If you have ever tried doing anything worthwhile, meaningful and eternal; you’ve been ready to quit.  At some point, it really hits you, “I’m not adequate for this.”  Gospel ministry is bigger than we are.  It’s bigger than our talents, gifts, money, commitment, strengths, resolve and ingenuity.  It’s bigger than our resources, our budgets, our ability to network and the latest “Easy Button” book.   We are trying to convince the invisible spirit of people that the invisible God has a better plan for them than all we can currently see.  We are trying to get believers to “set their minds on things above,” when the things below are often very appealing and also very visible.  The distractions abound.  We are weak and frail.  Others have quit, why should we keep going?  Our current survey of 2 Corinthians is about all those frustrations and misgivings.  We’ve learned so far that we experience hardship that we might rely on God.  We’ve learned that we should keep our minds on “The Day” to come when we will rejoice over one another in the presence of Christ.  We’ve learned that in spite of the fickle nature of humans, God is faithful!  His yes is always yes!  This letter forms a theology of resilience to help us when we are tempted to give up and give in.  Chapters 2 and 3 will help us deal with our misgivings about our own abilities, about the struggle to get the help we need and about the importance of forgiveness within the context of ministry.  Lord willing, we’ll see you Sunday for “Our Sufficiency is From God.”