I hardly ever watch TV, but the other day I happened to be in the gym and got sucked into a makeover show about – of all thing – restaurants. As the hour unfolded I was astonished at how my heart was so moved by this tired old restaurant being brought back to life. So I listened: “What’s up Father? Why am I feeling emotional about this?” (I’m being very real here, at the risk of sounding like a mush). The answer came quickly: “It’s a kingdom thing. Makeover is just another word for redemption. And I’ve wired the human heart to respond to redemption.”
Do you know there are as many as fifteen TV shows out there about makeovers? I just did a quick search and found makeover shows about cars, people, pets, houses, restaurants, weight loss, wardrobes, rooms, and garages. Network TV has tapped into our heart’s longing to see all things made new. It seems that once our hearts recognize the kingdom, there’s no going back. It crops up everywhere, even in makeover TV.
“And he said to me, Son of man, can these bones live? And I answered,
O Lord, you know.” – Ezekiel 37:3
Dispatches from the Shadowlands 
My buddy Bob Hoeller left a comment for me at Facebook saying it’s really more radical than a simple makeover; It’s God making all things NEW. He makes a good point: God doesn’t just patch us up and put a new layer of varnish over our old selves, but he does a complete reconstruction beginning in the heart. Bob’s always insightful about these things. He used to be one of the kids in my youth group, and now I enjoy learning from him.
Still the basic point remains. Our hearts respond to these shows because the newness of the Kingdom has been written in our hearts. “Behold I make all things new.” – Rev. 21:5
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Don, Isn’t it neat the way seeing God just becomes a natural part of our response to things that crop up in our lives.? To change the subject a bit, on Dec.21 I attended the Grace Presbyterian Church in Houston,TX w/ my daughter Margaret and family and during worship before the Mission Christmas offering was received Barbara Johson spoke about the BudapestCoffee House Ministry which Grace has supported for the last 16 years !! What a small world !! I immediately remembered you’d been there not long ago. Hope you had a Merry Christmas !! Love and smiles, Janet
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