The Christian Journal - November 2007
24 pages
Published by
The Christian Journal
Copyright :
Daddy’s Empty Chair
See Page 94
God’s In The Restoration BusinessBy Denise Spooner
God’s Restoration GarageByTroy Pomeroy
Continued On Page 3
Festival of Trees
See Page 14
The Challenges
of Adoption
See Page 14
Webster’s meaning...
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Daddy’s Empty Chair
See Page 94
God’s In The Restoration BusinessBy Denise Spooner
God’s Restoration GarageByTroy Pomeroy
Continued On Page 3
Festival of Trees
See Page 14
The Challenges
of Adoption
See Page 14
Webster’s meaning of ‘restoration’ is the
act of restoring; replacement; renewal; reestablishment.
I looked up restore to get a
clearer picture of restoration, and these are
a few definitions Webster shared with us.
Restore: to repair; reinstall; to make strong,
to bring back to a former and better state;
to rebuild; to heal; to cure; to revive; to reestablish after interruption; to give back; to
bring or put back to a former position; to
bring back from a state of injury or decay.
The Bible has many stories of restoration.
As Nehemiah deals with opposition
(Nehemiah 5:1-13) he commands the nobles
and rulers to restore land, houses, money,
food, drink and oil that were taken from the
Jewish people of that day.
In Psalms 51:12,
King David beckons God to restore the joy
of his salvation.
Isaiah (Isaiah 57:18) tells
of a time of restoration for the backslider,
restoring comforts to him.
Jeremiah is full of
times of restoration.
We are told (Jeremiah
27:22) that even vessels were restored to their
rightful places in Babylon and (Jeremiah
30:17) God will restore health to Israel and
Judah and heal them of their wounds.
A
boy’s life is restored (2 Kings 8:1) to him.
There are awesome times of restoration!
When I think
personally of
restoration, I am
reminded of a
wonderful miracle that
happened to me when
I was carrying my
youngest son Branden.
(Heisnowtwentyyears
old) I was attending
church with my family.
The pastor called
me forward to pray for my unborn child.
As soon as he finished praying, he quietly
told me God was also healing my teeth.
I
was shocked.
I had four front teeth that were
decayed and disintegrating quickly.
I knew I
would loose these teeth at a very young age.
He prayed for healing and blessed what God
was doing.
I was a bit embarrassed, but he
didn’t know I had teeth in need of a touch
from God.
About a month later, I was brushing my
teeth before hopping into bed for the night,
and I noticed four beautiful white teeth,
NEW TEETH! He had
completely healed these
four teeth and made them
like brand new.
I ran to
my husband and showed
him, and he was filled
with joy.
I ran around the
house showing off my
new teeth.
I even went
next door to my neighbors
and told them about what had happened and
showed them my new teeth.
This was a profound experience for me
because I had only been a Christian for a
very short time.
I hadn’t even thought about
asking God for healing my decayed teeth.
I ‘m not sure I gave much credit to Pastor
Dino’s prayer at the time, but in my heart
I knew God is a God of restoration.
He is
not a respecter of person’s, He would have
There is a law of physics that is well
understood but not yet named.
It is observed
often and accepted as fact.
Yet it is not
discussed in scientific journals.
Simply put, this natural law states that
if a restored classic
car passes you on the
road, you must look at
it and admire it.
This
unbreakable law of
physics has a greater
pull on the male of the
species, presumably
due to the presence
of Y-chromosomes
and an over-abundance of testosterone.
It’s
observed among the females as well.
The desire to admire a classic car is present
whether someone is driving, walking, or
riding.
It sometimes results in rubbernecking and excited exclamations such as:
“Did you see that car?” Although reactions
vary, one thing is certain: the law must be
obeyed.
What is our strong attraction to restored
classics? It is true that we have a fascination
with cars in general, but what makes the
classics so special? Why don’t we get as
excited over spotting a new sedan or F250?
It may have to do with an intrinsic sense
of original beauty.
We know what the
original, classic design was.
Someone
conceptualized it, designed it, and sculpted
(for the time) a new body style.
And people
fell in love with it immediately.
It was
more than a car or mode of transportation.
It was an artistic expression and a symbol of
American ingenuity.
Somewhere along the line, the once
perfect classic accumulated scratches, dents,
and rust.
The paint began to fade, peel,
or oxidize.
Tires, belts, and hoses began
to wear out.
In short, it began showing
the effects of being driven over
miles of highway.
Once a car reaches a certain
point of damage or disrepair, it
will either end up in a junkyard
or being restored.
The only thing
that determines the fate of such a
car is whether someone happens
to come along who sees value
in the car.
Or maybe they have
been looking for just such a car to restore for
a long time.
Turning a car that
many would abandon or
consider worthless into
something to admire
takes a great amount
of artistic and technical
ability.
The restorer
begins by visualizing
and appreciating the
original design.
Then,
piece by piece, each part
is carefully repaired or
replaced.
It is a labor of love.
When it is
finished, the unnamed law of physics kicks
in, as everyone who sees the car shares the
vision of the restorer.
In many ways, every Christian is like that
car.
God made us perfect, in His image.
When He rolled man out on the showroom
floor, there had never been anything like
it.
There was a “his” and “hers” model and
they were both the envy of all creation.
God
had saved the best of His designs for last.
Then sin entered the world.
From then on,
as man ventured down the highway of life,
the journey began to wear on him.
The more
miles he put on, the more he realized his
condition was deteriorating.
Often the damage was caused by our
choice of heading down the wrong, bumpy,
treacherous road and not stopping to ask
for directions.
Other times the damage was
caused by the normal “wear and tear” of
life.
Whatever the case, everyone at some
point arrives at one of two destinations: the
junkyard or the Restorer’s garage.
Fortunately, God is in the restoration
business.
Although
the natural end for
all models would be
the junkyard, God
has another plan.
He
sees the value in the
original design.
He
takes our “rusty old
heaps” and graciously
reclaims what has been
lost.
He restores us
step-by-step as we are
ready and willing to be
transformed.
God was the inventor of the
“extreme makeover.
”
And when He is done, the world notices.
People have to stop and ask: “What’s
different about that person?” In seeking the
answer to that question, people are led to
God, who will restore them as well.
Troy Pomeroy writes from Eagle Point, Oregon.
pastortroy@epacenter.
com
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