The Restoration Process

By Del Duduit

A few months ago, Angie and I traveled to Seattle, Washington for a couple days before we met her family for a cruise through Alaska.

We went to the Emerald City to be alone before we spent nine days with a bunch of fun people (wink.)

Seattle was a cool and vibrant city to visit.

I posted a blog a few weeks back on the fish toss and how much fun we had walking around Pike Place Market. Read it here.

We learned of the history of the Gold Rush and saw where Starbucks was launched (although I prefer Tim Horton’s coffee.)

The city is situated on an isthmus between Puget Sound (an inlet of the Pacific Ocean) and Lake Washington. It was full of hustle and bustle, and we enjoyed many of the sites, including the Space Needle. Of course we also tasted the world-famous Beecher’s Mac and Cheese. Yum.

But one of our favorite things about Seattle was we loved where we stayed.

We booked a boutique bed and breakfast that was once owned by the president of a beer company.

The historic Shafer Baillie Mansion was built in 1914. The brick and half-timbered Tudor Revival is located on the original Millionaire’s Row in the Capitol Hill District, just minutes from downtown.

It is named after the owners, who were Alexander Baillie and Julius Shafer.  Baillie was a Scottish immigrant who brought the game of golf to the Western United States while Shafer was involved in a land company.

However, the initial owner was Samuel Loeb who was the president of the Independent Brewing Company.

He sold the mansion to Baillie in 1917, when prohibition was looming, and he moved to San Francisco. We were told he got out just in the nick of time.

The Shafers loved to entertain, and the third floor, where our room was located, was home to a fancy ballroom.

The mansion featured amazing grandeur and craftsmanship. It is an extraordinary home that gives the sense of a luxury hotel from a time gone by. Elegance is found in every detail from original fixtures, hand-carved woodwork, and ornate fireplaces to private baths in every guest room. It has the perfect basement-level party space (probably the original billiard room, after all, the owner was a beer baron!) decked in Douglas fir woodwork in an Arts and Crafts style, complete with Batchelder tile fireplace and hammered metal wall brackets.

Needless to say, we loved the couple of days we spent there.

The mansion holds a wealth of history, and the current owners were a joy to visit with. Plus, they made us a French Toast casserole that was mouth-watering.

We dined with people from all over the United States and even with other folks from Ohio.

We all have a history. Some of it might be unpleasant, while some could be funny or embarrassing. And there are also events from the past that bring joy and honor.

In any case, if you have issues from years gone by, please know that it is not too late to restore your foundation and make your home presentable to your loved ones.

Let God take something that was old and of no use and turn it into a majestic ballroom.

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The restoration process might not be fun, but it will be beautiful after all the woodwork has been finished and painted.

Once you see your need for a spiritual makeover, it will be worth any trouble and pain you go through. Let the Lord be your contractor, and develop an improvement plan just for you.

Like any remodeling process, there must be a blueprint:

• Be humble: See your need to make a change. When pride cometh, then cometh shame; but with the lowly is wisdom. (Proverbs 11:2)
• Be honest: Take responsibility for your actions. For every man shall bear his own burden. (Galatians 6:5)
• Be willing: Get out of the way and turn your life over. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land. (Isaiah 1: 19)

I am not an expert on construction and how to build a home. But I have experienced God’s grandeur makeover.

Once you make a commitment to restore your life or a relationship, you will be on your way to a beautiful mansion everyone will love.

Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (2 Corinthians 5: 17)

Let me know your thoughts on this post.

Del Duduit is an award-winning writer and author who lives in Lucasville, Ohio with his wife, Angie. They attend Rubyville Community Church. Follow his blog at delduduit.com/blog and his Twitter @delduduit. He is represented by Cyle Young of Hartline Literary Agency.

His first book — BUCKEYE BELIEVER – 40 Days of Devotions for The Ohio State Faithful –can be purchased on Amazon here.