ON OCTOBER 19, 2019 THE WORLD WAS A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PLACE.
At 9:07pm on the 20th the tornado upended our world here at the Lighthouse in Midlothian, one of at least 11 that hit North Texas that night.
On March 19 of 2020 Governor Abbott issued stay at home orders to prevent the spread of COVID-19. A Global shutdown was already in progress. Just as we were coming out of lockdown on May 25 George Floyd died. By June 6th the world knew who he was and how he had died. On November 7th of 2020 Joe Biden was declared the president-elect of the United States. On January 6th of 2021 the capitol was stormed by people who didn’t believe Joe Biden was truly the president elect.
Somehow we made it through the rest of 2021 (we almost froze to death, but we made it!) And in April of 2021, we got our building permit and started reconstruction, in the midst of shortages, supply chain issues, skyrocketing building costs and a lack of contractors and laborers.
Fast forward: On Thursday, February the 24th, 2022 Russia invaded the nation of Ukraine. As old global alliances are strengthened and new alliances are formed, the world is holding its breath to see what will happen next.
In 2019 we could go on a cruise, go to movies, attend live shows and concerts, and fly to Europe to see friends without too much hassle. Gas in Texas was below $2.50 a gallon. We didn’t give a thought to whether or not a certain item would be available at a store or online.
So much of what we thought was so certain has changed.
But we gathered at 4:00pm on March 27, 2022, because we are certain of one thing: “On Christ the solid ROCK I stand, all other ground is sinking sand.”
We gathered because Jesus said “I will build my church, and the gates (counsels) of Hell will not prevail against it.”
We gathered because the church is not a building. It is a family. And families get shaken. Families experience tragedies. Families endure storms.
But the family is a house and Jesus said that when the House is built on the Rock that even though the storm winds blow that house will stand.
The mighty King David of the Bible wanted to build a house for God. A physical structure. A place. A temple.
We’re all human and we focus on physical structures. Architecture. Monuments. Tangible focal points. But God made it clear that He wasn’t building a physical building-house he was building another kind of HOUSE: a Family. A lineage. A legacy. And one of David’s descendants would build a house that would last forever.
We gathered not to dedicate a house made by hands, but THE HOUSE built by God which is the church and which is His Family.
We get to be part of this family, this house, not the Light House but THE True Light’s House! It is the real house—the true home. Paul in the Bible calls it “the Dwelling”, a place where God Lives, which is not made with stones from the earth but stones that are alive, created from the minerals of the planet, that come to life by the very breath of God.
This is the house that we dedicated. If we say “Yes” to God and receive His breath which is the life of His Son, we are born again and become part of the legacy and family that God wants to dwell in.
That’s what we celebrated. That’s what we dedicated. That’s who we are!
A tornado can smash the house but it can’t destroy the home. The Light cannot be extinguished when it comes from the inside. Morning always comes. The light will always shine. And God is good all the time. The pandemics can come and go and the riots can happen and the wars can rage...
But the light keeps on shining and we can lift our heads and see it or we can be swept away by the storms and the darkness.
We met on March 27, 2022 to say that “As for me and my house, this Light House, this family, we will serve the Lord”. And we will keep on loving and shining and living because one day, and it may not be too far off, the lights on this planet really are going to go out and God’s Light will be the only one that shines.
We closed our brief time together by singing about that Light, because before the lights go out, we want to share that Light, that Hope, that Love and that kindness with as many people as possible. That’s our mission, and that’s our reason for shining.
Thank you all so much for your support and love during the difficult season that we endured. You have carried us with your prayers and with your kindness.
“Greater things are yet to come, greater things are still to be done in this city. There is no on like our God!”
Special thanks to Gary Coots and the PS 150 band as well as Pastor Karen Dudley and the fine folks at Dallas Intl Street Church for their help at our special gathering.
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