Have you been missing things lately that used to annoy you? When I moved here from California, I remember thinking one thing I would definitely not miss were the six lane freeways filled with cars moving in both directions. Then came the Hillside Strangler and potholes and seasonal road construction. Pretty soon I was missing those toll-free smooth roads.

Living through this pandemic brings its own batch of little things we miss.

But before we go down the road of waxing nostalgic about the busy narthex or parking in the library lot, or those kiddie crafts week after week, or most seriously missed—standing right next to people in line for Sunday morning coffee from Commons Cafe, I want to know: what’s something new you’ve tried during the pandemic?

For a lot of us, the answer might be Zoom. But don’t reply with that. It’s not new anymore.

One new thing we’re trying in an attempt to hear from you is "the question of the week." We can’t see each other. We definitely can't touch each other. but here’s your chance to answer a question. We’ll compile them to share in our church communications. A different question every week.

Here's the first question: What’s something new you’ve tried during the pandemic?

It could be anything.

A story in The New York Times the other morning, “The Birds Are Not on Lockdown, and More People Are Watching Them,” provides one answer.

“Bird-watching has surged in popularity this year” the article reports. “According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, birders set a world record on May 9 for Global Big Day, an annual bird-spotting event. Participants using the lab’s eBird platform reported more than two million observations—the most bird sightings documented in a single day—and recorded 6,479 species.”

While it may not be new for him, I've been enjoying the photographs Marr Miller has been posting of the wildflowers he and Mary are seeing on their walks on the trails. That's Marr's photograph of a Prairie Trillium.

In my small group last night, I asked if anyone had been baking bread. I've read that many are curious about it. One person raised her virtual hand and told about a four-ingredient recipe she's using to bake her own bread in her instant pot.

So what about you?

For Mark Caldwell and Dickson Valley Camp a day-camp-only summer is a new thing. “We’ve done overnight camps for many years, but only recently have we done day camps. This year, it’s the only thing we can do. We have had volunteers build hand-washing stations [a pretty creative station as you can see below] and a hand-washing song kids can sing as they wash their hands. The hand-washing song is John 3:16 to the tune of 'Row, row, row your boat.' Our program was already decentralized so we have small family groups for activities. We’ve grown the camp through a network of families. We have a high number of non-church-attending families bringing their kids. People appreciate the Christian focus as opposed to other alternatives. We have a hundred new families a year. For those families, day camp is their new thing. As we get closer and closer to the start of this year’s day camps, questions are coming especially from the new families. The parents are entrusting us and the other families that we are taking the proper precautions.

“Everything the counselors say and do can show that we have a foundation that is beyond the shifting sands of society. We have a firm foundation beyond that. Camps are needed as part of the healing process as we move forward. From the kids’ perspective, just getting out, connecting with other kids and counselors, even with all the restrictions, could be a tremendous opportunity and so much better than what they’ve known these past weeks.”

Let’s pray for the ministry of Dickson Valley’s day camps—for the ministry to children and their parents.

Pastor Moody asked us in last Sunday’s sermon to pray and share the gospel with one person this week. How’s that going? Maybe your attempt is a new approach. We invite you to share that.

And if you feel like a failure in that department, take heart. We’re all just little pieces of the gospel chain, interconnected in ways that only God can do. Be encouraged by this video of a USC Trojan football player's multiple attempts at sharing his faith. They all seemed like one big fail after the other. Watch his story here on RightNow Media.

Remember that for some people, the “something new” might be God. Imagine that. Pray. Maybe God can use us to help point people to Jesus.