Psalm 118:1
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.
First off, thanks to all the core leadership of Vineyard ReCovery for taking up the slack so Vicki and I could celebrate our grandchildren's birthdays.
Ashley was born on April 3rd, and Tyler was born on April 6th, so each year we do a combined birthday party for them. We, the grandparents, take turns hosting the event, and this year it was our turn. So Saturday night we gathered around the Bynum table for laughter, food, desert and the making of a whole gaggle of new memories.
The one thing I'm most grateful for is that VRC isn't about me. It's about a group of people who collectively make up the leadership. It is a real blessing to me when I can take off a Saturday night and know that the meeting is in good hands. Seth Barber spoke Saturday night, and after talking with him yesterday, it seemed that the message was spot on. Debbie Handy took over leading worship, and this was her first time back to lead since her hospital stay last year. If I can truly say anything, it is the simple fact that when Debbie leads, we are taken into the presence of God in the songs she chooses.
After almost eight months....
In fact, one day short of 8 months...
The renovation work being done on our home is over.
Michael Heath, painter extraordinaire, finish putting down the shoe molding in the kitchen. Finished touch up painting, and was out the door.
It's been a long haul, but one that we were confident God was leading us in.
The house is almost 70 years old and was in need of a major overhaul if we wanted to continue to live here (which we did).
We had been praying about having the work done, as well as provision for the job, for some time. Well, to put it bluntly, we'd been praying and seeking a plan from God for the past 10 years.
His plans began to fall in place last April. I was at the church working when I felt led to do a word search to see if anything came up under foundation repair. We'd sought help from five different companies in repairing our foundation, but each time one would come out to survey the damage, we never heard back from them, and they never returned our phone calls. Needless to say this left us a bit fearful and paranoid. But a name came up on the word search and I placed a call to them. Long story short, they came out, surveyed under our home and told us that the repair was doable and would solve our current problems. This began our journey in rebuilding our home.
On some level, I also felt that what we were going through was a symbol or example of what God is desiring to do in our life.
Inspect our spiritual foundation: Are we solid in what we believe, or have we allowed cracks and settling to take place. If the foundation in our beliefs isn't solid then things from the outside will creep in and began to rot away the structure.
We had new windows installed: This gave us a new way of seeing things. It also brought more stability and an efficiency to our vision. Our old way of seeing live was now replaced by a new way. More clear and efficient.
New siding installed: The house was now wrapped in insulation before the siding was put on. Once again the old had been removed and the new applied. I think life with Christ is exactly like this. As we progress in our relationship, we are called to replace old behaviors (outward evidence of inward change) with new ones.
New roof put on: Here again, more efficient. Maybe that is the entire message behind our renovation. Becoming more efficient. Hebrews 12:1 tells us that "We are to strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up."
In other words, we become more spiritually efficient in our following of Jesus.
The attic was insulated: Keeping the outside on the outside. Cold or heat not allowed to penetrate out living space. This allows the inside to be a constant temperature. Isn't that the one characteristic we all strive for in following Jesus? Stability? That when the world seems to be crumbling around us at ever turn, Jesus is the one true constant that we can rely on every time.
All in all, these last 8 months have been a learning process for Vicki and me.
Learning to trust God at every turn.
Learning that whatever He has planned for us will also include provision to see it through.
Learning that we have to remain patient even when it seems as though nothing is happening.
Learning that our Father in heaven even cares about new kitchens and new bathrooms.
I know this may sound silly, but my wife has the kitchen shes always dreamed about courtesy of her Father.
For that I am grateful.
I know that at some point in the future, this old house may not be here.
But the lessons that we learned from it have been true and foundational to our growth in Christ.
Come join us this coming Saturday night as Vineyard ReCovery Church celebrates its 3rd anniversary......Going to be a hoo-ha!
God on you....
mbb
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