God's grabbing our hearts...

Just this past Sunday, we had a time of sharing stories about what God has been doing in and among our community, Safe House, over the holidays. Once again, God wove a story that only He could do!! We shared how we purchased the property in Baltimore two days before Christmas. We described the property and how it has two houses on it...one for a house of prayer and the other for urban missionaries to move in! We told the story about when Devon went down there to meet the existing tenants. Devon walked into a sex trafficking operation. There were no less than 5 girls and one boss man. (On a side note, God has been moving our group into this type of ministry in the past few months.) So, to walk into this...in the house that God wants to redeem as a house of prayer...of all houses in Baltimore....well, we saw the hand of Jesus! We shared how we felt we should let this man live there for a couple of months while we do renovations. We believe God will give us a door into that community.


Then D shared about a phone call she received from a couple of grad students. They wanted to help her obtain grants for any project she saw need for with regard to the sex trafficking industry. She said, "I want to open transitional housing for girls who need a way out." The students said, "No problem!" Within a couple of weeks a large grant document was written, a free office obtained and four additional volunteers found! The name of this ministry? Safe House of Hope.


Then Irene, who just arrived here from Holland, shared about a word God gave her in prayer back in October...before we even met her. He said, "I will establish a house of prayer in Baltimore City." There was more she shared that confirmed what God had laid on our hearts to do!


Fast forward two days...just last night we met with two young men who have spent time in training at IHOP (International House of Prayer). One went with the intent to come back and open a house of prayer in Baltimore. They both had committed their lives to living in the city, building community with their neighbors and being missional in every aspect of their lives. We shared our vision for the house...they shared theirs...not totally sure where this all will take us...but confident there is a spiritual convergence happening!


So, we continue our journey! It really is fun to hop out of the boat, not sure if you will walk or drown, but time and again, Jesus is the hand that holds us up!!


On January 25, from 3-5, we will have a time of intercession at our home specifically for the Baltimore house of prayer and Safe House. If you have a heart for this, or know someone who does, please join us!! Our prayer is that God will unite brothers and sisters all over Baltimore to fall on their faces for our city.


If you have any questions, please feel free to call 410-262-5785.

Jeremiah 33:3 "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."

2008 Wrap Up

As I sit and think back to this past year and all the suprises and gifts it brought, I am humbled.

It brought us a funny and animated Corban! He has the vocabulary of a three year old! It is so wild to have a glimpse into a one year old's mind through his words. Just the other day I told him it was time to take a nap. He rolled his eyes at me and said, "Gimme a bwreak!" We find it hard to not laugh...he is so adorable!

Tavi has found her passion...gymnastics. Or as she told me the other day, "I think I'm addicted to gymnastics!" She has taken rec gymnastics for two years, but was wanting to stay at the gym longer and longer. She tried out with a new gym and the coach placed her in level four and said she'd be ready for competition within the year. She has three days of practice a week, at three hours a pop! She is loving it and very dedicated!

Zeb has found his place at his new school. (Tavi and Nahum also go here.) He has been a junior coach, assisting all classes during lunch in organized recess games. He was also chosen to be on a junior engineering team, designing a roller coaster out of recycled materials. He is thriving at this school! He is counting down the days until travel baseball tryouts!

Nahum has also fallen in love with his school. He thanks us almost daily for finding this school. He is on the National Academic league and his team is undefeated! He loves his history teacher, Mr. Ruby, who has made scoping the globe interesting and fun! He loves writing and it shows in the imagination that comes through his stories! He is still aspiring to follow in Devon's footsteps and be a chef!

Kaya is finding the balance between the rigorous requirements at his school and extra curricular activities. He has a long day, 8-4. Half of his day is spent in acting classes and the other half, in academic classes. He loves his school more than he thought he would! He just wrapped up the show, Les Miserables, with CPM and a traveling show of Pocket Full of Rhymes at the Baltimore Museum of Art. This year has brought much change in his life, between going to high school and meeting his biological dad, Bart and half sister, Taylor for the first time. He has handled it with grace and strength. Bart is quickly becoming a part of the family and we stand in awe of how God has worked things out for His glory.

Devon's business, Ripristino Remodeling is thriving and growing! He had to hire numerous people this year just to keep up! (We're so glad Marc made his way up from GA a couple of times, just to help out!) He loves what he is doing! Last week he just settled on our first investment property in Brooklyn, MD. It has two houses on it. One we will renovate and rent out and the other, we have dedicated to God as a house of prayer for Baltimore. We are not sure how God will fill it and use it, but we step out in faith knowing that He has a plan!

I started a business with my friend Chris Ann this year. We are in the middle of writing a cookbook memoir based on meals we have shared over the years (using Devon's recipes of course!) We also started a blog http://www.lovefeasttable.com/ to begin to journal our thoughts on love feast. I am so excited to have this outlet and to be walking this road with Chris Ann! We have had a lot of fun and laughs already. Who knows where it will take us. As we say, "We're big in our own minds!"

Safe House, the missional community we are a part of, has transformed this year! God has taken us on many adventures that are outside of the walls. We have thrown down love feasts for skateboarders, for ladies in the neighborhood and given out Thanksgiving dinners. He is teaching us about unity, love and service. We are blessed to have such a diverse and creative group to do life with!

It has been quite a year! Really too much to share in a single letter. Hopefully this gives you a glimpse!

I was reading this morning and was struck by a passage in Ephesians 5:2 "...live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God."

That's our goal as we enter into this New Year, to live a life of love.

May Jesus pour out His love and fragrance to you and your family this year!!

