More Small Groups

For the past couple months, we've had two main small groups meeting (which means almost every single person in our church is in a group). We've been reading a book together by Dave Browning called, Deliberate Simplicity. It's been great to read and discuss the foundational elements of Christ the King Community Church. I have also enjoyed listening to the people in my group translate the concepts of CTK into our context in Durango. These guys get it and I am thrilled! Perhaps my favorite thing about these groups, however, is their potential for growth. Already, we've seen new people show up to the groups brought by their friends (who were also new to our community), now we are preparing to multply from two groups to five. More important than the idea of having five groups is the reality that each new group has the beginnings of creating their own community. I can't wait to see what happens with these people who have spent the last several weeks learning to love God and others in a deliberately simple way as they embark on their own journeys...sharing Christ through authentic relationship in the context of a living room or coffee shop!

Personally, I'm excited about a group that I will be trying to establish with a some of the homeless guys who live in the hills above the soup kitchen. Besides looking for relevant ways to communicate Christ with these guys, I'll also be able to keep my eyes on the foosball/chess prize!

Chess and Foosball

Lately, I've been spending a lot of time at Manna House (the local soup kitchen). One reason is that it is a blessing to be able to be the pastor of a church and also be able to do things like volunteer my time regularly. The other reason is that most of the friends I've made in Durango are pretty much the homeless guys at Manna House. I'm having a good time getting to know a guy named Jim. Last week he told me he was the chess champion of the soup kitchen and challenged me to a match. I accepted even though I hadn't played chess since I was a kid with my brother and couldn't really remember which players moved where. Somehow I managed to checkmate Jim within five minutes of playing which simultaneously made me the soup kitchen champion and secured me a rematch the next day. Day two didn't go as well. Jim whipped me soundly two games in a row. Trying to salvage my dignity, I made some comment wishing there were a foosball table because I was sure I could beat him at a real game (the 99% of you who don't play foosball are laughing at that irony, I know)--big mistake! One thing you have to understand about homeless guys--they don't always have a lot going on...so Jim immediately seized the opportunity to challenge me to a game of foosball at the pool hall in town. I put up a good fight, but was bested in the end--even on the incredible Jim Fletcher (elder at SVCC and foosball prodigy) worthy Tornado table.

Ego bruising aside, I am loving the opportunity to get to know these guys at the soup kitchen. They are as ostracized by our community as they are fascinating and lovable. Perhaps my favorite thing about these last couple weeks has been that I actually get to be the one in relationship. Jim, Curtis, James, Lenny, and Clifford are my friends. Instead of being "up front" telling everyone how they should go about loving people, I get to do it and then tell them. If I am able to accomplish anything as the pastor of this church community, I want it to be that I am always able to do what I am teaching. I know that sounds simple, but it certainly has not been in my experience. Until now, I've mostly been so overwhelmed by the details of planning and implementing ministry that I've rarely been able to participate--especially relationally.

Charity Without Relationship

So, I've recently read a book by Shane Clariborne called, "Irresistable Revolution" that addresses mostly the issue of poverty--specifically our role as the church in dealing with the poor. To say the book was compelling would be an understatement. Two points he makes in the book were especially poingnant to me. First was the idea that, as a whole, the church tends to relegate caring for the poor to a "minstry area" as opposed to a primary function of the Church. When looking at Acts chapter 2, we see and emulate the fact that the early church met in homes (small groups) and in the temple (corporate worship) and ate together. Clairborne points out that, while the church seems to be concerned with the poor, the language in Acts 2 is much stronger than simply helping the poor. Early Christians sold everything they had to take care of the poor. There seemed to be a general understanding that Christians would all sacrifice what they had for the benefit of those who don't have as much. I don't see this as a slam on the present state of the Church, so much as an interesting revelation that warrants some thought (and dialogue if anyone cares to engage). I sincerely want our church to be inhabited by people who do not simply wish the poor well, or allow for a benevolence fund, but who consistently make sacrifices on the behalf of the poor.

The second idea that struck me was about charity. The author points out that, while giving money and extra clothes, etc. to charitable groups is good, it eliminates the relational aspect of helping the poor. To some extent, donating to charity actually contributes to the gap between the church and the poor by isolating both groups from eachother by means of a "middle man". I took this to heart as our church has been spending a lot of time at the local soup kitchen in Durango. There is no question that I have extra clothes, things, etc. so I decided to try giving through relationship instead of my usual method of making a large clothes donation to Salvation Army. I discovered a couple things...first, it takes a long time to help the poor through relationship because the one guy you meet may not need all your shoes, jackets, old shirts, etc. I'm realizing that it's going to take a while before I can unload some of this stuff (which means, I guess, that the point is more about relationship than "unloading" stuff). Another thing I've noticed is how exciting it is to give through relationship. I met with my friend, Jim at Manna House yesterday when we were preparing food for lunch. Jim is a guy who lives in a tent in the hills of Durango all year (yes, even in the winter with several feet of snow). We've gotten to know each other over the last few weeks mostly by playing "Name that TV Theme Song Tune" (which might make me a horrible kitchen volunteer--mostly messing around with Jim). I was nervous that Jim would feel awkward about me offering him a coat I had brought, but I asked him anyway. He didn't seem to feel awkward. He was very pleased as the jacket I was giving him (which has been collecting dust in my closet for a long time) was a massive upgrade from the one he was wearing. He said he wished he had some way to pay for the coat and I told him maybe he could show me some off-road trails sometime (another thing we've talked about a lot).

