Growing Things

Growth is happening.

Seeds are sprouting, growing, and finally being transplanted into the ground.

Trees are blooming, producing beautiful blossoms and fragrances, causing my senses such excitement that my head cannot help sneezing, itching and blowing constantly.

Babies are growing into children. The little boys I watch a few days a week are getting bigger, stronger,  healthier, more independent.


West Central is expanding. New apartments, condos and townhouses are going up daily as Kendel Yards continues their expansion on the southern end of the neighborhood.

The Porch vision is growing. A few weeks back we held a visioning conference [Porch Dreams]. Out of this grew a clearer understanding and vision of the path God has for us as a community.

And I am learning. God is continuously pushing me, challenging my vision for my life and self, calling me to something greater.

The next few months are looking very full; full of paperwork, details, and lots of hard work. But I believe that all of this time and energy is pushing into something greater. There is a plan and a calling that I am stepping into, slowly discovering.

This is Spring, a time for growing things. And much of that growth is mirrored in my own heart, as God grows his dreams in me.

Grad School & Porch Dreams

I registered for classes this morning!

You might have seen a picture I posted on facebook of an acceptance letter about a month ago. Well, as of today I am officially registered for classes. July 1st I begin Whitworth's Masters in Theology program.

I'm pretty excited about starting school again. Although I'll admit that, for someone whose life has changed every 9 to 12 months the last few years, it feels strange to commit to something for the next 3(ish) years.

It feels good though - I'm excited about life in Spokane, life in West Central, life at the Porch. At this point, it feels great to settle, especially when it's into the exact spot I know God wants me to be.

Inspiration from the office wall














On a separate note, please keep the Porch in your prayers this coming weekend. We're having a dreaming session - Friday night and all day Saturday we are asking Porch people to show up and dream about the future. We held a little visioning weekend like this a few years back, and it was a really meaningful time that has guided our path the last few years.

Pray that we can hear God's voice and dream his dreams for the future of the Porch.

And if the Porch is your home, please join us.

Easter Stories

Sitting down, trying to blog again for the first time in months, I'm finding it difficult to organize my thoughts. The last few months have been packed, eventful, literally life changing. But trying to cover it all in a blog a few months later is a bit daunting. I'm going to try to ignore the mess of words rolling around in my head, and focus in on this past Easter weekend.

This Easter (and these last 8 months, really) was about creating new traditions and experiences.

Typically I head to Moses Lake and spend the weekend with the family. This past Friday I did just that. My parents and siblings were kind enough to agree to doing our normal Easter traditions on Saturday, so that I could head back to Spokane that night and help with the Porch Easter celebration Sunday morning.

We all watched excitedly as my 1 year old niece took part in her first Easter egg hunt, revealed the treasures in her basket, and generally performed for her adoring fans. It's so exciting to watch the traditions we grew up enjoying being transferred to my niece. (Also she is my favorite person ever - is that coming across clearly enough?!). Saturday was a beautiful, relaxing day to celebrate together as a family. That night I headed back to Spokane, said hello to my kitty (oh yeah, I adopted a cat) and went to bed in preparation for a very early Easter morning.

Typically our Sunday Porch gatherings are in the evening, but for Easter "we" (I've never been a part of it until this year) gather on Sunday morning. I am so grateful I was able to be together with my Porch family this year! Yesterday's gathering is now my new Favorite Porch Experience to date.

For Easter our gathering was very simplified. A few readings, a couple of songs, and then we just shared stories. Stories of resurrection and new life; stories of how Christ in our lives has brought wholeness and healing to our experiences; stories of how Jesus has brought new life where we were living in death. And those stories were beautiful.

Whenever I've traveled, and especially when I was living in Costa Rica, it has always come back to stories. I remember telling my students when they first arrived in CR that a person's story is a precious gift of great worth, meant to be highly valued. This Sunday we took the time to hear multiple short stories - stories of life and healing because of the love of Christ.

For me, hearing those stories yesterday, I was overwhelmed with moments of true beauty. It was a real gift to hear from those I know well, and those I don't know quite as well, seeing the ways our paths intersect and change because of Jesus. Hearing these stories made me even more thankful to be a part of the Porch family.

After sharing, we gathered around tables and feasted. Everyone brought lots of food, and we broke bread and drank wine together, in celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus and of our little Porch family.