Stories in the Missional Journey of Bruce & Deborah Crowe

July 8, 2011

Crazy rain, you’d have thought we lived in the Amazon.  Yesterday we got so much rain that while I was sitting and talking to Tom in my office during a downpour, a soak and wet Brent came flying through the door, “Dad!  The kitchen is raining!”  Tom and I looked at each other, then simultaneously noticed a wave of water gushing from my office wall.. literally covering the floor and coming at us.  I raced inside leaving the office problem with Tom, and saw the kids had placed buckets around the kitchen, attempting to catch as much of the downpour as possible.  Water was draining from every light in the ceiling, we have about 6 of them in the kitchen.  Last year we replaced the roof because of previous water damage, and the roof guys left a small area on our porch unfinished.. it had received so much water that it started backing up and penetrating my house from the side..

That wasn’t the worst of it.  In our basement, which was never really built for dwelling (the previous owner probably was going to just keep raw materials, dirt floor etc).. it was soaked and you could hear water pouring down the walls behind the sheet rock.  We’ve learned a lot since this house project, most of which I wasn’t here for (not that I would have known what to do then anyway).  We have emptied our basement, pulled out the carpets and have them airing on our deck and trampoline, hoping we can salvage them.  We now have to, when the weather allows us, get a tractor in the backyard to dig up 5-6 meters along the back of our house, and seal the foundation and walls properly with tar, and lay down some french drains.. Probably do this after the NY team leaves.

Had another long day at Epicenter yesterday, purchased bathroom doors and paint among a myriad of minor items.  We’re awaiting the final word/instructions from the fire inspector from another town (in charge of this region).  We aren’t sure what to expect exactly, but hoping it’s not a big deal or he won’t ask for a lot of money.  We do know that a cafe or business must install a fire alarm system of some kind.. which makes sense, but that doesn’t guarantee what they ask us to do will!

We are still working through moving the cafe from a personal house to business.  Need to register the cafe as a small business enterprise next, currently everything has been done through a corporate structure which is fine for some things, but not needed for a smaller cafe and to avoid the additional tax costs and paperwork required, we’ll set up a small business to operate inside the building, as a tenant.  Slowly but surely!

Thanking God for health among the family, good marriage and God’s provision.  Been mediating on John 1 where Jesus first calls the 4 disciples Andrew, Peter, Phillip and Nathaniel.  Interesting how Jesus, the Son of God and God’s logos/revelation/communication to mankind first unveils Himself as He begins His ministry.  He doesn’t flash on the scene, big show, grab men he wants to use to accomplish His purpose.. He sees a couple of guys following Him that heard John the Baptist declare, “Behold the Lamb of God” and Jesus is like, “Hey guys, what are you after?”  The two answer, “Where are you staying, we’d like to follow you, we think you are special and may be the Messiah..” Jesus says, “You want to follow, well, come and see where I’m staying, hang out with me a while.”

This is God, this is the relational God that cares more about who we are, then what we can do for Him.  We’re not a means to His end, that’s not how I see Him revealed in scripture anyway.  He wants to forge a genuine, real relationship based on mutual interest.  He could easily zap those that He wants to perform holy tricks like some circus monkey, but that’s not God.  Like the disciples, we want to know more about God, because honestly, we know very little.  The little we do know, we are enamored and humbled with.  That the God of the universe would wants to know us.  ‘Come and see’.  He doesn’t force, and He only wants those with sincere motives.  You want greatness, go somewhere else. You want power or stature, wrong God.  You want to know Him?… come to Me all that are weary.  Weary?  Hey we can relate to weary!  I’ll give you rest, ah, rest that only Christ can bring to the anxious and troubled soul.  Taste and see that Lord is good, this is the God we serve, relational, longing to make His greatness and love known, but only through this mutually desired interaction. This means we need to come to Him, spend time with Him, at least if we want to know Him in any significant capacity.  Like the two first followers of Jesus, let’s follow Him to where He is staying, and stay there a while.

Probably going to share on this text this Sunday.  Pray that God’s heart comes through, and that we all enjoy our Savior this weekend!

2 Cor 11:3 But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.

1 Comment

  1. mom

    wow that sounds over whelming, glad i’m not there or should i say wish i was there to help but i’ve been in that mess (not quit as extreme) to many times i know what your going through with the rain. So if you don’t get a license to operate the cafe do you move in there:)? very dry here. missing you all…mom

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