Thanks for dropping by. I am a pastor of a small Christian community in the downtown neighborhood called Old North Knoxville. Included will be general thoughts and observations as well as sermons I preach each Sunday. We are a group of people who want to take seriously Jesus’ command to love God and love our neighbors as ourselves.  We are strategically located in Knoxville’s downtown neighborhoods, which places us in closer proximity to one another, our neighbors and the heart of our city. We are interested in literally building a better world by loving our neighbors well and by advocating for better design within our neighborhoods. In other words, we care about people and place.

Herein lies the documentation of an experiment, if you will. By “experiment” I don’t mean to imply that this endeavor is not serious or that it is temporary. It is an experiment in taking the long view. I want to behave in this neighborhood as though I were staying here the rest of my life. I want to try things for the good of this place and know that if things don’t work out exactly as I had planned, there will be a next time to try again. I’m also inclined to call this an experiment because the idea of staying put in one place seems like such a novel idea these days.

Lastly, an experiment almost assumes you’re there to learn something. I’m definitely here to learn. Like looking at a beautiful piece of art, I want to see what reveals itself in this place the longer I look. Ultimately, my dream is to be a part of a people who stay put, listen well and make a change.

We are also just beginning. So, we are very much in an exploratory stage, and this place will be one of many where ideas are hashed out, refined and, sometimes, done away with all together. Check in periodically as we will try and post something monthly. You’ll notice at the bottom of this page a link that says “Entries (RSS)” and “Comments (RSS.” Click one or both of them if you’d like to be notified when we post something. Also, we’d love to hear your thoughts and to be made aware of resources out there. Most of all, we’re glad you’re here.