Table Kids: New Resources & Curriculum

Elizabeth Gillespie is our new Teacher and Curriculum Coordinator, and has some fun news and developments to share with everyone as we kick off the Fall ministry season. Keep reading for new curriculum, resources, and opportunities to extend what's happening on Sunday mornings into the rest of the week!

The Table’s mission is to Know God, Love People, and Cultivate Beauty. In Table Kids, this happens through building relationships around crafts, books, skits, and a relentless focus on the love of Jesus. The work being done with our kids is truly impressive, and one of the most beautiful things I get to see every week.

Over the last few months, we’ve realized we need to reinvest our attention in a couple areas. First, teachers have had a tough time adapting our current curriculum (both theologically and practically). Second, we’ve also wanted to better support parents in incorporating that content Monday-Saturday at home (more coming on this!). After lots of research, feedback, and conversation, we’re switching to the Gospel Story Curriculum by Marty Machowski (you can read a description here).

You might be familiar with the Gospel Story Bible by the same author. It, along with a matching family devotional that pairs with the Bible, will be available for purchase at the book table on Sunday mornings by the time you read this!

We really like this curriculum for a few reasons…

1. It tells a cohesive story about Jesus, teaching through the Old and New Testaments, with plenty of emphasis on His person and work. In other words, it’s theologically solid.

2. It allows for all kids from preschool through fifth grade to study the same story each week. This will be the first time we’ve been able to do this across the board!

3. We found it highly accessible for both teachers, and kids at their respective developmental level. This is the sweet spot that enables teachers to have lots of room to adapt the activities for the specific needs and culture of their classroom.

To make that simple and easy to follow along with at home, we put together a schedule (CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD) of what your kids will be learning each week - including the story being studied, and the corresponding page numbers in BOTH the Gospel Story Bible AND the family devotional! As you can see from the schedule, we are starting in the New Testament On Sunday September 9th, and we’ll be starting a few weeks into the New Testament curriculum in order to catch up with the 3-5th graders.

Note: Your 3-5th grader(s) will miss some of the stories since your child’s class only meets the first three Sundays of each month. While we’re working hard to make it possible to go through the story every week and across every “class” level, this is the perfect opportunity to read the story with your kiddos on weeks that they stay in the service and won’t be studying the story in their Sunday class.

Lastly, and maybe most important of all: Remember those teachers I mentioned earlier? There aren’t enough of them! While all our current teachers genuinely love the opportunity to minister to our kids every week, some of them are teaching 2 or 3 times per month! That teacher exhaustion means that our kids don’t get the full energy and attention that they need to build solid, impactful relationships. You don’t have to be skilled or experienced, you just need to have a heart for our children and a willingness to learn along with them. We will help with the rest! You might even be surprised how much you’ll love being part of this amazing and vital part of our church!

To find out more about being a Teacher or Assistant, just shoot me an email.

"What (and who) is the Pastoral Team?"

(Updated May 13, 2019)

This is a question I’ve gotten off and on at various times over the last 6 months or so, and have been intending to whip up a full explanation to provide some additional clarity. First, some context…

Where we’re headed: “Particularization”

As a Presbyterian church, we believe that the most biblical form of church government is elder-led (“Presbyterian” comes from the Greek word  for “elder”).  In our denomination, the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA), a church plant becomes an established church when its first group of elders are nominated, trained, and ordained. (For more info on this process or what it means to be a church in the PCA, come to our next Membership Class this Fall!)

That process is lengthy and requires both a critical mass and a level of stability in order to do well. Inducting our first class of members last May was a massive step in that direction, but we are aiming for Particularization sometime in the Fall of 2021 (which would still be 1-2 years ahead of schedule for a church plant like ours).

Where we’ve been: Rapid Initial Growth

In August 2016, our launch team of 40ish people doubled in size within the first 3 months after launch, and by Easter 2017 over 120 people called The Table their church home. To say that growth has been “unexpected” is an understatement! We had no idea The Table’s vision would gain so much traction so early, and were thus initially caught flat-footed in more ways than one! More people meant needing more pastoral leaders to both help care for those families God brought to The Table, and help us continue to reach our Neighbors at the same time.

