Our mission statement says:  Spare Key is a neighborhood of adventurers committed to fostering practical expressions of the spiritual, personal and communal goals of its members through the act of sharing in hopes of leaving the world better than we found it.    Today I want to focus on the "sharing" part. Through sharing, we help each other toward our goals, and we believe...

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Last July, my dad, brother, and I built a harvest table. A harvest table is basically a very long picnic table. Since then, I have learned seven things about harvest tables. 1) Autumn is for harvest tables. Fall is the perfect time to be outside.  The colors are changing, the air is cooling, and it's often nicer outside than inside. Putting a harvest...

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I have been thinking about support systems lately - people we can turn to for help when we need it. I am surrounded by a robust support system of family members, community members, and friends. We are ready to help each other at a moment's notice should the need arise. I tend not to think of next-door-neighbors as part of my support system....

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Jay and I spent last weekend visiting our dear friends in Liberty/Kansas City that we lived in community with a few years ago. We celebrate our little community with brunch and saying goodbye to one of the homes where many community happenings took place and hello to a new home where new memories will be made. This caused me to reflect on all...

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This week marks the beginning of a new adventure of discovery together for us. We will begin exploring what Sabbath truly means and how we can go about developing the intentionality needed to  commit to practicing Sabbath in our busy world. What a great topic to study over the summer! Last week we spent our time together talking about what Sabbath means to...

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When Jay and I lived in Pittsburgh, one of the first activities we did with our community mates were 10 minute stories. We laid on blankets at a beautiful park overlooking the city and shared our life stories with one another. This has been something we have carried into every community we have lived in since in some capacity. Photo Credit: www.nannygoatsinpanties.com When...

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A post by Bethany Bell My mom used to call me her "domestic diva." I guess that was a fitting nickname. I love taking an ordinary space and filling it with beautiful decor to make it feel like home. I enjoy inviting people to my house and serving them fun desserts. I adore receiving kitchen gadgets as gifts, but mostly I just like...

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I have been celebrating a lot lately. I have recently finished my Masters thesis; I am drawing near to the end of my graduate work; My birthday is coming up. We all like to celebrate important milestones. But this has got me thinking about the practice of celebration in general. People celebrate because they are happy, whether because of a special occasion, holiday,...

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I am writing this post a good week after we completed what I have been referring to as The Incredible Journey. I needed this separation in order to process and in order to think upon this experience with some degree of fondness. Let me explain... Two friends of our community from Kansas City - Josh and Alyssa Smith - invited us to join...

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A Thoreau-like a critic of the hurried and cluttered life, Mansfield observes, "We have 'housing' without dwellings. We have Home Depot, but not home. This lost quality of dwelling--the soul of buildings--haunts most of our houses and our landscape." Mansfield opens his book with a thought-provoking description of what it's like to house hunt. "I liked house hunting," he writes. "I am fascinated...

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February 15th marked the date of the first retreat that our little community has embarked upon under the banner "Spare Key". The retreats is a valuable instrument in every sojourner's tool bag. A brisk walk about your block can offer a view not afforded by a computer screen. A leisurely hike through wooded hills will clear the mind, open the lungs, and lend...

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