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The sky would be falling around you too if you were an
Albanian chicken. It’s hard to find a more maligned species in all of
Europe. In Albania they called it “grippe poules”. For us in the
States it’s the strain N1H5 of bird flu.
How does it
affect our ministry? When a villager yawns and says, “I didn’t sleep. It
must be the bird flu.” Or when they momentarily forget their keys and
shudder, “My memory is gone. I’ve got the bird flu.” It has completely
permeated village life. Everything from stubbed toes to hang nails gets
blamed on the bird. There’s no checkered flag to this pandemic. It never
ends if you have fear. The interesting thing here is: the flu never
started.
The
hysteria began when poultry was banned from imports. Then the vaccine was
limited to the elderly. Now it’s firmly entrenched in society. It seems
the whole country is awaiting a giant tidal wave of the virus invading
everyone’s home. The only thing pandemic around here is fright. T.S.
Elliot said, ‘I can show you fear in a hand full of dust.”
The
author of Hebrews in his last chapter wrote some concluding exhortations to
the believers. Those readers were encouraged to make a break from the
ruling thought of the day and establish through Jesus the strong mettle of
spiritual independence. Thus, our life today can be confident because we
know only God can truly help and keep us from harm. “The Lord is my
helper. I will not fear. What can man do to me?” Heb. 13:6
The
other day leaving the village a chicken crossed the road in front of us.
That begs the question, “Why was he crossing the road?” I’m only assuming
it was to get his prescription filled.
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