How do you build a better home?

You make sure you find the right builders

Ones who build a better home with:

Solid foundations

A sound structure

And supporting beams

Have you ever been around somebody’s house that felt like a show home?

You know the type

Where you feel a steely glare if you put your coffee cup down in the wrong place

Or you have to hover over the carpet,  just in case you wear it out

It just doesn’t feel comfortable does it?

Something just doesn’t feel right

Seems a little fake

And you certainly don’t feel like you’re welcome

Makes you feel as though you don’t want to come back

That’s not building a better home

Using your gifts to build a better home

Last week I shared a little on being asked to write and direct our Church’s first Christmas Production

As I started writing the script, I realised that God was using me to build something more than a Christmas Show

I felt He was using my gift to

To build a better home

God tells us in Matthew 16:18 that ‘He will build His Church’

And He does it with His people

But I felt God was asking me to rise to more than just leading actors, musicians and a production team

Through the process of God stripping things away and me taking a step back, I actually felt I had become a better leader

One who didn’t base people’s worth on their rank or title

A leader who didn’t ache for the applause or credit

And one that leaves their ego at the door

The motive behind the Christmas Production’s script, was to show the people the God I know and love

With that in mind

I started to build my team

As I ‘pitched’ my idea to them

They were excited and honoured to be part of the vision that God had placed in my heart

Through this Production, God was using me to make His House

A home

Build a better home

Over the months of rehearsals, my team started to feel like family

I wanted them to feel comfortable in the messy process of developing this new and creative idea God had put in me

I wanted them to take ownership of what we were trying to create

I wanted to pour everything I knew about how to perform drama on stage into them

At first some were apprehensive and fearful that they could pull something like a huge Production off

But my Pastors believed in me

And I believed in the team

And we supported each other

I wanted to build a better home for each team member

Where they could feel safe and secure in the process of giving birth to this idea

Ed Catmull who is president of Pixar Animation and Disney Animation said this;

“I know some people who like to keep their gem completely to themselves while they polish it.”

In other words

Ideas can’t be hidden

We can’t keep our ‘gems’ to ourselves

Frantically polishing them

Until they are perfect and sparkly

That’s not how you build a better home in the House of God

At the start of our rehearsals nothing was polished – believe me!

But as I started to lead and ‘build a better home’ for the team

We polished that gem TOGETHER

Nothing that we do as believers is for us to keep to ourselves

We need to build a  relationship with God and with each other

So people sense that they’ve come home in the House of God

We need to stop ‘doing’ Church

And start ‘being’ the Church

 

 

I am blessed to be able to write stories

And I want to be a blessing to others

I know God is using my gifting to draw people to Himself

Together we can build God’s House

But as His disciples we can build a better home

John 3:29-30 says it so beautifully

“That’s why my cup is running over. This is the assigned moment for Him to move into the centre, while I slip to the sidelines.”

When we do that as His people

God’s House becomes a Home

Where we can help people feel safe and secure

A home where we don’t need to strive and push our way forward

A home where we can forge new ground with creative projects

Without the fear of being scolded for getting it wrong

Innovative ideas that cause people to sit up and notice that Church isn’t boring

We serve a creative God

And

When we let God move to the centre

And we slip to the sidelines

We have solid foundations

A sound structure

And supporting beams

To

Build a better home

 

Wendy xo