Coronavirus

   During the past week my calendar suddenly emptied as things were canceled due to the Coronavirus that began in China and is encircling the globe. Federal and state governments keep tightening the restrictions on public gatherings in an effort to curb the spread of the virus. The restrictions vary with the states but limit the group size. In some states it is limited to 100 people but Pennsylvania set the limit at 250. All schools in the state are closed for two weeks as well as nonessential businesses, restaurants and bars. 

   The idea that they would have to stay home for two weeks sent people into panic that created mass hysteria. They flocked to stores and stockpiled supplies in ridiculous amounts. Face masks, hand sanitizer, bottled water, toilet paper, milk and other things were sold out. Fear sent the stock market on a dramatic nose dive. 

   No cases of the virus have been found in our county or the counties surrounding us, but we remain under the restrictions. Children have a two-week spring break and some people are out of work which means no pay check.

  The closures may check the spread of the virus, but the whole thing has been blown out of proportion fed by the news media. There have been other viruses which were more deadly than this one, particularly the Spanish Influenza of 1918 which infected one-third of the world's population and caused 675,000 deaths in the United States. Coronavirus symptoms are mild in comparison and the majority of those infected will survive. Those whose lives are at risk with Coronavirus are the elderly or people with respiratory difficulties.

   Our lives have not been disrupted except for some activities being canceled. We know God is in control and are not panicking. We can live a long time on the canned and frozen food we have in the basement. There is no need to stockpile things from the store. When God provided manna for the Israelites in the wilderness, He warned them not to gather more than they needed or it would spoil. Those who ignored the warning found that is exactly what happened to the surplus. The hysteria we are seeing is the result of fear and lack of trust in God.

   "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" 2 Timothy 1:7.

Worth Waiting For

  Our youngest son and his wife will be married nine years in July. They went through years of infertility tests and treatments without success. There was no hope they would be able to have a child, so they began looking into adoption. At an informative meeting on adoption, they heard about embryo adoption and felt the Lord was leading them to take this route to have a family. They went into it knowing the national success rate is 40% but claimed the verse, "For nothing shall be impossible with God."

  If you never heard of embryo adoption, this is how it works. When couples use IVF (in vitro fertilization) to have a child, more embryos are created than they will use. As the use of IVF grows, the number of embryos in storage also grows. An estimated 600,000 frozen embryos (most of which will most likely be destroyed) are now in storage across the United States.

  Since we believe life begins at conception, this creates a moral problem of what to do with the frozen embryos. One option is to donate the leftover frozen embryos to another couple. This is an alternative way for an infertile couple to adopt a family. 

  After the donors release their embryos to the adoptive parents, an embryo is thawed and implanted in the womb of the adoptive mother. She carries and gives birth to the child, allowing the adoptive parents to not only have a child but also experience pregnancy and childbirth. A embryo that would have been destroyed (technically aborted) is given a chance to live. 

  The process for embryo adoption is the same as any other adoption with a home study and all the legal work needed to finalized the adoption before the embryo is implanted in the mother's womb. When the child is born their surname is on the child's birth certificate. 

  It took our son and his wife 16 months to complete all the necessary legal and medical work before the embryo could be thawed and implanted. We were praying earnestly the entire time but only God could give life to that embryo. Would He do it?

  One day last summer when I was praying about it, I thought of what my brother said about asking God for something big. He is the Creator of the universe and can do greater things than we can imagine and yet we just ask Him for little everyday things. Right there I told God I am asking Him for something big that only He can do. I asked Him to give life to the first embryo that was implanted. The doctors said it was a 40% chance that would happen, but nothing is impossible with God. He has given barren women children before and even made a virgin gave birth. He could give life to the first embryo that was thawed if He willed.

  I kept waiting and praying for six more months until the day the embryo was implanted. Then we waited some more to see if it was successful. The first pregnancy test was positive! I was overwhelmed and melted into tears when we got the news. It is easy to say we believe God answers prayer but harder to really believe when we have a situation where He is the only one who can do anything about it. There IS a God who cares about us, hears, and answers our prayers.

  The pregnancy is going well and the baby is developing normally. There is a strong heartbeat and I believe the God who gave life to this embryo will finish what He began and give them a live healthy baby in early October. Perhaps the whole purpose of their infertility was to bring this particular child to life. It is an unconventional way to have a family but nothing is impossible for God.

  It was a long 16 months and much hard work, but today these expectant parents are very happy and sharing their joy with the public. They would tell you it was worth all the effort and worth waiting for.

The Doctor Will See You Now

This delightful column appeared in the paper last week. 

The Doctor Will See You Now

I was coaxed into getting a physical yesterday.

I hadn’t planned on a physical, but the grands had setup an elaborate city in the basement and needed patients for the clinic.

I was met by a “nurse practitioner” at the front desk.

She immediately asked for my insurance card. The kid’s been to the doctor a time or two.

Then I had to verify my name and address. I’ve been her grandmother for her entire life, but whatever.

She did a pre-screening asking if I had any aches or pains.

