THE POWER OF SPEAKING BLESSINGS-by Heidi McLaughlin

Someone sneezes and we quickly respond with a vague “God bless you”. We sign our e-mails and greetings cards with “Blessings” and it sounds nice and Christian and friendly. When we don’t know the full power and potential of this age old cliché, we throw it around like a meaningless penny.But I came to realize that speaking blessings has unparalleled power.

 I discovered this power of blessings two years ago when I was privileged to write devotionals for “THE STORY” for Scripture Union Canada.  I was given the task of writing in Genesis and one of the first eye opening and starting revelations about blessings was the story of Jacob and Esau. “When (Esau) heard his father’s words, he burst out with a loud and bitter cry and said to his father, ‘Bless me-me too, my father! “(Genesis 27:34 NIV). Why was a blessing so powerful that a mother and son would conspire to manipulate and steal a blessing from its rightful owner? I set out to find out why.

I discovered that when we speak blessings into each other’s lives, we are, by faith, imparting God’s image into their being. Blessing is God’s primary mechanism of imparting deep into the heart of a person His image...to help that person understand his identity (Who am I?) and purpose (Why am I here?).

The Hebrew word to “bless” is “baruch”, which means to kneel. So picture this: When you and I bless someone, we kneel before them in humility, speak God’s words over them and literally empower that person to prosper. If you and I bless our children, we empower them to prosper in every area of their lives-spiritual life with God, physical health, emotional well-being, marriage, children, finances, careers, ministry... every area. And when I read this last part: “Children who were blessed by their parents tend to prosper in their adult lives, and children who were never blessed by their parents tend to languish and not prosper”…it stopped me dead in my tracks.

I had never done this with my own children, but I had a plan for all of our grandchildren.  As Jack and I were preparing for a family reunion in the summer of 2012, we orchestrated a family “Blessing Evening.” To begin writing a blessing for each grandchild, we started with the meaning of their name.  For example: Mya meant “Great One” and Breanna meant “Strong, virtuous and honourable”. From the meaning of their names we saw how God had already prepared their character through their names. Then we began to list all their beautiful qualities, gifts and strengths and ended the blessing with a bible verse and prayer.  It went something like this:“

It is said that the name MYA means “great one.”  You have already shown your family and friends what “great” things you can do…..

You are one of God’s great little girls. He sent you down from Heaven just at the right time to bring so much joy into this family. God has great plans for you Mya. He has given you beauty, a radiant smile, a loving heart, a creative mind, a tender but bold and courageous spirit.  God has wrapped many wonderful things up in a great and package called “Mya.”

There is nothing more beautiful than a girl that knows she is loved. Mya…you are Loved! God has blessed you with a family that loves and adores you. May God’s love always strengthen you and give you courage.  God has great plans for you and let Him help you discover all that life has for you on this earth. Do not be afraid!  Even in your young years may you learn to trust God in such a way that you know that there is nothing in this world that can stop you from fulfilling the purposes God has called you to.  You are great…and you are greatly loved. We bless you in the name of Jesus”.

 “For I can do everything with the help of Christ who gives me the strength I need” (Phil. 4:13 NLT).

We wrote a blessing for each of our nine grandchildren and read it to them on the evening of our family “Blessing Night.”  There was not a dry eye on family deck that beautiful summer evening.  As we heard the words of blessings spoken it evoked and stirred our souls in their most vulnerable and deepest places; those places of longing that only God’s words can fill.

I have actually seen the power of God’s blessings at work, and I can never again say, ‘Bless you” with a cavalier attitude.  I know that when we speak God’s words over our lives, it changes is from the inside out and causes our souls to prosper. 

In the name of Jesus, I bless YOU! 

 Heidi McLaughlin lives in the beautiful vineyards of the Okanagan Valley in Kelowna, British Columbia. She is married to Pastor Jack and they have a wonderful, eclectic blended family of 5 children and 9 grandchildren. When Heidi is not working, she loves to curl up with a great book, or golf and laugh with her husband and special friends. You can reach her at: www.heartconnection.ca

  

Abba Day Blessings.- Belec

How blessed I am to have my 84 year old father still here, living independently.

