last night i was home alone. i don't really like that and had forgotten to pick up a movie. while i could have chosed between strawberry shortcake or tom and jerry i decided to flip through the tv. closing ceremonies were on, but didn't seem to intrigue me. so i kept flipping. it must have been a clear night because i could get abc. extreme home makeover was on and decided this would be just the thing.
i got cozy on the couch and in the first 10 minutes was crying. now, i rarely cry at tv. really. and while i'm sure this was a rerun, i was moved by this family of 6. they moved their young family into the middle of the roughest neighborhood. gun shots every night. i can't imagine. but this pastor had slept in his car one night and realized how broken people were. he realized he wanted to make a difference. their house was run down and housing several people off the street. his wife made food to feed tons of people. over time the community was changing. their kids honestly liked their life there. you could tell they loved their neighbors. it was beautiful.
then the construction began. their story had so moved the crew that they tore down 12 buildings and started over. they remodeled their house and turned it into a community center. they built a communal living quarters that was amazing. then they built the family an incredible house. it was amazing. the people in the neighborhood all pitched in to help. at mid week the crew put together a meal to feed the neighborhood - just because that is what the family would have done. the builder announced that he would be hiring from within this community to start building new houses - in that community!
i have to say, the entire show had me captivated. here was a family truly loving one another. they gave of their time and resources. and they had very little. but gave it all! they kept saying they dream this community to be the one people long to live in. they interviewed families living there and all of them said how grateful they were to this pastor and his family.
you know....i've had some really intense inner conversations lately. ones about what God has called me to do and how He has called me to live. i stopped last night and asked myself if i would move my family like they did. would i? could i do that? could i trust God to keep us safe? i'd like to say yes, but i really don't know.
but i definitely know that they were filled deeply with Christ's love and gave it freely. and that i can do - anywhere and anytime.....so i pray that live like that. full of His love and giving it away freely.
i got cozy on the couch and in the first 10 minutes was crying. now, i rarely cry at tv. really. and while i'm sure this was a rerun, i was moved by this family of 6. they moved their young family into the middle of the roughest neighborhood. gun shots every night. i can't imagine. but this pastor had slept in his car one night and realized how broken people were. he realized he wanted to make a difference. their house was run down and housing several people off the street. his wife made food to feed tons of people. over time the community was changing. their kids honestly liked their life there. you could tell they loved their neighbors. it was beautiful.
then the construction began. their story had so moved the crew that they tore down 12 buildings and started over. they remodeled their house and turned it into a community center. they built a communal living quarters that was amazing. then they built the family an incredible house. it was amazing. the people in the neighborhood all pitched in to help. at mid week the crew put together a meal to feed the neighborhood - just because that is what the family would have done. the builder announced that he would be hiring from within this community to start building new houses - in that community!
i have to say, the entire show had me captivated. here was a family truly loving one another. they gave of their time and resources. and they had very little. but gave it all! they kept saying they dream this community to be the one people long to live in. they interviewed families living there and all of them said how grateful they were to this pastor and his family.
you know....i've had some really intense inner conversations lately. ones about what God has called me to do and how He has called me to live. i stopped last night and asked myself if i would move my family like they did. would i? could i do that? could i trust God to keep us safe? i'd like to say yes, but i really don't know.
but i definitely know that they were filled deeply with Christ's love and gave it freely. and that i can do - anywhere and anytime.....so i pray that live like that. full of His love and giving it away freely.
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