October 30, 2020
Dear Cathedral Family,
Unless the Lord builds the house,
they labor in vain who build it…
Psalm 127:1
Can we be really honest? The struggle for the family is real! The fight has been on from almost the very beginning – starting with the first couple, Adam and Eve, and the Fall in the Garden of Eden.
There’s no denying it – marriage takes commitment and intentionality. It’s easy to go on autopilot and miss out on the fullness that God intended a husband and wife to experience. Or perhaps we never learned the skills or got equipped with the tools to help our marriage grow and thrive.
That’s why we’ve committed our current series MIND BLOWN: Family Edition to focusing on marriage and family, with the goal of realigning ourselves with a biblical worldview. Whether you’re single, engaged, newly married or perhaps have been married for many years, there’s something in this series for you! If you missed our first two messages, you can watch or listen on our website or on the Cathedral app.
This Sunday, we’ll be focusing on the role of husbands. Men, this message is especially for you! God has uniquely designed and called you to be the head of your home. It’s a huge part of your purpose on this earth! We live in an imperfect world, so none of us grew up with fathers who perfectly modeled for us how to love and treat our wife or lead our home. That’s why we all need help!
I love that God promises that when we take steps to obey His Word and follow His guidelines for life, He will equip and empower us to do what He has called us to do and to live how He’s designed us to live. In Philippians 2:13, we find this encouragement: For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him.
That gives me great hope! I know there were critical junctures in my marriage when I could have easily blown things up if I had resisted what God was trying to teach me. My and Dean’s marriage is a testimony to the power and faithfulness of God. God didn’t intend for marriage to just be OK; He designed it to be very good! Our heart’s desire is for every marriage to ultimately fulfill God’s original purpose and plan.
One of the keys for our marriage has been prayer – lots of prayer – Individually and together. Prayer changes things, and prayer changes us! Prayer helps us stay connected with God, the One who empowers us to change. So, if you don’t already, would you start praying for your marriage? Pray for your spouse. Pray for your children. And while you’re at it, pray for our country.
You’ve heard me refer to the following verse many times as we have prayed for our nation during challenging times:
If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14
We’re in an extremely critical time for America. So let’s keeping on praying and keep on repenting. Let’s also take action and VOTE! Many of you have already voted. If you haven’t voted yet, there’s still time to vote early. Or show up at the polls on Election Day. Remember – your vote counts! James Emery White from Mecklenburg Community Church in Charlotte, NC recently shared three points that I think are extremely helpful for us all to consider as we head into Election Day:
1. When it comes to politics, you are first and foremost a Christ follower.
2. You are always voting for the lesser of two evils.
3. The key to Christian political engagement is a Christian mind wielding a biblical worldview.
No matter what the outcome of the election, we choose to place our trust in God alone. He is our Provider and Sustainer. He is still on the throne, even if the whole world goes crazy. I’m continuing to believe for God’s kingdom to be established and His will to be done on earth as it is in heaven.
I believe that when we, the people of God, pray and act in faith, it gets Heaven’s attention. Our prayers do make a difference. Thank you for being a great church! Thank you for shining your light in a dark world. Thank you for your continued generosity in giving of your time, talent and resources. We truly are better together!
I’m looking forward to seeing you this Sunday! We’ll be worshipping together in-person at 9am and 11am and via Facebook live and Livestream at 11am.
Praying for you,
Mike Lewis
Cathedral