How blessed I am to have my husband, the father of my own two beautiful children, still by my side after 32 years.

How blessed I am to see my son step into the role of fatherhood and is doing it masterfully!

How blessed I am that my son-in-law regards his responsibility as a father with passion.

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Father's Day is coming up. It's a day most of us set aside to remember and honour fathers and other special men who have been a father figure in our lives - stepfathers, uncles, grandfathers, "Big Brothers," and others. I'm not particularly fond of the commercialism that goes along with these special days, although I am putting out for a round of golf for the man who has stuck by me through thick and thin. I think the most important thing I can do to make a difference is to love without abandon or condition. My prayer is that I can do that with all the special men in my life.

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It might be a little premature talking about Father's Day but I always like to think ahead these days. One never knows what dastardly surprise lurks behind the bushes. So I am rejoicing today. I am thankful today. And I want to publicly declare my love today for the men who have made a difference in my life.

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Mostly, I want to publicly declare my love for Abba, my heavenly Father, who has taught me not to fear those dastardly surprises that lurk and appear suddenly, intent on consuming souls.

"For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father."

Trust the Compass - Wegner

Trust the Compass Who hasn’t heard the expression, “Go West, young man?” In the story that went with that admonition, instructions were clear - head west where the action is. This week I read about another challenge involving directions but this time things didn’t turn out as well as they should have.

Seems there was an old seaman who was sharing the story of the early days of learning his trade. He told of how he would head out to sea and invariably get lost. Time after time folks would have to get in their boats, search for and rescue him. In frustration one of them asked, “Why don’t you use a compass?”

Wisely, he took the advice and set the instrument on the bridge as he piloted his boat into open water. Alas, and in spite of their counsel, this novice sailer lost his way again and spent the night afloat. The next day his friends piled into their boats and headed out to find him.“Didn’t you take the compass?” they queried, now nearly choking with frustration.

“Yes,” he assured them, “but no matter how hard I tried to make it point north it would always land on southeast.”

As “duh” as we may label the fellow, I’ve done that in my writing journey. In my efforts to generate income I’ve unwisely taken on certain projects. Though completing them, I found myself nearly too discouraged to try again. Other times I’ve worn myself out knocking on doors that simply wouldn’t open. In every phase of this journey and in too many ways, I’ve pointed my compass (i.e. prayed for wisdom, for strength and for direction) but failed to trust its accuracy.

The two most valuable lessons I’ve learned as a writer are first, that God is interested in my work, even when I was ready to throw up my hands and look for other work (any work, as long as it didn't involve words) and second, that without Christ, I can do nothing. The good news is that with Him I can do all things. Hallelujah!

“As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts,” God told his people. My determined goal is to keep my eyes on Christ, paddle with all my might, and trust Him to chart the course.

Faith and The Life of the Writer

As you read this I am in Indianapolis attending CBA Advance. I say this in faith, because as I write, I don’t know how I will get there, or perhaps to be correct, (since I’m writing this on Saturday and you’re reading it on Wednesday) how I got here.

I was planning to leave Monday morning at 4:00 a.m., but on Friday when I got in my car the brake light came on, and when I tried to stop, the pedal went to the floor. I (very carefully) drove the car to the closest repair shop, but they said they wouldn’t be able to do anything until Monday. The rear brake lines, which are mounted under the gas tank, had disintegrated. To fix the problem they would have to remove the gas tank which would take several hours and cost $1,500.

Suffice to say, this was not good news. Besides not having the money for such a repair, leaving for the show late Monday afternoon would put me way behind schedule. I had a booth to set up for a show that started on Tuesday. On top of that, we discovered there was no oil in the car. Ouch! They warned me that driving the car was unsafe and that I should leave it with them, but I since I had driven it in, I felt I could drive it out. I opted to get a second opinion.