While we do have denominational and financial oversight through the Session (what the PCA calls each church’s board of elders) at Rocky Mountain Presbyterian Church in Westminster, those elders are not involved in our day-to-day ministry (nor could they be!). They don’t know our specific context, our specific people, or our specific vision. They just are not in the place to provide that kind of leadership.

Thus, in the spring of 2016 I invited a couple mature leaders who demonstrate elder-like qualities to step up into what we dubbed the “Pastoral Team,” as a temporary, 3-4 year stop-gap until we’re able to go through an elder training process.  Current active members include Adam Argo, Rocky Dunlap, Jeremy Gillespie, and Ken Harris (invited Spring 2019 on an initial trial basis to make sure it’s a good fit for both him and us), plus myself. As an ordained Pastor whom we are developing and teaching over the next 2 years how to plant a church using similar creative solutions, our Church Planting Resident (Justin Chappell) has a "view" and a "voice" on the team, but not a "vote" (since his time with us has always had a planned end-date).

This decision has turned out to have had a massive impact: as of this update, we have over 120 people in Cohorts, our average Sunday attendance this Spring has been over 170 (adults + children), and this team has been shepherding every step of the way!

If you haven’t heard about this until now, it’s because we've been busy enough simply functioning as a Pastoral Team that communicating it has taken a back burner (albeit, for too long).

Where we are now: Pastoral Team Roles & Responsibilities

Much like an engaged couple should start “practicing” being married long before they formally tie the knot, it is good for us to function, as much as we are able, as a Presbyterian (elder-led) church as early as possible. Both individually and as a team, the Pastoral Team functions as unofficial/unordained elders with the following responsibilities:

• Provide additional perspective on vision, strategy, and some key leadership decisions to make sure we aren’t operating in an echo chamber…

• Help carry the responsibility of shepherding those who are hurting and need more acute or long-term care from church leadership…

• Steward The Table’s vision and help instill it into every area of ministry, both by personal example and direct leadership…

• Maintain accountability for finances, budgeting, and ministry alignment with strategic goals…

None of those on the Pastoral Team are guaranteed or fast-tracked for being an elder at The Table. They will all have to go through the exact same process as everyone else. In fact, doctrinal differences (e.g. infant baptism) may preclude one or more of them from being ordained as an elder when that time comes, but they are happy to serve in this role anyway!

And I don’t want to rush past that last part… It is that kind of sacrificial posture and not-for-my-glory humility that qualifies each of them for this role. The leaders listed above were specifically invited to share this responsibility because they have already been demonstrating a character, competency, and capacity for it through their commitment to The Table. They don’t only “get it,” they also “do it” already and bring people along with them - not because they were asked to do so, but because they live and breathe what Christ has called our church to be: the flourishing presence of Jesus in every sphere of life.

All that said, if you have any questions not covered here, please know you can always reach out to me (Brad) or any other member of the Pastoral Team! Until we train and ordain our first elders, consider the Pastoral Team to be who you can take any care or shepherding need to, especially if you aren't sure where else to turn. That is (literally) what we're here for!

Coming Soon: Neighborhoods

This will be a "living blog post" that we update with additional information as things continue to develop over the summer!  Photo by Raphaël Biscaldi on Unsplash

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A Quick Introduction... (6/5)

Dear Church,
           
As many of you have experienced, hospitality is a bedrock value at The Table. This is far more than just inviting people into our home for a meal. It is a lifestyle of relational generosity and self-giving love for those who are most different from us. This definition has been the primary “WHY” behind the design of The Table’s Community Groups. And for almost 2 years, they have been a greenhouse for profound hospitality, where common belief isn’t a prerequisite and love for our literal neighbors is both the starting point and the goal. As The Table has grown and matured, we’ve encountered both challenges and opportunities to living out that vision in ways we never could have guessed before actually trying it!  

