6.22.2026 - Lisa Liou

Lisa Liou is the Founder and Executive Director of All Gen Movement, a Christian ministry

dedicated to healing the generations and renewing the Church. She previously served over 20

years with InterVarsity, most recently as Regional Director in the Western US. She is married to

Jeff, an ordained CRC minister, and together they live in Monrovia, CA with their two teenagers.

Monday, June 22, 2026

Revelation 21:5

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!”Then he said, “Write this

down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

This week, we come to an exciting and refreshing topic–the Holy Spirit bringing renewal. In the

midst of the darkness and suffering in the world, my heart is encouraged just at the sound of

those words together in a sentence. First, the Holy Spirit–our helper, guide, and the constant

presence of God, within and around us in the world. Second, renewal– the idea that things can

be restored, revived, and brought back to their newness.

It makes me so happy!

Last year, I went back home to Detroit to visit with my family and I had the opportunity to see a

beautiful restoration project. My whole life, when we would drive through the city, my parents

would point out what was clearly a formerly majestic 18-story train station. In the heyday of

manufacturing, people from all over were drawn to the city for jobs.

Imagine getting off the train into a beautiful station inspired by Parisian and Roman architecture

that you might see in a movie.

Except, in my lifetime, the train station had become a place of blight, representing the fall of a

once great American city. Superhero movies with demolition scenes were filmed inside and a

renowned photographer created a photo book called The Ruins of Detroit.

Now called Michigan Central Station, this 1913 building was fully restored and reopened in July

2024. It may sound silly, but as I went into the exhibit describing the restoration process, my

eyes welled up with tears. So much thought went into finding original remnants of the building in

the homes of collectors and then using those remnants to recreate authentic pieces, such as a

large clock that hung above the ticket booth. Little scraps of artifacts found in the rubble were

also included, such as a child’s broken toy and old ticket stubs.

It spoke so deeply to my heart because my heart loves restoration, revival, and renewal! It’s

such a deeply spiritual theme.

I chose to begin with this passage from Revelation today because the end of the story tells us

where we are going. Jesus, seated on the throne, says, “Behold, I am making everything new!”

I have been helped by Brian Blount who writes in his commentary that Jesus does not make “all

new things,” rather he makes all things new. It’s not about throwing out the old. His words help

me understand how God is both doing something new through the Holy Spirit and, at the same

time, those new things are reinforcing ancient truths that have always been. That’s what it

means to make everything new rather than all new things.

It fills my heart with gladness to know that the Holy Spirit is doing renewal work in people,

places, and throughout the whole earth. If the Michigan Central Station brought me to tears, I

can’t imagine how the new heavens and earth we read about in the rest of Revelation will look.

Today, as we begin to explore the theme of renewal, think of one area in your life, family, or

neighborhood where you would like to see renewal. Invite God to show you a picture of how the

Holy Spirit wants to make it new.