meanwhile, back at the Fort...

a lot has happened at the Fort in the last several weeks and months. we bit the bullet and went to work in the basement. i don't have before pictures, but trust me we've come a long way baby. lots of joint compound texture treatments, creative pipe painting and a few well-placed wall pieces. pastor dave hood asked us to create spaces that would lift the vision of the food pantry clients - pictures of what can be. the best thing about great design is that it inspires all who experience it.

office space

every once in awhile i get to pull in a few servants and do an office makeover. these are especially fun when the staffperson has a theme or a vision of what they'd like and it's our challenge to fulfill that concept.

in this case the staffperson has been out of the office for three months. ron incurred a fractured hip when his car was broadsided one evening before christmas on his way home from work. he had already been asking for an office makeover and had several pieces to contribute to an "old world" theme.

an old world theme begs brownish-gold walls. this was a "no budget makeover" so we used several shades of gold left over from different projects. i discovered a new wall treatment using a "woolie" - a rectangular furry wool pad that blends multiple colors together in shades and shadows. you can purchase your own woolie at menards and it's worth the price. kind of made lori and i look like artistic geniuses. we really recommend the woolie and hope ron likes his new office space.


i read a quote from "one month to live" this week that spurs me on: our greatest pleasure in life often comes from serving others, from giving them what no one else can provide in that exact time and place." i hope you enjoy the same pleasure.

ginghamsburg welcomes narnia

two weeks ago we gathered up a collection of artsy servants to create stage sets for ginghamsburg's "backyard" children's ministry as well as our six clubhouse outreach locations. both were approaching a "narnia" series using the chronicles of narnia and the new prince caspian. 8 sheets of foam, 12 carpet roll tubes, 32 yards of canvas and four cans of paint later... we had narnia! i visited the backyard this past weekend and felt excited along with the kids as they watched a clip from the movie- falling in love with aslan all over again.

something's got to go...

i love hearing different people's "new things" for this year, both on this blog and in recent conversations. ash wednesday i really searched for the one thing that i would give up or take on during lent this year. i always yearn for more connection time w/ God but had no idea how to pack that into the already-full days. something's got to go, ya know?

turns out i could give up fiction TV and gain at least an hour a day - who knew? fiction TV for me are the crime shows that i love to watch but seldom remember the next day. sheer entertainment exchanged for listening/reading/journalling/praying time - just for lent, mind you. i'm missing CSI, The Mentalist and Without A Trace... but somehow feeling a little freer to explore different aspects of God's big plan.

what's got to go for you this lenten season?