One challenge we discovered is that Community Groups were not built to handle the exponential growth we experienced over our first year, nor were they equipped to explicitly and intentionally bring new members along with this vision for hospitality (and combined, it's no surprise that this is new to many of you reading this!). To adapt Community Groups to cooperate with what God is doing in/through The Table, this fall Community Groups will be growing into Table Neighborhoods.

In many ways, Neighborhoods (or Table ‘Hoods if you’re as cool as I am) will feel very similar to Community Groups: Hospitality will still be a foundational component of every Neighborhood, but we’re creating space and flexibility to localize community, mission, and mercy efforts. In other words, they will be designed to work with the grain of our natural rhythms of life, instead of against the grain or just on top of everything else. 

“... we’re creating space and flexibility to localize community, mission, and mercy efforts.”

As a church plant grows, there’s a very real and dangerous tendency to uncritically grow busier with it (hence some of the major changes we're also making with Sunday Morning Teams you read about in the June newsletter). This ends up creating more things to do and leaves less time to be further committed to the people and places right in front of us (our neighbors). I’ve felt this, and I’ve heard many of you voice the same. Neighborhoods are designed to reverse that tendency, to give you the space and support to be more present and engaged in "every sphere of life" you're already involved in! 

Throughout this summer we’ll be rolling out more specific details about Table Neighborhoods, what to expect when they launch, what regions each Neighborhood represents, and how they’ll enhance and strengthen cohorts (the latter being another significant reason why we’re doing this). Each of our current Community Group Leaders are helping navigate their respective group’s transition, so if you’re currently in a Community Group, they are a great resource for learning more and asking questions! If you have general questions, thoughts, or concerns, please email me or Justin Chappell.  

Stay tuned for more exciting updates in the next few weeks!

Peace,
Brad Edwards
Lead Pastor

The Table :: Our Story

As one of 15 church plants supported by Acts 29 West for 2018, they put together a pretty incredible video that tells a bit of our story, who we are, and how God is working in/through our young church plant to be "the flourishing presence of Jesus in every sphere of life!" Enjoy!

The Table // Lafayete, CO

Readings for Advent

Let's face it, the holidays can be anything but restful. To keep yourself (a little more) grounded this year, we've put together a list of daily readings. You can either pick one up at the Welcome Table on Sunday morning, and/or (since we're about a week behind the curve this year) download the PDF here so you can get started on-time (December 1st)!

Also check out a couple of the things Brad wrote up for Advent last year:

• Christmas Customs, Part 1 :: Lights

• Christmas Customs, Part 2 :: Waffles & Strawberries

“The celebration of Advent is possible only to those who are troubled in soul, who know themselves to be poor and imperfect, and who look forward to something greater to come.”

— Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Made to Flourish: Uncommon Grace for the Common Good

As a church plant, we've come a very long way in our first year. By God's grace, and seemingly overnight, we've gone from a fledgling community of 20 families to a church of over 150 people who consider The Table their home. Through countless conversations and opportunities to live out our vision to "savor and share the Life of Jesus in every person, place, and thing," we've realized that this vision is... well... lacking. Sure, it sounds decent and accurately describes much of what we're about, but it isn't quite connecting to the ethos or heart of the passion we have for our broader community (also, nobody could remember it anyway, so that was a problem too). Thus, you'll notice that our current vision now reads:

“We exist to be the flourishing presence of Jesus in every sphere of life.”

The two expressions are definitely similar, but now there is a comprehensive totality, a God-sized fulness, scope, and focus that has been lacking. This Fall, we'll be spending 8 weeks in a sermon series called "Made to Flourish: Uncommon Grace for the Common Good," where we will unpack all the beauty, glory, and mess of what we are convinced God is calling us to - both individually and communally. We'll spend the vast majority of that time filling out all the concrete, collective, and personal implications of this vision, and this post will lay a foundation for it all.

To start, you'll notice there are two halves of this vision statement - one answers the "what," and the other answers the "where." 

