The plot changed hands a couple of times and we saw two or three lots of proposed plans for houses - but nothing ever happened. Until last week. When all of a sudden a large digger turned up and the fence was removed and work started. Within three days a large part of the land has been cleared and flattened, lines have been marked out on the ground and foundation trenches have been dug. The cement lorry was here today pouring concrete into the foundations. It has been amazingly quick. After years of nothing happening it now seems as though the buildings will be up within weeks!!It struck me today that it doesn't actually take long to put in foundations. They are so important and yet really they are pretty simple. Just a hole dug in the right place to the right depth and the right amount of concrete in the bottom of them. Nothing complicated at all. But if the foundations are wrong..... well then the whole building is in jeopardy. Or if something erodes the foundations.... as we discovered to our peril with our house in Lisburn.
That house is an end of terrace house. Over the years the whole row has sunk ever so slightly pulling our house down with it until the drains cracked. Of course we didn't know the drains had cracked because water was still draining away - we just didn't realise that the water was draining into the ground under the house causing it to sink even further. It was only when large cracks started to appear inside the house and the doors wouldn't close properly that we began to realise something was up. By the time we had worked out what had happened we were in trouble. The foundations of the house have been eroded by the waste water and now need underpinning. Which will involve us having to take out the staircase. Expensive,. annoying and very disruptive.
There is of course an analogy to be made here with our lives of faith - and most specifically with how we build church. Foundations dont necessarily take long to put in, but they need to be done properly or we set ourselves up for problems later on. It seems to me that the church can be very vocal about outreach and mission and church planting, but I fear we are not quite so good at getting our hands dirty and helping those new to faith to put down good solid foundations. At best the approach can
often be haphazard. But if people dont have a bedrock of solid theology underneath them they will start to shift and crumble when the storm hits. Which is why the church needs teachers as well as architects and builders. We need pastors who can help people to prayerfully identify areas of error in understanding and weakness of character. Because Jesus said that when He builds His church the gates of hell wont be able to prevail against it. It will be built on the rock - immovable.Ive been a christian for 30 years now. The past decade has been the hardest of my spiritual life so far. In may ways I feel as though most of what had been built previously has been dismantled and all Ive got left to show for it all is the foundations. But the foundations are still there and Im deeply grateful to those people back at the start who helped me lay them down. I had some great systematic teaching and saw wonderful examples of solid, grounded lives. Now Im a parent and Im trying hard to ensure that my boys have good foundations too. Im grateful for all of those who are digging with me, praying and teaching, inspiring and leading by example. Building is definitely a team effort.
Lord please help your church to give people solid foundations of good theology - systematic and complete so that when doubt and lies come, when difficulty surges and storms batter that peoples faith can stand the trials. For those who feel they are slipping and sliding away would you please underpin the foundations and pour into them what they need to stand solid once again. Thank you for all those who poured into my foundations years ago. Help me to be one who builds the next generation , always and only under the instruction of the Master Builder Amen
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