I'm starting to wonder if taking care of the poor is more about meeting their needs through relationship than just giving them stuff. I'm excited about what I'm learning and anxious to explore these things more--if for no other reason than the fact that at this point in my life in a new town, playing "Name that TV Tune" for half an hour with a guy pretty much makes him my best friend!

May I See Your Ticket, Please?

Well, I was offered both jobs I applied for at Purgatory and I decided to go with the ticket checking job over the lift-operator position. In the end, ticket checking seemed like a smaller, more tight-knit department. I think I'll have some great opportunities there to get to know the team and interact with all the other people at the resort--not to mention free skiing at Purg, Telluride, and about ten other resorts in this area!

I'm looking forward to the opportunity for relationship with this group of people as well as the chance to be part of a culture that is pretty foreign to me. I went into a snowboard shop the other day and it was surreal--like walking into a surf shop, except it was all snowboards. It's so funny to think back to my Pacific Wave days where I did my best to sell snowboards to people when I actually used a snowboard less than five times a season. This year I'll be in the snow on the mountain a mimimum of 60 days!

Job Interview

I have to say, as much as I believe in working outside the church whenever possible, it has been a rough transition back into the world of counting hours and getting paid by them! $9 an hour just doesn't go as far as it did in college (I was going to say high school, but that was $5.75 an hour).

This morning I'm going to the Durango Mountain Resort Job Fair. The ski resort, formerly known as Purgatory, is one of the largest employers in the area for the winter. The good news is I would be working with a lot of local people and get to snowboard for free all winter. The downside would be the drive (25 miles) and that it probably won't be paying much.

If you would have pulled me aside 10 years ago at Pacific Wave Surf Shop where I was folding t-shirts and selling surfboards and told me that in '06 I would be applying for a job at a ski resort I would have slapped a PW sticker on you back while I laughed you out the door! I love to see God's story unfolding in the most unlikely of places, and yet, it all seems to connect somehow.

I'll keep you posted on the results--I'm guessing I shouldn't wear a tie to the interviews, but there's that little part of me that still wonders!

Speechless

A couple weeks ago, I wrote about my love/hate relationship with transportation. A lot has happened since then. After coasting my Jeep the four miles down the hill to my mechanic (he's mine in the sense that I've invested enough money into his shop that I feel some ownership), we decided it was time to sell off my beloved machine and try to replace it with something that would tempt me less to drive over rocks. It was a difficult decision, but a wise one, so I solemnly made up some For Sale signs for the windows. After two agonizing days of driving around with the For Sale signs, we got some incredible news. Someone who was aware of our transportation calamities had given us an extravagant and generous gift. The only stipulation that came with the money was that we buy a NEW car...we were happy to oblige! After hours of research, I think we found the only car in America that we could drive away for the amount of money we had. We are now the proud owners of a Suzuki SX-4! Imagine a large egg with four doors and all-wheel drive. It's a great little car that fits our family and will have no trouble making road trips and driving in snow. The best part is Jenn is driving the Suzuki, so I get to keep my Jeep!

We are incredibly thankful to God (and our anonymous donor) for taking such good care of us and answering the many prayers grunted out from under cars on wet pavement!


The world is as it should be.

We Relish Your Worship!

Well, we just finished our first meeting at Pickles Restaurant! It was great to meet in town. I'm not sure why, but it just felt more real to me. I think Pickles is going to work out well for us. We may not fit for as long as I'd like, but they were pretty accommodating for us.

We had a few visitors, which was exciting as well. It is so cool to see people starting to show up. I can't wait for more people to be able to experience what we have been living out these last several months.

