The Sanctuary

My wife and I spent the weekend ministering at “The Sanctuary” in Ft. Morgan, Colorado. It was renewing in every sense of the word. The church had a vision of being a place of refreshing, certainly for the community, but also for missionaries and pastors. They turned that vision into an “apartment” for people to stay, along with a living area that has a fireplace. They even ordered up a snow storm just to make it perfect for my wife. Well … I’m not sure they had much to do with the snow storm.

Words matter. Vision matters. The spiritual realm translates to reality. Every single person, every single place has the ability to reveal the image of God in a way that no other person or place could do. A pastor and a church set out to build a sanctuary.

As we relaxed on Saturday at the church, it was one of my longest days in memory … long in a very good way. Most of the time, when Kelly and I get a chance to take a little down time, it is gone in the blink of an eye. Saturday just seemed to expand. I was basking in a peace, thinking that hours might have gone by, only to realize that it had only been a few minutes. Then I would thank God that I still had more hours of this to come. For a brief period of time, we got out of the craziness that is modern American life and enjoyed the goodness of God.

We experienced the vision and the prayers of this people on Saturday and Sunday and thanks to the snow storm, on Monday too. The vision of the hearts of this people imprinted our lives. That is a picture of what God wants to do through all of us. Every one of us has a purpose. We all have a uniqueness. With my family background, I am more of a fighter. I have an intensity to fight through the obstacles to help those in need get to victory. Fighters get tired. They need time in the sanctuary.

Who are you? What is the vision that God wants to create through you? As that vision is accomplished, it will have the power to bless and restore others. Thank you Pastor Meadows and congregation for staying faithful to your call. As I write this, I think of other congregations I have visited in the past year. I see the uniqueness of others … the beauty of His work and call in each.

Life is good when we live in the place He has for us!