And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. – Ephesians 3:17-19

Here we go, friends, it’s time to catch up on the landscaping progress here at Maul-Hall. This is a big job, extremely labor intensive and – consistent with our intention to do something special that will honor the era and the craftsmanship of the house – the work involves skilled artisanship that is rarely seen in this era of pre-formed concrete sections that snap into place like Legos.

That’s right, these are uneven stone blocks that Gene first dry-fits then sets and bonds with mortar. We had an idea from the sketches he presented with the plan several months ago, but now the first pieces are in place we can begin to appreciate the genius of his vision.

I believe we can safely say, now, that the direction of this project is set in stone. It’s going to be great.

Meanwhile, Gene’s dog Zeus accompanies him to every job, a feature of this venture that gives Max a lot of joy.

Customized to this street

I touched on this a little in the opening paragraph, but I need to mention again how intentional we are being with the landscape design. We live on a small lot, part of an urban streetscape that is nothing remotely like our suburban homes in Pensacola, Brandon and Wake Forest.

So our intention is to be 1874 appropriate, utilize native plantings and contribute to the evolving character of Saint Patrick Street, which has so much potential as – little by little – the houses come back to life.

I guess the point I’m coming around to is that we aim to bloom where we are planted; it is in a sense our calling. Just like the fact that a church is not – cannot – be a clone of something somewhere else, our home must emerge from the raw materials of this time, this city, this street, this unique micro-climate.

This time and this place!

So often – and I am especially thinking about this in light of the fact that HMPC is still in the process of looking for its next pastor – we hear of churches aspiring to replicate something that is happening in another place or existed in another time.

But the beauty of the Good News is that it is for us and for this time and in this place, and what God intends to do here may be rooted in our history of faithful witness but it is – always – going to be something brand new – “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20).

What we need is a leader with a passion for Jesus, a love for people, a willingness to work hard, and an open spirit that is “awake” to God and to this community.

Hence a house here on Saint Patrick Street that is nothing like any house anywhere else, framed in a landscape plan that is tailor-made for this exact time and place… just a block away from a church – a family of believers – where God is likewise crafting his people into a witness that speaks to this community at this time and according to God’s own timing and plan.

May it be so – DEREK