I’m typing this update from the patio of one of my local coffee shops in Uptown, a quaint, up-and-coming, hipster district of shops and restaurants not far from our house. The sun is shining and people are out and about. With spring in swing, and folks fully embracing the warmer climate, it’s much more apparent how many people around me have inked their arms, legs and sundry other body parts. Their art ranges from dragons and skulls, to pinup girls, celtic art, and even Christian images. The latter, of course, is more rare in these parts (though a girl next to me has a huge green cross on her bicep). It’s rare because religion is not a popular topic here. I’ve heard countless times over the past two years, “I’m spiritual – not religious.” In other words, “I’m down with God. We’re good. Just don’t put a name on it/her/him or institutionalize it.”
This refrain is almost a mantra here, and it makes starting a church interesting, to say the least. Before talking about God, Jesus, the Church or the Bible with anyone, it seems there are some prerequisite questions to answer. Are you trustworthy? Are you “normal” (whatever that means)? Do you respect me and my beliefs? Are you a hypocrite (like other religious people I’ve met)? “Jesus” isn’t a bad name to many of these people, though most are wary of any personal agenda I might try to associate with him.
This is what makes me love being a church planter, here in Denver. Yes, it takes us far out of our comfort zone, and no, we don’t always do a good job responding to these questions or modeling how Jesus would respond. And yet, each and every day presents opportunities to share God’s love with a skeptical, distracted, and highly individualistic culture of people. It’s exciting and terrifying, all at once.
Also exciting is the fact that this June marks two years we’ve been in Denver. It feels like it’s been longer, in some ways, while in others, it feels like we just arrived. We finished a great season of skiing at the end of March (even though many Denverites will still be toting their boards up the hill for another month or two!). The kids and Meredith all took to it very well, and will hopefully be making even more progress in the coming years.
We’re about to end our second small group here, which has been another great collection of friends and neighbors. Our kids love “group night,” for some reason, and will likely miss the wednesday night gatherings over the summer.
On the poopy side of life, Jason’s parents experienced an unfortunate event just a few weeks ago. The tornados that wreaked havoc on Alabama also dropped some fury on North Georgia, where they had a vacation cabin. Unfortunately, over 100 homes were completely destroyed in the 200+ mph winds, including theirs. Fortunately they were not home at the time, and feel blessed for that. But given the decades of memories formed at the lake, they still feel a great loss.
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- The path of the tornado over the north end of Lake Burton, Georgia
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- Nothing left but the foundation…
Despite the highs and lows (and maybe even because of them), we are incredibly grateful for your ongoing support and prayers. We love you.
