The Coronavirus, Fear Reducing Facts, and 6 Christian Ways To Respond

by Jed CoppengerChristian living, Church, Disaster Relief, Evangelism, Missions, Prayer, UncategorizedPosted on 4 Comments

The coronavirus is here and it’s making its presence known. Schools are shutting down. Stores are limiting the amount of water and hand sanitizer you can buy. New York has called the National Guard into certain neighborhoods. The governor of Kentucky asked churches to stop gathering for worship. Washington State is prohibiting gatherings of more than 250 people in Seattle. The Warriors will start playing home games without fans present. Panic is high. The world seems to be coming apart.

In the midst of all of this, it’s tough to know how to make sense of the stories and data that are being thrown around. Some stats are more daunting than others, some countries are having more trouble than others, and the opinions as to why there are so many differences are many.

At this point, a little over 1,000 of the 327 million people in the U.S. have the virus, with over 30 having died from it. More cases will, of course, be reported. New measures will be taken. Endless stories will tell us many of the details.

As we continue to deal with this, consider appropriate responses, and try not to lose our minds in the process, I’ve found the following information helpful in facing the coronavirus with facts and faith, rather than fear.  

Learning what the words “outbreak” and “pandemic” actually mean reduces fear – I don’t know about you, but when I hear the media use these words every other word, I feel the panic starting in my germaphobe mind. My mind flashes scenes of the movie Outbreak and every horror film or stat I’ve ever come across. But once I found out what those words actually mean, it changed how they impacted me. You probably already know, but if you don’t, here’s what two key words mean:

  • Outbreak – “Outbreak” simply mean there are more cases than expected. So, since they were expecting 0 cases of the coronavirus, 2 cases would be considered an “outbreak.” So every time you hear “outbreak,” hear them say, “we have more than expected.”
  • Pandemic – “Pandemic” simply means that the “outbreak” (more than expected) is taking place in countries across the world. Since the world wasn’t expecting this virus and it has reached lots of countries (which isn’t hard to do in our day), we are in a “pandemic.”

The next time you hear “outbreak,” remind yourself that they mean, “more than expected.” And the next time you hear “pandemic,” remind yourself that they mean, “more than expected in the world.” This doesn’t mean it’s not serious, but it helps you avoid making it more serious than it is.

The coronavirus is harder on people with weaker immune systems (older people, people with cancer, diabetes, etc.) than the flu, but easier on young people than the flu – The Washington Post noted that the death rate for the “over 70” population in Wuhan was up around 20%; for those under that age it was .8 or less (flu), for those younger it was less. One of the main reason Italy is struggling significantly is because Italy is the oldest country in the world. The elderly continue to make up most of the deaths by far. Let’s pray for the elderly across the globe facing this fierce virus. Let’s ask God for their protection, healing, wisdom on what changes they need to make, and that all would know Christ.

The more time goes by, the lower the initial, scary coronavirus data gets – With each passing week the death rate numbers go down. “The death rate is a calculation of the number of known deaths out of the total number of confirmed cases.” None have gone up. Why? Because the number of people infected is believed to be much higher than initially reported. The higher the number goes, the lower the death rate goes. That number is believed to be higher because for most people the impact of the coronavirus is “mild” so they wouldn’t even think to get tested and many places didn’t have “enough tests” to actually find out how many people had the virus.

Countries with government run healthcare have had a more difficult time responding to the coronavirus – It’s a scary thought to turn the keys to healthcare over to the same people that run the DMV. It’s even scarier to do that for countries who have governments that couldn’t run the DMV as “excellent” as we do here. But that’s the reality. When you look at stories out of Wuhan, China (ground zero for the coronavirus), you find a healthcare system that was an absolute mess. The hospital situation was run by a communist party who ignored previous year complaints that new hospitals were needed because of a lack of space for such a big city (11 million in Wuhan). At the end of 2018, their hospitals were 94% full. Their requests were ignored, which is why you can find stories of elderly people with the coronavirus trying to get into 3 hospitals with no success. In Italy, their government run healthcare system produces a wide range of experiences for people, some great and some awful. The same disease has vastly different recovery rates in different parts of the country. This means that the people who often most need the help won’t be able to get the needed help. Everything I’ve read about these government healthcare systems make total sense of my experience with them in the twenty or so countries I’ve been too. Pray for their healthcare system. Pray for ours. The coronavirus is a problem, but it’s made worse in countries that have handed their healthcare system over to the government.

