After several difficult months, Ken and I spent days preparing for a much-needed time away to rest our bodies and our souls. Within 24 hours of arrival at our beautiful family retreat in the North Carolina mountains, Jackie was not feeling very well. Assuming it was simply exhaustion, she went to bed very early. The next day she felt worse and had a fever. While packing, Jackie threw two Covid Test kits in her suitcase (she has never had Covid). On a hunch, she took the Covid test and who finally got Covid—Jackie. We called our doctor who ordered the protocol treatment. Within two days, Ken was not feeling well and he spiked a 105 Fever. Ken took the Covid test, and he also had Covid. On the news two days later, we saw that a variant of Covid was spreading through NC. We called our doctor back and they told us to go to the ER because of Ken’s very high temperature. Seriously, are we going to rest sitting in the ER for 4 hours in an isolation area because of Covid? When we finally returned home (after picking up the protocol medicine for Ken), we were limping around trying to help each other and Jackie started to giggle. She said, “What a team we are, both with Covid, both feeling bad, but we are “limping around” helping each other. Jackie said, “I believe we are going to Limp Over the Finish Line into heaven. The next day we had a counseling phone call with a friend in crisis and the Lord used the ‘Limping Kendalls’ to encourage a struggling sister in Jesus, even praying over her when we were both still sick. The Lord said that night, “Jackie, you and Ken have Covid, but the Holy Spirit does not have Covid. He can use your bodies for His purpose even when we are ‘limping’ across the finish line.” This verse was a burst of oxygen for our souls while ‘limping.’
“I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. THEN you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Rom. 15:13)
POM POM WAVING PROPHET
During our Covid quarantine, I was spending extra time studying the WORD when I jumped off my seat and began to do a HAPPY DANCE. Here is the passage I was reading, and I wonder if you can guess what provoked the “happy dance?”
“So, the Jewish elders continued their work, and they were greatly encouraged by the preaching of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah son of Iddo. The Temple was finally finished, as had been commanded by the God of Israel and decreed by Cyrus, Darius and Artaxerxes king of Persia.” (Ezra 6:14)
Did you guess what caused me to jump up and dance? Did you guess that the prophets encouraged the people as they worked? That was a great point but hidden in this verse is a POM POM carrying prophet! I took the time to look up the meaning of the name Haggai and can you guess what his name means? When I read the definition, I had a holy fit. “Haggai” means “festive.” He was God’s prophet, but he was “festive” and I literally saw him walking the Temple job site and waving Pom Poms at all the workers doing “Holy Sweat” for God’s Glory. I got excited about all the times Papa God has allowed me to be a POM POM Waving prophet.
Love from Two Limping Across the Finish Line,
Ken and Jackie Kendall