Imagine yourself as a living house. Mere Christianity

From an old friend, in one of his greatest surprises both in content and timing.... Thanks Andy.

I thought you might like this quote from C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity, one of my favorite books:

Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to?

The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.

ps (from Brad).  The picture is the future site of Restoring Lives West, a ministry of Lynhurst Baptist Church for homeless teens,  just south of Washington St.  in Indianapolis.  Even though it seemed beautiful on the outside, it needed a complete re-do on the interior.  We actually stripped this old house down to the studs on the inside, it seemed such a fitting picture of what C.S. Lewis describes about you and me.   Your will LORD.

Homework for the teens, and their parents.

A good question, what is one way we need to grow? What verses does God help you identify to answer the question? My new years resolutions are:

1. Praise more, criticize less
2. Major in the majors
3. BOLDLY pursue contentment through risk with others to the GLORY of God. 

And the verses given to me to walk this out?  

PUT ON ....Gal 5:22-24 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

PUT OFF....Col 3:8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.

Its been a while since the obscene was a problem in my speech, but the rest of it, anger, wrath mailice.....are not far enough away.  Why?  My expectations are apart from the LORDs, I have not learned to be content in all things.  Not learned to learn in all things, and still praying "Lord I believe, help me in my unbelief.

The One: Is marriage possible? (in three minutes)

There is a story behind this teaching from over a year ago, I cannot tell it now...but one day I will.  My friend Scott talks about where dreams can carry to the wrong goals, but that yes, marriage is possible.  Below is a transcription of the best part, about 3 minutes.

QUESTION:  Is it really possible for marriage to work? …to commit themselves for a lifetime? If you look around maybe not, statistics say 1/2 the people who get married don't make it. …If possible, what does it take?  ….

RESPONSE: "....we talked about this thing:  how we all, at a young age, we start looking for "the one", you know  its just something that is "ingrained" in us. We start looking for the one. 

We think If we just find the one, our life will be complete. Young adults and single people you know it easy sometimes to get  obsessed with finding "the one". 

Sometimes you get married and realize that "I choose the wrong one" and you you start looking for "the one" again.

Even little girls from a very young age: there are fairy tales about the princess and the knight, the one knight who comes and rescues them and little girls as they grow up and start dreaming and planning at a very young age their wedding night (or their wedding day).  I guess its the boys that are think about the wedding night.  

So the girls' think about the wedding day, and think about walking down the aisle, they think about their dress, making their vows, getting married, they think about having a family, having the 2.5 children that we have, and just living happily ever after. 

What we said that first week is that maybe "the one" we are looking for is the wrong one.  Maybe "the one",  as followers of Christ, as Christians, maybe the one everyone should be looking for is actually God. And its a relationship with Christ that we need to find and discover and pursue in our lives.  And have that as the foundation.  And then once we have that as "the one" with Christ, then we can go and start looking for our "two".  And we set ourselves up for a much more likelihood of success if we have the one in order and pursue our two that we want to marry and spend our lives with. 
…..

Full teaching here... Thank you Scott Himes, it was good to remember brother
 http://blip.tv/file/3258565?filename=Lifechurchindy-SurvivingAsOne972.m4v

LOGOS Leadership

If you can only take away one thing, it was a successful meeting, conference or whatever.

A consultant from LOGOS institute a communication agency, came to teach senior leaders at work.  I got a surprise invitation, even though my pay grade just didn't match the audience.  I sat for less than an hour...but couldn't help thinking about how it might help me talk to my son, and talk to God about those who NEED help.

LEADERSHIP is understanding where they might be, meeting them where they are.  Attentive to what they care about and focus on that first. LISTEN

1. Prevent confusion: too much communication spent fixing self-inflicted harm
2. Facts are rarely persuasive:  You lead with data, most people don't respond well to data.
3. Need to be intentional: Listen

I AM

This literally popped up on my screen today...I've no idea where it came from, then again, maybe I do. 

