Monday Morning Quarterback 1/19/2014 Spite House

"53.7" inches of snow year to date but we are still standing, God be praised! We had a good time in church at Macedonia on this past Sunday. The snow took some out but brought others in. Worship was high and the youth did an excellent job in leading worship,

The Children of Abraham praise dance team which consists of our little girls 6 and under ministered to us using the Marvin Sapp song "Holy" and the youth choir was on fire. We are thankful for wonderful youth workers and parents who invest in our young people for the well being of our church and the kingdom of God.

We continued our series on the life of Joesph and "The Road to Reconciliation". The Lord blessed our efforts in preaching. Our concentration for Sunday was Genesis 45:1-8 I was disappointed after the sermon as I felt like I spent too much time in background and not enough time in the main field of study; however, God said what He wanted said, plus there is always Sunday, (God Willing).

We challenged our church with the idea of "Moving out of a Bitter House". I extend that same idea to you. Where are you living? What type of house? How much space? What's your view? All homes that look spacious on the outside are not when you look on the inside. Some houses are spite houses.

A spite house is a building constructed or modified to irritate neighbors or other parties with land stakes. Spite houses often serve as obstructions, blocking out light or access to neighboring buildings, or as flamboyant symbols of defiance,

Max Lucado begins Chapter 11 (“Revenge Feels Good, But Then . . .”) of You’ll Get Through This with the story of businessman Joseph Richardson, who lived in New York City in 1882. He owned a narrow strip of land, 5 feet wide and 104 feet long, that fronted Lexington Avenue. Another businessman, Hyman Sarner, owned a normal-sized property adjacent to Mr. Richardson’s property. He intended to build apartments on that property and wanted to buy Mr. Richardson’s land, so that his apartment building windows would overlook the avenue.

He offered Mr. Richardson $1000 for his land. Insulted, Mr. Richardson refused the offer. After Mr. Sarner’s building was completed, Mr. Richardson built a house on his narrow strip. Dubbed the “Spite House”, Mr. Richardson lived there the last 14 years of his life, his narrow house reflecting his narrow state of mind.

Pastor Lucado comments:
“Revenge builds a lonely house. Space enough for one person. The lives of its tenants are reduced to one goal: make someone miserable. They do. Themselves. . . . healing includes a move out of the house of spite, a shift away from the cramped world of grudge and toward spacious ways of grace, away from hardness and toward forgiveness. He (God) moves us forward by healing our past.”

Our challenge on Sunday is the same one I offer here. Someone needs to break their lease. Don't worry about paying the penalty, Jesus already has done that. You can't make it to reconciliation while living in a house of revenge or a house of retaliation. God is building you another home. It is a home of reconciliation, healing, forgiveness and restoration. It has space. Space to be free, free from hurt, free from your past, free to breathe because you are no longer restricted by what has been done to do you.

Break your lease, move out of a bitter spiteful home, Live in reconciliation.