Last week His Mansion was extremely blessed with a semi truck load of produce—a generous donation that more than made up for our lack of food after a bad growing season. Residents and staff knew the truck was coming, but no one could predict the overwhelming sense of joy as 20 pallets of corn, green peppers, tomatoes and broccoli were unloaded.
This blessing we received was much needed and much appreciated—but it was also labor intensive. All residents and staff were called in to help clean, prep and bag the produce, working long hours and weekends in order to get it into the freezers quickly. We received a blessing, but we were also required to invest ourselves. The blessing itself would have literally spoiled had we chosen to receive it and then do nothing with it.
Christ also calls us to invest ourselves in the blessings He gives us. Many times I want my blessings prepackaged and ready to “eat,” but He calls us to devote ourselves to preserving the gifts He gives us in order to provide for His people in the future. I am challenged by the fact that I so often want the finished product. May I always be willing to invest myself in the blessings the Lord has entrusted me with, and not complain when the Lord’s gifts aren’t shrink-wrapped as I think they should be.
“From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”—Luke 12:48
—ML
I’m amazed by how quickly we return to our own sin. Recently the His Mansion staff and residents read straight through the bible, and somewhere in the midst of the Israelites constant on-again/off-again relationship with the Lord, I remember thinking, “Why didn’t these people get it?” And as soon as the notion left my mind, the Lord laid this thought on my heart, “Are you any different?”
Good question—and honestly, the answer is, “No.” But instead of condemning myself or becoming hopeless, I’m taking this opportunity to learn more about the character of God. I’m beginning to see that the story of the Lord’s chosen people boomeranging back and forth between God Almighty and false gods does not highlight the fickleness of humanity, but rather showcases the steadfastness of the Lord.
And so it is true for us today. We are human. We all sin. We can choose to repent and accept the consequences, but forgiveness, repentance and humility are never about us and should never be used for self-glorification. Instead the forgiveness we receive should highlight the greatness of our Almighty God who would see us in all our failings, through all our faults—warts and all, and choose to love us.
–ML
Eighteen new residents entered the program last week. Eighteen lives looking for transformation. Eighteen souls longing for an eternal home with Christ. I remember when I first walked onto “The Hill” as a resident. It was within the first half-hour of my arrival that the tears began to flow. I became suddenly aware of the depth of my disorder and the bottom of the pit my life had become. I thought it was the end.
Now—with almost three mansion years under my belt, I look back and I recognize that first day on the Hill not as the end, but only the beginning. Just as the Lord had a call on my life and a hand on my shoulder that day three years ago, so He does with these eighteen precious souls who are now a part of our family. And to them I say, “Hold on for the ride of your life. It won’t be easy, but it will be good. And it will take you farther than you’ve ever dreamed.”
–ML
It’s amazing what one finds when the snow melts in New Hampshire. After months of wintry whiteness covering the ground, the spring thaw is bringing up more than April flowers. Earrings, hand tools and even car keys that were deemed lost forever are being reunited with rightful owners.
As I was passing one of our rock walls a couple of weeks ago, I noticed three carefully balanced melon-sized stones perched atop the wall. The stones were placed there by a resident who wanted to commemorate the faithfulness of the Lord in her life, just as the Israelites built Ebenezers to remind them of what God had done in theirs. The young woman had carefully stacked them when the trees were still green and the flowers in bloom. They spent the winter covered with snow, and when they reappeared after the long 4 months, the young lady had moved on, giving in to the cry of the flesh rather than the call of the spirit on her life.
“A shame,” I thought, “that a work of the Lord can be revered one day, and forgotten the next.” But how often I do the same. I too have built a tower in my heart to the Lord and then almost immediately, given my soul over to the desires of my sinful nature. I too, have turned my back on an Ebenezer and continued to walk the ways of inconsistency and erratic behavior.
In his book, The Attributes of God, author A. W. Pink says it well: “Human nature cannot be relied upon, but God can! However unstable I may be, however fickle my friends may prove, God changes not. If He varied as we do, if He willed one thing today and another tomorrow, if He were controlled by caprice, who could confide [or have confidence] in Him? But all praise to His glorious name, He is ever the same. His purpose is fixed, His will is stable, His word is sure. He then is a rock on which we may fix our feet, while the mighty torrent is sweeping away everything around us.”
–ML
“No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. If he does, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse. And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, he pours new wine into new wineskins.” Mark 2: 21-23
It’s the season of newness. Fresh starts, clean slates. Calendars with stark, empty pages. Big goals. Bigger dreams. It’s the time of year when people resolve to lose weight, quit smoking and get out of debt. The old is gone; the new is here.
Sadly, most of these good intentions will last anywhere from a few hours to a few months. I’m still amazed at how often I attempt to fit my “old ways” into my new life—much like pouring old wine into new skins. The things I’ve given up seem to taunt and tempt me. “One more time for old times sake,” they say. “It won’t really hurt.” But just as the old skins cannot contain the new wine, so my old life cannot coexist with the newness of my life in Christ. They don’t go together, and something would end up ripping apart…and that something would be my life
The Lord knows we can’t make a patchwork quilt out of old and new habits. But I’ve still tried. And just when I think I have everything together, the seams start busting and it all falls apart. I’m reminded of King David’s resounding “if not for….God” in the Psalms. If not for God, we would be crying over the spilled wine of fruitless attempts at recovery. If not for God, the fabric of our lives would exhibit the gaping holes of loneliness and desperation. If not for God, there would be no new life.
