Julian Saunders was bored. He was even bored of waving his fingers through his hair and looking bored—though he was only bored of that because there was no one to see him.

He sat down in his gaming chair and rolled across the room, stopping to look down from his full-length window. The sunlight sparkled attractively on the family pool and cast the shadows of the trees behind it across the manicured lawn. A momentary smile flitted across Julian’s face when he remembered how he’d shocked his mom yesterday by jumping into the pool with a full dress suit. But today wasn’t even hot enough for such pranks.

Julian turned his eyes back inside, searching for something to do. He ran them lazily around the magazine-cover-perfect room, taking in his rack of video games, his shelf of Star Wars LEGO sets, his display case with that World Series fly ball he’d caught. Julian was proud of his room, but pride is not the right sort of sentiment to speed time up, so after a few minutes of self-complacency, he was more bored than ever.

But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. —Revelation 2:4–5

Jason Sloboda, DDiv, pushed the squeaking old church door back on its hinges.  He stumbled backwards as the rank, musty air hit him.  It was worse even than he had expected.

He stepped inside, disturbing the dust of decades.  Cobwebs hung thickly in the corners and paint was peeling from the walls.  An old bulletin, coated in idle doodles, lay moldering on the vestry carpet.

Jason took it all in, seeing potential instead of problems.  Like a soldier reclaiming territory, he felt half-pierced by the neglected building, once a fortress of the kingdom of heaven—and half-triumphant to know that it was his now, to rebuild for his King.