“The mystery of faith is mythologically presented. Christ has died; therefore at least half of life will be absurd, unjust, painful, will make no sense to ego-consciousness. And Christ has risen; therefore half of life is beautiful, ecstatic, and sweet. This living and dying, good and bad, is all around us. It’s the death and life we see everywhere in nature. Christ has died, Christ has risen – the inexorable wheel. Don’t try to stop it, get on it. It’s the dance. You ride it. You trust it. You trust the dying. You trust the rising. You live the dying. You live the rising. And Christ will come again and again and again. We cannot and we must not get off the wheel. Christianity is not about being ‘good’; it’s about solidarity with Christ in both journeys: death and resurrection – again and again…” -Richard Rohr
Archive for September, 2009
the mystery of faith
Published 09/27/2009 Thoughts to Ponder 1 CommentTags: faith, mystery, resurrection, richard rohr
new song from old songs
Published 09/25/2009 Entertain Me! Leave a CommentTags: bass, Brian Hale, cabasa, Kutiman
In honor of our new series on songs, here’s a video from you tube, brought to you by Kutiman, who has compiled only the best singers, guitarists, piano players, and yes, even cabasas.
if you could see the stars…
Published 09/24/2009 What we are doing Leave a CommentTags: hubble, songs that speak deep, stars
tonight, songs that speak deep. 7pm GP Underground. Dessert 1st. Stars 2nd. Volley 3rd.
Tonight, we’ll take a look together at some stats but out by Gabe Lyons and Dave Kinnaman in their 2007 book UnChristian. The thrust of the book comes from a gathering of statistics that show those outside of Christianity’s general perceptions of our faith & the church. The verdict? Not too pretty. The general idea is that Christians are seeen as primarily judgmental,antihomosexual, hypocritical, too political and sheltered. Perhaps not new or a surprise to many of us. But what do we do with statistics like these? Do we see them playing out with people we know? How can they impact our faith community? Where would Jesus lead us in such a time as this? We’ll explore that together tonight… 7PM in the GP Underground (that’s the Lower Gathering Place). Dessert, music, & more. Here’s a short video about that book, and you can click here (UnChristian Data) to see the stats we’re looking at tonight!
Action Rewind 3: Cooper-thon
Published 09/11/2009 Group Experiments , Group News Leave a CommentTags: boulder, brain cancer, family, katie cooper, shaya lawerence, triathalon
Last Thursday, we heard from many voices on how & where we’re taking action for God’s Kingdom. From group projects to simple individual convictions being lived out, we heard a lot of perspectives! To recap– this week, we want to track back and remind you about what’s on the table, & how you could potentially be involved.
PART.three.Triathalon
Okay, this actually wasn’t something we shared about a week ago, but we probably should have. Katie Cooper & Shaya Lawerence are both involved in a triathalon in Boulder this weekend to raise support for Katie’s mom. In case you don’t know, Katie’s mom, Karin, is an 8 year survivor of Brain Cancer. Katie describes the challenges of supporting her mom:
“My mom, Karin, was diagnosed with brain cancer in October 2001. Though the cancer is gone now, it has left her with many life changing issues such as short-term memory loss, confusion, and unsteadiness, to name a few. Due to these issues, I schedule people to care for her during the days when my dad and I work and while I’m at school. As you can imagine, it is often difficult to come up with enough volunteers to cover five days a week.”
We think Katie & Shaya’s efforts are a part of kindgom work, as the apostle Paul reminds Timothy, If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith…” (I Timothy 5:8:) Head on over to Katie’s site to learn more, and pray for their efforts tomorrow!
Highly Evolved Human: Thoughts for Tonight…
Published 09/10/2009 Group News , Reviews Leave a CommentTags: Cancer, Highly Evolved Human, hope, Job, Nick Ross, suffering, Theatre
If you haven’t heard, in place of regular group tonight, we’re headed downtown to see a show called Highly Evolved Human– it’s a one man show by Nick Ross that deals with his journey through cancer & treatment. Cassie & I had the privilege of seeing the show in NYC this summer with my brother, Derek. Nick is one of Derek’s best friends (who he originally moved to Brooklyn with), and he has had a lot of success as an actor, writer & comedian. For those coming tonight– I wanted to offer a couple thoughts & questions that I think will help frame why this isn’t just a well written show, but also a good opportunity for us to consider the themes of hope & suffering in our own lives & the lives of people we know. So, if you’re coming, please read on!…. Continue reading ‘Highly Evolved Human: Thoughts for Tonight…’
Action Rewind 2: SafeHouse
Published 09/09/2009 Group Experiments Leave a CommentTags: domestic violence, safehouse, shauna gauthier
Last Thursday, we heard from many voices on how & where we’re taking action for God’s Kingdom. From group projects to simple individual convictions being lived out, we heard a lot of perspectives! To recap– this week, we want to track back and remind you about what’s on the table, & how you could potentially be involved.
PART.two.Safehouse
Safehouse Denver serves victims of domestic violence and their children through both an emergency shelter and as a counseling/advocacy center. 
Several of us have become involved in the children’s program, which works with kids living in the house several times a week so that the mothers can meet & receive counseling. These women and their children are truly coming out of chaos to re-establish their lives. Their stories are traumatic, and we’ve found that giving a few hours to their children is a tangible expression of God’s love in our city. The Denver Post recently featured an article on one women’s journey out of domestic violence you can read here. Our good friend Shauna Gauthier commented with great care on this issue last fall. Lastly, you can go to the Safehouse website to find out more. Feel free to talk to Craig or Megan Post if you want to find out more!
Action Rewind 1: Kiva
Published 09/08/2009 Group Experiments Leave a CommentTags: financial, kiva, loans, microfinancing
Last Thursday, we heard from many voices on how & where we’re taking action for God’s Kingdom. From group projects to simple individual convictions being lived out, we heard a lot of perspectives! To recap– this week, we want to track back and remind you about what’s on the table, & how you could potentially be involved.
PART.one.KIVA
Kiva is an incredible organization that challenges us to consider the use of our resources for the “least of these” in the world by participating in micro-financing (small loans from you!) to help people in developing countries realize small dreams in their entrepreneurial efforts. From buying mototaxis, to equipment for clothing production, each person has a unique story of what they’re working towards. Loaning is simple, and you can participate for as little as $25. Once a loan is repaid, you can withdraw your $, or reloan it. You can track the persons progress through the website. We’ve found it to be one simple way to practice love with our money in our world.
You can participate individually, but you can also loan as part of our team, AForwardDesign. Check it out here! “No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money” - Jesus
Matt Muse, another artistic talent, shares with us a few of his favorites: “Dreams,” ”The Great War,” and “Mustang.”
Dreams: This was an oil painting I did for an art class in spring of 2008. I was doing a series on imagination and since childhood is a time where our imaginations are exercised so prolifically I wanted to incorporate a child in at least one of the paintings. I try to leave some of the interpretation for most work of mine up to the viewer, but the basis of this painting is a little girl dreaming of what she may become sometime in the future.
AJ's Art
Published 09/03/2009 Artistic 1 CommentTags: AJ Boogert, Creation, George Orwell, Sistine Chapel
