Let Justice Roll Down by John Perkins

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Several years ago I sat in a small auditorium in OKC learning how to bring reconciliation among classes and races. We learned to bring healing by giving place to people who have no place. We alleviate pain by offering a spot in our very lives. There were and are so many things I will never be able to wrap my mind around. I wept learning about the fatherless generations and the pain that has been caused. As John Perkins spoke over us that day, I grew to love him. He has been through terror and pain and left safety to share the gospel. He didn’t scream at us or tell us how angry he was. He spoke of such forgiveness that it gripped my heart. You can read his story here. He made a choice to make the heart of the racist white man his mission field and I will forever be grateful for his example of forgiveness. #675 #bookstagram

A post shared by Steph Cherry (@heystephcherry) on Aug 20, 2020 at 8:29am PDT

We Carry Kevan by Kevan Chandler

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I might just love Kevan now. I did not have a single clue what this was about besides these guys carrying a man in a backpack across Europe. Upon opening the book, I saw that the forward was written by one of my favorite authors, Andrew Peterson. He had carried Kevan around the Warren and become a mentor to him. The more I read, the more I loved this adventure and these men. The sacrifice it must have taken to carry someone for 3 weeks through huge crowds and up steep cliffs. It’s beautiful. I found out that Kevan loves Jesus and had been studying the servant’s heart in John during this journey. What a powerful picture of that idea literally carrying someone is. There are amazing details about places he traveled in the book. One of my favorites was when he traveled to the Peter Pan statue and told the stories of how green parakeets escaped from a pet store 30 years ago. Those birds turned into a flock of hundreds and have chosen to take up residence at the Peter Pan statue. J.M. Barrie gave large sums of money to the local children’s hospital there and in 1927 he signed over the rights to Peter Pan to them. There are plaques there thanking him for the gift of Peter Pan not only because of the huge amount of funding, but because of the gift the character is to a sick child’s imagination. It had been a gift to Kevan’s. He also went down Baker St. (Sherlock Holmes), danced through Paris, and climbed the steep steps of Skellig Michael in Ireland (a bit of Star Wars was filmed there). It was an amazing adventure. Kevan has gone on to start a non-profit, team up with Stephen Curtis Chapman at Show Hope, and walk on the Great Wall of China. In September, he’s getting married. **There is also a documentary on Prime. It’s a bit like a home movie of their journey. It doesn’t explain where they are or what they are doing exactly. You’ll need to read the book for that. I loved it. (These are some of my girls that carry me. I’m waiting for a piggy back ride) #672 #wecarrykevan Thanks for the book recomendation, Angie. #book #bookstagram #peterpan #thebookisalwaysbetter #jmbarrie

A post shared by Steph Cherry (@heystephcherry) on Aug 8, 2020 at 4:36am PDT

The Story Garden: Playhouse Remodel

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One of my mom goals has been to create spaces that spark the imagination for my children. I used to only read theology books, but I came across a quote years ago that opened up my thinking. I can't tell it to you verbatim or who said it. The gist of it is that imagination is what helps us conceive of heaven and all of the wonders of God. Without it, we make God dull and formulaic. Peter Pan shows us how rare adults with wonder are. My hope is that my kids hold tightly to imagination and carry it with them into adulthood. {Blog link in profile}

A post shared by Steph Cherry (@heystephcherry) on Aug 3, 2020 at 9:04am PDT

One of my mom goals has been to create spaces that spark the imagination for my children. I used to only read theology books, but I came across a quote years ago that opened up my thinking. I can't tell it to you verbatim or who said it. The gist of it is that imagination is what helps us conceive of heaven and all of the wonders of God. Without it, we make God dull and formulaic. Peter Pan shows us how rare adults with wonder are. My hope is that my kids hold tightly to imagination and carry it with them into adulthood. 

We started a story garden this year. It is full of fruit, vegetables, butterfly bushes, hummingbird feeders, and spots to sit a read or draw or dream. There is a swing in every tree. My prayer is that they read widely, develop great empathy, and love the God who created so much wild beauty that we will never be able to comprehend.

We had this old playhouse that no one used in the back of the yard so I decided to use it as a passthrough to our trampoline that is in the ground. It started coming together in my mind as a whole little beach area. I named it after my aunt who was a spunky, fun lady. There's also a little homage to my 80's roots in the address.

Donna's Cottage 

A1A Beach Front Avenue

How To: 

I placed pavers and sand in the desired location and placed a painted piece of plywood down for the base. I painted a doormat on with the house paint.

We hand painted the house with Rustoleum

I spray painted the insides of the house with Rustoleum 2X.

The door has to be primed because it is a different ptype of plastic than the rest of the house. I used Rustoleum Primer and Rustoleum 2X in Seaside.

Door Knob: Hobby Lobby

Bell: https://amzn.to/33kzcCP

Instead of a flag I made a fairy wand out of a dowel rod and ribbons that they can take out and play with. Items from Hobby Lobby.

I added a palm tree from my mom, flowers from Lowe's, and shells from our vacations. 

My girls could hardly wait for the paint to dry. 

Thanks for following along on our adventure to restore a 100 year old mansion and feed the homeless at The Boho Table. 

Perhaps I painted the tiny house to spur my soul on to painting this whole house.

The Boho Table