In June of 1999 I was working moving houses. It was big, challenging and dangerous. You didn’t want to end up like the wicked witch of the East. We put steel beams under houses and pumped them up with jacks. We cross braced them as they rose with stacks of timber, put wheels under them and pulled them down the road.
We were pulling a big three bedroom, two story house down the streets of Yakima, Washington. I would drive behind the house in a truck and occasionally get out to steer the back wheels on the house to navigate corners. Sometimes I would be on the roof lifting power lines. As I drove behind with my windows down I would watch people on the sidewalks and listen to their comments.
“It’s so big!”
“That’s a real mobile home!”
“Look the curtains are blowing.”
“Who would think you’d see a house coming down the street?”
“The Pizza is supposed to come to the house not the other way around.”
People would get on their phones and call their friends down the road, “Mable, you need to come out and see this. There is a house coming down the road!” Old and young would come out, gawk and add their commentaries.
As I was driving behind this parade, observing the people and overhearing their exchanges I was blindsided by an experience I could not have predicted. I suddenly found tears streaming down my face. I’m certain I was the only one weeping during this expedition. I asked myself, “What is this?” then realized I was watching a parable.
My spirit was hearing the Spirit of God saying that a day is coming, and is now upon us, when the world will come out to watch and marvel because the static, predictable Church is up and moving big and bold!
When a house sits ridged on its foundation it is camouflaged in immobility. People drive by obliviously. But when the house moves down the road they take notice! Let’s remember that Jesus is the Church’s foundation and that Jesus is always on the move! Let’s move with Him that the world may notice!
Steven C Johnson
Landing Strip Enterprises
