God is a God of Restoration

This last weekend has just blown my mind.  I mean really, mind = blown!

I can tell you right now that I will come back and edit this, but I want to get it down on paper . . . uh digital paper as it were.

There is so much background that I am just going to skip momentarily because I am still picking up pieces of my blown mind--which is actually a good thing!

It started on January 15 of this year.  My cousin texted me and said that she and her sister wanted Ed and I to come out to their ranch and help with a project.  Every couple of weeks, she would send me a teaser, or a clue, to help me try to figure out the project and also to create excitement in me . . . well, it worked.

By the time we made the trip to the ranch on February 27, I knew that they wanted our help in trying to move an old church to the property.  And when ice and snow covered the roads the entire day were had to take the trip, I knew that God had ordained it because the enemy was trying so hard to prevent it.

After all the schools in the county closed, except mine, we planned to head out on the 2 1/2 hour trip knowing it might take a bit longer.  Here are some pics of our journey:

Obviously, the traffic was terrible on the highway because of wrecks and frozen roads, so we took the back roads.  Well, they were definitely less traveled but that meant they were SOLID ICE!  We had to have the heater and defroster on full blast so we opened to moon roof the not suffocate--nothing like snow and sleet falling on you while your body temp fights cold and hot.  Sigh . . . Texas weather.

Well, after 7 hours, we finally made it.  A miracle in itself since my cousin lives atop Straley MOUNTAIN!  But, as God is faithful, he kept us on the road, led us along a safe path and got us to our destination--praise the Lord!

The next day, my cousin was so excited to take us to Byrds, Texas to show us the church she had found.  But before she took us, she told us the story of how she found it.  To keep it brief, I will say that she took a trip to Content, Texas, after hearing there was a church for sale there.  She took her neighbors along for company but came home after realizing that wasn't the church she wanted.  Her neighbors ended up locking themselves out so they had to call a ranch hand to let them in.  When he found out my cousin had taken them to look at a church, he said he knew of one that someone was GIVING away.  My cousin was so excited and set up a trip to Byrds, Texas.

Upon arriving, she spoke to a man who said that he had been trying to give the church away for 2 years, but in the last 2 days, 2 people wanted it, so my cousin went home disappointed.  On the way home she thought maybe God had gone ahead of her and the man had already given it to us.

Her sister, meanwhile, looked up Byrds, Texas on the internet and found out that the church had been located at the cemetery there which was actually located on land donated by OUR FAMILY in the 1870's!!!!

Turns out, the church, dating from 1902, was our family church--WOW!!!  Look carefully and you will see that they church is beside the cemetery.  This was customary back in the day to have a cemetery located right outside the church.  Well, a few years ago, THEY (whoever that is) decided that the church was an eyesore and needed to be torn down.  An amazing lady, my mind is blown on this, refused to let THEM tear it down, so she paid $2,500 to move it about 50 feet across a fence to save it.

Church as it sits now--notice cemetery is in the background about 50 yards away.

House of the amazing lady who saved the church from destruction.

Now, as you can see, the church has deteriorated some, it's paint is well worn, the doors are falling off, windows are broken, the wood is falling away, and when we walked inside, it was filled with junk and in need of major restoration and repair.

So we decided we needed to pray over the place and well, wow, that's when God really blew my mind!

This is the revelation He gave me:

See when He finds us, we are far from home, we are well worn, falling apart, dirty and filled up with junk, just like this building.  Everything is out of order and seems like it's not worth saving.  But, like the amazing woman, He sees value in us, and will not allow us to be destroyed.  He will pay whatever the price necessary (which was His life) to make sure that we are saved.  He loves us and it is His delight to restore us to the Father . . .  to find us in the muck and the mire and pull us out and restore us.  I imagined when this building is finally moved and sitting back on family land, it will be painted and restored and lovely and beautiful.  It's walls and floors will be sured up, the doors and windows will be replaced and solid, it will be cleaned and once again filled with laughter, love and unity of family.

This restoration project is not about a building, it is about restoring a family, it's about personal restoration, it's about the loving heart and the power of the Savior.