Blog Archives: January 2017
Noah's Ark
January 19, 2017
When we think about the story of Noah’s Ark, we often remember the detail that it rained for forty days and forty nights. Sometimes we forget that Noah and his family were not able to get off the boat right after it stopped raining everything but cats and dogs. They had to wait another 150 days for the water to uncover the tops of the mountains, and then a couple more months after that till they were able to set foot on dry ground. In the Bible, 40 is used to denote a very, very long time. Jesus faced 40 days of temptation in the ...
A New Thing
January 17, 2017
The firewall came down this week and it was hard to see it go. The firewall was a cinder block wall which separated the Christian Education part of the building from the bell tower and Sanctuary. It is what stopped the fire from destroying the whole building and let us be able to renovate a sanctuary that only suffered minor smoke and water damage. I’ve grown fond of it being around because of what it did for our church. When the wall came down you could see straight into all the classrooms and all the way down to the wooden framing. If it ...
Merry Christmas
January 15, 2017
As Christmas wishes were being exchanged among staff, building committee members, contractors and workers, this word of Christmas blessing came to us from the president of the company who is overseeing it all:
“Somehow, it seems clear that God has this church, right in the palm of His hands. The challenges just keep coming, but by His grace and the incredible tenacity and passion of His people, the challenges are faced and solved, one at a time. There is something magical, mystical and majestic moving through this. Could it be the Holy ...
Fragrant incense to the skies
January 15, 2017
Anyone who has been through a construction project knows that there are always surprises. We’ve had a few- a water main break and the inevitable slow downs that come with building projects. But in construction, as in life, if you look for them, there are also good surprises! We would like to share one with you. As one of the walls was being removed upstairs in the youth corner, we got a glimpse into the attic of the sanctuary and found stunningly exquisite work in the beams and roof that comprised the sanctuary built in 1953. They took as ...
Church Burned
January 14, 2017
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard someone- whether they are a member of the church or a member of the community- say, “I watched the church burn.” It is usually said with teary eyes and a feeling of immovable sadness. This is one of the scars that was left on the firewall after it was all said and done. To me, it looks like a flame. And every time I see it, it reminds me of these comments and what it must have felt like to watch something you have come to know and love so deeply succumb to fire. When Jesus rose from the grave, he ...
Construction Blog Welcome
January 13, 2017
“Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare...For thus says the Lord: Only when Babylon’s seventy years are completed will I visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.”
For every other weekend of our lives in 1995, my brother and I came with our Dad and one of his ...