The Back Door is Open

We enjoy driving around Detroit, especially the old, historic neighborhoods. Nicole Curtis from the HGTV and DYI TV show Rehab Addict has projects she has either completed, or is in process of completing, and its fun to go and see those, and to take guests by to see. What I notice are beautiful front entrances, many with large porches for people to sit and talk. Having grown up in Flint I can still remember my dad sitting out on the front porch in the evening carrying on conversations with neighbors next door or across the street, all sitting on their front porches. But nobody going inside. Still today, homes with beautiful front porches and these grand front doors, but nobody going inside.

And then we moved to the suburbs to escape the city. And eventually we found ourselves in a true suburban home with an attached garage. Then the back door was really inaccessible because you had to go through the garage door to get to it, I have a friend who grew up in the city too and he thinks the attached garage may be one of the down falls of our society. The more I think about it the more I see his point.

But I also remember Paul's back door, and Charlie and Ronnie's back door, and Jeff's back door. And ours. Not very fancy, and not much of any kind of porch to sit and talk on either. Really just a step, or a stoop. But that's where we entered the house. The front door usually led into living rooms that were well kept and tidy. But back doors, they usually lead into a landing which allows you to either go up into the kitchen or down into the basement, you know, where real life happens, and the things of life are kept. Think about it, if you are invited to a close friends house how many times does the conversation end up in the kitchen? Most, if not all, if you're like us and our friends. Those landings; where muddy shoes are left, where coats are hung and groceries are brought in. Where daily life comes in and out.

Our house now has that type of back door. You walk right into a landing, and either choose to go up to the kitchen or down to the basement. Either way, the back door leads to our lives. The front door leads to a nice foyer and beautiful staircase and formal living area. But come through the back door and be careful of the shoes and coats and dogs and...

At Back Door Ministry (part of Mission: GO Detroit) we want to form relationships where we can go straight to the back door of friends homes and lives, and in turn they come through ours as well. Where we share in the daily struggles, you know; muddy shoes, coats hanging in the entry, groceries waiting to be put away... life! Kids, jobs, family, finances... Coming in and out of the back door may not always be as tidy and well kept as going through the front door into living rooms preserved for show (my mother was queen of this), or nice foyers, but it is real life.

So if you have me over I hope we're close enough to invite me through the back door. I want to do life with you and share our victories and struggles; our muddy shoes and groceries left on the counter (reminder; put your milk away!). And when you come over, just come through the gate, pet the dogs (Big Bella, Little Bella (yes there's a story to that), and Coal Miner), and come through the back door, take a right on the landing and come into the kitchen, grab a cup of coffee and come on in. That's where I think Jesus did life with people; coming through the back door into their muddy shoe area where coats were hung, into kitchens with groceries left out, into basements where people store (hide) things... Ours is open, come on in.