Our new house is in a very interesting area, which I have been thinking about a great deal recently. First is the obvious. We are located a block from one of the coolest parts of Oakland which is Piedmont Ave. There are many great shops, restaurants, and some of the best coffee houses in all of Oakland. Yet if you go a few block beyond you very quickly get into West Oakland which is a very unusual part of Oakland. For most people nationally when the think of Oakland they think of West Oakland. There is an incredible amount of violence in this part of town, yet it has also become a haven for artist. Karin and I feel like God has strategically placed us in such a unique area that fits us very well.

Not so obvious is the other aspect of where we live. We are in an area of town that has the most hospitals, with Kaiser having their main facility there and Alta Bates hospital also being there. I have made a joke of the fact that the lady who lived in our house before us actually died there. It must of been her time because she was as close to the hospitals as she could have possibly been in Oakland. Also interesting is that we are right next to the two largest graveyards in Oakland. A friend who visited us last week pointed out to me that one of them has this incredible mouselum that looks like a library and all the urns are shaped like books. After thinking about it she realized they did this to remind people that here lies hundreds and maybe even thousands of stories. What an amazing picture. Hopefully God will continue to write amazing stories through our ministry here in Oakland, and specifically through our new home.