation. Many people who had a decent job are suddenly out of work. In some parts of the country, if this virus does not relent soon, we could have a national jobless figure of at least 20 percent. That would approach the jobless rate during the great depression. Hopefully, we will get back to normal soon. There is good news coming from China, where people are going back to work at the epicenter of the virus outbreak. For others, our retirement accounts may have taken a big hit. Hopefully, over time, we can recover that money.

A lot has occurred since we first wrote about this subject about six weeks ago. Worldwide there are more than 136,390 confirmed cases with 5,065 deaths. China’s number of infections is down dramatically due to their Draconian measures in locking down large segments of their country. The interesting thing to watch in China now is what will happen when they decide to send everyone back to work. South Korea reported only 131 new cases on March 10 compared to its peak of 909 cases on February 29. The South Koreans were able to achieve this through widespread testing, rapid tracing, and isolating the infected people

Proverbs 13:24 states: “He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.” The point of the scripture is that there are times when corporal punishment can be utilized by parents in disciplining their children. But other scriptures should make it obvious we are not talking about abusing a child or physically hurting a child (Ephesians 6:4; Galatians 5:22-23; 1 Corinthians 13). The Bible also talks about instructing and reproving more than using a rod (2 Timothy 1:7; Proverbs 13:1). So if we must use corporal punishment it should be a last resort. I say all this at the outset due to the world’s view of corporal punishment.