There's only one thing left to say, "Welcome home, Moore Family. Welcome home."

"Believing in grace is one thing. Living it is another."

Chuck Swindoll

I’ve heard it said that grace is unmerited favor. It is neither deserved nor earned, and it can never be repaid. In fact, any attempt to do so only serves to cheapen the gift that was so freely given. The only way I can think of to even attempt to repay an act of grace would be to simply pass it on.

In Christian circles today we talk often of grace. The word is thrown around like a football at Texas Stadium. We talk of the grace of God, we say grace, we receive grace, and yet in spite of all the chatter, I’ve seldom had the opportunity to see the grace of conversation transform into the grace of perspiration. However, the last few days have been quite the exception . . .

A few short weeks ago my family and I started a new life. I changed careers, we moved to a new town, and even bought a new house. I use the word house because until today that’s all it was. You see for a house to become a home a transformation has to occur, not necessarily to the house itself, but in the way those who live there view it. This change of outlook usually occurs over time through years of love, laughter and labor. Moving around a lot, I’ve realized that time is not always a necessary ingredient of making a house a home, but the other three are imperative to the task.

Before we knew it, moving day arrived. The movers delivered the furniture and the countless boxes of stuff. If you’ve ever moved before, you know of what I speak – the mountains of boxes that seem to have somehow multiplied on their journey from your former home to this new house. Then without warning, it began. Grace showed up in my driveway. People that were barely acquaintances, let alone friends, arrived to help – in hours, furniture was put in the respective rooms and boxes were emptied. My wife and I gave a sigh of relief but each of us knew that only half of the process was complete. The real work, the task of converting the house to a home had only begun.

In the days that followed small steps of progress were made, but traversing the mountain was taking its toll. Couches, chairs and tables were moved from one place to another and the piles of pictures, knickknacks and decorations were moved from room to room in search of their final destination. As frustration grew and desperation loomed, Grace appeared again. A new friend with the awesome gift of home decorating had arrived to pass it on. With skill and purpose she reached into the piles of books, frames and fabric and pulled out fond memories of times gone by. She went from room to room, laboring for our benefit, adeptly positioning each item into its proper place. Smiles emerged and faces began to glow as we observed the metamorphosis taking place before our eyes. Blank walls that had stared back bleakly were now adorned like queens of old. Rooms that were dull and uninviting now seemed to shout, “Welcome Home”. Finally, her work was done.

I awoke this morning thinking I must have had a dream, as I walked from room to room joy filled my heart for my dream lived on past the morning - My house was now my home. A gift whose cost is practically impossible to measure had been given. It was given from a heart of love without any intent of obligation. And yet in the midst of the giving, something more was birthed – a relationship. The beauty of the relationship is that it will surpass the gift and for that matter it will surpass any gift that will ever be given for in Christ we know that it will last forever. Two thousand years ago, our Savior, Jesus Christ died on a cross for the sins of the world. He offered a gift that we did not warrant and one that we could never repay – grace. With the acceptance of His grace, a relationship is formed, a relationship that will transcend all others. Although His gift and the relationship can never be repaid, they can be passed on, and today they were.

It's Great To Be Here!

Just wanted to say "Thank you." to everyone who has made us feel welcome here in Abilene and at South Side. We're looking forward to many fruitful years of ministry here as a family.