Breaking Ground

A Collection of Stories, Prayers, & Devotions

Breaking Ground is a quarterly newsletter highlighting the work and mission of Open Door Church & Plowshares Home Churches to love God, love others, and share the peace of Christ in and around Lexington, Kentucky.

Each quarter we’ll keep you up-to-date on important news and opportunities in Open Door. We’ll also feature a quarterly theme to help us all grow in our faith as we follow Christ together.

Every year as Lent approaches, I notice the same kinds of conversations starting to surface.

People begin to ask questions like: What are you giving up this year? Are you fasting from something? What should I be doing for Lent?

And often—whether we say it out loud or not—there’s another question underneath all of that: Does this actually matter?

Because if we’re honest, fasting can feel confusing. For some of us, it feels like a religious obligation we’re not quite sure how to do correctly. For others, it carries baggage—memories of guilt, or pressure, or trying to prove something to God. And for still others, it just feels impractical in an already full and exhausting life.

So before we talk about how to fast, I want us to sit with a more important question:

What is fasting actually for?

Isaiah 58 opens with God speaking very directly to the people—almost uncomfortably directly. God names their worship, their prayers, their fasting. God acknowledges that they are showing up, seeking Him, doing the things they believe faithful people are supposed to do.

And yet, the people feel unheard.

They cry out, “Why do we fast, but you do not see? Why do we humble ourselves, but you do not notice?”

That question feels familiar. Many of us have prayed it in one form or another. And God’s response is not gentle—but it is honest. God says: The problem isn’t that you’re fasting. The problem is that your fasting hasn’t changed how you live. They are abstaining from food while continuing to exploit others. They are humbling their bodies while clinging tightly to control. They are practicing religion while fear and injustice still shape their relationships.

And then God asks a piercing question: “Is this the fast that I choose?” Which brings us to the heart of this text—and to the heart of Lent. A fast is not a magic trick. It is not a way to get God’s attention. It is not a spiritual hunger strike. And it is not a religious duty that earns us points.

A fast is a means of grace.

It is a spiritual practice that helps us tell the truth—about God, about ourselves, and about the ways fear has quietly shaped our lives. When practiced well, fasting doesn’t impress God. It makes room for God.

And that’s where Isaiah shifts. God says: This is the fast I choose.

To loosen the bonds of injustice.

To release what weighs others down.

To share bread with the hungry.

To open our homes and our lives.

To stop hiding from one another.

This kind of fasting doesn’t turn us inward—it turns us outward. It doesn’t make us smaller—it makes God larger. Which connects so deeply with our Vision for 2026: Making Room—More Love, Less Fear.

Because fear is what drives us to hold tightly. Fear is the opposite of love. Fear tells us there isn’t enough. Fear convinces us to protect ourselves at the expense of others. Fear whispers that if we slow down, if we soften, if we open our hands, something will be lost. But love does the opposite. Love loosens. Love opens. Love trusts that God is already at work.

An acceptable fast is not about depriving ourselves of something—it’s about reorientating ourselves towards something else. It asks: What is crowding out love?

What habits, comforts, distractions, or defenses are keeping me from seeing God and neighbor clearly?

So what might this look like for us as we enter Lent?

For some of us, fasting from food may be meaningful—but only if it is paired with prayer, generosity, and attention to how we treat others. For others, an acceptable fast might look like stepping back from constant noise or fear-driven media. Or fasting from harsh self-talk or quick judgment. Or fasting from busyness that leaves no room for God—or for people.

The question isn’t what can I give up, but rather: What might God be inviting me to release so that love has more room to grow?

And this isn’t only an individual invitation—it’s a communal one.

As a church, Lent gives us space to ask: Where are we being called to loosen burdens? Who are we being invited to see more clearly? How might we make room—together—for more love and less fear?

Isaiah promises that when we fast in this way, something happens. Light breaks through darkness. Healing begins. God says, “Here I am.” Not because we performed correctly—but because we made room. And at the end of the passage, we’re given a name. “Repairer of the breach.” “Restorer of streets to live in.”

Friends, isn’t that what our country needs? Peacemakers that repair breaches and restore our streets. That is not the identity of a perfect people. It is the identity of a people who are willing.

So as we enter Lent, may we resist the urge to perform. May we release the fear that says we’re not doing enough. And may we instead step into practices that open us—to God, to one another, and to the work of love already unfolding among us.

Because this is the fast God chooses. And this is where real life begins – where we make room for more love and less fear.

In Grace & Peace,

Pastor Christina

NextGen Pastor, Open Door Church

Learn more about us here.

