BIG NEWS!

In the increasingly long line of miracles to come our way, we now have a meeting place for a weekend service this fall!

We've been praying hard for this door to open, and it opened better than we could have imagined. Beginning in October, we'll be meeting at Fellowship Community Church on Saturday nights. They are in the process of remodeling their facility to create a new 250 seat "Video Venue" which they will use on Sunday mornings. They have been gracious enough to let us use it on Saturday nights as we grow.

The facility will be wired for sound and video, and we also have access to the nursery and classroom space. Not only will this save us rental money, it also saves us the time and cost needed to transport equipment in and out of a school gymnasium.

The facility is on Parker Road near the Arapahoe Road intersection, one of the busiest crossroads in the Denver metro area. FCC is allowing us to put up signs and raise awareness in the area of our existence. Overall, this is the best of all possible arrangements for us, and I couldn't be more excited.

So thank you, Dale & everyone at Fellowship for your wonderful help and your tremendously selfless heart for our Lord and His kingdom.


To celebrate, here's another picture of me on a mountain:

Summer Fun

If there is a cure for the summertime blues, doggonit, we're going to find it.

Yesterday, we returned from our first Harvest Camping Trip. It probably doesn't need to be all capitalized like that, but it looks more official that way, and it was a lot of fun...

We arrived on Friday afternoon at a campground just outside of Leadville. We enjoyed phenomenal weather and beautiful views. The kids fished at nearby Turqouise Lake, although they caught little more than a sunburn. However, Rachel entertained Kaleb and Clint (as well as her parents) with stories of the ten "pretend fish" she caught. Sounds to me like she's getting the hang of what fishing is all about.

On Saturday, five of us (and one dog) took on Mt. Elbert. At 14,433 feet, Mt. Elbert is the highest mountain in Colorado and the highest in the Rockies. The views were amazing (pictures coming soon), and the climb was well worth it. The only question now is how many times I'll use this climb as a metaphor in teaching illustrations. The current prediction is at least six. And, by the way, coming down the mountain hurts more than you'd think.

Here we are on the way up:



Here we are at the top:


On Saturday night, while bones knit and muscles tightened, we enjoyed smores around a campfire. I pulled out my guitar and we had an impromptu worship service. The moon was out and we were surrounded by the majesty of God's creation. It was really something.

Even though we're home now, the fun is just beginning. On Sunday, July 31 and Sunday, August 28, we'll be having "Church in the Park". Outdoor services at neighborhood parks, complete with kids games and food. The upcoming event on the 31st will be at Central Park in "The Farm" neighborhood in Centennial. See the website for more info.

Summer Update

Maybe Eddie Cochran said it best: there ain't no cure for the summertime blues.

I am derelict. It's been six weeks since this blog had an update. So let's catch up, shall we?

June was a month of ups and downs. We found that two of the three middle schools to which we applied for meeting space were not available. And the third won't tell us until August. But we found another option that may be far better, which we will hopefully be announcing soon. We finished our logo and began printing our promotional materials. And on the 30th, we celebrated our first baby dedication with Logan and his parents Adam & Kim.

On the teaching side, we continued our quest through the book of Acts. We talked about having the right motivation for ministry and looked at the contrast between Philip and Simon the Magician in Acts 8. Our motivation must be for reaching lost and questioning people and not the lust for power, money, or reputation.

We looked at Acts 9 and the transformation of Saul and how no one is beyond the power and grace of God. While we may not experience the same calling or blinding vision as Saul/Paul experienced, we all need similar transformation. We need our hearts changed so that we can pursue the things of God and the spreading of the Gospel instead of pursuing our sinful desires or personal goals.

We also studied the history altering conversation between Peter and Cornelius (Acts 10). Peter learns a valuable lesson that race and bloodline have nothing to do with whether or not God can save someone. He sees a vision of a tablecloth coming from heaven loaded up with lizards, parrots, and other non-kosher animals (the original pigs in a blanket). With this vision, God reminds Peter that only He (God) can determine what's clean or not. And while God can create categories as He sees fit, the only categories by which we should view people are 1)"Those who God loves and can save" and 2)"Those who He doesn't and can't". Suffice it to say, category two is very small. Empty, in fact. Any other categories are inappropriate for God's people. And, as Peter learned, any "Us vs. Them" mentality is absolutely unacceptable. We have a real enemy, and we must fight against his schemes and his deception, but not his prisoners.

Lastly, we looked at Acts 12. In this chapter, Luke contrasts the brokenness of the church with the pride of Herod. John's brother James has been killed and Peter is in prison, awaiting his execution that'll come after the Passover feast. In the midst of their despair and brokenness, God provides the church a miracle and encouragement by freeing Peter from prison. Herod's story is told next, and it's in sharp contrast to the previous verses. At the height of his popularity and power, Herod refused to give God the credit and met a violent end. (Incidentally, "eaten by worms" always makes me think of that movie, "Tremors" or the sandworms in "Dune"...) The point is that a state of humility and brokenness is the best place to be to experience the power and compassion of God. The opposite place is usually traumatic and painful.

More to come soon...