My mom and younger brother read the "Little Britches" series together a year or so ago, and ever since then my parents have used the illustration of building up the "character house" in family discussions. Its a great word picture of what we should be working on now, and not planning to do "later" when we reach adulthood.

Great re-post! :-)
Hannah Beth | Homepage | 04.09.06 - 11:09 am | #

This is so true! And many of us are, sadly, inadequately prepared for the deluge that awaits. We need to be strong in little things now, so that when we need to be strong in big things, we're ready.
Alyssa | 04.09.06 - 11:56 am | #

When armor is forged hastily it is nearly useless. Armor that will withstand inumerable attacks has been forged by fires of incredible heat, and shaped by blow after blow of the sledge only to be returned to the fire and then bludgened some more. The more times it returns to these two forces the harder it becomes to break or pierce it. Tempering isn't a fun process - not for either the steel or the smithy. The heat is excrutiating, the blows wrought by steel upon steel reverberate both up your arm and in your ears, and the blackend skin and metal aren't a pleasant sight. The nobility comes in one form. The foresight of the craftsman. He knows that if the process were to be cut short, so would the life under the armor's protection on a battlefield. And so he labors on for a purpose yet to be seen, with a belief that what he accomplishes in the forge's fires will insure survival in the intense heat of the battles it will face.
Deeapaulitan | Homepage | 04.09.06 - 5:47 pm | #

That's a good way of putting it. I never really thought about it in that light. Thanks.
Mr. K | Homepage | 04.09.06 - 9:27 pm | #

I find that only bad habits are easily formed. The good ones take time, determination, and a humble heart continually asking the Lord for help and guidance.
Elizabeth | Homepage | 04.10.06 - 9:45 am | #

Deeapaulitan: Excellent analogy! Thank you for reading and for your wonderful contribution to the discussion.

Elizabeth: Yes! Exactly. That's why Jesus says "wide is the path, and easy the way that leads to destruction" but that "the way is hard that leads to righteousness, and few find it."
Brett Harris | Homepage | 04.10.06 - 11:47 am | #

Hi! My name is Doris, and I attended your Rebelution conference in California this past March. Although I've been to your blog before, I never actually took the time to say thank you! Thank you guys so much for letting God use you in such an awesome way...I needed to be there, and God brought my whole family to the right place at the right time. To make a long story...long, :):

My dad had wanted all of us to go, but everyone in my family had other plans and we hadn't even signed up. God laid it on my dad's heart that this was really an event that He wanted us to attend, so my dad asked that we find a way to cancel our plans and make it there. Little did we know, in one day ALL of our plans for March 11th were soon canceled, and we called the registration and found that there were some open spots at the conference!
The devil didn't want my God to win though...I woke up with an eye infection, a sore throat, and a bad headache. Again, my dad expressed to me how God laid it on his heart that our family should attend, and that we should not let the devil triumph. I decided to obey my dad. Then, our car broke down and didn't work--so we ended up having to take my dad's crowded work van. THEN we got lost on our way up there! We had to stop for a while because my dad didn't know where he was going, and we spent so much time there that we almost decided to turn back. Well, I looked out the window and noticed we were stuck on Faith Street. I love how God works. My dad figured it out and we got there in time. God truly is amazing!

I took pages and pages of notes, and I was really blessed by your speeches and your passion for God. I have a habit of going to such conferences, getting all pumped up about God and doing "hard things", and then getting down low and discouraged again. God has used you two to keep me up, and through you God has also spoken to me with a command to memorize more scripture.

You must have been told already by many of your fans : ) that God has great plans for you-- and indeed He does! But remember not to let pride get in the way-- keep your love for God pure and His love and truth the focus of your life.

God bless you! I hope to be honored again to hear you speak next year.

Your sister in Christ,

Doris
Doris | Homepage | 04.11.06 - 1:02 am | #

"Sow a thought,
Reap an act;
Sow an act,
Reap a habit;
Sow a habit,
Reap a character;
Sow a character,
Reap a destiny."

I learned that last year at Holiday Camp...and I've kept it in my head to remind me that building a good character is very important.

Thanks for your post! :)
Alyssa C. | Homepage | 04.11.06 - 4:47 am | #