The whole thing was a brutal come-down from a super high. I had just finished a week of victory. We produced 200 promotional DVDs to hand out at the winter convention of the Christian Bookseller’s Association and the whole process was a miracle. As is true with most authors, I’m on a tight budget, and promotion is costly. When I first investigated doing this project I found the cost of burning the DVDs, printing artwork on the front, and buying jewel cases, would be $1,200. That price did not include studio time or editing of the original piece. Plus it was going to take an inordinate amount of my time to write a script, create a storyboard, screen existing video clips for pertinent material, have meetings with the director and editor, and spend time in the studio recording, and I just didn’t have that kind of time.

The miracle: I now have 200 professionally produced DVDs with a picture of me along with my books printed in full color on the front, packaged in jewel cases, with two promotional versions, (a one minute, and a six minute promo) and the total cost for everything was $180. And I didn’t even have to write the script or attend the meetings. I was ecstatic. I was praising the Lord for pulling it all together and giving me this great gift. And it was only one of several mini-miracles God did to help me prepare for this show. And then, two days before I was to leave, my brakes go out and I’m looking at an unaffordable repair bill and a huge delay. “Lord why are you doing this to me?" I complained. "Don’t you know I have a show to do?”

Here’s the funny part. My wife and I read through the Bible every year and that very morning we'd read the passages found in Exodus 16 & 17 where the children of Israel were complaining that they had no bread, so God gave them manna, and then that they had no water so God poured it from a rock. My goodness. God had just sent ten miraculous plagues that harmed only the Egyptians, not them, and had divided the waters of the Red Sea so they, but not the Egyptians, could cross, and they were complaining that He wasn’t taking care of them! I turned to my wife and said. “Isn’t that just like man? I know I’d probably do the same thing.” Talk about a self-fulfilling prophecy.

After I calmed down, I took my car to a garage where the owner is a man I trust. He quoted me $400 (thank you, Lord) but said he couldn’t do it until Monday. So, as I say, I don’t know how I got here, (remember, I’m attending CBA in Indianapolis as you read this) but I can’t wait to tell you the miracle, because God.... To Be Continued. (Don’t you just hate it when they say that?)

Squinting into The Future

I have a friend whose son has a form of autism. It’s a rather mystifying condition that presents with many different kinds of symptoms. One of the problems this boy has is called the “blank face syndrome.” For some reason his brain does not recognize the details in faces. Even faces that should be familiar, like those of family and close friends, appear blank to him.

You can imagine the difficulties that arise as a result. I noticed the problem when I would greet this young man at our church. I'd say hello, or good morning; he would frown and squint and say nothing. After a while I realized if I said more than a word or two, he would recognize my voice and respond.

I thought about that as I contemplated the ending of 2006 and the beginning of 2007. The year ahead is a lot like a blank face to me. Because we are launching into a year of so much change - two daughters leaving home and a third being married, a move to a different community and different ministry, a book coming out and opportunities for speaking and teaching opening up - I find myself trying to see what that will all look like. How will we cope with the empty nest? What strategies will be effective in planting the new church? What kind of ‘day jobs’ will we have and how will that affect the other aspects of our lives? Will my book be successful and will I have time to do the other writing I want/need to do? What are the best strategies for promoting the book? Will the sequel be accepted by the same publisher?

There are a lot of questions about the future.None of the details of the face of 2007 are clear and I’m finding it a little disconcerting. So when I opened my e-mail inbox the other day and read these two scriptures, my heart was lightened and my spirit soared -
“Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert” (Isaiah 43:19 KJV).
“And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed” (Deuteronomy 31:8 KJV).

What comfort to know that God is making a way - and not just an ordinary ho-hum kind of way, but a way that leads to things that will spring forth like rivers in a desert! What comfort to know He will be with us then, as He is walking with us now and will remain right here beside us, no matter what.I guess I can stop squinting, stop trying to see the details of what might be in the days, weeks and months ahead. All I need to do is slip my hand into the hand being held out to me and trust that its owner knows the way – the best way – and will lead us through to blessings.