I've just agreed with a contractor for a start date to erect a new fence along the northern boundary of the church. You can see from the photos why. The one on the left shows how far the fence has fallen - it's only being held up by the shed and the gate in right hand photo.
It's basically reached the end of its life and is going to cost $4,000 to fix. Thankfully Kainga Ora (was Housing NZ) will pay half of that.
Why has it got like that - basically age but it got me thinking about maintenance. Could we have maintained the fence better - probably. Would better maintenance have prolonged its life - probably only minimally (it's been up for a long time). Should we have fixed it sooner - yes. Why didn't we - for a long time we didn't have the money and when we did we didn't have the people resources to get it organised.
It's not just fences and material things that need maintenance - relationships do too. How's your relationship with God? Is it strong? How are you maintaining it so it doesn't "fall over"?
If like the fence it's a little dodgy, stop and think about what you need to do to straighten it back up and strengthen it so it doesn't fall over. Pray & ask God how. Talk to me and other Christians for thoughts on how.
Have an awesome couple of weeks - No Minsters Monday Moment from me next week - I'm on holiday from this Wednesday (15 Jan) to next Tuesday (21 Jan). Maintenance (rest) for me and for my carport (before it too falls down)!
Blessings, Peter