“From my head to my toes,” I said.

She laughed. I laughed, too. Say that at a real doctor’s office and you’re off to see a specialist.

She asked if I was on any medications.

“Chocolate,” I said.

With the screening completed, I was sent to see the doctor, which meant crawling between two chairs and into a makeshift tent.

The doctor was wearing a white coat and had a blue plastic stethoscope dangling around her neck.

“How are your internal organs?” she asked with a straight face.

“They’re all good except when they hit the wrong notes.”

She rolled her eyes.

“Do you have dizzy spells?” she asked.

“No, not unless I stand up,” I said.

She pursed her lips and said, “I’ll take that as a yes.”

She took my blood pressure with a cuff wrapped around my wrist — it was too small for an adult arm.

She said my blood pressure was 40/10. I was good with that.

She scanned my forehead with a plastic thermometer and said I had no fever.

Just as I was about to crawl out of the clinic, she announced I needed a shot.

That’s when a huge geodome-like contraption made of long plastic poles and colored balls began lumbering across the basement.

Three of them maneuvered it to the “clinic.”

The doctor busted out a side wall of the tent so she could use one of the poles.

“What’s that for?” I asked.

“Anesthesia.”

“Why do I need anesthesia?”

“Because we’re going to give you a shot.”

“Why give anesthesia when it’s not surgery and just a shot?”

She pressed the end of a pole against my arm and said, “Well, if we give you anesthesia then we won’t have to listen to you scream when we give you the shot.”

When I checked out, they said I owed $300.

I didn’t mind, considering I’d found $500 in play money on the floor by the cardboard grocery store.

It was the only time I’ve ever been to a doctor and left with more money than I came with.

Later that night, I asked the husband if he got a physical.

He said yes, they asked him to fall on the stairs on his way down to the basement clinic and break his leg so they’d have something to treat.

There’s something to be said for knowing what the doctor plans on doing before the appointment.

We may have found our new primary care physician.

Lori Borgman is a columnist, author and speaker. Her new book, “What Happens at Grandma’s Stays at Grandma’s” is now available. Email her at lori@loriborgman.com.

Signs of the Times

Yesterday I saw a For Sale sign at a UCC church on the corner in the town just south of us. It is a beautiful stone building with a bell tower that was playing a hymn as it always does at noon. The church was founded in 1792 as a German Reformed Church in union with Zion Lutheran Church. The two congregations built their current buildings at opposite ends of the block in 1917. 

In the 1950s, about 200 people worshiped in the Reformed church (which later became UCC). Attendance began to dwindle and now the congregation of forty can no longer afford to maintain the building. There is only one young family with one child still attending. Their generation does "not have time" for church on a Sunday morning. They will continue to worship in a small rented room of another building. The handwriting is on the wall. As the remaining aging members die, the congregation will eventually cease to exist.

Sadly, the story of this church is not unusual. Several other congregations around us that were founded hundreds of years ago are struggling to survive with only 25 or 30 people in attendance. Others are closing or merging with other congregations in an attempt to survive. 

This problem is not limited to Berks County but happening across the country. According to a news report, an average of nine UCC churches close on any given day. If this is true, Ulrich Zwingli's Reformed church is dying rapidly.

Our nation is becoming more and more secular as the number of people who profess no faith continues to grow. Lack of faith and reverence for God affects every area of life. Society is becoming increasingly corrupt, from the highest government officials so the lowest man in the gutter.

Lack of decency and respect was on display at the State of the Union address last night. The speech was full of bragging and self-congratulation, actually a campaign speech in my humble opinion. The reactions to the speech were an open display of partisan politics with the Democratic side of the house remaining stoically seated while Republican side repeatedly stood and applauded. When it ended, the democratic Speaker of the House stood on the platform, tore up the pages of the speech, and threw them down to make a statement. And these are the people who make the laws of the land!

Government cannot legislate righteousness and is not the answer to the ills of society today. The answer is in the Word of God that can change hearts and lives. As churches fail and close, society spirals downward. As the number of Bible believing Christians shrinks, the outlook for the future of the nation grows darker and darker. We can expect persecution to grow but Jesus promised He will build His church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. Let us go on shining our lights in the darkness. It is needed more than ever today!

Memory Lane

The human brain is more amazing than a computer. It can store all kinds of information for years until something triggers a memory and suddenly something comes back that you haven't thought about for years. That happened this morning when Leroy got out of bed and said, "Jonathan Wonathan Higgens McGee jumped out of bed in a one-two-three."

I remembered we had that book in the 50s or 60s and it was about a yellow cat with pointed purple ears, but that's all I could remember of it. Thanks to Google, here are the words.

"The strangest thing that ever could be," 

Said Jonathan Wonathan Higgens McGee, 

"Is a yellow cat with purple ears, 

A flouncy, pouncy kind of cat, 

With pointed, purple ears.  

But I'll never see that.
NOT A YELLOW CAT!" 

Yet there she was by his bouncy bed, 

Washing her paws and cocking her head, 

Drinking her tea from a silver cup,

Saying, "Jonathan Wonathan Higgens McGee, GET UP!"  

