A House vs A Home

Investment is the difference...  (I apologize for all of the graphic changes. I'm still trying to find what will look the best for the blog!)

As we continue to organize and shuffle boxes around in our new house, the comfort level of being there has really increased over the last few weeks.  I'm making a conscious effort to notice this because in the beginning, our house definitely did not feel like a home.  It's an old one, built originally in the late 1800's, with many creaks, noises, and other points of character that come with a 130 year old property.  Since I've been observing our transition, it has really had me thinking on what makes a home.  I'm finding the more we invest our time in the place, it becomes innately ours.  If you've ever moved to a new location, you know the feeling of uneasiness that comes with change and the slow comfort that comes as familiarity creeps in.  We're still getting to know the place and our roots have yet to really dig in to the soil of our new location.  I'm finding what makes a house, and the shell that it is, in to a home and the warmth that it brings.  For me and maybe for you, it's the people, the objects imbued with memories, and the love shared throughout.  

Our modern view of gathering together in the Lord's name for church has had me thinking lately on where my heart is in relation to the comparison of a house vs. a home. Sometimes I find that church has become more of a scheduled activity rather than an anticipated opportunity to worship and gather with like-minded people.  Like many, I consider myself a member of my church, but do I consider myself a part of it?  Church attendance is more than a chance to check off a good deed for the week and to many has become more a religious activity than the fulfillment of it’s original design.  Outside of teaching and hearing the Word of God, coming together in the Lord’s name in church is to be a refuge for the weary believer who has endured the world and needs to gather with other Christ followers to be encouraged to continue on and to find that we are not alone.  We are to have hearts that are knit together closer than even our own families because the blood line we share supersedes our earthly ones since Christ's blood is eternal.  I like to tell my friends that if they are in Christ, then they can’t escape me because I am in Christ and I will literally know them in a million years.  Imagine that!  Yet, we do not typically see our own brothers and sisters in Christ with such love, let alone the lost of this world. Christ prayed that we would have this kind of heart for each other in John 17:20,21.

John 17:20,21

I do not pray for these alone,
but also for those who will believe 
in me through their word; 
that they all may be one, 
as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; 
that they also may be one in Us, 
that the world may believe that You sent Me.

I recommend reading the whole chapter.  It's beautiful.  Christ prayed that just as He and God were one, we would be also so that the world would believe in Him and see Him in us.  Purposeful love together is what draws more people in to a relationship with the Lord.  This is the love that goes beyond ourselves and serves others so that they may feel loved and not just us being enabled to feel like good people.  I realize this calls for so much humility and obedience.  However, the house of God won't feel like a home until we've invested in each other in such a way that we are exposed and even open ourselves up to being hurt in the name of loving for His sake.  Isn't the Lord worthy that we may embody Christ's prayer?  The heart of the church should be a commitment to each other in the name of Christ and not merely a commitment to an organization at large.  Otherwise, what's the difference between a church and other community social groups like the Shriners or the Lions club?  

Prayer:  Lord, please open my eyes to the true calling of your Church.  Help me to see past my own selfish reasons for church attendance and look to minister to the hurting people I'm surrounded by so that they may see you in me and I may have the honor of serving you.

All flesh is grass...

Our front pasture...

                               Also see below for a homemade cough medicine recipe!

Isaiah 40:6-8

6 The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:
7 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.
8 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

From a farming standpoint, grass is life. A famous contemporary farmer, Joel Salatin, who has been made famous by such recent documentaries as Fresh and Food, Inc proudly states that he isn't a cattle man despite having hundreds of cattle, or a poultry farmer despite having thousands; he is a grass farmer. Grass to most is the green jewel of manicured lawns and the bane of gardens everywhere, but it is so very necessary since it is the natural food of just about every piece of meat that we consume. It is a staple of survival, yet more often than not I used to view it more as a chore than a blessing.  So, if we are what we eat then truly all flesh is grass, I suppose.

In Isaiah 40, our mortality and fragility in this life are compared to the grasses of the fields. As I look out over my field, I see that the grass has turned golden, brittle, and yet still beautiful. In August before the hay was cut, I remember seeing some of those stalks at eight foot tall! How the mighty have fallen! The Lord provides such an important reminder to us in this scripture of our limited time in this place and how we must take seriously His calling of obedience to be a witness. Notice also how the flower of the grass fades because the glory to be had in this life apart from the Lord is for naught. It truly is a fleeting gesture of short lasting importance. Does this mean that all is for nothing and that we shouldn't waste our time? If we are merely grass, should we seek to rise above the ground? Absolutely! I would say to you what I would always say to my class of young men in the youth at church, “We are involved in the only calling that can actually affect other people's eternities.” It is so extremely encouraging that the Lord would allow us to seed and water His fields. It is the highest honor bestowed upon a person that we may not only serve the true and living God but also reveal Him to hearts darkened by the sin in this world. So, my challenge to you is not to see our lives as grass that will wither as a negative thing at all, but a call to leave a grass stain on this Earth that will exalt and glorify the King of Heaven and Earth!

Prayer: Father, please help me to wrap my heart around knowing that what I do with the limited time I have here is of eternal importance to myself and other lost souls out there. Please, Lord, help me to see that the glory that I claim for myself will dissipate in the wind like a dandelion's puff, but if I look to you and have your kingdom in mind, my actions can echo in eternity. Thank you for showing me who I am in you and please give me the heart to be in your Word and even more so live it.

Also, recently a cough has been going around and I have found a remedy for alleviating it.  If you are interested, please see the recipe below.  It helps stop the coughing and breaks up the yucky stuff in your throat.  It’s especially helpful before going to sleep so you will not cough your head off. See below:

Ingredients:
Apple Cider Vinegar ½ cup
Lemon Juice ½ cup
6 tablespoons Honey
Teaspoon Cayenne
Teaspoon Ground Ginger

Simmer ½ cup apple cider vinegar and a ½ cup lemon juice then mix in the rest of the ingredients and stir well.  We store ours in a pint mason jar and it should keep on your shelf for a long time.  It has quite a kick when taken by the spoonful so I mix mine with a glass of water.  It actually tastes great in hot tea or hot apple juice/cider!  I would recommend the same recipe minus the cayenne for a cold preventative tonic too.