What are we called to?
"... the flourishing presence of Jesus... "

The church does not exist for it's own sake. A "selfish church" is as oxymoronic and nonsensical as a "football bat" (yup, exactly). Yet, much of the American evangelical church has uncritically embraced consumerism (the idea that the "good life" is an ever-increasing consumption of goods & services) as way of doing life and ministry, implying that the church is both the provider of spiritual goods and services, and primarily and ultimately for Christians. This has led to Christians using language like "getting fed" by church's worship service, or "church shopping" when they first move to a new area. But don't hear what I'm not saying!  Being spiritually nourished with the Gospel and prayerfully discerning where God is calling you to serve in a local body are good and important things!

... but can you hear the very different and powerful assumptions embedded within those two ways of describing it?

God blesses (another word for "flourish") His people. The purpose of any and all flourishing is for the good of those around us - especially and primarily our broader community. Period. No qualifier. The Church is not for Christians. The Church is a community of Christians whose fundamental orientation is toward both our God and our neighbor. Those two are so explicitly and intrinsically linked by Jesus' teachings that they are inseparable: you can't "love God" and not love your neighbor. Loving your neighbor is itself an essential and non-negotiable act of Christian worship.

God has already blessed us in full. He has flourished us already (and yes, that's a real word). We are made to flourish - made both to receive His flourishing and to flourish others. If we only do one of those, we're not living into our full humanity, and we're not living in light of Jesus' Gospel love... and we also aren't acting like a church as described in scripture.

Where are we called to be this presence?
"... in every sphere of life."

The American evangelical church is often (and rightly, for the most part) criticized for being all about spiritual brokenness (hyper focused on evangelism & the Great Commission), while severely neglecting or outright ignoring the physical & social brokenness of the world (e.g. poverty or racism). While we of course agree that the Great Commission is vital to what it means to be a Christian, it is not even close to the full picture. Let me explain...

A woman at The Table recently described to me how, when she was growing up, it was always the international missionaries who were really doing God's work. This view sees our careers, our families, and every other “ordinary” aspect of life as merely the necessary means to the end of "real" spiritual work (evangelism). This is as tragic as it is ineffective because it is driven by an urgency and fear of “not doing enough for God” that our non-Christian friends, family, and neighbors can absolutely sense and feel (and are thus alienated from Jesus). Even more importantly, it ignores the original and holistic definition of what it means to be human in the first place.

“Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness...’ And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’”

— Genesis 1:26, 28

God is as concerned with (and burdened for) the physical as much as He is the spiritual. Thus, He does not ONLY call us to leverage our spiritual flourishing for the good of others, but all of our flourishing - vocational, social, financial, circumstantial, political, educational, or otherwise. It is not just the good news of the Gospel we are called to invite our neighbors into, but the goodness of friendship, economic opportunity, hospitality, emotional health, etc. Christians serving as pastors, plumbers, teachers, stock brokers, mothers & fathers, PhD's and high school dropouts all have an equally-valuable contribution to flourishing in ways unique to how God has called them.

This is the difference between a church functioning like a weed (which kills and crowds out other growth and exists only to multiply itself) and a church that flourishes as a fruit tree (whose fruit both sows new life and nourishes surrounding life).

Putting it all together: Uncommon Grace for the Common Good

And if after all this you're still not convinced, God, in His genius, has designed us in such a way that our greatest good, our holistic flourishing, our spiritual health, is all found in living toward the common good:

“But seek the welfare (flourishing) of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare (flourishing) you will find your welfare (flourishing).”

— Jeremiah 29:7

Above, I stated rather bluntly that" the church is not for Christians." This is true insofar as it is not our primary activity or purpose, but serving others is the most self-serving thing we can do! You see, in God's upside-down creation the only way to be fully satisfied is not through unrestrained selfishness, but in giving ourselves away (which is what Jesus Himself did and modeled for us).

In other words, God has made human beings in such a way (in His Image) that we will really, truly, and fully flourish only when we flourish others. When we are (even imperfectly) "the flourishing presence of Jesus in every sphere of life," things change. Both we and our neighbors flourish. The Church grows and our neighbors are grateful for our presence - whether they believe or not! 

