Dear First Pres,

     This is a picture from my very first day in the office at FPC Fresno; it was taken on October 15, 2012.  The office staff made my office look like a construction zone to highlight the idea that God was building something new among us. This week, the campus really does feel like a construction zone, because the team is in full swing to replace the existing heating and air conditioning for the Sanctuary.  Today they carried away most of the old equipment, making the courtyard look like a mechanical graveyard for much of the day. Next week, the new system goes in with a dramatic flair … but I’ll tell you more about that next week.

    Since this construction means that we won’t have any air conditioning for the Sanctuary on Sunday, we are holding our worship services in the Fellowship Hall. Don’t be discouraged when you see the Sanctuary doors closed on Sunday; just keep walking to the Fellowship Hall where we’ll have a wonderful morning of worship (including communion). I think it’s going to be fun!  I hope you do too.

     Finally, looking at this old equipment being taken out from the depths below the Sanctuary, reminds me of the Apostle Paul’s encouragement to take off the “old self” and put on the “new self.”  In Colossians 3:9-10 he writes, “Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.”  Even though we’ve been given a “new self” in Christ, we still have to work on taking off the practices of the old self.  Sometimes that means going into the depths of our lives and our stories and our experiences and our practices and pulling out the remains of the old stuff. It’s a scary thing, but it’s always worth it because of the work that the Holy Spirit is doing to make you more like Jesus.  So, beloved, don’t be afraid today to do some self-examination.  Is there some of your “old self” still working on the inside?  Root it out and throw it away. God is building something new in you.

Blessings,