The spread in Wuhan, China was enabled to a significant degree by the lack of willingness of Chinese government officials to talk about the disease while it made it’s way through one of the largest and most dense cities in the world – China took about a month to communicate what you’re hearing non-stop today. Not only that, they kept quiet while the virus was passed around in one of the best places to pass it around, a huge, dense, city (Wuhan). That’s why the rates of infection are much higher there than anywhere else in China. Be thankful that information is out and people are being more intentional about cleaning their hands, etc.

The coronavirus is serious. That’s why it’s so important to think through what we’re hearing and seeing. When you do, you see that it is significantly more dangerous than the flu for older people and those with a compromised immune system (have had cancer, have diabetes, had an organ transplant, etc.), but the same or less dangerous than the flu for folks the younger you get. How it has been handled differently has a lot to do with various approaches to government and healthcare.

As the number of cases continues to grow, the information we can learn does to, here are a few ways I’d encourage you to respond to our current coronavirus problem.

Pray This Problem – Jesus said that we are to bring our “weariness” and our “burdens” to him (Matt. 11:28-30). Let’s make sure that we aren’t just meditating on the burdens created by this situation, let’s pray them. Pray for those that have it or will get it. Pray for the people unusually at risk. Pray for wisdom for government and church leaders. Pray, pray, pray. Every problem is an opportunity to pray. Don’t miss out on this one.

Do Your Part – The best medical advice in all the world about fighting this virus is the same medical advice, for the most part, that we get every year. Wash your hands. Don’t touch your face. Sneeze and cough into your arm. If you feel sick, stay home. Wipe off surfaces. If we do these basics, we are doing our part. It will make a huge difference.

Avoid Overreaction And Underreaction – I’ve found that people either tend to overreact in these situations (looking at you, “Mr. I Bought All The Toilet Paper From Costco”) or underreact (looking at you, “Mr. I’m Going Stop Washing My Hands College Student Just To Make A Point”). Figure out your tendency and battle it. This isn’t Ebola that killed 50% of the people who got it, for most people it’s closer to the flu’s .1%. But this isn’t just the regular flu either, especially for older people and those with pre-existing conditions like cancer, diabetes, and those that have had organ transplants. Let’s be sober-minded and steady as we do our part.

Give People Freedom To Process This Challenge – Everybody responds differently when they are reminded that they aren’t in control, they are vulnerable, and death is real. Pray for everyone to look to Jesus in the midst of this. Give them space when they respond differently than you. Take a long term approach relationally.

Consider Recommended Courses Of Action Critically – Just because a government leader recommends something doesn’t mean it’s the wisest course of action. Today the Governor of Kentucky recommended that churches stop gathering for worship. Curiously, he didn’t recommend that other types of assemblies stop meeting. Nothing was mentioned about Kentucky Basketball games and March Madness. Their schools are still meeting. Even if churches listened to him, which most won’t, it’s unlikely to do much good with all of these other assemblies continuing as is. Again, let’s pray for our government leaders, listen to their perspective, but I wouldn’t follow them uncritically.

Meditate On The Power And Love Of Christ Until You Trust Him Enough To Rest – Inner peace doesn’t come from knowledge, delusions of control, or defeating the coronavirus. Death is always at the door in a world like this. No, inner peace comes from trusting in a God more powerful than death who lovingly sent his Son to rescue from eternal death. Trust doesn’t replace action, it reorients it. In this world, you’re always more vulnerable than you realize. In Christ, you’re always more secure than you realize. Trust him. If he went to the cross for you and defeated death, he won’t leave you now. Find a few Bible verses to meditate on in these times as you do your part.

The coronavirus is serious, but it has an expiration date. As Christians, let’s be more effected by the presence of Christ than the presence of the coronavirus. That way we’ll be marked by peace more than panic. Sure, let’s stay up to date on all of this, but let’s meditate on something better as we pray for those all around us and pursue God’s best in these coming days.

The Coronavirus, Williamson County, and Redemption City Church

by Jed CoppengerChristian living, Church, Prayer, UncategorizedPosted on No Comments

As news of the first case of the coronavirus (COVID-19) to hit Williamson County and concerns are rising, I wanted to let you know some important info about it and how Redemption City Church is responding. Hopefully, this will help you “germaphobes” out there like me process all of this in the right way.

