Under Construction

Andy Stanley, a young pastor in his early-forties, founded the North Point Community Church in Atlanta and nurtured it with innovative pastoring into a healthy church with thousands of believers. He is also the son of an internationally renowned pastor and Christian write, Charles Stanley. Once, he was giving a series of sermons on character over a few weeks. One Sunday morning, he had a dragline crane, a cement-mixer, and a truck brought onto the yard of the church. In the corner, there was a pile of soil and tools scattered about. There were also men in dungarees, moving about busily. The congregation had to experience discomfort as they walked into the church.

During the sermon, Pastor Stanley explained the point of all the hoopla. "Being under construction is uncomfortable. God is molding our character this very minute. He is renovating our inner beings. We are all under construction so we can't help it if we make others uncomfortable. So we need to understand and be patient with one another." More often than not, we feel that we are under construction. We feel bad that our immaturity and imperfections make other people uncomfortable. But on the other hand, we should be thankful that God does not give up on us and is determined to finish the work he has started in us.

- In the Garden of Heaven by Jae-Ki Lee