Imagine providing your children with granola bars after lunch as a treat for obediently finishing their meal. Having only one of the chocolate chip variety and two oatmeal raisins, the children descend into that well-worn argument about who is deserving of the chocolate chip. If I were seeking to punish my children, it would be silly to proclaim, "Well, since you all can't be grateful for these granola bars, you will have to eat ice cream. With chocolate syrup and sprinkles on top!" One of the more common Edwards punishments is a disguised version of this scenario. When bickering ensues, my wife and I like to implement a cruel and unusual punishment, "Alright, everyone outside!" If the groans aren't audible, we can see them in their eyes... "No, not outside!" With their best impression of Charlie Brown, they slowly amble out the door to brave the brutal elements. We lock the doors, close the blinds, and wonder if they can forget we are home. From five to thirty minutes later, our children have independently found a new source of entertainment. Mud pies, chalk art, and cultivating a garden of dandelions are some of the typical activities. When the summer months arrive, I often reference a thought-provoking article written by the staff of what was formerly The Heiskell School. The article challenges parents to expect two things in their role as parents. First, require obedience. Second, refuse to entertain. The first shouldn't surprise the Christian parent but the second needs a little more explanation. The authors of the article argue that, "When you refuse to entertain your child, you encourage resourcefulness, creativity, and imagination, all wonderful traits that will serve him well at school and later in life." Parents should not feel obligated to plan activities that keep their children busy during every waking minute of the summer. "In summer there should be lots of unscheduled free time." The beautiful truth is that our children will learn and enjoy many things during these times of free and unplanned exploration. Lock the door and let 'em run free. Two Rs Article

Imagine a teenage son or daughter approaching you to confess a serious sin that they anticipate will disappoint you greatly. It is a behavior that the mother and father have repeatedly informed their children is contrary to God's will; it is on mom and dad's top five don't do list. Of their own volition, the child confides in you and describes the struggle they are having with their sinful behavior. At some point in the parent's response, I would recommend the parent express their hearty gratitude for two things. First, the parent should commend their child for recognizing their sin and showing a genuine desire for repentance. Second, the parent should emphasize how appreciative they are that the child was comfortable confiding in them. Reinforce the child's trust that they can find refuge and Godly guidance from their parents. "The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold" (Psalm 18:2). We find our example for parenting from the Scriptures. How do our children view their parents? Throughout the Bible, God is referred to as a rock and refuge for his children, particularly when calamity strikes. Do our children view us as rocks, fortresses, and strongholds in times of trouble? As so much in the world of our children is changing and uncertain, they need to see their parents as a constant force, dependable, and steady in the face of a storm. As Alexandre Dumas says in The Man in the Iron Mask, "they hadn't abandoned their protector before the gathering storm; and despite the threatening sky, despite the shuddering earth, they remained, smiling, considerate, and as devoted to misfortune as they had been to prosperity."

A memorable and painful episode of The Office shows the impact our expectations can play on our emotional wellbeing. The main character, manager Michael Scott, is asked to fulfill a ten-year-old promise to an entire class of local students. He says, "I made ‘em a promise. I told them if they graduated from high school, I would pay for their college education. I have made some empty promises in my life but, hands down that was the most generous." The underprivileged students, motivated by Mr. Scott's incredible generosity, have worked diligently to graduate from high school. Unable to fulfill the promise, Michael seeks to extend them an olive branch by giving them free lithium batteries for their laptops. Surprisingly, this does not assuage the anger of the students. The students had built up their future hopes around an expectation that Mr. Scott would follow through on his promise, "Hey Mister Scott, whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do? Make our dreams come true!" Now, imagine that Michael Scott had never made such an absurd promise. Then he comes to the school as they are graduating and pulls out free lithium batteries for all the students in the class. Now this gift was an unexpected surprise, not as grandiose as free college tuition, but still one that would certainly deserve gratitude and thanks. As we continue to navigate the difficulties of our current times, it is important that we do not give our children the impression and expectation that God has created this world for their happiness. C.S. Lewis says, "If you think of this world as a place intended simply for our happiness, you find it quite intolerable; think of it as a place of training and correction and it's not so bad." We can possess peace and comfort not through happiness and comfort but rather in the knowledge that our God has overcome the world. "I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). Sermon Link