What We Know About Coronavirus – The coronavirus is a novel respiratory disease that has been spreading globally since late 2019. The coronavirus’s health risk to date appears to be comparable to that of influenza, which many of us have experienced. Here are a few key data points:

  • While the flu has killed close the 20,000 people in America this year, the coronavirus has killed around 14 (and a little over 3,000 people worldwide).
  • Of those that were killed by the coronavirus, it seems that usually they had significant pre-existing health conditions, smokers, or older folks.
  • Children do not appear to be more susceptible to coronavirus than adults. In fact, no deaths have been reported among the young.
  • Based on existing cases, it’s estimated that about 80 percent of people who are affected experience mild symptoms.
  • While some estimated that the coronavirus would have a 2-3% death rate, it already appears that these were wrong. Thankfully, the latest numbers put it basically at the same place as the flu’s .1%.

What We All Can Do – Officials recommend that we do what we should always do during sick season and practice good hygiene basics like:

  • Wash your hands frequently, and for at least 20 seconds, with soap and water to protect yourself and others from germs.
  • Cover your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing.
  • Keep your hands away from your face, because germs routinely spread when a person touches something contaminated with germs, and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth. This is the reason why the CDC recommend that healthy people not wear masks.
  • If you feel sick, stay home and contact your doctor.

What Redemption City Church Is Doing – Redemption City Church will continue to follow the health protocols that we have in place. I hate sickness and so does my family (ask anyone who knows us!). That’s why we made sure from day one that we had great health protocols in place. As you would expect, this list includes not allowing kids in Kids City who have been sick or showed signs of sickness in the last 24 hours. Also, every classroom has been “deep cleaned” this week and will be every week moving forward by the Kids City Team! The rest of the church is cleaned weekly as well. In light of the current concerns, a greater level of cleaning has taken place and will continue to be practiced for the foreseeable future.

Our leadership team obviously will continue to carefully monitor the situation and considering all recommendations from government officials. We still plan to gather together for our regular gatherings this weekend at 9 & 10:30am. As always, we are committed to doing whatever we can to provide a safe environment to welcome you, your family, and your friends.

If you’ve lived very long, you know that there have been versions of these kinds of sicknesses before. Whether it’s the SARS of the 2000s, the coronavirus of today, or whatever is coming next year, let’s pray this problem, trust our God, and take the common sense steps recommended. Hope to see you Sunday!

How Can You Help Those Impacted By The Tornadoes This Week?

by Jed CoppengerChristian living, Church, Disaster Relief, UncategorizedPosted on No Comments

With a day of serving under our belts, we feel like we have a better picture of how people can help over the next few days. Like I said in an earlier post, let’s continue to pray, give, and serve with Hands On Nashville. But we also wanted you to be aware of a unique opportunity to serve some folks that need some help in Mt. Juliet.

If you want to help us over the next few days, here’s the info you need to know.

When and Where Can You Serve? Thursday-Saturday morning at 9:30am, RCC will have a team member present at Kerry Bural’s house at 4002 Omaha Ct., Mt. Juliet, TN 37122. They’ll be there for a few hours working to help the Bural’s in any way that they can, along with any surrounding neighbors. If you’re coming on Thursday, Tyler is our point of contact (713-819-5661). If you’re coming on Friday, Manny is our point of contact (615-739-7140). If you’re coming Saturday, Abigail is our point of contact (540-454-9101).

What Will You Do? Today, we did all kinds of things. We moved things, picked trash up, boxed up breakable dishes, hugged and prayed for homeowners, walked to other neighbor’s homes to help, and more. There are neighbors who aren’t connected to anyone, so we did our best to help them. You’ll probably do the same on your day. The key thing is to be patient and flexible as you help.

What Should I Bring? Bring water, gloves, and anything else you think might be helpful. If you have a chain saw, that could be great. There’s a lot of work, requiring a lot of different types of tools. Bring what you can.

How Long Will We Work? You can stay as short or as long as you want. I’d recommend staying for a couple of hours, if possible. If you can stay longer, that’s awesome!

Each time we serve we learn more about how we can serve more helpfully. With each coming day, I assume that will continue to be true. We’ll do our best to continue to update you along the way.

3 Reasons The Tennessee Tornado Relief Effort Starts Slowly

by Jed CoppengerChristian living, Church, Disaster Relief, MissionsPosted on No Comments

I just got back from helping those impacted by the tornadoes in Mt. Juliet. It’s hard to put into words what the Redemption City team and I saw. Houses ripped off of their foundations, sides of homes completely gone, people’s personal belongings found on the other side of their neighborhood, yards filled with everything you can imagine, just to name a few of the things that I remember seeing. People in various types of uniforms were walking around assessing the damage. Homeowners and those helping them were working hard, shedding tears, hugging, and staring at the wreckage.