God's church has unique and incredible contributions to make in this world that ONLY we can offer. Not because we are particularly gifted, but because we are especially gifted - and that gift is Jesus Himself. That gift of grace transcends and is magnified by our every blemish, it is the impetus of our every love.  In Jesus, we risk nothing, want nothing, and lack nothing. What do you have to lose? Nothing. It is He that the church offers in/underneath/through/above all that we do.

“We know it is good to receive... Yet Jesus taught that it is more blessed to give than to receive... If we fail to learn this art, we will live unfulfilled lives, and in the end, chains of bondage will replace the bonds that keep our communities together. If we just keep taking or even trading, we will squander ourselves. If we give, we will regain ourselves as fulfilled individuals and flourishing communities.”

— Miroslav Volf

Resources for Deeper Engagement

Much of this Fall's sermon series (as well as the "flourishing" language embedded in our new vision statement) was inspired by several pastors, leaders, and authors. Many of those are listed below, but one we want to especially recommend to you is a short DVD curriculum called For the Life of the World.  I could write another blog post just to sing the praises of this work and it's contribution to the local church, but I won't. Instead, just know that it is easily the most beautiful, full, and accessible expression (watch this with your kids!) of our vision that we have found. Here's the trailer:

You can either purchase it via their website here (with the optional but fantastic "Field Guide" here), or if you have Amazon Prime, they are FREE to watch online. If you have any questions, let us know!

Other Resources

• (For parents) Sticky Faith: Everyday Ideas to Build Lasting Faith in Your Kids, by Kara Powell and Chap Clark. Note: We're encouraging all parents to read this book early this Fall, and then we'll host an open discussion about it in NOV/DEC (date still TBD) to explain how it informs The Table's approach to children's ministry. 

• What's So Great About "The Common Good" (Article)  and Culture Making (Book) by Andy Crouch

• The Six Practices of the Church (6-Episode Podcast - Short trailer here) and  The Burning Church (Talk) by Greg Thompson

• Common Grace: From the Ivory Tower to the Tractor Company (Article) by Richard Mouw

• Visions of Vocation: Common Grace for the Common Good (Book) by Steven Garber (who also stars in the For the Life of the World)

New Church Planting Resident: FAQ

If you received our most recent newsletter, you know that we are ecstatic to be bringing on our new Church Planting Resident: Justin Chappell, along with his wife Caitlyn! They will be moving out here late summer (2017), and Justin will be officially starting a 3-year residency at The Table in either September or October, with the goal of subsequently planting in Longmont. We've communicated VERY little about this so far because this has been an on-and-off conversation for a few months now, and we didn't want to get our collective hopes up before we knew it was going to happen. Because of that relative silence, and because you may or may not be familiar with what a "church planting residency" is, here is a quick FAQ and overview of what all this means for us...

Q1 :: What is church planting residency? What will be Justin's role at The Table?

The purpose of a residency is to develop an already-experienced pastor with the opportunity to 1) develop in those leadership skills and abilities unique to church planting, 2) familiarize with a local cultural context and community, and 3) discern the specifics of location, vision and strategy ahead of actually planting. This gives a potential planter a community support system and the opportunity to learn (and fail!) before everything is on the line (much like an incubator for startups and entrepreneurs in Boulder). The specifics of his role are largely TBD, but will be built around his leadership development needs (primarily) and The Table's ministry needs (secondarily).

Q2 :: We aren't even a year old yet! Why are we doing this so early?

You're right, it is VERY early! I have literally never even heard of a plant as young as The Table bringing on their first resident, so you are not wrong about that (then again, a LOT of what we do has never been tried before)! The opportunity for a resident to jump in on a church plant at this very early stage is INVALUABLE as it is RARE. The biggest reason is this: we didn't go out looking for this opportunity, it just kind of... happened. God quite miraculously opened several doors at the same time. Within the span of just a few months, 1) we've had an unexpected number of families from Longmont connect to The Table, 2) Justin and Caitlyn fell in love with Longmont, 3) our presbytery approved us to host a residency, and 4) we were given a significant grant to help fund it (the last two of which happened only 24 hours apart!). Yes, we are still a little in shock over how quickly and powerfully God has moved in all this.

