A Canadian rapper, a heavy metal band, and an Italian opera singer are making news today.

Andrea Bocelli, Drake, and Metallica are all creating headlines for their musical efforts to help in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

But our victory over COVID-19 depends on women and men whose names we do not know but whose sacrifice is essential to our lives and future.

And, of course, the One whose strength we need most to defeat this invisible enemy is the One who is himself not visible in our fallen world. 

Read more at http://www.denisonforum.org

A Canadian rapper, a heavy metal band, and an Italian opera singer are making news today. Andrea Bocelli, Drake, and Metallica are all creating headlines for their musical efforts to help in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

But our victory over COVID-19 depends on women and men whose names we do not know but whose sacrifice is essential to our lives and future.

And the One whose strength we need most to defeat this invisible enemy is the One who is himself not visible in our fallen world.

President Trump announced yesterday the White House’s three-phase plan for easing social distancing measures, a subject I intend to discuss in this afternoon’s Special Edition. For this morning, however, let’s shift from news about the coronavirus pandemic to focus on a surprising way to respond to news about the pandemic.

I’m reading Edward Achorn’s Every Drop of Blood, which masterfully sets Abraham Lincoln’s second inaugural address in its historical context. I have long been a student of Civil War history, but I did not realize the depth of personal rejection and suffering our sixteenth president endured as he tried to lead the nation through her most perilous days.

And yet, Lincoln was famous during the war for his quips and down-home humor. He would often respond to criticism and anger with a story that changed the entire tone of the moment. He once explained his strategy: “With the fearful strain that is on me night and day, if I did not laugh I should die.”

The act of increasing and then decreasing our heart rate through laughter is calming and tension-relieving. Laughing can even release stress- and illness-reducing neuropeptides, boosting our immune system.

So, it would seem that finding ways to laugh during a crisis like the Civil War or the coronavirus pandemic is good for us socially and medically.

My point is not that we should always respond to crisis by finding something humorous in it. 

My point is that we should respond to crisis by looking for something transcendent in it.

Read more at http://www.denisonforum.org

President Trump announced the White House’s three-phase plan for easing social distancing measures. However, let’s focus on a surprising way to respond to news about the pandemic.

I’m reading Edward Achorn’s "Every Drop of Blood," about President Abraham Lincoln, who was famous during the war for his quips and down-home humor.

This invites the question: Is laughing during a crisis like the Civil War or the coronavirus pandemic good for us?

Read more at http://www.denisonforum.org

China is making headlines for all the wrong reasons today.

The US government is considering the possibility that the novel coronavirus originated in a Chinese laboratory rather than a market, though sources say it is premature to draw any conclusions.

In related news, an AP article notes that the Chinese government waited six crucial days after determining they were facing a pandemic before warning the public.

Today, let’s focus on a fear we should feel: the fear of sin.

Read more at http://www.denisonforum.org

China is making headlines for all the wrong reasons today.

The US government is considering the possibility that the novel coronavirus originated in a Chinese laboratory rather than a market, though sources say it is premature to draw any conclusions.

In related news, an AP article notes that the Chinese government waited six crucial days after determining they were facing a pandemic before warning the public.

Today, let’s focus on a fear we should feel: the fear of sin.

THE DAILY ARTICLE FOR APRIL 16, 2020

Dr. Anthony Fauci's thoughts about reopening sports point to strategies to restart the economy. Today's podcast discusses these options and then invites us to trust the only One who knows the future and will lead us into his perfect purpose and peace.

ABOUT THE DENISON FORUM

The Daily Article is a daily biblical commentary on the news of the day by Dr. Jim Denison.

To learn more about the Denison Forum, visit DenisonForum.org or email us at [email protected].

Dr. Anthony Fauci's thoughts about reopening sports point to strategies to restart the economy. Today's podcast discusses these options and then invites us to trust the only One who knows the future and will lead us into his perfect purpose and peace. To receive The Daily Article via email, subscribe at TheDailyArticle.com.

The great bell of the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral will ring out tonight.

Today marks the one-year anniversary of the blaze that consumed the spire and roof of the 850-year-old cathedral. Officials say the fire came within half an hour of burning the building completely to the ground.

The bell will ring at 8 p.m. Paris time, coinciding with the hour when Parisians applaud from their windows and balconies in support of frontline staff risking their lives to treat COVID-19 patients.

These Special Editions are intended to help us fight our pandemic fears with faith. Today, we’ll discuss our tendency to respond to fear not by turning to God but by trusting in ourselves. 

Read more at http://www.denisonforum.org

The great bell of the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral will ring out tonight. Today marks the one-year anniversary of the blaze that consumed its spire and roof.

The bell will ring at 8 p.m. Paris time, coinciding with the hour when Parisians applaud in support of frontline staff risking their lives to treat COVID-19 patients.

Today, we’ll discuss our tendency to respond to fear not by turning to God but by trusting in ourselves.