I heard stories of families crying out to Jesus to save them as they braced for what they thought would be their end, stories of neighbors rescuing their neighbors who were buried underneath their homes, and even a story of a kid who miraculously lived to tell about how he was sucked out of a room where he was playing a video games.

Like many, we were there to help in any way that we could. And help we did. But not near as much as we wish we could. Over the coming days and weeks, many more of us will play a small part in the massive recovery effort. But right now, as you patiently wait and pursue opportunities, I think it’s important to keep in mind a three reasons that make the disaster relief process slower than many people expect that it would be.

The Process Is Slow Initially Because Significant Amounts Of Money Are On The Line – When we showed up to help clean up houses and yards, we had to stand around a good bit. Why? Because before something could be thrown away, it needed to be documented. Why? Because the insurance company needed proof that it existed in order for there to be any chance that they’d provide money for it. Even finding out the need for pictorial documentation was a process because the insurance company is hard to get a hold of when a ton of people are all calling it at once. Don’t be surprised when the process is slow, especially early on, because people are doing everything they can to make sure they are in the best position possible to win their coming battle with their insurance company.

The Process Is Slow Initially Because Personal Stuff Needs To Be Sorted Through By People Who Are Still In Shock – When you go into these homes you notice a lot of stuff that seems like it could easily be thrown away or straightened up. The reason you don’t do that is because there is a lot of personal stuff in the mess that the owners wouldn’t want anyone else to see. Of course, the only people who can work through that stuff are also the people who are still shaking from this week’s events. Be sure when you help that you remember that these folks need space to process their personal stuff.

The Process Is Slow Initially Because Many Major Tasks Have To Be Completed Before Related Minor Ones Can Be – Before certain homes can be helped, roads that lead to those homes need to be cleared. Before certain parts of a home can be cleared of valuables, the structure of that home needs to be secured again. Before the stuff all over people’s yards could be taken to the road, we needed the city to tell us which types of things to stack together for an easy pick up. Over and over, we came across tasks that we could easily have completed, if, and only if, something major (a task we couldn’t complete) was completed first. And, of course, the people who have the machinery and expertise to complete those major tasks aren’t usually going to be around for a day or two (or weeks) because there is so much to do. So when you help, remember that there are a lot of layers to a recovery effort of this scope that impact the major things that need to be done.

The process is slow initially and many people struggle to be patient. Learning these three realities today really helped me to be patiently engaged, as I continue to my best to pray, stay out of the way, serve, and give.

How To Help After Last Night’s Tornado

by Jed CoppengerUncategorizedPosted on One Comment

Last night a tornado tore through TN. The latest reports say that there are 25 confirmed dead. Besides the heart-wrenching loss of life, reports show numerous homes, apartment complexes, churches, schools, and businesses that have been demolished. Tennesseans in the tornado’s path are just starting to figure out how to work their way out of this stunning wreckage.

Like many others, Redemption City Church wants to do what it can to help. I’ve been in conversations with government and state relief leaders throughout the day. At this point, it seems that the best immediate course of action includes the following steps.

Pray – Because God can do more in a moment than we can do in a lifetime, we pray. No matter where you are, you can help by asking God to help everyone where they are. TN needs God’s help to move forward. Pray for those without water, food, electricity, and the disaster relief teams already on the ground.

Stay Out Of The Way – As tempting as it is to drive down to the areas most impacted by the tornado, Governor Lee and others have said that the most helpful thing non-essential personnel can do to help the disaster relief effort is to avoid those areas. With trees and wires laying on the roads, the ability to get around is greatly hindered. This doesn’t just impact the commute of those who live in those areas, it also impacts the ability of disaster relief teams to get their equipment to needed areas. That’s why staying out of the way is a great help.

Sign Up To Serve – There are a lot of ways that people will be able to sign up to serve immediately and for the foreseeable future. Whether it’s with our TN Baptist Disaster Relief teams, Hands On Nashville, or some other organization, sign up to serve in some way. To serve with some Redemption City folks this weekend, email us at info@redemptioncity.com. We are still exploring various possibilities, but it looks like there will be great ways we can help this weekend.