Q3 :: Why will the residency take 3 years? That seems really slow...

This timeline gives Justin and Caitlyn the chance to be fully immersed and part of the City of Longmont, and it gives us the chance to be more fully established to send them with people and resources. Also, during the last year of his residency (pending approval) he will be functionally planting the new church as a ramp up into launch, so it's really more like a 2 year residency and a very well-supported onramp into launch. 

Q4 :: Wait... you said "pending approval," does that mean there's a chance he may not plant?

Correct. The residency is also an evaluation process to make sure the potential planter is called and equipped to plant. This is not intended to be an additional hoop to jump through, but to be a discerning process for the host church (us) and the prospective planter's family - after all, it's a huge stress and one of the hardest things you can do in ministry even when you ARE clearly called! All that said, if we didn't think Justin and Caitlyn were a good fit or had that potential, we wouldn't have invited them here! (Have I mentioned how excited we are?)

Q5 :: What has The Table financially committed to Justin? 

As an Acts 29 Member Church, we have committed to giving a portion of our internal giving to church planting (to a few different sources, more than half of which can be designated in support as we choose). Between that and the aforementioned grant we were given for the purpose of hosting a resident, we're able to give Justin a significant head start on his fundraising. Very very little of what we've committed is above or beyond those two factors (hence, "miraculous"). The rest of his financial need is up to him to raise from outside The Table. This is both necessary because we are not even remotely self-sustaining yet, and the ability to fundraise is a vital skill every planter needs to learn and practice (i.e. it's part of his leadership training and development). If you're at The Table and want to support their work, start/increase/continue your giving to The Table as your home church! 

Q6 :: What does this mean for me if I live in Longmont? 

For now, absolutely nothing... well, except that you'll be getting a couple amazing new neighbors! For all the reasons mentioned above, don't start making plans or worrying about who is going with them or who is staying at The Table (either way, 100% voluntary). Three years is a long time (we're not even one year old!), and when the time comes, we'll talk more specifically and help you both discern and follow God's calling on your life - whether that's staying here or being sent! 

Q7 :: How can I help or be a part of all this? 

The same way you can be a part of what God is doing at The Table - continue to Know God, Love People, and Cultivate Beauty (our Mission). The more established and mature we are as a church, the more we will be able to bless Justin and Caitlyn when we send them with people and resources to plant in Longmont. In other words.. Pray! If you're not in a Community Group, join one! If you are, but haven't invited your neighbors, what are you waiting for! If you're not serving on Sunday morning, step up and help out with Table Kids, run slides, and/or contribute your musical skills! If you're not giving sacrificially, prayerfully do so!

In other words, generously give of your time, treasure, and talents for the good of your church family.

Q8 :: (Insert Question Here)

If you have any other questions not covered here, let us know! For a church as young as The Table, everything is new, so we know there will be many more questions along the way. 

Resources on the Psalms (UPDATED)

UPDATED 6/4/18: We had a series on the psalms last summer too, but with a very different theme! We've updated the items below with a few additional resources, and took out the ones that were specific to summer 2017.

Someone recently asked for resources in studying the psalms (the focus of our current sermon series), and rather than sending them to one person, we wanted to make it accessible for everyone! I (Brad) am using most of the resources below for sermon prep, but there are a couple others sprinkled in for more general helpfulness too. "Devotionals & Big Picture" are extremely accessible, topical and very application-oriented. The "Commentaries" section include more academically or theologically oriented resources  - but still accessible! - if you're looking for a deeper theological engagement (this section is also organized from most accessible to least).

Devotionals & Big Picture

• The Songs of Jesus by Tim Keller- An excellent daily devotional that divides all 150 psalms into daily chunks, with a short explanation and a short prayer of response for each one. If you have struggled to keep a discipline of daily reading and/or prayer, this is by far the easiest and most accessible one I've seen (only 1 page of reading per day!). 

