The Vision

Around 2009, I saw, in my mind’s eye, a group of people sitting around a covered patio in my backyard, singing and praising God.  The idea persisted and I began writing down what I saw: a place to have conversations about God and with God, a place to pray and sing, a place with water and plants.

Page of my journal that first mentions a "leading" from God about the patio in 2009

April 2011 journal entry about the patio

Over the next two years I kept journaling about this imaginary backyard oasis. I saw a covered patio, water, fire, music, and a mish-mash of ideas inserted themselves into the picture. In reality, my backyard consisted of weeds, one small tree, and a few struggling shrubs along the fence. The small 4 X 8 concrete slab by the back door absorbed and reflected the heat of the intense southern sun, defying me to step out the back door, much less spend time there. Two temporary resident dogs had beaten a path around the perimeter of the fence and dug huge holes. Planting anything was pointless, and the whole idea seemed impossible. Yet the seed was planted in my mind, and it began to take root.

This is the east side of the back yard, which is representative of the entire yard. The pergola (details in another post) is in early stage of construction.

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