LIVING ROOM –

I sent this devotional out in 2019. And when I look at it today in 2024, I realize that my passion is still the same. I still believe to the depth of my being in the peer-based approach of Living Room. Still believe in Jesus’ unconditional love that we talked about at Living Room and that brought healing to so many participants. I still believe that Living Room must return.My upcoming book, ONE SUCH AS ME? will describe the story of Living Room in a way that I don’t think has been heard before. Stay tuned. I’m guessing it will take about a month to publication.

The Living Room story is not unlike Nehemiah’s story. His grief was like my grief.

When I clicked on the links at the bottom of this page, I realize that they lead to things I also wrote in 2019. And they speak as strongly today as they did at that time.

Some things don’t change.

REBUILDING WHAT WAS LOST

July 2019

They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”

Nehemiah 1:3

What happens when you’ve been away for awhile and return only to find that everything you once knew has been changed? All that was good and God-given turned upside down, inside out. Not at all as it was intended.

This is what happened to Nehemiah during a time he was away from Jerusalem. The Jews who had returned had found themselves defenseless and humiliated in a destroyed city.

[Nehemiah] sat down and wept and mourned for days, and [I] continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven. (Nehemiah 1:4)

Have you ever been in such a spot? Have you ever felt such grief? Have you ever prayed so hard?

Some words from a favorite poem, If, by Rudyard Kipling, come to mind:

If you can …watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

Have you ever had to “stoop” to rebuild something that you may in the past have been able to do while upright?

But you got older. Everything was harder. You might have been unwell and not have had the energy.

How can you fix things today that were important enough for you to have given your life to yesterday?

One thing Nehemiah did was to pray. Night and day he prayed. He knew rebuilding the walls was an enormous project. Only God would enable him to complete it. His faith was strong and he committed himself to the work. God would be with him.

He rallied people from all walks of life to join him. The Bible tells us he gathered together goldsmiths, perfume makers, rulers, priests and merchants. Everyone did a part.

What impressed me was how Nehemiah threw out the invitation to see who would buy into his vision – those who would believe in the big work he was undertaking. This needed to be a community project. It would benefit many.

And today it is the same. Big work requires a community to accomplish – individuals gathering with a variety of skills and talents. And it requires prayer.

People will be needed to buy into the Living Room vision. Reading ONE SUCH AS ME? will inspire many. Look forward to this amazing story.

I have posted three items that may be of interest:

marja