Dear Editor, Senator Dan Goddard has served his district well during his first term in the state senate and is running for re-election. In spite of the fact that he has been a responsive listener and served his district with distinction, he has an opponent in the primary election.

“Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?” (Hebrews 1:14) One of the names of God in the Bible is Jehovah Tsebaoth which means “The Lord of Hosts” or “The God of Angel Armies.” I believe that it is God’s desire that His children walk in victory and supernatural favor in these last days that we are living in. We need help and assistance if we’re going to fulfill the destiny that God has called us to fulfill. The Lord wants to send His angels to help us and assist us in doing the work of the Lord! Don’t grow weary, discouraged, or fearful. God is on your side! He is fighting your battles if you will trust Him! The God of Angel Armies desires to send heavenly reinforcements to strengthen us and help us in the spiritual battle that we face each day. The Bible says in Ephesians 6:12, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” We are living in evil days and the devil is doing all he can do to defeat Christians and cause chaos in our world. During this time of fear, uncertainty, and shaking that we are going through, God is wanting His people to know that He is with them and will never leave them or forsake them. Romans 8:31 says, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Demonic spirits have been loosed on the earth today to cause anger, fighting, and murder. Our nation is under a spiritual attack like we’ve never seen before. God’s people must rise up and begin to pray and take a stand against the darkness and evil in our land. Our weapons are not carnal but mighty through God! Our weapons are the name of Jesus, the spoken Word of God, praise and worship, and the precious blood of Jesus. All of heaven is backing you! Jesus is the Commander and Chief of the armies of God! In Acts 12 we see an angel going to the prison where Peter was and bringing a supernatural rescue to him. The Christians were praying for Peter to be released and God sent an angel to help Peter get out. Prayer brought this miracle to pass! God wants to send His angels to help us today if we will pray in faith and believe that God wants to bring answers to our prayers. The Lord has planned strategies for bringing victory in every challenge that we face on this earth. We must bind up the assignments of the enemy in Jesus Name and release the angels to work on our behalf! Psalm 103:20-21 says, “Bless the Lord, you His angels, who excel in strength, who do His Word, heeding the voice of His Word. Bless the Lord, all you His hosts, You ministers of His, who do His pleasure.”

Dear Annie: What’s the correct etiquette for giving gifts for “reverse order” weddings? I have seen several times where a couple will first have a small civil ceremony to get married without the immediate expense of a formal wedding. Then, about a year later, they will have a formal wedding and reception, with the wedding shower being held before that date. This actually has had to be done by many couples where weddings had to be postponed because of the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 shutdowns. Most likely you’ll not be invited to the civil ceremony but are invited to the shower and wedding. What is the etiquette for gift-giving for these three occasions? Should you give the couple a now and later wedding gift as well as a shower gift? The civil ceremony will be the couple’s official wedding date. -- Friend of the Bride and Groom

Sometimes, it’s the most unusual thing that turns out to be the magical solution for a household problem. Things like a hairdryer, a bottle of essential oil or a tube of toothpaste.

CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK TIED TO FRATERNITY PARTIES IMPERILS FALL SEMESTER AT UC BERKELEY SAN FRANCISCO — An outbreak of coronavirus infections tied to parties connected to fraternities at the University of California, Berkeley is imperiling the prospect of in-person fall semester classes, university officials warned In just one week, there have been 47 COVID-19 cases confirmed by the campus’s University Health Services system, the university said in a letter to the campus community. Most of the 47 new cases “stem from a series of recent parties connected to the CalGreek system, which included students both within the CalGreek community and others, and led to some secondary spread within households and within other smaller gatherings,” said a letter written by Anna Harte, medical director of the campus’ health clinic, and Guy Nicolette, an assistant vice chancellor.

The locally grown food movement has been gaining momentum. At the same time, the high cost of food is challenging all of us to find new ways to cut costs without sacrificing healthy eating.

Dear Annie: My husband is in his late 50s and works in road construction. Every time that he is assigned to a job that lasts at least six to eight weeks, he always seems to start trying to pick up a female co-worker, usually in the age range of 25 to 35. He will buy them cigarettes and lunch and drinks and is super sweet to them. He texts them all day and always tells them how beautiful they looked that day. And to every single one of these women, he at some point says: “Ever since I’ve met you, I’ve really come out of my shell. Thank you.”

The most recent jobs report found that nine of the 10 states with unemployment rates above 14% are in liberal blue states. Ranked from highest to lowest, they are Nevada (25.3%), Hawaii (22.6%), Michigan (21.2%), California (16.3%), Rhode Island (16.3%), Massachusetts (16.3%), Delaware (15.8%), Illinois (15.2%), New Jersey (15.2%) and Washington state (15.1%). I call this the “blue-state jobs depression.” The states with the lowest unemployment rates are all conservative red states: Nebraska (5.2%), Utah (8.5 %), Wyoming 8.8%, Arizona (8.9%) and Idaho (8.9%).

Florida, Arizona, Texas and California are among the states that thought they could reopen early. They also got sloppy with requirements for wearing masks and social distancing. Now their ICUs are stretched to breaking with coronavirus patients.

Dear Annie: The COVID-19 pandemic broke my relationship. I was with my guy for 14 years, and we live in different towns. When all this stuff started, we both agreed that we couldn't see each other because his elderly mother lives with him. That was all fine. But then I asked him to please stay in contact, by phone or text or email. I waited one month before hearing from him. He proceeded to tell me his opinions on our fragile couple situation, criticized me, and then stopped contact altogether.