Awesome time last night in small group. Thanks Tim and Drew for having us in your home...funny thing about homes, that is what my journal time was on this morning. I am so pumped to serve at a church where ministry, life change, encouragement, conviction, worship, prayer all take place in our own living rooms....in our own homes... Right on!
Right before my journal time this morning I spent a few moments writing out a thank you card to an awesome family that just recently opened their home up to our student ministry. I love being invited into people's homes and I love having people over at my home. What is so cool is that for a moment, my stuff becomes their's and their stuff becomes mine. Who people are, what they care about, what they value...it all comes clear in their home. Just the other evening, we (Beth, the kids and me) spent some time at our good friend's home. We spent almost the whole night hanging out around the fire, relaxing and talking. I love that! They have a sincere passion for other people and what is most valuable to them is sharing conversation, laughs and encouragement with everyone who steps through the doors of their home. When you are at someone else's home, for the duration of your time there, their stuff becomes your stuff. Their furniture, your furniture. Their food, your food. Their fire, your fire. Their home, your home. In Acts 18:26 we see an awesome couple open up their home to a man named Apollos. He was a great communicator, knowledgeable in the way of the Lord, and he handled the truths about Jesus accurately. When the couple, Priscilla and Aquila, heard him speak publically they realized that he knew truths about Christ but had yet to fully understand the work of Christ in his own life. They invited him into their home, loved on him and shared the full truth of Jesus with him. The response could not of been better. Not only did it put all the pieces together for Apollos personally, he then went on to become a prominent leader in the church in Corinth. (see I Cor 1:12, I Cor. 3, Titus 3:13) So many lives were changed for all eternity because a couple opened up their home and shared Christ's love with someone. Isn't that awesome. My prayer is that I would see my home as a place where eternity can be shaped and changed. I pray that all of us would take the opportunity to use our homes to share the faith, hope and love of Jesus Christ with our families, neighbors, friends, classmates and co-workers. One of my life verses is I Thes. 2:8. I pray this for my family and your's today!
"We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us."
I Thes. 2:8 (NIV)
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