“What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds.”  James 2:14

This got me to thinking today.  In this time of sheltering in place and social distancing and virtual church…. it is even easier for faith to become mental, not physical, for faith to be a noun, not a verb.  As noted in James, faith blooms through action, and I don’t know about you, but in my pandemic world action is in shorter supply.  It occurs to me that this is the risk, at least a risk, the risk that because my deeds can’t take their usual form, they just stop even though the needs they address are still there.  If I don’t have a gym to go to I’ll just stop exercising.  What I recognize, in glimpses of enlightenment, is that some adaptation is needed – that I need to ditch “normal” and step into the unease of abnormal (though some would say I have lived there comfortably for years).  Going to church needs to take on some other form and those needs need to be met some other way.  Lunch with a friend who needs to talk (or lunch with me who needs to talk) ain’t gonna happen and will need a substitute.  That Friday morning men’s bible study will need to become virtual for now.  And of course, some needs will be unmasked as unneeded.   Onward.