I began memorizing the book of Colosians this year because of this verse.

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God.”  Col 3:2-3
 
Practice confessing that several times a day….it is shocking to the system!
 
Memorizing  focuses your mind on words and thoughts in a way reading can’t….and I found myself stopped in my tracks as I realized that these words are actually true for me!!!!!  This is my story…
 
Over the years, the Lord has taken me though deep valleys and desert experiences which have proven that  life is fragile and death certain.   I actually named my autobiography for seminary, “Days of Pain and Nights of Prayer”!  My journey has been a testimony to the faithfulness of God to bring me back to the true and greater reality of life in the kingdom of God.   Each time I surrendered my life back to Him , I became more aware of this singular kingdom of Christ Jesus in which I existed…and came alive with new energy, excitement and creativity from above.
 
I, Gail, a steward of Christ Jesus, by the will of God…” reflects Paul’s introduction of himself as an apostle in Col. 1.  I realized that my identity as a steward was given to me as a gift…..an identity I would not have recognized by myself.  This is who I have become because of my life experiences in the will of God.  I now operate in this world no longer as an owner of anything….but a steward responsible to the King for all He has given me.  This change happened when He asked, ,”Would you give back to Me everything I have given you?”  I could only answer a “yes” because I learned to release my life to Him over the years.  Releasing all I owned in the earth was a simple step.  Because of The Father of Glory and Jesus the Christ, and the Holy Spirit of love, this Blessing House exists and I get to be the steward of this great treasure……only by the will of God. 
 
My question to you is how would you fill in the blanks…
 
I,______________, an/a________________________of Christ Jesus, by the will of God…

Who are you in the Kingdom of God living your life in the earth? 
 

One of Jesus’ significant directives in my life is “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God….and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matt. 6:30.  I have discovered the truth of this verse over my 73  years.  When life didn’t make sense I went immediately to the Word of the King and realigned my thoughts and actions with that which governs the  universe.  The Word of God always settled things for me and gave me a way to go and a way to think.  I learned that I could not be defeated.
 
Now, I seek to live out the kingdom through Word and principles in everyday life at the Blessing House.  The first principle was to give everything I owned into the hands of the King trusting Him with the rest of my life as a steward and not an owner.  This one single act freed up a new life “in the kingdom” as I greet with joy everyone He brings  through the front doors He desires to bless. 
 
The BH desires to be an experience of Kingdom life.  The Board of Directors, the office staff and I seek to operate on Kingdom principles in our decisions, our relationships, our personal lives so we can truly bless our world through the actual presence of the BH.   Our goal is to be a place where Jesus loves to hang out waiting to meet whoever opens the door.  Our desire is to help people ( children – adults) taste the delights of the kingdom as they enter a place of beauty, harmony, and comforting.  The language of the kingdom includes the joy of word and deed The heart of the kingdom allows for silence, weeping, laughter and honest conversation.    The gift of the kingdom is space for God to touch lives in a personal way
 
We seek to be a touch point of the kingdom….an embassy, an outpost, resting place, a home wherein dwells tranquility, thought, friendship, belonging, creativity, art and music, It is the front porch , the living room, the sleeping quarters and the kingdom kitchen. 

You are always welcome here, the coffee is always on and the door open.

​ 
I miss the rhythms of the Christian life I experienced the first 50 years of my life in the Lutheran Church. We had set seasons that were honored with colors on the altar, hymns and choir numbers to match,  readings, banners, candles and flower arrangements on the altars dressed for each season.
 
Especially the Lenten season.
​
 Wednesday night soup suppers before the service weeks before Holy Week when Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and the day of preparation for the Resurrection.  All was done with familiar music, rituals, sounds of bells and solemn processionals.
 
We knew it was a time of reflection, prayer and fasting, self examination, and solemn readings of the meaning of the cross.  Sin was recognized and repentance a way of life.
 
In my experience the “evangelical churches” rarely observe and prepare for the week that changed the world in the same way.  Life and teachings as usual and nothing changes in the service.  All at once Good Friday appears followed by resurrection celebrated with music and sweet smelling flower gardens…..and it is over.  It surprises me….o yeah, it’s Easter. 
 
Good Friday at the BH has been set aside the last 3 years for reflection, prayer and solemnity in the light of the ghastly cost of sin.  Places of prayer prepared, communion in remembrance, music, movies of the passion in the library,  places to journal and to sit with the enormity of God’s love…..all these spaces dedicated to bring us into the realities of life in the light of the gospel.  The doors are open and you are welcome to enter any time into Good Friday.

A few weeks ago we sent out a request for feedback on how we communicate with you, and how often we send out emails. We got lots of great feedback about what people are looking for and what you like to hear about what we are doing.

