Practice Resurrection

Bringing the dead back to life—one room at a time.

When we moved to Toronto this past August—following Kristen’s call to serve as Principal of Wycliffe College—we inherited something unexpected.

A grand home.

A storied home.

A home with a name: The Lodge.

And like most old houses with history… it came with a basement that told the truth.

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The Before: A Kind of Dungeon

If I’m honest, the basement felt less like usable space and more like an archaeological dig.

Dust layered on dust.

Furniture that had given up.

Boxes no one claimed.

The unmistakable signs that mice had, at some point, considered this home.

Most people saw a lost cause.

What I saw was… unrealized potential.

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Letting Go of the Garage Lounge

Back in Holland, Michigan, I had what we affectionately called the Garage Lounge (GL).

It was a three-season sanctuary.

It opened each year on Opening Day of Major League Baseball and closed when the World Series ended.

It was simple.

Unpolished.

Alive.

Men gathered there.

Kids watched movies there.

Friends spilled over into it.

And sometimes—it became a refuge.

Leaving that behind was harder than I expected.

You don’t just replace a place like that.

But maybe… you don’t replace it.

Maybe you resurrect the idea of it—somewhere new.

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The Work: Night by Night

So I went to work.

Not because I’m particularly handy—I’m not.

But because:

• YouTube is a surprisingly patient teacher

• The Home Depot employees are remarkably generous with their wisdom

• And friends who know what they’re doing are gifts from God

I scavenged flooring.

Bought a paint gun.

Disinfected… everything.

Invested in air purifiers.

Washed walls. Primed. and Painted.

And slowly—almost imperceptibly at first—the space began to change.

Night by night.

Weekend by weekend.

Through fall.

Through winter.

With one quiet goal in mind:

Opening Day.

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The After: A Space Brought Back to Life

On Thursday, March 26, we opened the doors to something new: The Lodge Lounge (LL).

And not just that—

Out of what was once a single forgotten space, four distinct rooms emerged:

• The Lodge Lounge – for gathering, watching, lingering

• The Pitch – because soccer needs a space

• The Studio – for painting, recording, & creating

• The Gym – for discipline and sweat

What was once dead space is now… alive.

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A Theology of Space (and Resurrection)

We’re in Eastertide.

A season that dares to say something outrageous:

That what is dead is not final.

That what is buried is not forgotten.

That what looks like an ending… may actually be a beginning.

I didn’t set out to write a theological statement in drywall and paint.

But in hindsight—that’s exactly what this became.

A small act of practicing resurrection.

Taking something neglected… and calling it back to life.

Seeing not just what is—but what could be.

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An Open Invitation

The Garage Lounge will always hold a sacred place in my memory.

But the Lodge Lounge?

It’s not a replacement.

It’s a new chapter.

And it’s a four-season space—ready for:

• Conversation

• Connection

• Laughter

• Reflection

• The occasional game on in the background

So if you find yourself in Toronto…

Come by.

There’s a chair for you.

And if you need it—there’s space here to breathe, to think, or just to be.

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Because sometimes resurrection doesn’t happen all at once.

Sometimes it looks like:

A cleared room.

A fresh coat of paint.

A door opening.

A light turning on.

And someone saying—

“Come on in.”

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