by Steve Higginbotham
Due to the pandemic, most believers find themselves in unfamiliar circumstances, especially
with respect to worship. We suddenly find ourselves unable to engage in many lifelong habitual
yet meaningful practices. Having to worship at home may be discomforting to many of us. We
might find it difficult to concentrate. It may even feel awkward. And in hindsight, we might even
say it feels like we never really worshiped. These, indeed, are all legitimate challenges we may be
facing. We live in unsettling times. However, while we long to return to normalcy, allow me to
offer five suggestions that may help you while you are worshiping at home.
• Open your Bible and follow along. In addition to your Bible, grab a pen and notebook to write
down points derived from the sermon. This will help you stay engaged.
• Remove distractions. Stay off of social media, ESPN, and the news. In fact, I would encourage
you to not even use your electronic devices to avoid the temptation. Silence your phones
just as you would if you were at the church building. Also, if you have pets, put them
away. If your pet is like mine, she will try to demand your constant attention.
• Don’t neglect your giving. The work of the church must continue, whether we are gathering at
the meeting house or not. We have missionaries and many good works that depend on our
support. At Karns, you can conveniently give online, or you can drive to the church
building and drop off your contribution through the drive-through.
• Remember, we are still worshiping. Though it may feel more informal, we are still
approaching the throne of God and offering him our praise and adoration. Anything less is
unacceptable, no matter where we gather. Prepare yourself and your family mentally to set
the atmosphere.
• Remember, you are a participant and not the audience. Watching things on a screen may make
it easier to feel like we are onlookers rather than participants. But we must remind
ourselves that, whether at home or the meeting house, we are the participants, and God is
the audience, looking on with interest at our involvement.
Hopefully, these tips will help enhance our worship while we are temporarily separated physically.
However, we are still the church! We still have an important agenda to pursue. May God help us
to brainstorm and find new ways to be a reflection of Jesus in this world!
Editor’s Note: The above article was written by my friend, Steve Higginbotham, who now preaches
for the Karns church of Christ in Knoxville, TN. The article was written back on April 4, 2020,
when the coronavirus was in full force. The article was submitted for the Bulletin by Jonathan,
and contains many good thoughts which are still worth considering today. Some of you may
remember we had brother Frank Higinbotham, Steve’s dad, to Martinsburg to conduct a gospel
meeting many years ago. Incidentally, Steve is dealing with some serious physical health issues,
and would benefit from our prayers. Here’s a little more information you may enjoy reading about
Steve…
“I’m a native of West Virginia, growing up in the small town of Chester, WV, the most
northern city in the State. When people think of West Virginia, they typically think of a Southern
state, and I suppose it is classified as such, but my hometown, Chester, WV is the exact same
latitude as New York City. So, I’m a Yankee who’s been living in the South for the past 30 years.
In 1980, I entered Freed-Hardeman University, and graduated with a degree in Bible in 1984. I
met my wife, Kim (Pierce) at Freed-Hardeman, and together, we have four children (Kelli,
Michael, Matthew, and Anne Marie). Upon graduation from college, we moved to Nitro, WV where
I preached five years… In June of 2010, I began full-time work with the Karns Church of Christ
in Knoxville, TN.” —RCV
