Good Information

I encourage everyone to learn how to use your “talk to text” function on your smartphone. My comment has nothing to do with this week’s article but it has everything to do with being nimble in a pinch. The ability to send out a quick message especially when you’re unable to use your keypad or your keyboard is a much safer way to communicate. Since we're all concerned about safety, cleanliness, and protecting ourselves, “talk to text” is a great option for sending safe responses. Now that I think about it, “talk to text” actually does have a small amount of connection to this thought. We are on the road heading back home and it’s easier to talk into the phone than trying to use the small keypad. It also avoids the possibility of getting carsick. While driving home we typically listen to conservative talk shows, Christian music, and the Bible on tape; a lot of wholesome things to help take up the 13-hour journey from Central Kansas. Even Norma, our dog, appreciates all the good information! One of the articles Janet read on Friday is so well written about how to deal with the current COVID-19 crisis that I want to share a big excerpt from it and then give you the link to read the entire article on your own.

“Back in the late 1800s, there was a sequence of three giant fires that shocked the world, specifically the Great Chicago Fire, the Peshtigo Fire and the Great Michigan Fire (all of which happened in 1871). Now, all throughout history, there were historic “city-wide fires;” but, these three fires occurred at a moment in history when newspaper sales were exploding. It was also the first time in history when photographs and artist images were “going viral.” And when people saw pictures of Midwesterners burning alive, it suffices to say that fire-safety was on everyone’s minds. Photographs of Chicago captured America, and the terrifying news of city-wide fires remained steady: In the 1880s, Vancouver burned to the ground (1886), then Seattle (1889). Then, the East Coast began burning: Jacksonville (1901) to Baltimore (1904) and back to San Francisco in 1906. And yes, millions died in the Flu Pandemic of 1918; but, people were far more terrified by the Halifax Explosion (1917) or the Great Cloquet Fire that burned over 500 people alive, and left 52,000 homeless (1918). As a result, American ingenuity was kicked into high gear:”

Peter Hass is a pastor of a growing, thriving church in the Twin Cities. Janet and I have been at a service where he shared the word of God. At the time we were still living in southeast Minnesota and attending a local Assembly of God Fellowship. We never realized he was such a history buff, which will be even more unfolded in his entire article which I encourage you to read. The link is right here for where you can find his entire story: https://www.peterhaas.org/is-the-cure-killing-us-how-history-can-help-us-rethink-our-covid-response/. I’m not saying it is the perfect answer, but just like the title it’s Good Information. Take it to your prayer closet.