Nikolai Volkov and "Father-Kid-Sing-a-Song-a-Palooza!"

So...there I am singing away with my children driving home from MeMaw's house.  It was a typical trip.  Me in the front seat, trying to keep the kids entertained. 

My awesome 6 yr. old free spirit son, BB, singing when he wants and changing the last word of every line to something excruciatingly not funny, but to him...HILARITY!  Example: "Who's the King of the Jungle?  Who's the King of the sea (water, water, water)? Who's the King of the universe and who's the kind of Apples?"  or "Trees"  or "Toots"  He rarely uses "Toots" because he knows that will get a light little smacky-smacky smack on his leg.  Sometimes, though, he has to take that blow...for the sake of the art.

My determined  ALMOST 4 YR. OLD little gal, Peach, singing evey word perfectly, and though not quite able to hit that fifth note to harmonize, it won't be long.  She even looks determined like this is a free throw to win State!  Go Team!  Seriously, if you saw her singing in the backseat, you would think she was singing the Russian National Anthem alongside Nikolai Volkov in the old WCW days.  (if you don't get that reference, I truly feel sorry for you)  And the way she can block out the insanity in the seat next to her spewing from BB's mouth is quite remarkable!


So..there I was singing away when we came to the end of "Brother Noah Built the Ark" and then the all-important choosing of the next song.  If I let one of them pick, the other will be angry.  Yet, if I pick...well, I am Daddy, so that never works.  "No, Daddy, Not THAT One!!!" 

I decided  to try a new tactic...Just start singing.

If they join in, great! 

If not, they will get a 2 minute solo from old Pops!

As my brain hurriedly went through my roll-a-decks (is that spelled right?) trying to come up with songs a) they know or b) I remember, I decided the finalists were:

"Secret Ambition" by Michael W. Smith

or

"The Wise Man Built His House Upon the Rock" by millions of people all over the globe.

Because of the long back and forth between the electric guitar and MWS' high pitched voice late in the song, I didn't think it would translate well into

"Father-Kid-sing-a-long-a-palooza"

Unannounced, I burst into singing the song.  And man, did the kids get into it.  It is such a simple concept.  One house goes splat.  One stands firm.  Hand motions and everything.  Although, when I was doing "the floods came up", my Camry almost veered in front of a Car-carrier with a bunch of Hyundais on it.  (note to self...CHECK THE FRONT-END ALIGNMENT)

So, I was no longer involved in hand motions...

We sang and sang...and laughed.

After we were home, at least an hour or so later, I still had that song in my head, humming it, etc.

Then something hit me about that song....Something I had never seen/heard/thought about/pondered/noticed before.  Then I went and grabbed my Bible to read about it...

Matthew 7:24-27 (NLT)
²⁴ “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. ²⁵ Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock. ²⁶ But anyone who hears my teaching and doesn’t obey it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. ²⁷ When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”

SAME PASSAGE (KJV)
²⁴ Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:²⁵ And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:²⁷ And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

The Building.

Not the physical structure, but the building PROCESS.

As believers, I think we get these pet verses, or songs, even stuck in our head and never re-think them.  I think because I learned that passage (in King James, of course) in my 3rd grade class with Mrs. Bouler, and have heard or sung (sang) (singed) that song many times, I never paid attention to the ACTION of it.

It isn't just KNOWING what to do.  It isn't just HEARING JESUS WORDS (KJV). 

WOW.

As I have expressed before, I am not a believer in quick-fix religion, sinner's prayers, etc. 

To BUILD a HOUSE takes...

KNOWLEDGE

PLANNING

WORK

CONSTRUCTION

WORK

RE-EVALUATING

CHECKLISTS

WORK

DETAILING

WORK

FINISHING

 

FINISHING...wow

 

Then after all that...

 

WORK TO MAINTAIN IT!

 

REMODELLING!!

The more I write, the more I think of...
Antoher way I guess I could put it is, to build a house takes INVESTMENT.  Building a house does not happen by accident.  INTENTIONAL EFFORT is behind it.


Man, this is convicting me.  Perhaps this is one of those posts that speak to me, and only me, and that is OK!!!  I want Father to speak to me however HE sees fit.

For me and my HOUSE to be on the rock...it has to be BUILT!

Also...it has to be built on the right stuff.  I think alot of times we look at this story as a hapless person building on the sand like they are the 1st two pigs in the story and the good holy Christians are like Pig 3 with the brick house....I argue this isn't true.

The House on the Sand took just as much effort and planning and construction as the one on the Rock.

Ouch.

Let's be careful we are WORKING, LABORING, INVESTING in the PROCESS of Building...

with the right materials,
on the right foundation,
DAILY,
ZEALOUSLY.

I don't know about you...but whether we are talking spiritually or literally...I don't want my house going SPLAT!