Take Over

The Lord is there side by side with us as we allow Him to rebuild our lives - removing the old and installing His new life in our hearts. We have a new heart, and through the power of the Spirit, He is leading us in our lifelong construction project. 2nd Corinthians 4 says:
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.
17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,
18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

We can consider the extent to which we are pursuing the things of God, allowing His power to purge the sin and to release His righteousness in us. We cannot be good or become good by our own, and we cannot perform enough good works in ourselves to make us right with God; no, it's because of what Jesus has done in us that enables us to, as Scripture teaches, put off the things in our lives that don't glorify the Lord and to put on the presence of Christ. 

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Jesus has come into our lives to totally renovate us; to take out the old and to put in the new, and our salvation experience becomes a doorway into a process of being conformed to His will. Hebrews 12 tells us:
(1)...let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,
2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

The city of Wetumpka has acquired a couple of honorary citizens, some heroes who gave certain aspects of the city, as well as the overall civic spirit, a boost, by bringing their crew to town and giving a facelift to downtown buildings and even residential homes in the city.

The "Hometown Take Over" is officially over, but since the program just aired a few months ago, I am sure the community good feelings remain.  It's not every day that your city is featured on national television.

Ben and Erin Napier of HGTV's "Hometown" reality series have made their mark, but it was certainly a big commitment for the former pastor and his wife, who may be putting the "takeover" concept on hold for a while, according to a recent Movieguide article, which says the Erin had tweeted out:

“I’ll be honest, the takeover life is not all that simpatico with family life. it was an amazing adventure for us, but likely the only one like it until (maybe) our girls are much older..."

Their second daughter, Mae, was born in May, the same month the "Take Over" series debuted, joining her sister, Helen, in the family.

But, the Napiers are not going away from television, announcing a 6th season of the original Home Town series and the 2nd season of Ben's Workshop. 

The Movieguide article noted that: "Erin and Ben are also outspoken about their faith and their commitment to the church and raising their children on biblical principles," and stated, "In a recent Instagram post, Erin shared a quote from C.S. Lewis about how God brings peace to those who believe in Him."  The quote is applicable to the threat of an atomic bomb, but Erin saw an application in the threat of a virus; Lewis had stated: "If we are all going to be destroyed by an atomic bomb, let that bomb when it comes find us doing sensible and human things—praying, working, teaching, reading, listening to music, bathing the children, playing tennis...not huddled together like frightened sheep and thinking about bombs. They may break our bodies (a microbe can do that) but they need not dominate our minds..."

A 2017 article on the Gospel Herald website noted:

Ben and Erin aren't afraid to talk about their Christian faith. In fact, on her blog, Erin devotes an entire section to her faith. In an earlier blog post, she revealed that Ben served as the pastor of Laurel First United Methodist Church until 2014, when he resigned from his position after God called him to devote his time to the family businesses.

"The signs from our Father who loves us have been so brazen and honest and clear in these last weeks," Erin wrote at the time. "I wish I could have this clarity and communication with Him forever, but I know it waxes and wanes with the seasons of our life. But tonight, I feel ready for anything."

Erin had also written, "God has been so very good to us: not because of the show, not because of the way our town is blossoming-those are fruits, but not the blessing itself," adding, "The blessing is this: He's given us clarity of purpose, He's given us passion, and He always puts the people and things in our path we need at the very moment we need them, and not a moment before. The ground is always there for the next step when we have the faith to keep walking without seeing it will be there to catch us...What greater blessing is there than that?"

The Napiers are certainly into structural and decorative renovation, but there is evidence that a spiritual renovation has taken place in their lives.  And we can ask ourselves the extent to which we need a "takeover."  It may be that life isn't working and you need to put the old life to death and embrace the new life that Christ offers in salvation.  But, certainly, because we are fallen creatures, we can recognize the sinful patterns and attitudes that we possess and allow the Spirit of God to take over in our hearts. He will show us what that renovation will look like, and the good news is that we can trust Him to do that. 

We can all look to God and experience a renewal of meaning, a reinforcement of purpose.  If we sense that something needs to be set aside temporarily or eliminated from our lives, we can depend on our loving Father to bring about the necessary change He desires.

The Napiers made an indelible impression on the residents of Wetumpka, Alabama and their handiwork changed not only the look of the city but also the attitudes of its residents.  But, as Erin seems to indicate, there may not be another one anytime soon, due to the two girls with whom God has entrusted her and Ben.  We have to be able to discern, by God's wisdom, when to move forward and when to say no.   We can count the cost going into a step of our lives, and re-evaluate at the end of that season.