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January 31 - May 25, 2020
A single conversation across the table with a wise man is better than ten years mere study of books. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
People in France gathered at tables not just once a week, not just for holidays, but three times a day,
“Are we losing the ability to sit at the table and talk?”
Trying to coordinate schedules between work and volunteer commitments, school meetings, soccer practice, and band concerts was futile.
This isn’t how it’s supposed to be, is it?
the story of the Turquoise Table and how it’s led to a movement of Front Yard People—people just like you and me who want to create community right where they live.
Sometimes we are called far and wide on a mission, but more often we are called to love others in our everyday, ordinary lives . . . right where we live: in our own front yards.
Take every opportunity to open your life and home to others. (Romans 12:13)
Make a list of backyard activities you and your family enjoy.
What events or gatherings already happen in your neighborhood?
What aspect of hospitality feels hard for you? What holds you back?
Beware the barrenness of a busy life. Socrates
Overnight French Toast 1 tablespoon butter, room temperature 12 1-inch slices French “baguette-style” bread 6 large eggs 1 ½ cups milk ¼ cup sugar 2 tablespoons maple syrup 2 teaspoons vanilla extract Pinch of salt
Grease the bottom and sides of a 9 × 12-inch baking pan with butter. Arrange bread slices in the pan. In a bowl beat eggs, milk, sugar, syrup, vanilla, and salt. Pour the mixture over the bread. Turn bread slices to coat. Cover with foil or plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. The next morning preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake French toast uncovered for 15 minutes. Turn bread slices over and continue baking until golden brown, about 10 minutes.
I pleaded with God. “I can’t see how to open up my life and home to others! I can’t see how to build community! I can’t see how to love my neighbors! I can’t be what I can’t see, so show me!”
she placed a small bronze plaque on the outside of her tiny brownstone apartment that reads “Embassy of the Kingdom of Heaven.”
Every day Ludmilla opens her home to friends and strangers who need to talk.
But I was beginning to see the vast difference between entertainment and hospitality.
Whatever your situation, how can you be present for others? What simple ways can you let people know they matter and create space for people to belong?
LOVE WHERE YOU LIVE
1. Make a list of neighbors you know by name and the ones you don’t. For the ones you don’t know, write something like “the man in the brick house two doors down.” 2. What’s special about your neighborhood? 3. What’s your favorite thing about your community?
4. If you could change something about where you live, what would it be?
where do you spend the most time?
favorite way to gather with your friends?
What food reminds you of home?
If time, money, or your job weren’t issues to consider, what would you do to create community?
start thinking about where you could possibly incorporate the Turquoise Table where people can gather.
Casual. Like a picnic. A picnic table.
seventy-two-inch southern yellow pine picnic table
In that moment, I knew. As soon as the party was over, I was going to move that picnic table back to the front yard where it belonged.
our family’s Spicy Pecan recipe. Trust me, these nuts are worth the minutes they take to make! 2 cups pecan halves 4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter 3 tablespoons soy sauce (or gluten-free tamari) 5 dashes Tabasco ½ teaspoon salt Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place pecans and butter on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure all the pecans are coated in melted butter.
small bowl stir together the soy sauce, Tabasco, and salt. Add warm pecans to soy sauce mixture and stir until coated. Drain pecans on paper towels. Store in refrigerator (in glass works best).
There is no greatness where there is not simplicity, goodness, and truth. Leo Tolstoy
I declared my intention to be a front yard person to the world.
Common Reasons We Avoid Inviting People Over • My house isn’t ______ enough (big, decorated, close, etc.). • I don’t have enough _____ (time, money, energy, etc.). • I want to have people over, but I’m overwhelmed with ________. • I’m an introvert. • I don’t know what to cook or serve. • I’m afraid no one would come. • I don’t know who to invite.
What was your neighborhood like growing up? • Dare to dream what your current neighborhood looks like a year from now. Describe what you see.
Place your iBasket in a high traffic and convenient area of your home. Our iBasket is near the dinner table close to the front door. • Add chargers so friends leave at 100 percent.
Homemade Vanilla Latte
1 cup coffee brewed (or shot of espresso) ¼ cup milk 1–2 drops of Mexican vanilla extract Stevia, or sweetener to taste Brew coffee. Warm milk in microwave or on stove. Add 1 to 2 drops of Mexican vanilla and Stevia. Froth with a hand frother. Pour coffee in mug, and top with warm vanilla milk.
We expressed our desire to get to know each other and the neighbors around us and live with more intention, but conceded how hard it was with all the busy day-to-day activities.
With little or no margins in our lives, the idea of being present seemed out of reach.
We’ve got to debunk the myth that hospitality is the same as entertainment. Genuine hospitality begins with opening our lives. It’s just as important to open up our lives as it is our homes, and sharing who we are is far more important than sharing what we bake.
It all starts with inviting people to come to the table. Hospitality is always about the people, not the presentation.
Front Yard Friday and suggested they give it a try. The concept of Front Yard Friday is simple: invite neighbors to join you for a casual get-together on a Friday evening in your front yard.
quickly realized alleyways, no front porches, and high fence lines prevented them from seeing their neighbors, let alone knowing them.
It is in the shelter of each other that people live. Irish Proverb
Building community, investing in the lives right in front of us, requires us to take the long view. Eugene Peterson refers to this type of relationship building as “a long obedience in the same direction.”
Put a water bowl outside near your Turquoise Table. • Set a small jar of dog treats on the table. • Make a small sign to let walkers know water and treats are available for their dogs. • Attach a leash hook to the table so owners can sit and visit while keeping their dogs safe.
I decided to dedicate Thursday mornings to making my time at the table more intentional. I’m out there most Thursdays, hanging out during what neighbors call my “table hours.”
Start a Front Yard People journal. Jot down the comings and goings of your neighbors.