Church as it should be

Sunday night, we celebrated our last living room church service! Starting this weekend (Oct. 22nd) we will be meeting at Pickles Restaurant in town. We decided to have a BBQ to make things more festive (and because Joe Daniels makes the best pork chops in the world). The whole evening was fantastic. Joe came over early with his son and a friend of his. I sat in the back yard with this guy while he smoked a couple cigarettes talking about fishing and churches that meet in living rooms. Our whole group was there, milling around the house, kids running rampant, eating, laughing and generally enjoying themselves. My favorite moment was sitting next to my neighbor, Dana--each of us with a pork chop in one hand and a beer in the other--when it dawned on him that he was at church. "What kind of church did you say this was?" I will never get tired of answering that question! There really is nothing as inspiring or worshipful to me as hanging out with a group of friends, eating a good meal, talking about what God has done, and worshipping together. It didn't feel like "Christian" fun, either--you know, where you get the feeling that this BBQ is the most exciting thing anyone has done outside the Fellowship Hall in years and people use words like "fellowship" and the men and women don't sit next to eachother. We are not a polished group of people. There are some tough things going on in the lives of my friends (two people had actually got into car accidents on the way to our house!)--but we all know about it. We talk about it, and help eachother--we have hugs and crying at our BBQs to go with the laughter. Toward the end of the evening, I overheard the smoking kid from the beginning of the evening trying to articulate to Joe how he couldn't help but sing along with worship--he couldn't find the words to describe the fact that he had just worshipped the God of the universe for the first time in his life!

Pickles will be fun--a good place to meet that will seat more people than my living room. I only hope we are able to maintain that sense of family and worship I felt so intensely on Sunday night. I am literally desperate for more messed up people in this town to find us out so they can experience what we are so blessed to live with.

Come On Over To My Place

There is some news for us Durangatans with CTK...we are deep in the throes of trying to find a place to meet. I believe it will add credibility and legitimacy to our gatherings if we are able to invite people to a neutral place for worship. Inviting a friend to my house for a BBQ or a small group isn't that big a deal, but somehow telling someone about our worship services and then inviting them to my living room doesn't go over as well.

I've held off on talking about this because we've hit some snags in several places and I keep celebrating finding a new place and then having to take it back when it falls through. At first, we thought we might meet in the Community Rec Center, but it turns out there are already two churches meeting there and I didn't want to create the first church shopping mall. Then, we tried for a movie theatre in town, but they didn't want to rent to us because of cleaning issues from the bands that play on Saturday nights (yes, we offered to be the cleaning crew). An elemetary school gym became available, but after we went through the whole process there, we discovered an unwritten, but non-negotiable rule banning food and signage.

Where we stand now is my favorite place so far, but hard to explain why. I'm working with the owner of a local resaurant who seems willing to rent us a back room that could easily fit 30 people. It is a place I've been going frequently to study because there is hardly ever anyone there. The name of the restaurant is Pickles--they relish your business. I love this place because it is right on the main drag in town--every person in Durango (or who has driven through Durango) knows where this place is, however, very few people have been inside. It's sort of a "Denny's" type place, and with all the fantastic resaurants in town, it tends to passed over in favor of more stylish places.

I'm really hoping things work out at Pickles. I don't know if it's an underdog thing, or the humor of telling people to meet me at a place called, Pickles, but I think it would be great to meet there. So, as a matter of prayer, I submit our search for a place to worship...Pickles or no Pickles!

My Love/Hate Relationship...

I love cars. I am completely infatuated with anything that has wheels...not just Ford or Chevy, but everything. A pile of rusted parts on the side of the road is a "classic with potential" in my eyes. So how can it be that a man who deeply loves all things transportation can be in such a constant state of crisis with his vehicles? This doesn't have much to do with our ministry here, except that it proves to be quite a frustrating distration from the task at hand. I'm searching for wisdom on how to solve these problems--especially since they illustrate a principle of balancing/coping with the mundane of life while attempting to dedicate one's existence to something much higher in value and eternal implications.

I have dreams of bringing Christ to people--sharing the hope I have and the vision for God's church I've received. I find myself in the role of leader. My heart is bent on bringing people together in their own circles of influence for the cause of Christ. However, I get this horrible "cut off at the knees" feeling when the greatest obstacle between me and my mission seems to be physically getting the six miles down the hill into town! It has begun to represent to me the paradox of serving a Spirit-God from the confines of the material world. The positive points: I am compelled to be creative, I am forced to look to God for answers to seemingly impossible dilemmas, at every point of provision I experience profound gratitude. The downside: I can't get to town!!! I feel like I'm spending valuable time/energy under a car that has no hope of salvation and only promises to break at the next weak link as soon as I get it back on the road. I am finding it impossible to live on a tight financial budget with the costly repairs.

In conclusion, I feel that all I can do is trust that God has a greater plan for me than isolated shadetree mechanic. I have to submit to the process of allowing God to work in and through me in the midst of the mundane (and enfuriating). I will take the required time prostrate on the pavement scratching my head and express my gratitude to God when yet another solution presents itself. I will ask God to speak through me in spite of the fact that I had to get dropped off at the coffee shop an hour early or ten minutes late with grease under my finger nails and leaves stuck in the back of my hair. I will accept the reality that God does not require these things to fit my standards of order to accomplish what he has in mind on his schedule.

However, it IS raining outside and I still have to crawl under a car! *%^$#*@#!