Thank the Lord for new beginnings!
–ML
The sound of men’s voices and a power generator starting woke me up at 3:15 this morning. I knew then it had happened—the ice storm had come.
From my window I saw silhouettes of trees limbs matted with ice, and I heard the occasional crash of heavy laden limbs falling to the ground. And in the darkness, I distinguished many of the men on the hill scurrying from building to building; starting generators, stoking boilers, clearing paths, and cleaning up fallen limbs and power lines—just another instance of our community coming together in a time of need.
At His Mansion, we live and work everyday as a family. But often we forget how vital we are in one another’s lives until a crisis or emergency falls upon us. Stan Farmer reminded us at breakfast this morning how much we really do need one another. Every person here has an important part to play, whether it is putting food on the table or preparing enough wood to heat 20 buildings all winter long.
I was blessed to hear how one of our staff women awoke with her husband at 3 am this morning and made food for the men who were laboring together in the icy cold. It may have seemed like a small contribution, but it was a precious gift to those who were nourished. What a welcome reminder! No matter who we are or how we are gifted, we are all needed, we are all valuable, and we are all integral members of the Body of Christ.
–ML
A few nights ago the His Mansion family gathered together for the annual Christmas Coffee House Talent Show. I was overwhelmed by the caliber of talent present in our little community, and I was even more awestruck by the tremendous creativity of the residents—creativity that in the past was stifled by Satan and self consumption. Those who previously used their voices to manipulate sang about the faithfulness of the Lord. Men and women acted and danced to draw laughter from an audience through playfulness rather than crassness. Hands once controlled by the desire for momentary pleasure touched keys and strings to make beautiful music. Minds once used to scheme and deceive collaborated to write a play.
When a lifestyle of drugs, addictions and destructive habits overtakes us, often our creativity is abandoned. An eating disorder takes the place of music in our lives. Alcohol takes the place of a paintbrush. Depression steals our voice. It really is a plot of the enemy as the first of God’s characteristics we read about in His word is that He is the Creator. “In the beginning, God created.” He created us in His image, so we too, were designed to create. The hardest punch Satan can throw is to steal creativity away from the Lord’s created.
Last night, as music and laughter seeped from the doors of the chapel, a message was sent to Satan and the powers of darkness: We will not be robbed of our passion. You cannot kill our desire. Our inspiration cannot be destroyed. Our giftings may vary, but they are nonetheless the imprint of our maker, and we will worship our Savior by singing and dancing and playing music and being the people we were created to be.
–ML
It’s Michael T. here, blogging from Northern California.
I am a typical type A personality who likes things planned and laid out. On this business trip for the ministry a couple of opportunities were in place ahead of time, but a lot of things fell through. I was a bit disappointed initially, because I don’t like to travel unless the time is filled and productive. But before I left, I was convinced that God wanted me to trust Him and see Him work out each encounter and appointment. So what has happened so far?
At Golden Hills Christian Church, I had the opportunity to speak to the Recovery Ministry and got excellent feedback and even a little friction (from one individual, which turned out to be an excellent learning opportunity for me). To my amazement, I was asked to do some distance mentoring for a leader here, and I am overwhelmed and grateful for the opportunity. What a surprise, what a stretching process for me!
On Sat. I went to a brunch that was stimulating and challenging with leadership folks from the Recovery ministry. A great opportunity for me to work through some important truths about healing, hope, and recovery from people who have experienced addiction and new hope in Jesus. Saturday night I had a great fellowship time with some bright Asian American young adults, mostly engineers and technical folks, but the best was being with their pastor and his family for a delectable salmon dinner and even more luscious was the conversation about the challenges and joys of life.
Sunday A.M, I worshipped at Home of Christ church, Cupertino, CA and afterwards met a young woman who was visiting the church for the first time. She is pre-med student from Berkeley. She has had a heart for overseas service especially China and was struggling to find people who could help her grow in this passion. Wow, talk about divine appointments! (For those who don’t know, my wife and I planned for many years to be overseas workers in China before we moved to New Hampshire and have many friends who work in China.)
God is incredibly faithful, and He often enjoys providing an unexpected adventure for those wanting to let Him guide. I am sure glad I did.
I awoke this morning to a thin covering of snow on the ground; at last it is winter in New Hampshire. The glory of autumn is a faint memory, and the trees are now bare and stark against the cold grey sky. A few stubborn leaves remain. Dry and brown, they cling to the limbs, refusing to fall to the ground. Refusing to let go. Refusing to give up. I am reminded of how I am often like these leaves.
I see them clinging for dear life to a source that no longer satisfies their needs. And just as the tree no longer gives life to the leaves, my former addictions no longer sustain me. In fact, they never really did. But instead of letting go, I cling to false hopes and promises. Even though I am dying, I cling. Even though I am alone, I cling. Even though every law of nature tells me to let go, I cling.
Letting go looks like death. Falling to the ground to wither and rot seems like the end. But it is only the beginning. Dead on a limb, I accomplish nothing. But broken and willing on the ground, I become one with the dust; transformed into fertile soil prepared for new growth.
The Lord desires me. He desires to grow me into a new creation. He desires to raise me from my pit of despair. But first, I must let go. I must let go…and fall…and rest in His hands. Only then will the winter of my soul experience the renewal of spring.
“I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” –John 12:24
–ML