Through a quick Google search, I learned that I am late to the game connecting the classic movie Groundhog Day to our time of quarantine. Living the same day over and over again, the main character Phil Connors wonders, "What would you do if you were stuck in one place, and every day was exactly the same, and nothing that you did mattered?" Many of us can resonate with Phil's frustration with being 'stuck' and unable to move to the next day or next season of our lives. Disconnected from our vocations and normal routines, it is possible we question the value of our daily activities. High school seniors looking forward to the joys of graduation day are stuck wondering when that day will come. Those graduating from college are uncertain when they will receive a call from an employer with a job offer. Those that have lost their jobs and are looking for work wake up to the same dismal job market. At first, Phil revels in the realization that it doesn't matter how he lives because there is no tomorrow. He asks one of the Punxsutawney locals named Gus the essential question, "What if there were no tomorrow?" Gus responds, "No tomorrow? That would mean there would be no consequences. There would be no hangovers. We could do whatever we wanted!" Phil learns quickly that this selfish approach to living does not bring him happiness. The screenwriter Danny Rubin said the idea for the movie originated from the question, "If a person could live forever, if a person was immortal, how would they change over time?" How does Phil break the endless cycle? He finally resorts to making the best of his apparently 'miserable' situation by serving and loving others. With a secularized repentance of his cynicism and pride, Phil resorts to humility and kindness. Only then does he finally reach tomorrow. As Christians who know that we will live forever, we know that we are living faithfully during this time when we can wake up every day believing, "This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it" (Psalm 118:24) and end each day hearing our Heavenly Father say, "Well done, good and faithful servant" (Matthew 25:23).

In 1939, C.S. Lewis wrote an essay called Learning in War-Time to provide an argument for pursuing an education when so many others are simply struggling to survive. "Is it not like fiddling while Rome burns?" asks Lewis. Like a good philosopher, he answers his question by proposing the more important question... how can one justify the pursuit of academic learning at any time? "Human life has always been lived on the edge of a precipice... Life has never been normal." Even during 'normal' times we must ask, "how it is right, or even psychologically possible, for creatures who are every moment advancing either to heaven or to hell, to spend any fraction of the little time allowed them in this world on such comparative trivialities as literature or art, mathematics or biology." Lewis believes the learned life is a duty. It is a God-given responsibility and we should not relinquish such a duty unless and until God has called us to directly engage in the fight. Many in our world are on the frontlines of the battle against the Coronavirus. Praise God for them and their efforts. Yet, many more of us are pursuing a very different, mundane path as we seek to maintain a routine of normalcy for our family and community. Some are teaching their children the "comparative trivialities" of American history, english grammar, and quadratic equations. Others are working diligently to find ways to best sell chicken biscuits or Coca-cola. All activities and pursuits become sacred when "they are offered to God" (1 Corinthians 10:31). Let us press on with our daily tasks trusting that these activities are the best and most fitting way we can bring glory to God in the present moment. Lewis concludes, "We can therefore pursue knowledge as such, and beauty, as such, in the sure confidence that by so doing we are either advancing to the vision of God ourselves or indirectly helping others to do so." Article Link

Chilean poet Pablo Neruda says, "You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep spring from coming." At a time when it feels like so many of the flowers in our world have been cut, it is refreshing to behold the constancy of our God in both our celebration of the Resurrection and in the annual resurrection of our natural world. Martin Luther says, "Our Lord has written the promise of resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime." Amidst a devastating pandemic, God is restoring his creation. Spring is a promise that God's creation shall live again. Easter is a promise that God's children shall live again. Several years ago I was impacted by an experience I had in a plane while taking off from the Atlanta airport in a gloomy, dark rainstorm. Minutes later as the plane crested above the clouds, we were greeted by the shining sun and a calm, serene world. A stunning reminder that "the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" (John 1:5). A similar restoration happens every morning as the sun rises, even when clouds might fight to hide its brilliance. As we continue to navigate the complexities of our current situation, I have challenged myself in three areas that might be helpful for others. First, keep plodding along. Even when the task or responsibility feels so mundane in comparison to the monumental struggles of our world: Plod on! Second, find small ways to serve and love others in our community. Our neighbors, friends, and family need your love and encouragement. The fourth century Church historian Eusebius describes the impact Christians had by serving others during an epidemic in the Roman Empire, "All day long Christians tended to the dying and to the burial, countless numbers with no one to care for them. Others gathered from all parts of the city, a multitude of those withered from famine and distributed bread to them all... the Christians' deeds were on everyone's lips and they glorified the god of the Christians." Third, stay calm. I don't advise anyone to interpret this pandemic as confirmation from God that you should move forward with your plans to move to North Dakota. Psalm 46:10 comforts us, "Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!" May we plod along, serve others, and stay calm. Article Link

