I,m 3 hours away from the house project, sitting in the sunshine looking out over the water from a good friends living room and reflecting on the journey over the past year. The first days of April 2008 we were here, newly arrived back from South Africa, me the sickest i'd ever been with the hepatitus bug i pcked up in our travels and wondering what the next step was. We were literally booted out of the nest by our community here and ended up moving to Plain , welcomed into the most loving, hungry for God's presence, extraordinary community that i've ever had the delight to be a part of in my life. Real people, living life and pursuing God together. Much of the past year has been building those new relationships, exploring new insights into Fathering and building a house while Jesus builds through and in us a home and community(the dearest thing to His heart) I have experienced His kindness (Lovingkindness is the word King David uses) and favor in ways that some days have left me speechless (a rare thing for me) and stunned.

So, we're building a home, and in two weeks we plan to move in, one year to the day that we moved to Plain, a journey that would fill volumes in order to describe the conversations, relationships, help, dreams details and descisions that take so much mind space as to leave room for little else. But there have still been times of God encounters, around every corner He waits, lovingkindness, patience Grace and Grace and Grace oh and did i say kindness that i'm learning to expect even though it still takes me by surprise. Isiah 25 v 6 - 10 is the passage that describes what Gateway ( our home ) is to become: "And the Lord of hosts will prepare a lavish banquet for all peoples on this mountain; a banquet of aged wine, choice pieces withmarrowand refined aged wine. And on this mountai He will swallow up the covering which is over all peoples, even the veil which is stretched over all nations. He will sallow up death for all time, and the Lord God will wipe tears away from all faces and He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken. And it will be said in that day, 'behold this is our God for whom we have waited that He might save us. This is the Lord for whome we have waited; let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation. For the hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain and Moab will be trodden down in his place as straw is trodden down in the water of a manure pile."

For year Becky and i have onged to be healed and be part of a healing community and now we are in the road, getting off the ground, learning to fly, to overcome, to be in agreement with what God says and with His amazing loving intentions for us and the community we live in and as we see and believe with the eyes of faith we become more free to be what he intended all along. As we hear His voice and agree with His declarations over us and our community and we in turn decare it and live it out we go from strength to strength as He is strong for us. I'm aware now how inadequate words are to describe the journey we're on, how it feels to wake up in the morning with an expectation of goodness, regardless of the circumstance, because in my weakness He shows Himself strong, He pitches His tent over me. Words aren't sufficient to describe what it is like to be taught by the greatest teacher, councillor and comforter in the universe. Holy Spirit, you are awesome, surprising and you breathe life into me like no other, i'm lost in wonder some days and others, you're just a thought away, just a remembering or a question is enough to know your always closeness.