A cup of Mate' Tea with Ry....

This morning I am wishing Ryan would be walking up those stairs so we could sit with my cup of coffee and his cup of Mate' tea and chat about this new passage I found.  He was always good about giving me a different perspective; a perspective free of preconceived ideas.

I love where Ryan and I were going with our relationship before he left us on this earth.  He was just beginning to trust me as a friend and our conversations were becoming more about what God was doing in our lives than what Ryan was doing or not doing with his life; the sweetness of adult living.

But I don't have Ry this morning.  Instead I have his beautiful portrait staring down at me, his Bible, and the essence of who he was.  Some may think that morbid or hanging on to the past, but to me it is a gift from God.  I'm not trying to channel Ryan's spirit, but rather, allow myself to look at scripture with open eyes like he did.  Having these pieces of him around me remind me of who he was and how he lived.  God gave Ry to me to teach me these things.  I do not doubt this and I will not waste the gift of this lesson.

So this morning I look at Ephesians 2:19-22 and ask, "Would this passage excite you Ry like it does me?  Would it give you hope and purpose like it does me?"

Ephesians 2:19-22

The Message (MSG)

^19-22 That’s plain enough, isn’t it? You’re no longer wandering exiles. This kingdom of faith is now your home country. You’re no longer strangers or outsiders. You belong here, with as much right to the name Christian as anyone. God is building a home. He’s using us all—irrespective of how we got here—in what he is building. He used the apostles and prophets for the foundation. Now he’s using you, fitting you in brick by brick, stone by stone, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone that holds all the parts together. We see it taking shape day after day—a holy temple built by God, all of us built into it, a temple in which God is quite at home.

I am part of what God is building; a holy temple.  I am just one brick or stone, but I am part of it.  The apostles and prophets that went before me laid the foundation and now I am part of the walls being built up from the foundation. I am part of something bigger than myself. That visual excites me.  Ryan was one of those bricks as well.  His life was a strong brick on which the next brick could be fit.  Visually I would like to see my brick stacked on top of his. 

A brick is made from a mixture of clay and water that is hardened by the process of firing that is usually done in a kiln.  We are a moldable clay.  God is our brick maker.  We are shaped by the storms of life and the heat of the fire.  If we run from the storms and run from the fire we are running from that which will make us a solid footing for the next brick.  Imagine a house built from crumbling bricks? 

God's household is not made of crumbling bricks; it is well built, unlike the world around us created by man. He has fit the building together, brick by brick.  The household of God has no reason to fear the collapse of the structure! It is true, individual members may walk out. We must guard against any attitudes or actions that would lead us out of God's house. But we need not fear that this "building" will be destroyed, or that God will misplace us. We can trust our builder. As a Christian, I am not just a guest or occasional visitor - but a permanent member of the family, in a house upheld by His power!

So this morning any sadness that I had over the pain of how my brick has been made firm (the loss of Ry), has been met with joy and excitement:

• I am excited that I am part of a structure that is being fitted for eternity and this gives me hope and not fear.
• I am excited to fellowship with other bricks as we walk through the kiln of life and allow our brick maker to make us firm.
• I find joy in the fact that Ry has been securely fastened so others may build upon his solid brick.

Thank you for letting me share my cup of Mate' with Ryan this morning.  It has been sweet.