When we are in the midst of affliction, it is difficult to see how the Sovereign Lord is working all things for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28). How can tragedies, pandemics, and wars be a part of God's plan? At times, we can look back at certain difficult seasons and clearly see the Lord's redemptive work. The 1854 Broad Street cholera outbreak was the impetus for English physician John Snow to provide an irrefutable case that the cause of the outbreak was the germ-contaminated water of the Broad Street water pump. Snow's discovery arguably saved thousands of lives by helping communities identify the true source of the disease. In other situations, we might never have a clear understanding of God's purpose in the affliction we experience. It is hard to see God's hand working through the immense death and destruction of events like World War I. Although we won't always understand, the Bible does tell us how his people should respond to affliction. In 1 Corinthians 7:10 we read, "For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death." There is a grief that leads to life and there is a grief that leads to death. The 19th century Anglican Bishop J.C. Ryle says, "There are no lessons so useful as those learned in the school of affliction." Might the Lord be teaching his people some significant truths during this season of affliction? I pray that our children can look back on this crisis and remember watching their parents respond with earnest and sincere repentance. "If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land" (2 Chronicles 7:14).

I happened to be reading Booker T. Washington's autobiography Up From Slavery when the COVID-19 pandemic was escalating so quickly a few weeks ago. I ran across what I considered a remarkably apropos passage that impacted me in a number of ways. Washington says the following about his future wife, "This was Olivia A. Davidson, who later became my wife… While teaching in Mississippi, one of her pupils became ill with smallpox. Every one in the community was so frightened that no one would nurse the boy. Miss Davidson closed her school and remained by the bedside of the boy night and day until he recovered. While she was at her Ohio home on her vacation, the worst epidemic of the yellow fever broke out in Memphis, Tenn., that perhaps has ever occurred in the South. When she heard about this, she at once telegraphed the Mayor of Memphis, offering her services as a yellow-fever nurse, although she had never had the disease." This particular yellow fever epidemic occurred in the Lower Mississippi Valley in 1878 infecting around 120,000 and ultimately taking the lives of 20,000 people. Frightened, closed school, epidemic, and disease were some of the words from the passage that sounded familiar to our current situation. Although I was aware of Booker T. Washington before reading this book, I was entirely ignorant of the extraordinary life of Ms. Olivia A. Davidson. She provides a powerful example of how to live sacrificially for others in hard, uncertain times. Many are making similar sacrifices around the world in their efforts to fight the Coronavirus. Ms. Davidson would tragically pass away at the age of 34 from another infectious disease: Tuberculosis. Washington says, "She literally wore herself out in her never ceasing efforts in behalf of the work that she so dearly loved." Although she lived a short life, one of my favorite quotes comes to mind, "But the effect of her being on those around her was incalculably diffusive: for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs" (George Eliot, Middlemarch).

Unprecedented can be concisely defined as "never done or known before." This adjective has been used extensively in the last few weeks. Is it appropriate to call the COVID-19 pandemic unprecedented? Absolutely. Although we have read about such tragic occurrences in history, we have never had to navigate such a world ourselves. For all generations alive today, this is an unprecedented challenge requiring cooperation from the entire world. Regardless of whether or not one thinks the world has responded with appropriate vigilance to the threat, few can disagree that the worldwide response to this epidemic has been more united than any other disease response in history. One of the truly unprecedented aspects of this particular outbreak is how much more we know about pandemics now versus one hundred years ago. Especially as it relates to how we can limit the spread of infectious disease. Might we see in time an unprecedented cooperation amongst all the peoples of our world to defeat this disease? Let us earnestly pray and hope for such an outcome.

