A Three-Fold Crisis
Coronavirus hit and took us all by surprise. This is history in the making. The world-wide impact of COVID-19 will be felt, discussed, and analyzed for decades, maybe centuries, to come. Now is the time for leaders, in the words of Joshua, to “Be strong and courageous, for you will cause this people to inherit the land that I swore… to give them” (Joshua 1.7).
What Satan ‘intended for evil, God intends for good’ (Genesis 50.20), and all true pastoral leaders will recognize this pandemic as an opportunity do good. The evil one has a mission; that is, “to steal and kill and destroy” your leadership potential and destiny (John 10.10).
You and I also have a mission: To shine the light of the gospel of sexual sobriety in every dark corner of the globe. Now is the time for 423 Leaders to stand up and “cause this people to inherit the land” of sexual victory which He “swore… to give them.” Like the Canaanites or Hittites of old, or any other Parasite, COVID is nothing compared to our mighty God.
All nations of the world are faced with a three-fold crisis:
Medical crisis
Economic crisis
Social crisis
Political and media pundits have concentrated on the medical and economic disasters, but few have addressed the horrific social impact. That is about to change…
“We’ve taken over 1,500 calls already in March just specifically related to the coronavirus and I do believe that will continue to increase. Our history with things like this, like in the 2008 recession, the first couple of weeks it’s a little hard to gauge call volume because everybody’s in shock, taking care of their basic needs first. Then the weeks after are usually when we start to see the call volume really increase. Two weeks from now, we’re probably going to see a big increase as the fear, the anxiety builds, and as the death toll from coronavirus rises we would expect that.”
“The charity collected data showing that among the 1,519 callers who talked about COVID-19, one in five communicated a desire to kill themselves. Anxiety or stress was the number one concern for 43 percent of the people, followed by health concerns for 25 percent, relationship concerns for 21 percent, and loneliness or isolation for 19 percent.”
“Social distancing” has led to isolation, isolation to despondency, and despondency to relapse.
BUT IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE THAT WAY.
While it is our personal and civic duty to “listen to and follow the directions of our State and Local authorities,” as President Trump has required, we can still remain personally and emotionally connected. “Social distance” does not have to mean “social disconnection.”
423 Leaders… do not take a vacation from the mission. Yes, get settled, adjust to the new environment, and, as always, take care of your family first. But, don’t forget the men and women in your 423 Communities. We can serve our group members, and serve them well, from the privacy of our homes for one simple reason…
TECHNOLOGY IS OUR FRIEND.
Yes, 1.5 billion people; that is, 20% of our human population participate in this nearly 100 billion dollar a year industry of pornography, giving technology a bad name. Fight the New Drug reports an 11.6% increase in porn use since the advent of coronavirus. On March 13th, The New York Post correspondent, Joe Tacopino, wrote an article entitled, “Pornhub offers free premium service in Italy to ease coronavirus pains.”
What?!! Are we insane? Is this how we ease the pain of a nation dealing with the horror of a medical pandemic? Offer them another pandemic? Give them free porn? Do we offer cigarettes to those dying of lung cancer, or a bowling ball to a drowning man, or a loaded gun to the clinically depressed? Of course not!
IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE THIS WAY.
423 Leaders, please be proactive and make technology work for you and your 423 group:
Make weekly ‘battle buddy’ telephone assignments for each member to check in with one another, inquiring about their sexual sobriety (or, in the case of 423 Sisters, their emotional health line) and briefly pray for each other.
Meet together at your regular weekly group time by use of video conferencing or conference calls by phone.
Create a text thread for every member of your group and post daily.
Schedule a virtual coffee date with one of your members every week.
Email or call or text Dave at (503) 880-2734 or dave@423communities.org with other ideas you have to build emotional connection among the members of your 423 Communities group so we can share them 423 Communities-wide.
Now is the time to act! Stay in community. Foster connection between your sisters and brothers in the safest and most expedient way possible. Our communities need you! You are making a difference.
At 423 Communities International, our doors are open for business. We are still offering recovery options for those struggling with temptations and trauma around pornography, sexual fantasies, and addictive behaviors. Want more information? Click here: https://www.423communities.org/join.