Good Wednesday Morning FBCT Family,

I do not like the definition of “the new normal.”  I’m not sure what that means.  The restaurants in New Mexico were in the news this week. They were closed, they were open, they are closed again.  I feel badly for the restaurants in New Mexico, since they can only offer 50% capacity on outdoor dining. This is not normal for them.  The industry is suffering as so many others are. A lot of us are suffering too.  We are in unfamiliar territory with the COVID-19 virus.  Extraordinary things have happened as far as handling this virus, and yet we still have many unknowns about it and about our lives right now. Jesus knows that we are suffering.  He asks us to “cast our burdens on Him,” because his yoke is easy and his burden is light.  But, do we know how to do that?  It’s very hard sometimes to give up our worries to the Lord.  We tend to cling to what we “know” in our lives, and trusting anyone else is foreign to us, even if it is trusting in Jesus.  But He invites us to do just that.  He knows how much we need peace in our life and how hard it is for us right now. Many other people are suffering in different ways as well.  We have prayer needs, we have praises, we have people who are enduring hardships of every kind. Our East Mountain Food Pantry serves many of these people who are having a hard time.  They need money and food donations to help these people.  If you can donate money, your time, or food, please contact Sammie Hutchison.  If you have food to drop off, we have a box for your donations.  We can always forward your money donations to Sammie if you prefer. And, we have the Feed the Kids program that helps undeserved children in the school across the street.  Volunteers pack food every 2 weeks and take the food to the school for distribution.  They are always in need of single-portion food products, foods that don’t require a lot of preparation.  If you can help out with money, time, or food donations, please see Rose Alexa. We have been so blessed in this church.  We are looking forward to our upcoming building program.  We want to have plenty of room for expansion, and all of our programs will have ample space. We telecast our Sunday morning worship on Facebook and on our website (fbctijeras.com).  If you can’t come in person, please join us each Sunday. And, we have our Wednesday night prayer service at 6:15 online.  Dom sends a link in the afternoon for you to join in. I personally want to thank our staff, Karen and Lindsey, for helping keep the church running during this time, and a special thank you to David and Dominic for making the online work so we can get God’s message out. Please continue to pray for our church, our community, our country and leaders, and our world.

In His Love,

Pastor Alan