Jonathan Wonathan Higgens McGee 

Jumped out of bed in a one-two-three, 

Put on his coat and his tie and his spats,

"Said, "There's no such thing as yellow cats." 

Jonathan Wonathan shook his head. 

"Now the cat is gone and I'm glad," he said. 

"I'll never believe in a yellow cat." 

Something wiggled under his hat.
With claws

On its paws. 

Jonathan chased her around the room 

With a cane and a map and a prickly broom, 

Till his wife said "Stop!" 

And they all said "Stop!" 

We're pos-i-tive-ly certain that  

THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS A YELLOW CAT!"

This is the Little Golden book which now sells for about $18 on Ebay.

I wish I could find another book we had in the 50s. My younger brother loved it and we read it so often we all had it memorized. I can't repeat all of it but it begins with:

"When Jimmy was a puppy he was silky soft as down.

His Mama and his Papa were the proudest dogs in town.

It wasn't very long before he learned to run and play,

And chase the cats and chase the ducks, and chase the mice away. . ."

(I'm not sure about that last line.)

The story went on to say that Jimmy was unhappy because his ears were too long. He tried different things but nothing helped. His floppy ears were just too long.

"He soaked his ears in water, but they just got wet and wetter."

At last, one happy day Jimmy discovered he had grown up to fit his ears.

There's a poem that was in the Words of Cheer paper we got in church in the 60s I'd like to find. My mom had it taped to the cupboard door in the kitchen because it fit my younger brothers at that time.

"Boys screech and scream

To let off steam,

They laugh and sing

Till echoes ring.

They growl and roar

Behind the door,

They moan and mumble,

Groan and grumble,

They howl and hoot

Whistle and toot. . .

If there is more I can't remember it, but it ends with:

"But who would want boys 

Without their noise?"

Leroy remembers a book his grandma had. He remembers the cover but not the title or story. The cover had a goose and a monkey going down the river at a city similar to Manhattan. The monkey was in the boat and the goose was pulling the boat along by the monkey's tail. With not more than that to go on, I have no idea how to find the book.

Random Deeds of Kindness

In studying to teach the Sunday school lesson from Luke 14 for tomorrow, I was reminded how much I lack in the areas of compassion, humility, and hospitality. I am so busy doing the things I like and want to do that I often don't even see the needs of others around me. Jesus responded in compassion to the needy anytime and anywhere. The chance of damaging his reputation did not prevent him from responding to the needs around Him. 

One of the first days of this year I read somewhere about a person who makes an effort to do at least three kind deeds per month. I thought that is a great idea and decided to make that my goal for 2020. Everything we do should be with kindness, but I am going to try do three special or random deeds of kindness each month. Keeping that in mind might help make me more aware of the opportunities I have instead of being so blind. I did the third one for January today. Now I'm thinking about what I can do in February.

In one part of the lesson,  Jesus said we should not invite only our friends and relatives to our homes. We should invite the "poor, maimed, halt, and blind" who cannot return the favor. At first glance, that hits a low blow to our tradition of having our friends for Sunday dinner. When have you filled your table with the "poor, maimed, halt, and blind"? I came to the conclusion that to do this does not necessarily mean they have to be physically seated at our dining room table. If you  sponsor a family who gets a food parcel each month from CAM, they are eating from your table. You won't even know each other and they can never repay you. The point Jesus was trying to make is that we should not give to receive. Give to those who cannot repay you and you will get a reward that will last for eternity. 

New Stage of Life

 Life is a series of changes that usually are so small they are hardly noticeable. It's when we look back over a period of time that we see how much things have changed in a few years. 

Some people love change and trying new things. They change jobs, move to other places, or change churches. They thrive on new challenges. We are not that sort. Major changes are like jumping off a cliff and too risky. We find what we like and stick with it, but sometimes life forces us to make changes.This year is one of those times. 

In March it will be 47 years that Leroy has worked at Shank Door. It's time for him to retire but we knew it would not work for him to walk out one day and never go back. That would be too much of a big and sudden change.  So this year he shifted into semi-retirement and is working only three days per week. He's working in the middle of the week and has Mondays and Fridays off. Maybe a year of this schedule will help him ease into retirement slowly.

It's a change for me too. We started out as a household of two but that only lasted a year. Then the children started coming and the house was full and noisy. I felt like the hub of a wheel and the rest of the family were the spokes. I kept everything rolling while everybody else went around in all directions. Then the children started leaving and establishing their own homes. We have been back to a household of two now for eight and a half years. That was an adjustment, but I soon was used to being an empty nester. I was home alone all day and liked my quiet house. Now life is changing and I will be alone at home only three days per week.

At first this change scared me but now I'm looking forward to it. We will be able to spend more time and do more things together. It's nice to have an extra hand around when I need help with something. Retirement is not a ticket to sit on a chair and watch the world go by. We want to be productive as long as we have our health. I enjoyed every stage of life when I was in it and now we will enjoy this one too.