​This blog post is to explain a few of the changes we'll be making based on your feedback!

When we asked for feedback we were looking to find out a few pieces of information. The first was what you wanted to see from our weekly email. The second was how frequently you read it.

From that we learnt a few important things;

• The majority of people who responded would prefer a less frequent email, with 40% asking for a single, monthly roundup.
• 90% of people use our email to get information about upcoming events, and 75% say that this email if their main form of information, ahead of the website, face-to-face communication and social media.
• There was an even split between those who would like more information about classes and events, and those who want more general information about Christian life (something we've already started to do in our blogs)!

So, what happens next? Well, we're going to be making a few changes based on this information. We're going to switch to a biweekly email. This will allow us to communicate less frequently, like people wanted, while still keeping in contact with those who want more information. We're also going to be including more details about classes and events, including costs and who can attend. Finally, we're going to start to include a prayer request each time - something that we would love for you to include in your prayer time, to widen the reach of the blessings we offer.

Ultimately, these changes should help us communicate more effectively with you, the friends of The Blessing House. Please do continue to give feedback, and let us know what you think about what you would like to see, and look out for further developments as we continue to make communicating with you a higher priority.

​“Do you not know you are living stones built into a spiritual household?”  1 Peter 2:5
 
The Corner Stone is the owner of the Blessing House and belongs to Him lock stock and barrel.   It exists for and by Him to meet and bless anyone whom He brings to the door.
 
The Foundation Stones are called together by His Spirit to complete and establish the Blessing House as a ministry of sacred space that draws in the community.
 
The Living Stones, however, will be the way the ministry of the spiritual household will prosper because monthly, these stones give their financial support securing all the previous work of building.  Living Stones come in all sizes and are placed by the Lord into a wall of protection from the storms
 
Living Stones give monthly support  which anchors the BH in the winds of change.  Of the 2500 people who use the Blessing House, only 25 have committed this year to helping us secure and stablize the spiritual household by intentional giving through the financial tools of automatic withdrawals.  Even small gifts given regularly make a big difference.  Think of how 50, 100,200 Living Stones could both create a wall of protection and enable the spiritual household to flourish.  
 
I am a living stone to several ministries because I easily forget the needs of the kingdom in my everyday life.  But once arranged with my bank, I never miss the opportunities to be blessed in the giving.  The amazing thing is that my bank account rarely empties.  How does God do that?  O yeah…that’s right….”whatever is given is returned 10, 20, 100 fold” says Jesus.

Why do I believe what so many I know and love reject?
 
In the writings of the New Testament story-tellers, there is an unfolding reality of who Jesus is.  Yet, an onslaught of miracles, healings, teachings, undeniable power over demons and nature was never enough to fully convince most people that God was standing before them in human flesh.  They touched, handled, and ate with Yahweh, and walked away – astonished, maybe … but unchanged. 
 
What questions and confessions they entertained, disintegrated into fear and unbelief when the government moved in and hung him on high to prove who had the power.  It took a resurrection and a visible ascension into the heavens before the truth became solid in their minds and hearts that this could be true.  Then the strange visitation of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost secured them body, soul and spirit in the truth so they became martyrs rather than renounce the Truth.  And not just a few, but millions!  And it is still expanding!
 
I never got to see Him in the flesh, but I grew up in the stories and was surrounded by believers.  All on my own, I totally rebelled against it all and wanted to live like my friends who cared little for such “religious crap” as they called it.  But, all that glittered like gold, disintegrated like shards of glass as I experienced the love and forgiveness of my parents who had sold themselves out to the reality of Jesus.
 
I still haven’t seen Him, but I know Him through others whose lives are deep and true in the His reality.  And I have experienced Him myself as this curious “weight of glory” fills my soul and stabilizes me through all the storms  past, present or future.  And I have this Word that never runs dry, which is as deep as eternity, and which expands me to live large in its truths. 
 
No one else can offer such treasure. No other religion, no other lifestyle, no other belief can come close to  the consuming power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Do you know this “weight of glory” for yourself? 

Want to talk?

​“If one advances confidently in the direction of her dreams and endeavors to live the life she has imagined she will meet with success unexpected in common hours.”  Henry Thoreau ,“Walden”
 
I was so enchanted with this quote the year I turned 50 that every journal for the next 20 years had it recorded.  That was the year my first husband died and life changed dramatically.  All at once “dreams and endeavors” became possible  and I wasted little time redesigning life on my own terms.  Seminary, reconstruction of a 50’s rambler into the first Blessing House, becoming an apologist with Dr. Don Bierle, and discovering the joy of gardening were seed ideas that had lain dormant in my imagination. 
 