Give Financially – Because God generously gave his Son to meet our eternal need, we give generously in his name to meet the needs of those around us. Practically speaking, we all know that it’s going to take a lot of money to make things better. 100% of the designated financial gifts we receive will go to help the disaster relief work.

Jesus came to meet needs. He’s still doing that through his Spirit-empowered church. Let’s be available and engaged in this unique time to show the love of Christ to our fellow Tennesseans.

Feeding The Hungry: Redemption City Church, Cul2vate, & Jesus

by Jed CoppengerUncategorizedPosted on No Comments

Around 1 out of 6 Tennesseans are hungry. 1 out of 6! That means over 1 million of our fellow Tennesseans have stomachs that are growling each week and can’t make it stop the way many of us can. And hunger, of course, doesn’t just impact your stomach, it impacts your ability to focus, listen, relate, your inner sense of well-being, and more. These problems are particularly felt developmentally by the 1 out of 4 children that make up Tennessee’s hungry population. If we reduce hunger, we reduce so many other problems that plague our neighbors.

That’s why, starting this year, Redemption City Church will be using a portion of our 30.9 acres to grow thousands of pounds of food that we’re going to give away in the name of Jesus. No, we’re not growing food because we want to be farmers. We’re farming because we want to be like Jesus who both SHARED God’s love verbally and SHOWED God’s love practically.

We know this is true because Matthew summarized Jesus’ ministry by saying, “23 And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people” (Matt. 4:23).

Jesus drove this point home when he said that at the end of time we will answer for how we treated the most vulnerable around us. He said, “35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers,[f] you did it to me’ (Matt. 25:35-40).

Later, Jesus’ brother, James, emphasized that saving faith is a working faith or it’s a dead faith. He wrote, “So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2:17).

There are, of course, many other passages in the Bible that tell us that Christians who have a saving belief in the gospel should make a practical difference in the lives of those around them. Christianity is compassionate or it’s counterfeit.

From the very beginning of Redemption City Church in 2013, we have sought to be a people that SHARE God’s love verbally and SHOW God’s love practically. We’ve seen God do amazing things as we’ve built houses for people in need, fed the hungry, provided clothing and education to those who desperately needed it, and supported missionaries who do the same.

But we feel like God is calling us to something more, something unusual.

That sense of leading started in 2018, when God gave Redemption City Church over 23 acres of Williamson County farmland through the generosity of Frank and Francis Ingraham. Immediately, we started asking God to make clear how we could best use this gift—farmland that I grew up working on—to advance his kingdom purposes. About 8 months later God led us into conversations with a local non-profit doing amazing work called Cul2vate.

Over the past 5 years, Cul2vate has been growing food to feed the hungry and using the chronically employed to do it, helping equip them to get back to the life God created them for. Cul2vate was founded by and is led by a childhood friend of mine, Joey Lankford, who also worked on the Ingraham farm with me.

Just when we were praying for a partner that could help provide the needed expertise to grow food on this kind of scale and help people along the way, Cul2vate was looking for an opportunity to multiply what they’re doing somewhere else. The timing was perfect!

After agreeing to work together, this past December we launched our “Hope for the Hungry” initiative, asking you to give $15,000 to get it started. This money would cover costs like putting in a small gravel parking pad, purchasing needed tools, seeds, and more. And you responded by giving over $27,000!!! Yes!

Then, this past Sunday, I spent half of my normal preaching time to interviewing Joey at Redemption City Church. I thought it was so important for everyone to hear his powerful story of walking away from everything the world could offer to give his life away through this ministry. You can listen to it here.

This past Sunday we also began asking for 250 people to commit to work 1 hour a month for 7 months, starting mid-March, to provide hope for the hungry. You don’t, of course, have to be a farmer, just willing to provide hope for the hungry in practical ways. You’ll plant seeds, pull weeds, harvest food, and deliver food, just to name a few of the key jobs. Families, groups, and anyone else, can do this together. It’s going to be something you’ll never forget.

Will you pray that God would use our efforts to provide physical and spiritual hope to the hungry this year? We believe that we need God’s help to advance God’s purposes, so we pray.

Will you be one of the 250 people who sign up to help 1 hour a month for 7 months? If so, let us know here. Signing up in this way will enable us to get the needed information to you as easy as possible.

God is going to do amazing things through this new ministry effort. I’d love for you to be a part of it. Check out the Cul2vate’s video below to learn more about this awesome ministry (btw, Dr. Coffey, who you will meet in this video, will be volunteering full-time at RCC’s property!).