Rachel Starr Thomson - The Quarantine Chronicles: A Call to Courage in Dispiriting Times

THE QUARANTINE CHRONICLES

A Call to Courage in Dispiriting Times

by Rachel Starr Thomson

The Quarantine Chronicles: A Call to Courage in Dispiriting Times

Published by Little Dozen Press

Crystal Beach, ON, Canada

littledozen.com

Copyright 2020 by Rachel Starr Thomson

Visit the author at rachelstarrthomson.com.

Unless otherwise marked, all Scriptures are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, Copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible, Holman CSB, and HCSB are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Scriptures marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

All Rights Reserved. This book, or any portion thereof, may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system (except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review or other endorsement, or in a recommendation to be printed in a magazine, newspaper, or on the Internet) without written permission from the publisher.

Before You Begin ...

Scripturally solid. Spiritually inspired.

Click to subscribe.

WEEK 1

TEMPORARY RESIDENTS

E mail 1: Thursday, April 2

A new thing Im doing that concerneth you

Well, friend, were in a weird time.

If youre anything like me, you are sick of hearing about it but also adjusting to a new normal. For most of us I suspect that new normal manifests as a form of displacement.

For me thats super literal; I am not at home or even in my own country. I was with family in the US when everything amped up, and all things considered, it didnt make a lot of sense to go travel back home.

For you the displacement may be less drastic (or more), but I suspect we all feel a little like foreigners in our own world right now. Nothing is the way it used to be. We dont know whats coming and we havent had time to acclimate. Its rough.

And Im like youI want everything to go back to normal. At the same time, this Scripture is echoing in my bones:

His voice shook the earth at that time, but now He has promised, Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also heaven. This expression, Yet once more, indicates the removal of what can be shakenthat is, created thingsso that what is not shaken might remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us hold on to grace. By it, we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:26-29, HCSB)

I prayed a bunch about whether I should do anything different during this crisis, and I felt like yesI should show up for you. So Im planning to email daily (or almost daily), Mon-Sat, every day for the next six weeks.

These wont mainly be sales emails, although they will mention books and link to them. Their purpose is to offer perspective and encouragement and maybe some light diversion too. Im affectionally calling these emails the Quarantine Chronicles.

(Also, they mostly wont be this long.)

They will be daily because hey, everything is disrupted right now, and wouldnt it be nice to sit down reliably over coffee every morning and talk about things that matter?

And finally:

Shortly after all this began two weeks ago, I sat down and wrote a 40-page meditation on the book of 1 Peter, which speaks directly to displaced people like us. To the temporary residents, it starts out.

I published it digitally the same afternoon I finished it. You can get it here.

Its free, or give what you want. (Just leave the price set at 0 or else put it whatever amount you want before you hit Buy This.) And please, feel free to share.

Im grateful for, and a little awed by, the kingdom that cannot be shaken. In this season, I hope that more than anything, well grasp the opportunity to reestablish our lives more firmly on this foundation of grace.

Blessings,

Rachel

Email 2: Friday, April 3

Set your hope completely

So yesterday morning I read a Scripture that shook me up. Its in 1 Peter 1, because I am super camped out in this book right now. Heres what it said:

Therefore, with your minds ready for action, be serious and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:13)

Right now I *really* want to set my hope on a truckload of other stuff. Economic rebounds, vaccines, viral mutation, all kinds of stuff. Some of it is plausible and some is probably delusional, but thats kinda the pointif we put our hope in the world it is always going to find ways to disappoint us.

But the grace of God never will.

At first I thought this Scripture didnt really apply, because its talking about the second coming of Jesus. And it is, but also, Jesus reveals himself successively to us on a regular basis, at many times and in many places. My pastor has been talking recently about the power of encountering Godof coming into contact with Gods truth in a way that changes us.

The kind of revelation of Jesus Christ also brings us grace. And we can set our hope completely in that, today.

The really amazing thing about revelation is that the word basically means unveiling. Revelation doesnt make something real. It shows us whats already there.

There is life-sustaining, hope-giving grace for you and me in Jesus Christ right NOW. Its already there. Lets ask God to open our eyes so we can see it.

Blessings,

Rachel

Email 3: Saturday, April 4

a few of my favorite things

Good morning!

During this 6-week series of quarantine emails, Ill send an email every week or so that shares some of my favorite/most uplifting things Im watching, reading, or listening to.

Some will be free; some will not. Heres why Im still encouraging people to buy things right now: although many are suffering financial hardship (and my heart is with you so deeply), if you still have money, you can best help the economy by participating in it.

That means if youre a creator, create; if youre a seller, sell; if youre a buyer, buy. To the extent that you can do so responsibly. This is a very practical way we can all help our neighbor right now, even beyond the benefit to those artists/writers/sellers who are directly helped by purchases you make.