"Live in the Tension" Nehemiah 10-11; Acts 4:1-22

Revive us, O God, in your ways, the psalmist once said. “We will not neglect the house of our God.” Neh 10:39 No hidden agendas in this crowd. All about advancing the Kingdom of God. Not about advancing own agendas. What stirs in me most deeply? Is it advancing God's Kingdom or my own? Is it about putting closure on these financial problems I have or revealing the character of God in the midst of them? Is it about getting people to recognize you, understand you, accept you into the "in" crowd or is it about revealing the Beautiful God for whom we live. 2,000 years pass and it's the same questons: Will you neglect the house of God? Will you neglect the temple of the Holy Spirit living in you? Meanwhile ... What is going on in Acts is unbelievable. Lame people jumping up. Dorcas coming back to life. Iron gates opening up to walk in. And chains falling from Peter with power. And 5,000 people believing overnight in the Resurrection of the dead Jesus. That is Acts. This is us. We are struggling to be real followers. "The tension between hope for what could be and the reality of what I see all around me paralyzes my heart." 66LL Revive us, O God in your ways.

PHOTO: Today is Father's Day. Here are his two girls when they were two and three. We have no greater joy than to see our kids walk in truth.