Today's Topic: Restoration
Bringing back to a former or original condition. In this manual the term restoration is meant to include rehabilitation; The act of putting something back to a prior condition; Bringing back to an original state; To restore or make new again. More aggressive than conservation, restoration implies recreating what has been lost.
Now I had no intention of gracing this topic at all. At least not until I got through the backlog of ideas I had written down, but sometimes you've got to go with the flow. When you hear it you've got to listen and I'm all ears lately. So I go back to my old church for the first time to be a member again and there's a brand new "Young Men's" Class during Sunday School that my sister tells me about. I explain to her that I'm a man and I'll go to the Men's class as I have in the past. So I get to class early. One of the elderly fellows says it's nice to see me again and the usual chatter and then he says well right over there they have this new class for 18-35 year olds. This is too much back story. I'm not keeping a diary here. Strictly the highlights. Anyway I go to the new class and we have to choose a name by June because it's new and Young Men's Class isn't going to cut it. My cousin suggests Blessed and Highly Favored. I told him I like the ring to it and the teacher concurred. Ha. So we get to the lesson. I don't know the scriptures because it mainly comes from off top. Restoration.
There's 2 things I believe in. One of them is that there is forgiveness. That's important because the only way we ever have a chance at salvation is through forgiveness. The other thing is restoration. What is restoration? ("To restore.") I don't want to hear the word used to define itself. ("Well you know, going back to what you used to be.") Exactly. Restoration is returning back to a previous state. Restoration involves restoring and renewing.
Now if you know me you know at that point I was like come onnnnn, on my first day back. Cause messages aren't supposed to be aimed directly at you. Not blatantly what you need to hear. I listened. Absorbed. And here's where I stand.
It's exciting. And I like it. There is no hope for anything without restoration. The greatest arts we have wouldn't exist. The ruins. Ancient portraits. Sculptures. The Sistine Chapel. Anything not brand spanking new and in pristine condition weathers away and dies without restoration. If you don't wash your $600 1992 Chevy Caprice Classic or change the oil and all that other upkeep that bad boy won't ever shine like the heavens and breaks down on you midway between Alexandria and Lafayette. Then you have to leave it at a rest stop. But do you leave it there. No. You have to get it fixed. You put the money into it. And the time. And the parts. And sooner or later you're going to be riding around with a round bottom slab going 2 miles per hour so everybody sees you. Or you don't fix it. Then when your $500 1989 Ford Taurus doesn't want to go 80 mph up Beltway 8 you just charge it to the game, chalk up the L and keep it trucking. I don't know about you, but I prefer the former to the latter. The thing about it is that nothing fixes itself. Problems do not solve themselves. If you are seeking a solution to a problem, you have to seek the solution. Like the Bishop said today, when you're playing hide and seek you have to actively seek who you're looking for. It applies to life. Think about it. So you do something wrong. How do you right your wrongs? By correcting them. Whatever you did you don't do it again. You figure out what you did wrong and fix it. Same thing with math problems. Retests. Now the concept behind restoration is getting back to something. Lets say you had everything figured out. When you were at your highest of highs. Now you're not there. You want to get back there. What do you have to do. Actively seek your route back to glory. Now from a religious standpoint, which sparked this thought process, I've got the seeking Him thing down. Simple. Pray and read your Bible. Listen to Him. To listen you have to meditate and constantly seek understanding. All the stuff I've always known, but just so happen to get refreshed with when I need it. Now in other matters, I do not have the answers. I don't know how to restore something when it's gone. Restoring oneself I've got down. When there's other parties involved it gets tricky. But hey, archaeologists restored Pompeii and it was completely buried in volcanic ash and soot for many, many centuries. So it's more than possible to restore things no matter how far gone you think it is. You have to really want it. To forgive, to renew and to restore; all similar and intertwined, but all so very different and complex. Anyway, originally I was supposed to be blogging to get my thoughts down and maybe it's help me understand them more clearly and I think it's working. LETSGETIT, Restoration.
[Andre 3000]
Ahhh, such sweet sound.
The Fiddler on the F___in' Roof.
Is that Mr. Bentley Fonzworth?
[Fonzworth Bentley]
Indeed it is, Sir.
[Andre 3000]
Good day, good sir.
How do you do? Look fine.
[Fonzworth Bentley]
Fantastically well.
I am certainly not fine by far, but you could say I'm close to spectacular.
[Andre 3000]
Close to spectacular? How so?
[Fonzworth Bentley]
Open your eyes.
Spectacular's right in front of you.
[Andre 3000]
Whatever you say... you're spectacular.
[Fonzworth Bentley]
No, I'm fantastically well.
[Andre 3000]
Come on, man. Make up your mind.
A minute ago you said you were fine.
[Fonzworth Bentley]
No. I said I'm close to spectacular, but I'm meeting fine in a minute.
[Andre 3000]
Close to spectacular?
You said you were fantastically well.
[Fonzworth Bentley]
Exactly.
[Andre 3000]
Exactly? Which one are you?
Close to spectacular? Or fantastically well?
[Fonzworth Bentley]
I am certainly and without a doubt fantastically well...
and was close to spectacular, but I must say
You just pissed spectacular off. And don't even mention exactly...
But here comes fine right now.
[Andre 3000]
Oh Lord, she is fine.
[Woman] Gentlemen.
[Fonzworth Bentley] Behold...
[together] A lady.
So far ahead of his time it's ridiculous.
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