Coronavirus

In addition to the escalating numbers of victims and patients and its devastation of our economy, the pandemic is disrupting our daily lives in unprecedented ways. Adrienne Heinz, a clinical research psychologist at the Veterans Affairs National Center for PTSD, notes: “Our routine is the scaffolding of life. It’s how we organize information and our time. And without it, we can feel really lost.”

As a result, she says, “I’m ... really worried about families. I’m worried about increases in alcohol use. I’m worried about domestic violence. I’m worried about child abuse, because parents are under-resourced.”

On Wednesday, Vice President Mike Pence urged churches of more than 10 people to stop meeting, noting that the temporary restrictions on large group gatherings are necessary to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Pastor Greg Laurie's Harvest Christian Fellowship church in California transformed itself into a drive-thru coronavirus test site on Wednesday.

New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson released a statement Tuesday criticizing Samaritan’s Purse, which set up a 14-tent, 68-bed respiratory care unit in Central Park.

Just as the economy is uncertain, the “economy” of many churches and nonprofits are also uncertain as giving falls off.

Although this new simple at-home lifestyle amid the coronavirus pandemic is largely counter-cultural, it aligns with a fascinating Dutch discipline that has numerous proven benefits from which I believe we can grow during this pandemic if we allow ourselves to get comfortable in the uncomfortable.

A group of nurses gathered atop the Vanderbilt University Medical Center building in Tennessee earlier this week to pray amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Award-winning artist Dolly Parton announced that she is donating $1 million to Vanderbilt University's medical center for coronavirus research.

On Wednesday, President Trump said his biggest disappointment in regards to the coronavirus is that churches cannot meet in this critical time of need.  

One of the most-read articles ever on Harvard Business Review is an interview with David Kessler on the grief we are feeling in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The article describes Kessler as “the world’s foremost expert on grief.” 

He notes that “we’re feeling a number of different griefs. We feel the world has changed, and it has. We know this is temporary, but it doesn’t feel that way, and we realize things will be different. ... The loss of normalcy; the fear of economic toll; the loss of connection. This is hitting us and we’re grieving. Collectively. We are not used to this kind of collective grief in the air.”