When a structure is finished it is the final product that most people judge the craftsmanship by. It is the sturdy exterior, the stylish interior and the various colors and accruements by which most determine the value of the house.

But it is what one can’t see; the plumbing weaving under the concrete slab, the electrical wiring snaking through the walls, the metal rods and mesh imbedded underfoot, the hurricane clips invisibly giving security that make the beautiful exterior a thing of true worth…and will give it the endurance to survive the test of time and use.

As it is with buildings, so it is with people.

What lies underneath the polished surface of a person is what makes all the difference. As Jesus said, “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”

The primary interest of the Anchor House team is helping to ensure that what is unseen and hidden in the hearts of our students is secure and placed properly so that in the long run, their lives will flourish.

The soil has lain fallow for years.

            At one time its rocky ground was plowed and sown with seeds that would produce sugar cane for the sweet tooth of America and beyond. But when those crops became unviable to produce and government subsidies vanished so did the harvests that they once offered.

            Now the land is being broken again, the weeds scrubbed away and in the place of things to sweeten tea a building is being erected whose purpose is to offer the sweetness of a deep and satisfactory connection with God.

            The land that once grew stiff cane will now sow the seeds that lead to the fruit of the Spirit in every heart where they are allowed to grow.

            Check back and watch as the transformation takes place month by month.

It is one thing to have an idea, it is another to see that idea transformed into reality.

During the last several years we started putting together the ingredients needed to turn the concept of the Anchor House into reality.

We set designers to work creating a concept of the space that would house around 40 students. We formed a board and created bylaws to help our team make wise decisions. We spent hours grilling those who run similar yearlong Bible Schools to make sure that we learned from their failures and successes.  We created a budget and started raising funds. 

All the time our concentration was to do this new work with excellence and honor to God. We would work within His timetable, not ours.

We grabbed the 2 acre lot that would someday be the home for the Anchor house so that we could get a better idea of where to place the buildings and the fruit trees that would someday shower students with mangos, bananas, avocados and tangerines.

And we submitted our design drawings to the local planning departments for approval. 

Then we gave thanks and prayed.

There is a very cool custom in Hawaii that I have not found anywhere else in the United States. It is called “A Blessing”.

When a new building breaks ground or store is opened, when a State highway project is unveiled for use there is a blessing.

It is public and it happens for projects that are government run or secular.

The blessing is simply a prayer of thanks and request for safety or success that offered to God for the particular endeavor.

This custom harkens back to the time when Hawaii was actually a Christian nation. When it became a state, the custom remained.

In the early summer of 2021 the plans for the Anchor House had been approved and funding secured. It was time for the bulldozers to break ground…but not before there was a blessing.

On Sunday afternoon the leadership of Kauai Christian Fellowship and the board of the Anchor House gathered with the folks who would be doing construction for a short blessing.

We prayed for safety on the job, we gave thanks for God’s provision and His fingerprints on this enterprise and we asked that what would soon take place on the red dirt of a field on Kauai would be a blessing to all nations.

The strength and integrity of any construction depends on the foundation. Jesus pointed this out with his teaching on the house built on the rock and the one erected on the sand.

What is true in the construction of a house is just as true in the construction of a life.

Foundations don’t just happen. They are done with care and intention. They are measured, laid out and prepared for. They are the product of a team of experts, able and skilled in their craft.

As we watch the process now in play for the first floor of the Anchor House we realize that what we are currently building and what we hope to accomplish is the same; a strong foundation built on Christ Himself, created step by step in the lives of those who walk through the doors. 

For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 1 Cor.3:11