• Praying the Psalms by Redeemer Presbyterian Church (FREE PDF DOWNLOAD) - Intended for small groups of people to work through together, this is an excellent resource that practically walks you through, step by step, on how to pray through the psalms. You will learn a lot along the way, but it's primary purpose is the same as the psalms: to direct our hearts toward God, and have them shaped by Him.

• Reflections on the Psalms by C.S. Lewis - Lewis breaks down the major themes of the psalms from the starting point of our every day experience. A few of his conclusions are a little "iffy" (e.g. some of his comments on justice are a bit dated and culturally-confined to 1940's England), but it's classic C.S. Lewis and very reminiscent of Mere Christianity.

• Prayer by Tim Keller- One of the best books on prayer ever written. It's based largely (implicitly and explicitly) on the psalms, and describes a practice of prayer that is deeply rooted in the posture modeled in the psalms.

Commentaries

• The Flow of the Psalms by O. Palmer Robertson - A "big picture" commentary that is both deeply exploratory and imminently accessible, his observations and thematic connections are gold printed on paper. While not a verse-by-verse commentary like the other one, Palmer uniquely engages theological and existential implications of the psalter.
• Psalms 1-72 and Psalms 73-150 by Derek Kidner - This is one of the standards for pastors and preachers working through the psalms. It's neither a technical (getting into the finer points of hebrew grammar) nor an expository (easy-to-read preaching summary) commentary, but something in between. If you want robust theology and great historical/cultural context, you can't go wrong here.

Summer Sermon Series

"Every Inch..."

One of my fondest memories from when I was little is going with my Grandma to her favorite restaurant: The Old Country Buffet. If you've never heard of it, there's a good reason for that (it makes The Golden Corral look like fine dining). I lacked the refined palette I've since developed, so I loved it. The idea that I could go up as many times as I want, and pick out all/only the food I wanted was unfathomable to my 6-year-old brain. My grandma even let me get seconds for dessert. Now, of course, I'm a total foodie and use terms like "slow food," and can tell you the difference between merely "natural" and full "organic." But back then, I remember thinking, "If only the rest of my life were this way..."

“There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, ‘Mine!’”

— Abraham Kuyper

The modern American approach to spirituality, however, is awfully close. For most of us, religious beliefs are acquired on a buffet where you pick and choose from among the options that suit your taste. We (much like the segmented trays at the beginning of a buffet line) effectively compartmentalize God into only those specific areas of our lives where it feels most needed and/or safe to do so. Fortunately, the God described in the Christian Bible isn't just another appetizer, or even just an entree! God IS the tray, upon which all of life is organized and placed upon. He is not segmented, compartmentalized, or finite in any way. He has a vested interest and desire to be present in every aspect of our lives... especially those areas where we hesitate or avoid inviting Him into.

 

"Ever Present..."

“(M)any Christians remain functional deists. They don’t deny that God exists or that there is a spiritual realm... They simply live as if neither God nor spiritual beings of either sort have any genuine, influential, interaction with them. God isn’t dead, but He might as well be. Angels and demons might exist, but what does that have to do with my life?”

— Sam Storms

Too often we (Christians or otherwise) treat spiritual belief as a mere worldview or list of convictions. Christianity is not a program, a plan, a philosophical position, or even a set of theological propositions. Ultimately, Christianity revolves around a person (Jesus). As such, there is a very personal activity in our experience of faith that is wholly beyond our control or comprehension. The Eternal Creator of the Universe is personally and intimately concerned with our specific, individual, communal and personal well-being. Combine this with His non-compartmentalized involvement in "every inch," and you have a God who is in the midst of our anger, pain, joy, confusion, fear, brokenness, longing, pride, jealousy, ordinary, waiting, vengeance (yup, that too), and praise.

Consequently, each of these facets are the topics we will be tackling each week over the summer.

"With"

Nothing so personally and powerfully illustrates this reality quite like the Psalms. The Psalms are are the divinely-inspired hymnbook for God's people. Old Testament Israel didn't read or preach those hymns, she sang them. The Psalms are a rich storehouse of 150 singable truths that give voice to every dimension of human experience: the mountain-top highs, the deepest of valley lows, and everywhere in between. Yet, in the midst of that beautiful diversity, there is a unifying theme woven into a rich tapestry from beginning to end...