1. “I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward” (Genesis 15:1).
2. “I AM WHO I AM” (Exodus 3:14).
3. “I am the Lord your God” (Exodus 6:7).
4. “I am the Lord who heals you” (Exodus 15:26).
5. “I am gracious” (Exodus 22:27).
6. “I am the Lord who sanctifies you” (Exodus 31:13).
7. “I am your portion and your inheritance” (Numbers 18:20).
8. “I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised by the people” (Psalm 22:5-7).
9. “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God” (Isaiah 41:10)
10. “I am the Lord, that is My name” (Isaiah 42:8)
11. “I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior” (Isaiah 43:3).
12. “I am the Lord, who makes all things” (Isaiah 44:24).
13. “I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me” (Isaiah 46:9).
14. “I am He, I am the First, I am also the Last” (Isaiah 48:12-13).
15. “I, even I, am He who comforts you” (Isaiah 51:12).
16. “I am He who speaks” (Isaiah 52:6).
17. “I am with you to deliver you” (Jeremiah 1:8)
18. “I am ready to perform My word” (Jeremiah 1:12).
19. “I am merciful” (Jeremiah 3:12).
20. “I am married to you” (Jeremiah 3:14).
21. “I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth” (Jeremiah 9:24).
22. “I am weary of relenting!” (Jeremiah 15:6).
23. “I am a Father to Israel” (Jeremiah 31:9).
24. “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh” (Jeremiah 32:27).
25. “I am the Lord who strikes” (Ezekiel 7:9).
26. “Because you have spoken nonsense and envisioned lies, therefore I am indeed against you” (Ezekiel 13:8).
27. “You are men, and I am your God” (Ezekiel 34:31).
28. “I am God, and not man, the Holy One in your midst” (Hosea 11:9).
29. “I am returning to Jerusalem with mercy” (Zechariah 1:16).
30. “A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am the Father, where is My honor? And if I am a Master, where is My reverence?” (Malachi 1:6).
31. “I am the Lord, I do not change” (Malachi 3:6).
32. “I am gentle and lowly in heart” (Matthew 11:29).
33. “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).
34. “I am among you as the One who serves” (Luke 22:27).
35. “I am the bread of life…. I am the living bread which came down from heaven” (John 6:51 35,).
36. “I am One who bears witness of Myself” (John 8:18).
37. “You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world” (John 8:23).
38. “Before Abraham was, I AM” (John 8:58).
39. “I am the light of the world” (John 9:5).
40. “I am the door of the sheep” (John 10:7).
41. “I am the good shepherd” (John 10:11).
42. “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25).
43. “Where I am, there My servant will be also” (John 12:26).
44. “You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am” (John 13:13).
45. “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).
46. “I am in the Father and the Father in Me” (John 14:11).
47. “I am the true vine…. I am the vine, you are the branches” (John 15:1,5).
48. “You say rightly that I am a king” (John 18:37).
49. “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End…who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8).
50. “I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore” (Revelation 1:18).
51. “I am He who searches the minds and hearts” (Revelation 2:23).
52. “I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star” (Revelation 22:16).

Beautiful? Yes you are....

A message worth Sharing...and the Song from Mercy Me:


This weekend from the John Piper Conference (Children Desiring God), I was reminded of the centrality of a father's praise for our boys as they demonstrate those biblical qualities of manhood (self control, protection, provision).   The same praise is needed for young women as they respond in ways like a biblical woman of inner beauty. 

Its just a shadow of the message that God delivers to those who are saved through His Son  “....You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” Luke 3:22

God doesn't make mistakes, and Bart explains from a fathers heart how ‎"It should blow your stinkin mind!"

"The world tells you that you are unlovable...but because of the Cross, we have value. That's far greater than what the world says, and its far greater than our good works. We DESPERATELY NEED JESUS."

"You... didn't just stumble in here. He tells the stars when to shine, and He is madly in love with you."




Cause you are more than what is hurting you tonight. They are nothing in the Shadow of the Cross....you are made for so much more than all of this....you are beautiful in His eyes. You are treasure, you are sacred you are HIS. (YES YOU....)





I'm Holding a Miracle,