I know it has been for ever since we have updated the blog. I just do not remember it taking this long or being this hard to make a house a home. I guess the mama in me just wants everything to be perfect for the girls and hubby. We have made all the furniture purchases and everything has been delivered, and set up. I still do not have any pictures or whatnot's or little things like that to sit around but Hubby says I am starting to accumulate things again so maybe things are getting back to normal whatever normal is.
On March 24th we had a Home Dedication Service, Pastor Tommy did a great job, friends and family seemed to enjoy seeing the house and the few changes that we made during the rebuilding stage. This is Pastor Tommy's dedication service " To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven." Many times I have wondered why God allows things to happen. Why would god allow this family to lose their home and some possessions that could never be replaced at any cost? Why would He allow this to happen at a time when they were still recovering from another tragedy only months earlier? As their family, their friend, and their Pastor, I did not know the answers. It may be to test their faith. It may be to teach them some valuable lesson. It may be to let the world see the response. It may be none of the above. Have they allowed the world to see a Christians' reaction to a crisis? Even though the answer to all these questions would be yes, it still doesn't explain the question "why?"I do know that know God is in control. They saw how God used their dog to wake them up. They saw how God had friends and family in place to meet their needs. today the have invited all of us to see how God has taken their tragedy and given them a better house, and a better testimony to His grace and provision. Because of that, they have asked that their new home be dedicated to the Lord, and asked for the Lord to bless their new home.What is a home? Webster defines a home as:"a residence; a place where one's domestic affections are centered; or a refuge or place of retreat. "It's a safe place. It's a place of love. It's a place you can go when there is no other place to go.What does it mean to dedicate? Webster defines dedicated as: "to set apart and consecrate to a deity or for a sacred purpose; to formally offer something to a person or for a cause; or to set aside for a specific function, task, or purpose. today this family is offering their home to God to use for any purpose He see fit.To that end, I want to remind them of two points about the home that are emphasized in the Scriptures.
I. God Places A Priority On The Home. He placed a priority on the home, before He place a priority on the church building. Real ministry begins at home.
A. God's Word speaks to the home. The Ten Commandments were given in context of the home and neighborhood. They are to be obeyed first at home.
B. God's love is revealed in the home. In the beginning He created a home environment. Our relationships in the home are used by God to tell the world how He cares for us.
C. God's church thrives in the home. The church was born in the upper room of some one's home. The early church grew from house to house. People had church meetings in their homes. In most of the world today, that is how new churches begin. Though you will probably never have a church meeting in your home, things that are a priority in the church should be a priority in your home. There should be prayer. There should be Bible reading and Bible study. you should invite people here to encourage, comfort, and support them.
The Lord has many priorities for the home. he also has something else.
II God Has A Purpose For Every Home.
A. Christian education happens at home. Remember how faith was handed down from Lois to Eunice To Timothy?Deuteronomy 6:6-7, "These words which I command you today shall be in your heart. you shall teach them to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down and when you rise up."
It doesn't matter whether you have young children or grandchildren, you still have a special place of influence to nieces, nephews, and friends. It's never to late to teach older people about walking with the Lord.
B. Christian charity begins at home. 1st Timothy 5:8, "If anyone does not provide for his own, and especially those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever." Taking care of your family in time of need is Biblical and it is a great witness to others.
Conclusion: God has priorities and purposes for the home. The ministries that He has set for the home are the ministries that are most needed today. If you practice these things, you will find that your home will be blessed by god and god will bring ministry opportunities to your door. "To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven."
We still do not know the "Why", but we do know that God has and will continue to provide what ever we need.
Thank You
We Love You
Rick, Cindy, Ashley & Kerrie
