The Least of My Brothers at the Table...

I was down in Civic Center park last Tues handing out food for the homeless with Paul Howard who runs Redemption Fellowship out of Trinity United Methodist church downtown. Paul has a heart for the homeless and those who have hit a rough patch. Paul and I went down there with the intention of handing out the sandwiches, having a communion service and then packing up our stuff and heading out. God had a different plan. After we had set-up our folding table with a cross and a chalice of juice and a loaf of bread we started handing out sandwiches. We also handed out some bagels and apples that got donated from some of you here at AfterHours. We never did a communion service, but make no mistake, we had communion. That’s what we had. Paul and I agreed that even if we don’t do a communion service, we would still set up the table. We love the idea that over time, the homeless in that park will know that when they come to the Lords Table…they will be fed. Towards the end of our time, as we were packing up, a gentleman came up to me and asked what I was going to do with the juice that was in the cup. I asked him if he wanted it and he said yes. For an instant, my old Catholic roots rose up and I thought, “should I do this?” Now it wasn’t even consecrated but just the idea of the juice going from the Chalice into a common water bottle gave me pause. That vanished pretty quick as I started to pour. I had to fight back tears as I poured the juice from the chalice into his water bottle held by his cold, weather-worn hands. This was as much communion as anything I had ever been a part of. This might not have been the traditional way of "getting rid" of the juice from the chalice but if I was to follow Jesus’ teachings, I realized I needed to put human need over traditional orthodoxy. It gave me chills.

As you do to the least of my brothers…

Have a great week.

Schools of Thought...

There are two schools of thought (probably more but I am going to run with two) when it comes to being a Pastor. One is that you show the world how much you know. Show them how strong a leader you are, that you can provide answers and are always certain. The other school of thought says struggle with your people. Show them your desire to lead, your willingness to go where you feel God is calling you but you don't need to act as though you have it "all figured out.". You let them know that you too get frustrated with the church and sometimes with God. You lead with your passion, not your intellect. Both models are successful. Both models work. A Pastor just needs to know which one he or she is. If you are ready to struggle with God and your faith and your Pastor who doesn't have all the answers...I look forward to seeing you at AfterHours.

I'm going to try again....

I am going to make another attempt at blogging. I get why people do it and I follow at least five blogs. As a writer though, it feel pretty...self indulgent (as if preaching isn't!) Now I know when it is done perfectly, preaching is an awesome expression of a way to connect people with God...both the preacher and the preachees. But it is a razors edge between that and a HUGE ego stroke. Keep an eye on me. I don't want to fall off the tightrope.

Having said ALL that, I will try to keep up and write in this blog as often as possible. Today I am just here to tell you the latest news with AfterHours.

We moved! we are now at 7562 S. University Blvd. 1/2 block south of Dry Creek in the Southglen Square mall. We are in the LifeSpot location right in the corner. LifeSpot is a youth center and they have been cool enough to let us invade their world every Sunday night. Table, chairs, couches, barstools. all add to the vibe. We used breadsticks from the pizza joint a few doors down for communion. It was fantastic. A very relaxed cool vibe.

We talked about what do you think of when you think of the word "church". for some it was a great memory, for others not so much and others had no feelings at all. What are your thoughts?

What do you think when you hear the word...church?

Suffering

So last Sunday night we talked about suffering. Sorry to say, we didn't figure it out. Drag. I thought FOR SURE we would have that nailed after a 12-minute sermon and a 6-minute discussion. Oh well. What we did discuss was whether we believed in an all powerful God, an all loving God, or whether or not evil and suffering exists (some people don't believe that eveil really existst.)Hard to explain how all three exists at the same time.I think based on the discussion we were all over the board. Me? I can't let go of the all-loving God. That would be a deal breaker for me. I believe that evil exists so....yep, I don't believe in an all-powerful God. Before you throw tomatoes at the screen, hear me out. I think the reason God isn't all powerful is because God gave up some power to give us free will. God wants us to CHOOSE to be in relationship with God. It is in this space where free will exists that evil and suffering can, and has, taken root. There you have it. What are your thoughts? You can read the whole sermon at www.afterhourschurch.com.

Free Will...really? Predestination...huh?

Talking on the phone one day with my dad, he told me that he believed that EVERYTHING is already planned out by God. I told him, "So God knew I was going to to call today?" he told me that not only God knew I would call, God knew what we just said before we said it...AND knows what we are about to say. This was YEARS before I went to seminary. It still seemed...odd to me. Then again....do we REALLY have free will? Is ANYTHING already decided? Some folks believe that before you were BORN it was already decided what your life would be....after your life? What you do MAKES NO DIFFERENCE. This means Mother Teressa could be in "hell" and Hitler could be in "heaven"...This....blows my mind. So what do you think? How much free will do we really have? How much is really decided ahead of time? Come figure it out with us Sunday Feb. 22nd. @ 5pm (for the record....we won't figure it out...but the conversation should be good.) Relax...it's just church...Afterhours

do you know why you're here?

On Feb. 15th I will be talking about why we are here. Do I claim to know? Not really. But I will give you my take on it. I think it is the question we all ask at one time or another. What does the good book have to say? I struggled for years trying to refine my purpose. Am I there yet? Nope. But it has been quite a trip. The trip has been a trip. What do you think the meaning of life is? What is your purpose for walking around this earth? Have you found your purpose? What do you do in the mean time? At the end of the night we might not have the answers, but we will have moved that much farther down the road. Come ask the questions with us...and relax...it's just church...afterhours.

Here comes the Judge...

So this coming Sunday I am preaching on Judgement. I am going to talk about how important it is not to judge and how lousy the people are that do judge others...HOW JUDGEMENTAL OF ME! I TOTALLY get the irony of judging people for judging people. The thing is; there IS too much judgement in the world. Jesus said, "I did not come to judge the world." I think it is pretty clear if it ain't HIS gig, it sure as heck ain't mine. Truth is, it is SO much easier to judge than love. maybe thats why Jesus dropped in on us. He said, "you will totally screw this up unless I come down and show you, step by step, exactly how to do this." We still screwed it up. Come on by AfterHours to see if I get even a fraction of this right. I might get it right...or not. Come judge for yourself...(AfterHours @ 5 pm 3350 White Bay Dr. Highlands Ranch @ St. Andrew United Methodist Church)