The great house was the most beautiful in town—not that it was so grand, but that it was so fine. Its sturdy foundation supported thick walls, expansive porches with turrets and buttresses tiptoeing skyward.
Not one room was non-functional, but each had been designed for a specific purpose. Each shingle and each tile of the roof was perfectly constructed, and the house’s lathing and arch were cunningly crafted. Truly a Master Builder had been at work here.
Apart from the mortar and brick, the tile and stone, there was an unusual atmosphere surrounding the house, an excitement which said this was a household unlike any other. By night the windows shimmered with light, and by day, when the lanterns inside were dimmed, it seemed as though the lights were still shining.
The people who lived in the house were also special. They shared and demonstrated such loving concern for each other, such caring. If one stood by the great gate, music and laughter could be heard coming from inside; and because it was a real house, an angry word might ever so often pierce the atmosphere, but never haranguing or violent ranting.
Even the life growing outside, the shrubbery and flowering bushes, the bending trees, the budding plants seemed finer than the other gardens in town, more content to be about the business of growing.
The same storms beat upon these grasses and plants. The same winds blew and tore. The same harsh summer sun burned as on the other gardens in town. But, any damage was cleverly turned to advantage by the gardener who did his pruning with a careful knife and a firm but gentle hand.
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For decades, Karen Mains and her husband, David, have served God through religious communications—radio, television, and print publication. The are the co-authors of the Kingdom Tales Trilogy: Tales of the Kingdom, Tales of the Resistance, and Tales of the Restoration. To find many valuable resources for pastors and churches at the Mainstay Ministries main website, please click here.
Karen has long had an interest in Christian hospitality and is the author of the best-selling book, Open Heart, Open Home.
An award-winning author of several other books, Karen continues to write content for her Christian blog, “Thoughts-by-Karen-Mains.” In so doing, she desires to touch the lives of Christian women and men and help them find ways to walk closer with the Lord Jesus Christ. In addition, through silent retreats, spiritual teaching, women’s retreats, Christian vacation opportunities, and other ministry activities, Karen helps each Christian woman and man receive vital spiritual food.
Through her Hungry Souls ministry, Karen serves as a spiritual coach to many Christian women and men, and teaches a mentor-writing class. And, through the Global Bag Project, she is working to develop a network of African women who sew exquisite cloth reusable shopping bags. This micro-finance women opportunity helps provide a much-needed sustainable income for struggling African families. For more information on this critically important project, please click here.
In addition, pastors will find special resources to help them create effective, life-transforming Sunday sermons by visiting David Mains’ website by clicking here.