The President has declared, Sunday, March 15, to be a National Day of Prayer. He reminded the entire country that throughout its history, the United States has looked to God for strength and protection in times like these.
The Rock Pastors want to update you on where we
are, in response to the rising concerns about the COVID-19 (coronavirus) in
Salt Lake City and the United States.
First of all, in an effort to ensure a healthy and safe environment for our
entire church family, and in an effort to adhere to Governor Herbert’s recent
request that large group meetings be limited to 100 people or less, we have
decided to suspend all Rock Church
services and large group meetings from now through the end of March.
We have been closely following the news related to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) the last few weeks. Like many of you, we are thinking and praying about how to best prepare and protect our families and church. Some of you have asked what The Rock Church is doing (specifically) to prepare?
So i thought about this and how exposed are the older adults to this pandemic virus and the special cares they might because they are in high risk of getting infected.
As your pastors, foremost, we have been praying for God’s protection and guidance (Philippians 4:6-7). We must remember that the Lord is in charge of these events and they don’t change His love and care for us. With that said, He also directs us to prepare in the face of danger (Nehemiah 4:9).
There is this trend on social media
where people write “I don’t know who needs to hear this…” and then finish the
phrase with a humorous or heartfelt tagline. With the use of that line, I have
read some pretty hilarious things as well as overwhelmingly beautiful
messages.
Thank you so very much for praying for my family and supporting us in so many practical and loving ways. It’s incredibly humbling, to say the least.
Please note that we started a CaringBridge journal to help document the upcoming medical challenges we will most likely face. We want to try to channel the many inquiries many of you have had and do have. For the latest updates from our family, you can simply go to the CaringBridge home page and type in stevemcinroy2.
A while ago, I decided to read my Bible cover to cover. As I read through the book of Daniel, I took my time. I want to encourage you with one application I gleaned from Chapters 9 and 10.
In chapter 9 verse 2, He writes, “I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years.” I appreciate how he understood God’s Word and believed Jeremiah’s writing to be reliable. He believed that God would keep His Word. What he read he believed. What he believed he applied.
What an unforgettable evening we have planned for you! We are hosting our second annual Missions Gala on Friday, March 6 (7-9:00 p.m.) at The Rock Church (11630 S 700 E, Draper). This remarkable event is designed to help raise funds and awareness for the current Missions and Cares Ministry involvement at The Rock Church. We’re hoping you will support these worthwhile efforts by attending this elegant gala.
As
humans, we are inherently distracted. Add to that, all of our day-to-day
technology and communication — we are simply inundated with pings, pops,
notifications and buzzes. It’s amazing that we retain any information at all!
At the end of John 21, Jesus asked Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” Peter replied “yes” and Jesus said, “then feed my lambs.” That interchange went on three separate times. If I was Peter, I would have been super irritated and certainly wouldn’t have taken it as a learning experience. I would have thought, “I heard you the first time, Jesus.” But Jesus, being all knowing, understands that we need to hear things a few times before they really sink in. What a wonderful example for us to learn from.
When you’re asked to help someone move, serve at church, or take someone a meal, what is your first reaction? Is it, “I don’t want to do that, I serve enough already. Someone who doesn’t already serve can do it.”? Maybe it’s, “Well, if nobody else does, I will.”? For some, it might be, “I’d love to! I thought you’d never ask!”?
The Bible is clear, we need to adopt the heart of a servant. We need to humble ourselves and make a habit of considering others better than ourselves. Consider Philippians 2:3-4, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
“I love you, O Lord, my strength. 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 18:1-2
It’s
never easy to go through trials or see others go through them. The health scare
Mac went through in Sweden recently, could have easily sent our hearts and
minds down many paths. The reminder of life’s fragile state is always
sobering.