Hi Everyone!
I’m glad you’re here!
For quite some time I have wanted to create a way to stay in touch with the broad network of folks we have connected with along the journey of our lives. Some of you have been friends for decades and some are happy recent connections—but you are all a valued part of our story, whether we were part of a church family with you, shared countless hours together on the sidelines of baseball fields, or you were kind enough to interact with endeavors of ours like our podcast or art business or years of church ministry.
Maker’s Hollow is what we cheerfully call the special property where we and some of our small village of family and friends do life together, here in Tarpon Springs, Florida. More than that, it’s become the friendly name of our growing community of family and close friends who thrive in each other’s fellowship and share a passion for the Lord, His grace, joyful family-life, creative work, and shared life. The folks that share in this fellowship are growing out beyond this physical place, of course; but many of us still do life within shouting distance of each other and most days find some excuse to be together in the yard, on the porch, or around the table.
We want this newsletter to be a “Front Porch” of sorts or a virtual “Living Room”—because what we most wish is that we could wave you on up the driveway to hang out with us and talk and laugh and eat and sing.
We wish we could share a meal, but hopefully we can at least have a nourishing conversation. We are captivated by our Lord, His astonishing grace, and all the goodness, truth, and beauty that He has shared with us in His word and His world.
This newsletter is here to share our joys, our stories, and our reflections on all the best things. Look around here and you will find our community of creative businesses, our stories and thoughts, and our love of multi-generational living. You’ll find music and art and food and industry and laughter—because most of us here think we are profoundly witty.
And of course there’s the book I keep mentioning—the current full-time project of my life—that I would love for you to follow along with and eventually sell dozens of copies to all your friends and family.
The book—The Wonder of Is—is a story of life and conversation between a grandfather and grandson—and the lifelong journey (at any age) of figuring out what everything is all about. You’ll see plenty about it here in the newsletter as the months go by. If you’d like to follow the journey more closely, you’ll find regular updates, essays, and related writings on my Substack. (You don’t need an account to subscribe, though creating one only takes a minute and lets you catch up on past stuff and follow the ongoing conversation.)
I am aiming to deliver this newsletter a couple of times a month—usually on the first and third Tuesdays…but we’ll see. Usually a short essay on something we care about (from one of us here). Word on the book. A podcast episode or two worth your time. Something to look at. News from the people here. A few things we’ve been reading, listening to, watching, or—in general—enjoying these days, that we think you might too.
Please hang out long enough to see if you find it refreshing and start to feel at home!
Life’s not always easy, but the Lord is good, and the path is much easier with hearty and cheerful fellowship!
Pull up a chair.
Don
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