Little did I know those dreams were only the stepping stones into a totally unexpected life here in Victoria.   My dreams were as big as I could imagine and those 13 years on Lakeview Terrace on Lake Waconia brought enormous satisfaction and joy as people flowed through the doors into the common hours of my imagined life.
 
But, God’s dream for me was beyond my imagination – an impossible reality that I am now sitting in as I write this blog.  I am surprised every day with the enormity of His plan for me that far exceeded anything I could possibly have thought of.  I wrote about the “what if” question that roamed through my mind last week as He asked me to give up everything I had ever imagined -  everything I had accomplished, for am impossible journey into His imagination that only He could orchestrate.   I am still stunned that He would entrust His dream to me as I was entering my 70s!
 
Could it be that I risked  ”advancing confidently in the direction of my small dreams and a life imagined”?  Was that all a set up to train me for this Blessing House?  When did He dream this up?   Was it truly before the foundation of the world according to Eph 2:10  “For we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works which God created in advance for us to do.”?
 
I encourage you to dream and endeavor to live a life imagined.  Stop trying to figure out what God wants you to do… His dreams are too big to even conceive.  I believe that He has put dreams within us that are the seeds of His greater dreams .  Don’t just sit there wishing and praying something would change.  Start where you are, journal your ideas and dreams, and risk advancing confidently in that direction. 

So​ came the question one quiet morning.  Like a breath of fresh air traveling through my head it left  me a bit chilled.  Such a question could only be from His Majesty as such a thought would not have occurred to me.  I was 68 and this question wasn’t the one most of my friends were dealing with.  
 
This was not a question of retirement, but opened up a whole new life direction – a mysterious and uncertain path into the future.  Any “what if” question activated my imagination, but this one invited me into a whole new world of possibilities.  
 
What would it be like to own nothing and trust myself to God’s plan for me? 

Underlying that question lay another which God has challenged me with over the years….”Do you trust My Promises about giving all of yourself to Me?
 
The idea of giving my life and goods over to the full use of God and walking free of ownership into a life as a steward filled my days and nights with wonder and excitement at the risk.  When I turned 60 my big risk was getting a motorcycle and my license besides traveling the jungles and mountains of Africa, Philippines and India as a team of three women called to churches in the wild. 
 
I have tried to risk something new every year to stay sharp and keep a young attitude.  But this haunting prospect captured my dreams and visions so that every other possibility of living out my 7th decade faded in comparison.  
 
I wonder if the Father spoke to the Son and Holy Spirit in the same way….”What if we made a man in our own image and gave him a world of his own to explore and steward?”  What would be the risk?  What would it cost us?  What kind of amazing possibilities could arise in eternity?  Did their eyes widen?  Did they lose sleep”  Did they smile like I did?

This morning Gail and I were discussing some of God's attributes. And on a day where I'm feeling tired after a long week of work, and need a double-dose of strength to push me through the day, I love that God provides everything we need.

​More than that, I love that He is "sufficient".  2 Corinthians 12 describes His grace as being enough for us. Throughout the Bible we see instances where He provides us with what we require. The thing to remember is that in most cases God gives abundantly, causing us to overflow with his gifts.

But what I love about sufficiency is that it describes a very precise thing; the exact amount required to meet a need. God could over-provide, he's able to give us far more than we need, and yet we're only promised a sufficient amount of grace.

And I love that.

Because here's the thing - overabundance tells us that we get more than we need, but Grace isn't like that. You can't have forgiveness in overabundance. Without Jesus we would receive just punishment as a consequence for our sins; but thanks to Him, we receive the exact Grace we need for forgiveness. Grace is given to us in exactly the amount we need, because he gives it to us BASED on our need. When we sin, God forgives us. We don't need more forgiveness, precisely because he's already forgiven us. He doesn't give us extra Grace so that we can just write off the next few sins, but instead calculates the cost and gives us what we need, again and again.

​There's a common saying that if you teach a man to fish he can feed himself. This is better than simply giving him a fish every day. But God knows that what we need is someone to give us the food we need precisely because we CAN'T ever feed ourselves. We're to be utterly reliant upon Him, because only he can provide for us.

Sufficiency isn't a bad thing, even if we might long for independence or abundance. It's Gods way of teaching us reliance, and of reminding us that Grace is gifted.

In a world which teaches us that self-sufficiency, and earning our way, are attributes to strive for, isn't it refreshing, radical even, to know that God provides us with what we need and nothing we do can cause him to lessen his gifts, or earn us more?

Our all-powerful, abundantly benevolent  God gives us Grace, sufficiently. And ultimately, that's enough.