Answering Your COVID Calling

My first conversation of the day began with a text among close friends. “It’s sobering to see how very quickly our world has been shaken. I often find that all I can say in response to the news is ‘Jesus.’ He is all we need. He is more than enough.”

In this group, we check in on one another, share prayer requests, and provide updates on family and our ministries. As I looked at our thread that day, the impact was clear. Though none of us had tested positive for the Coronavirus, COVID-19 was affecting each of our lives in significant ways.

In John 16, Jesus told his disciples of things to come. Christ spoke about events that would bring great joy, but He also said we would face situations that would cause great grief. The book of John wraps up with the following verse.

John 16:33 Amplified Bible (AMP)

I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace. In the world you have tribulation and distress and suffering, but be courageous [be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have overcome the world.” [My conquest is accomplished, My victory abiding.]

Isn’t this particular verse encouraging? As much as it lifted my spirit, I also found it challenging. The reminder to take my eyes off the crisis and shift my focus from the newsfeed back to Jesus, the One who has overcome the world, is easier said than done. But the reward makes the investment of my energy and efforts worthwhile.

I’ve found that as my focus changes, my purpose—a specific message I feel compelled to share—becomes clearer. And if you take your eyes off the storm and place them resolutely on Christ, you will most likely experience the same.

For many of us who are drawn to write and speak publicly, we feel we have a God-given message inside us. With as diverse a group as we are, our specific calling will often appear different, but we do have commonality. When we know Christ as our redeemer and savior, messages of hope, healing, encouragement, challenge, joy, prayer, etc., are the roots of our God-given purpose.

In the midst of the turmoil of COVID-19, you have a unique opportunity to advance your call and message. This is not the time for panic or paralysis, this is the time for you to seize the day and pursue what God has placed within you.

At Brookstone Creative Group, we want to support you. Most importantly, we want to pray on your behalf. How can we do that? What are your needs? Simply email michele@brookstonecreativegroup.com or info@brookstonecreativegroup.com with your specific request, and our Brookstone team members will be honored to lift you up.

Also, we’ve put our heads together at BCG to provide some practical tips to help you make the most of your time at home, while the world practices social distancing. You can take advantage of the unforeseen and refine your brand or message—or start seriously pursuing your purpose for the very first time.

These simple exercises will help equip you for God’s purposes and plans.

• Clarify Your Message
  • Who is your audience?
  • What are their felt needs?
  • What do you offer that can provide a solution to those needs?
  • How will you bring your message to your audience—through spoken or written word—or both?
  • What is the intended reader/audience take-away

• Be Intentional with Your Message
  • Outline your message.Research the appropriate time for a spoken message to be given.
  • Research the proper word count for your genre.
  • Gather appropriate research—biblical, interviews, articles.
  • Discover how others are delivering a similar message to determine how your presentation will be unique.

• Focus on Your Message
  • Pray for clarity, direction, and Divine inspiration.
  • Write consistently. Daily get words on paper.
  • Advance little by little, day by day.

Yes, our world has been shaken, but we have a choice in how we use this time. We can obsess about the uncertainty and circumstances we cannot change, OR we can get busy bringing Good News to those who need to hear it.

God is asking us one particular question for such a time as this. “How will you answer my call during the COVID crisis?”  Please leave your comments below.  I’d love to hear from you.