We are right in calling our current crisis unprecedented, but it is wrong to think our world has never faced such a perilous and uncertain situation. The history of our world is fraught with epidemics, disease, and death. Many plagues have dire statistics that we can hardly imagine. Although we have little to learn scientifically from the history of disease, we have much to learn about how we as a Christian world should respond. The example of Ms. Davidson is one of many examples for how we ought to react in the face of disease. The reformer Martin Luther wrote a treatise titled, "Whether One May Flee from a Deadly Plague." There is a helpful balance to Luther's perspective. When speaking of those in the ministry, he argues that they, "must remain steadfast before the peril of death." However, he uses Scripture to justify fleeing (Ephesians 5:29 and 1 Corinthians 12:21-26) when he says, "All of us have the responsibility of warding off this poison to the best of our ability because God has commanded us to care for the body." Gary Ferngren, a history professor at Oregon State University, believes Christians, "were the first people who began an active campaign to take care of sufferers or to bury the dead or to help." The compassionate approach of the early Christian church demonstrates the sacrificial posture for how we ought to respond to an epidemic. The picture of this sacrifice can come in many forms: social distancing, foregoing vacations, and drastically altering the patterns of our life.

Through all of this, may we continue to trust in the Lord and not respond in fear. Isaiah 43:1 comforts our soul saying, "But now, this is what the Lord says—he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: 'Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.'" We are his, therefore, let us walk forward in faith and obedience.

Article Link - Luther Article Link

In C.S. Lewis' book The Screwtape Letters, the senior demon Screwtape writes a letter to his nephew and apprentice Wormwood explaining the destructive power of fear. With evil pleasure Wormwood teaches his junior tempter saying, "I am delighted to hear that your patient's age and profession make it possible, but by no means certain, that he will be called up for military service... We want him to be in the maximum uncertainty, so that his mind will be filled with contradictory pictures of the future, every one of which arouses hope or fear... It is your business to see that the patient never thinks of the present fear as his appointed cross but only of the things he is afraid of." The recent outbreak of the Coronavirus is forcing Christians to confront this health crisis with wisdom and obedience. Wisdom calls us to consider and implement reasonable precautionary measures to protect our families and our community. Obedience is remembering Paul's admonition to the Philippians to, "Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God" (Philippians 4:6-7). Scripture doesn't provide exceptions for anxiety and fear... "Do not be anxious about anything except unexpected tragedies, spiritual tribulations, and worldwide pandemics." The main source of anxiety in situations like the Coronavirus is rooted in the inevitable uncertainty of the situation. Health experts on one side are predicting the worst of outcomes and another camp led by health expert Elon Musk claim "the panic is dumb." Most of us are caught in the middle, a place of "maximum uncertainty... contradictory pictures of the future..." where we are not sure who to believe. I can assure you though that our children are listening to our conversations and watching our reactions. What do they see in our eyes? Fear of the unknown or a trust in God's sovereignty? God calls his people to pursue a path of wisdom and obedience covered with fervent prayer. Corrie Ten Boom, having lived through the horrors of World War II, knows well the feeling of maximum uncertainty and says in her book The Hiding Place, "Worrying doesn't empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength." Article Link

One of the popular sketches from comedian Jay Leno on The Tonight Show was the segment Jaywalking where he makes light of the academic ignorance of the American public. The general routine has Leno approaching "unsuspecting" citizens on the street to ask them elementary questions about history, geography, and civics. Leno: "What country did we fight in the Revolutionary War?" Woman: "France!" Leno: "What did the Emancipation Proclamation mean/do?" Woman: "Umm... The Emancanation of Approximation?" Understandably, many intellectuals are stunned and amused by this revealing degree of ignorance and question the efficacy of our modern education. Granted, there is certainly no harm in laughing together at our collective lack of knowledge. However, historian Daniel Boorstin recognizes a form of ignorance much more dangerous than the version we see in Jaywalking, "The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance; it is the illusion of knowledge." Recently, musician Garth Brooks was excoriated on social media when a picture caught him wearing a jersey with the name "Sanders" and the number 20 on the back. Under the illusion of knowledge, one person responded via Twitter saying, "I wish you would've kept your political preferences to yourself." Another says, "Nothing like supporting a communist to lose a few fans!" Add this story to the vast collection of social media examples we might call, "#ReadyFireAim!" Either hall-of-fame football great Barry Sanders is a communist candidate for President or some hasty assumptions have been made. One fine reason to send our children to Stonehaven is with an expectation and hope that they might know America's opponent in the Revolutionary War and the purpose of the Emancipation Proclamation. A more valuable reason would be the desire that our children use this knowledge with humility, gratitude, and grace. Alexander Sozhenitsyn says, "An ill-educated person behaves with arrogant impatience, whereas truly profound education breeds humility." Article Link