In love,

Devon, Kristin, Kaya, Nahum, Zeb, Tavi and Corban

Thanksgiving 2008

Golden beets, red beets, turnips and parsnips roasted to perfection! Sweet potatoes married with fennel and baked. A big plump turkey, steaming hot and sparkling ruby red. Sausage, sage, sundried tomato stuffing finished with the perfect crunch of walnuts. Garlicky mashed potatoes. Did I mention a nice glass of red wine? Family. Friends. New aquantances. This made up our Thanksgiving! It was a wonderful evening! But, as we washed the dishes at the end of the night and sliced a piece of apple pie, I couldn't help but think back to the morning. At 8am on Thanksgiving morning, about 50 people came together at a local church. Some had made turkey and others had baked muffins! We had enough food to make 200 dinners. It was amazing! The group that came together, represented 4 different churches! We heated turkey together, mashed potatoes together, plated food and washed dishes together. We circled up for a time of prayer and in unison, recited the Our Father. About 6 teams went out that day. We spilled out all over the city. Some groups didn't have enough food to give out. Others had to hunt in back alleys and unknown places to serve a meal. It was the body of Christ, representing the Thanksgiving table in a tangible way. I met new people that morning. I met Ira who reminded me that there is always something to be grateful for. I met a grandmom who wanted extra plates to share with her friends that were shut ins. I met a lady...who was just talking with a friend and wondering how they would get food that morning.

This Thanksgiving, my table grew a few feet and my "thank you" list, grew a little longer.

just for a moment...

Just for a moment...she was a normal woman, hanging out with friends...eating homemade chicken noodle soup and chicken curry salad on a roll. Just for a moment she engaged in conversations about living, eating, kids... Just for a moment, her stomach was satisfied and her story was heard. For a moment, she was warm. For a moment, she mattered.

We threw down a different type of love feast last week. It was a ladies luncheon. There was only five of us. A homeschool mom. A hair salon owner. A momma with three adopted children from Africa (with foil in her hair...she took a break to eat while the color was setting up!). A neighbor and her daughter. A single mom who is head of the local PTA. And a woman who is a victim of the sex trafficing industry. We set the table, like we would in our own home. We used the china and brewed the coffee. D brought homemade chicken noodle soup and I made homemade apple caramel cake. We sat together. We talked. We laughed and we cried. We knew the Holy Spirit had joined us.
I can't even begin to explain what unfolded. To the outsider looking in, it was just another ladies luncheon. For us, we felt a touch from our heavenly Father. It was a moment. A moment of knowing He had laid this feast out for the five of us. A moment where we knew we mattered.

Love Feast at Ridge

I'm writing this after having gotten back from our second Love Feast at Ridge. Tonight was a bit different than the first. The kids greeted us and waited patiently for the food to be finished. While it was cooking, about 20 of us headed out with shovels, rakes, brooms and trash bags. We quietly hit the perimeter of the lot, cleaning up the heaps of cups, broken decks, empty spray paint cans and plastic bottles. Looking at it, I thought we'd never make a dent. But, within minutes a number of the skaters asked if they could help. We filled 14 contractor bags.

Some of the kids lingered this time. They shared their stories and told us about their art. At one point tonight I thought..."have you ever had a moment, the moment, when you know you are exactly where you are meant to be?" Tonight was one of those moments for me. It was a love feast. We met these guys at their table...in their world. We served and ate with them. We listened and we shared. We left knowing, this is just the beginning.

Love Bombing

Last weekend we threw down a love feast at an underground skatepark not far from our home. For the last five years, skaters have come in droves to an abandoned parking lot. They have made it their own. As you walk into the area, past the metal gate you notice immediately this is sacred ground. You know you are walking into the precious territory of a misunderstood culture. It is an art installation...an expression. It reflects hurt and hope. It reflects love and hate. Above all, it reflects passion. These boys were passionate! The youngest one had to be 9 and the oldest, in his college years. (I couldn't help but think of the movie the Lost Boys. )

A couple of us went early the morning of our love feast to do a little prayer tagging, as we like to call it! We prayed over the area and asked Jesus to use us to bring more love to that place.

In the evening a group of us piled in trucks and vans with a grill, food and the tables we had made out of broken skatedecks we had taken from the area. We arrived and set up in a corner of the park. It didn't take long for a the line of hungry skaters to form...I think the smell of bacon cheeseburgers on the grill is enough to get anyone's attention! The kids began to ask, "What are you doing this for?" "What are you promoting?" I listened as our group answered. "We just thought you'd be hungry." "We wanted you to know someone cares about you guys." "We're not promoting anything...we like to call this a love feast." Some of the kids couldn't believe it. One kid said, "No one likes skaters. My mom wouldn't even feed my skater friends."

We ate with the kids, hung out and watched them skate. I can't help but think of worship when I see kids skateboarding. I can't help but think of the absolute abandonment they give to their sport...there is no fear. They ride and perform as if no one is watching. They give everything to that moment. I'm teared up just thinking about it. What if I gave everything to the moment...without fear. What if I worshipped with every part of my body, mind and soul not caring about who was watching? I know...they may not know who they're skating for...but, I know in my spirit, God knows. He is watching them and enjoying their expression. He is longing for them to turn their faces upward and have them see His smile. He wants them to feel his pleasure in their worship!

I learned a lot this weekend. There is something beautiful that happens when we go out of our comfort zone and open our hearts up to a different perspective. Our God is so creative and so immense!! There is no limit to the way He expresses Himself...and no limit to the way He has created us to express ourselves! I am so thankful for partaking in this love feast!

Manna and visions

God gave me new revelation the other day on my walk. I asked Him to reveal something new about Himself to me. He did. He's so cool! God gave the Israelites a vision of the Promised Land. He gave them manna to nourish them, sustain them and bless them. It was enough for the day...no more.