Update – My 40 Days in the Desert

We know from the Bible stories what it looked like for Jesus when he spent 40 days in the desert in preparation for his Father's plans.  Satan was there every step of the way.  The temptations were relentless.  Why would my time of preparation for the Resurrection be any different?  I gave up the things most near and dear to my heart – wine and chocolate.  The world I left behind seemed so normal when I began my journey.  Then the pandemic hit.  Suddenly everything is upside down.  Schools are in lockdown.  Restaurants are open for carryout only.  Even my house of worship is shuttered.  One by one, states are telling the world that entry is forbidden.  The whole world has become a desert.  The risk of death is on everyone's mind, especially those who are afflicted with auto-immune diseases or suffer from respiratory ailments, like asthma.   The elderly are afraid to leave their homes.  The landscape of our world has changed.

Spectators watching world events from the sidelines may think the Devil has the upper hand based on all the current events.  I disagree.  My time in the desert has opened my eyes to see the world the way Jesus sees it.  I can say from my heart that anything the Evil One thinks he can do, God can do better.  All that is needed is to fix our eyes on Jesus.  Yes, it's true I felt deflated when I walked to my house of worship last week and discovered that the doors were locked.  There was a certain emptiness inside my heart.  This makes my time in the desert feel very real.

This morning I opened up my Facebook page after my morning meditation and discovered that my pastor set up a virtual mass service for his congregation.  Maybe my time in the desert without wine or chocolate is causing me to become delirious, but I'm doing something that's going to make the dark side want to come after me with a vengeance.  At the risk of causing all Hell to break loose, I'm posting a link to the virtual service for anyone else who may wish to join me in prayer for our world.  The Evil One may have played a role in shutting down our churches but Jesus did something bigger by busting through the brick and mortar and creating virtual houses of worship all over the world.  Click here for a Facebook link to my hometown church in Iowa and watch the videos of our virtual mass.  Please visit and offer your prayers for our time in the desert to come to a conclusion soon.  Have a great day.