Keep reading for Community Testimonies, Devotions, & Resources

 

Practicing Lament

A lament by Lead Pastor, Adam Jones

During Lent, we take time to look at the world around us and lament that which is not good, not right, not whole. Join Pastor Adam and the Open Door Community in a prayer of acknowledgement and repentance on during the season of Lent.

Click here for the rest of this quarters’s devotion and spiritual practice

What’s Happening?

Vision Sunday 2026

Making Room: More Love, Less Fear

By God’s grace, we are moving aside and making room for others to join us. We are ready to build affordable housing for those in need. We are going to be uncomfortable in order to provide comfort for others. We are going to run towards a Promised Land even if we can’t see it. We lift our eyes and see a better country and we get to be a part of it

We celebrated Vision Sunday in January with an All Community Celebration including a time of worship, testimony, communion and a meal together. As part of our vision-casting for 2026, we shared about three specific areas we believe God is leading us. One of those is the venture with Open Door Housing Inc to provide affordable housing for our community. Additionally, we will be pursuing a ministry to college students, specifically those in our surrounding community, and we will be hosting a peace conference in the fall.

 

Closing out 2025 - Advent and Christmas

Open Door celebrated Advent and Christmas as a community including an Advent Art Studio (see art displayed below), Christmas Caroling at CKRC and Bluegrass Rehab Center, and the lighting of Advent candles by our families.

 

Martin Luther King Freedom March

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that". - Martin Luther King, Jr.

It was a cold blustery day for the annual Freedom March, but this group braved it to bring some light and love to our city and stand with our neighbors in justice and hope.

THe People of Open Door

One of the beautiful aspects of our community is being able to celebrate with our members when they complete a program they’ve been diligently working through. We are excited for Sherry who has completed her time at CKRC and will be moving to Ashland to be with her family. Sherry has faithfully been at every Sunday gathering and Lunch Bunch since joining us and we are both happy for her and sad to see her go (Pictured below).

We also want to highlight Catherine Atiba who runs our care calls ministries - if you are unable to attend our gathering, expect a call from Catherine to let you know we are praying for you. Also pictured is Miss Vicky who has been serving our youngest children for 35 years. And Pastor Matthew Peterson who will be moving into the role of Associate Pastor and working directly with our growing community in Wilmore, Kentucky.

 

Youth & Young Adults

Our Youth & Young Adults enjoyed their annual Christmas party in December and their annual Ice Skating trip in January.

For Home Church, we are moving into the second half of the book we've been studying - You Need Friends by Jake Thurston. This second half will be focusing on our friendship with Christ and spiritual formation in friendships

We also host a Quarterly Service project every three months. For our first quarter we hosted a Valentine’s Dinner for our community. The youth and young adults handled set-up and clean-up, served all the food and drinks, and made sure that everyone who attended had a wonderful night, celebrating Jesus, the greatest Love of all.

 

Other News & Updates of Interest

Open Door Housing Inc.

Open Door Housing is continuing its move towards creating affordable housing in Lexington. In order to begin the construction, an additional $25,000.00 needs to be raised. We are trusting God to bring in these funds so that work on the first home can begin this summer. You can learn more about how to support this work here: https://www.opendoorhousinginc.org/

Peace & Justice

Our Peace & Justice team will be busy the next few months as they join with BUILD in seeking to advocate for those in our community who experience marginalization and injustice. Specifically, we are working in the area of renter’s rights in light of rising prices, lack of support for renters, and lack of accountability for landlords. If you are in the area, we invite you to join us on April 14 at the Central Bank Center for this year’s Nehemiah Direct Action.

The Shalom Society

Pastor Matthew Peterson also serves as the direction of the Shalom Society, is a ministry of the Brethren in Christ U.S. Great Lakes Conference. Our work is in support of churches and members across the global Brethren in Christ and beyond. The Society began operations in 2025 as the successor to the Peace and Justice Project, and is part of a long-term tradition of Brethren in Christ who believe that commitments to peacemaking, justice, and righteousness are essential parts of our theological heritage and our call as Christ’s priestly people. Recently Pastor Sungbin was interviewed regarding his work with Onesimus Reconciliation and Pastor Adam will be interviewed in March regarding the hospitality of visitation. Learn more here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/526103604086903/

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PRAISE & PRAYER

We invite you to join us as we celebrate the gifts we’ve received and to help shoulder the burdens we carry, visit our website for a regularly updated list of the community’s Praises and Prayer requests here.

Reminder: Where to Find Church News

In addition to Breaking Ground, this monthly newsletter, we also send a shorter News & Notes each Friday which includes information on current events (news) and praise/prayer requests from church family members (notes), check out these important spots for information: