“Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

My husband got this crazy idea 15 years ago that we should build our own house. I must be even crazier because I went along with it! We did our research, put down a hefty chunk of money and one morning we ended up with a tractor trailer load of logs and an 80 pound tome of blueprints.

GAME ON!

We went to a weekend seminar where we learned all about constructing a log home. They even allowed me to use power tools! Believe it or not – it is kind of like building with a life size set of Lincoln Logs. How hard could that be – right? We left feeling confident that we could handle the job. We measured twice (or seven or eight times….because that’s just how my husband is) and cut once. Aaaaand the VERY first course was not even close to being right!

So – we called in some experts. We paid the company that we bought the logs from to come out and give us a little help getting re-started. They gave us some on the job training and we were off and running again…..for a while….until we got to the corners, and the windows, and the peak – and then we would call them in and get their advice and expertise to keep us going.

And whenever we had questions or concerns we had that incredibly LARGE stack of blueprints that we would refer to OFTEN. By the end of the construction process those blueprints were worn and faded and dog eared and crinkled on the edges, but the plans never changed. The lines and words on the pages remained the same no matter how often we referred to them.

Building our own home was an unbelievable amount of work. Even now, fifteen years later when I think about it – I’m not sure how we ever pulled it off. And because we worked our proverbial butts off in the process we value it so very , very much! I am so incredibly thankful for our home – it is one of the biggest blessings in my life.

You know where I’m going with this right? (I am pretty predictable with my illustrations) All of God’s blessings arrive – SOME ASSEMBLY REQUIRED – BUT they also come with the same kind of support system as my Lincoln Log house.

Sunday mornings are like the weekend seminars when we get helpful tips and advice to get us started. Then we go out into our daily lives and try to apply what we learned. Our small groups are like the experts that we turn to when the going gets rough and we need some additional support. They are designed to lift us up and give us that extra boost that we need to keep going. And always – whenever in doubt – refer back to the ultimate construction manual – our blueprint for life – any answer you need can be found in God’s word. Make sure your bible is dog-eared and crinkled on the edges.
The words on the pages will always remain the same.

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.” Psalm 32:8