Fear and Trembling

Almighty and Everlasting God, You are our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble.  Therefore, we will not fear. You are our fortress, our God, in whom we trust.  For you will deliver us from the deadly pestilence.  Your faithfulness is a shield and buckler.  Help us not to fear the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at midday. Be moved to pity when you see our calamity and restrain your hand of judgement.  Take the coronavirus from our land and our world. To everyone affected by COVID 19 grant mercy, relief, and refreshment.  Give those suffering healing and, if not, give them and their families strength and confort. Look upon and visit the cities of the world in their distress over the coronavirus.  Renew the ties of mutual regard in those cities and protect life. Send us honest and able political leaders at all levels of government who would unite our nation in response to this crisis.  Grant relief from political

The Barna Group’s latest research is of great interest to me.  This research firm, working with World Vision, put together a study titled “The Connected Generation.”  With a sample size of 15,369 from a young adult population (ages 18 to 35) from twenty-five countries speaking nine languages.  The stated aim of the survey is to equip pastors and church leaders to better understand this age group, of whom much ink has been spilled.  Several items cited over at The Christian Post struck me as important. This study shows us a crisis in three areas: pastoral care, answering tough questions concerning the Christian Faith, and involving a new generation of church leaders.  Quoting from the article: Only one-third (33 percent) say they feel deeply cared for by those around them.  “Only a third say they often feel someone believes in me,” Barna President David Kinneman  said. “This tells me that two out of three young people around the world would not feel these kinds of relational connect