God with us.

He is not merely aware, not merely available, He is THERE. With you. His sheer presence transforms our affections and upends our perspective. There is nothing, no inch of life, that is not altered for the better, no aspect of our reality that is not moved progressively closer to the way it ought to be. This summer (starting 6/4), we will take a journey through those facets of life where God's presence is most unexamined, unexpected, and (sometimes) unwelcome. Because God is with us, we can undertake that journey through the psalms eagerly and hopefully, and company is always welcome! Join us.

An Experiment: Weekly Q&A

On July 17th, 2016 (about a month before we started Sunday services), we held our final Vision Night, but there was a twist: it was co-led by myself and a dear friend named Chris... who also happened to be an atheist. Yes, a "vision night" for the purpose of starting a church was co-led by an atheist (and not under compulsion!). It actually makes complete sense if you've heard me say (any one of the hundreds of times so far) that we long to be "a community where you don't have to believe in order to belong." It turns out we struck a nerve: over 60 people filled our back yard (many were complete strangers), and all of us have been talking about it since. If you want to see that amazingness in all it's glory, you can watch the video here.

Since then, we have been trying to figure out how to not only recreate that but to escalate it. It's simply not good enough to have this kind of opportunity for civil dialog and pushback as a periodic event, we long for it to be an embedded rhythm. Thus, starting June 11th, we are going to insert a Q&A as part of (as in during, not after) our Sunday service. (Ironically, the sermon scheduled for that morning is titled "God in our Anger." What could go wrong!)

How we're going to pull this off...
At the end of the sermon and before Communion, we will set aside a time for anyone to text in questions to be answered by whoever is preaching that day (me or Daniel, not going to put any guest preachers through that gauntlet!). The only requirements for these questions are that they have to be about the sermon, the passage or the topic addressed. That's it. 

The question (and it does have to be a question, not a statement in the form of a question) can come from a place of curiosity, confusion, or contention! It doesn't matter. Where questions are too big to answer well in the allotted 8-10 minutes, we'll invite follow-up or try to cover it later. The goal isn't "stump the pastor" and we don't suffer from the delusion that we even have all the answers... so if we don't, we'll say that. No pretense. Just open invitation to engage deeply with real doubts and big truths.

... every. single. week.

FAQ :: Why we're doing it this way...
Why not do a Q&A after the service?
For a couple huge reasons... 
1) This is important. The only reason we haven't done it sooner is because it's too important to do poorly.  We don't see this as something to tack-on only for those who may have questions, it deserves a place in our worship service. This stems from a conviction that we worship a God big enough for our deepest, most visceral questions and doubts. They aren't a burden to Him.
2) For those of us who may NOT have questions... we should. I've lost track of how many times a question has prompted me to see my faith in a different light. I've also lost track of how many Christians I know who are terrified of being asked hard questions, and (we hope) seeing how we respond to them will help demystify and encourage deeper engagement. This is edifying for everyone.

Why text them in? Why not just take them live?
There are a variety of logistical considerations we've worked through already, but the most important one is anonymity. The hardest (and therefore the best) questions are often the least likely to be asked in a public setting. It's our hope that not having to raise a hand or risk attention will free people to ask the questions they really long to ask. (We are also aware of a few churches that have done this before and this has been their experience as well!)

So... how long will the service be now?
Only very marginally longer than it is now (a couple minutes). As we've gotten more Sundays under our belt, we've gotten better at this! Also, we will not be inching our start time later and later like we were in the spring! We'll kick things off at 10am to make sure we finish in time, so be on time to not miss anything!

What if you get a ton of questions?
We may not be able to answer all of them (a great problem to have!), but that's why we will be doing this every week! It won't be our only opportunity, and we always welcome people to ask questions at any point after the service and throughout the week! 

Final Thoughts
If you've got any questions, want to express your unbounded excitement, or have suggestions on how we can do this even better, just shoot us a line! We look forward to this fun (if kinda intimidating) experiment next month!