9 Days Ago - Our Commissioning Service

Two Sundays ago, we had our Colorado Team Commissioning Service. It was a special time for Pattie and I and Bob and Monica. It was great to have our family and friends surround us, pray for us, hopefully catch our vision for Denver, and supporting us. Here are some highlights:

• I first want to thank my pastor, Brian Jones, from The Pointe and his staff and volunteers. They went above and beyong the call of duty to help us pull this off and I am truly grateful.
• Bob led us in about 4 rockin' worship songs. Bob does a great job. He truly has a heart for worship, a desire to connect people to God through music, and the work ethic and determination to pull it off. I'm so glad that he and Monica are on the team. It was also great for so many of their family and friends to see Bob lead. For many, it was the first time to see him in action and I know that they were wonderfully surprised and recognized God's call on Bob's life and were more settled with the idea of them moving to Denver. Did I ever mention that Bob lived in Denver for a few years?
• Besides Bob, the band consisted of Monica on the bass guitar, Pattie on the tamborine, my son, Joe, on the drums. Pattie and Monica also did back up vocals. Alex (the worship leader at the Pointe) and 2 other of his band members helped round out the crew.
• I want to thank Monica for all that she does. She is very versatile and will do whatever is needed to help us pull things off. She'll play the bass, run the sound or video equipment, contact people, plan the service, etc. She has a servant's heart and loves the Lord and people.
• I must also thank my wife, Pattie. I would not be doing this without her and even doubt that I would be in ministry at all if I hadn't found her when I did. Her belief in me is a huge strength. Her love for me is the fuel that powers my day. She has an incredible mind for ministry. She has a very practical vision for how things should be. I do well to listen to her. She has a wisdom that often surpasses mine.
• Now lets get to the service. I was able to share what we believe God wants to do through us and Element Church by using the 4 elements.
• Wind - This illustrates how God is moving us to Denver. There is only one good reason to move to Denver and that is because God has led us this way. We were willing to hoist our sails and let the wind of the Spirit take us to where He wants us to be and for some reason that is Denver. This leading has turned into a call and we have no choice as committed followers of Jesus Christ but to follow.
• Fire - this illustrates the passions that fuel the fire in us. A passion to connect people to the Word of God. A passion to connect people to their Creator/God and Savior/Lord. A passion to connect lives to the basic elements of Christianity - faith, hope and love. A passion to connect to the people of Denver.
• Earth - this illustrates the strategy we plan to use to plant this new church in Denver. I shared with them the Launch Strategy that has been used successfully by many church planters as well as the more unique opportunity through Apartment Life to open up new soil in the apartment communities that are prevalent in Denver. Apartment communities are relatively untapped mission fields and we feel strangely drawn to this endeavor.
• Water - this illustrates the common bond that all believers share. We must all follow Jesus through the water. There is one God, one Lord, one baptism, one body, one mission. This was an appeal for everyone to join us in this adventure through a commitment to pray for this mission or even give to it. We cannot do this alone. Everyone's participation matters.
• We had our entire family come forward and everyone laid hands on us and my friend, Jim Warrington, prayed for us. Then Bob and Monica had their family join them and we gathered around while Alex, the Pointe's worship leader, prayed for them. Then just our team gathered and all the ordained men laid hand on us and my pastor, Brian Jones, prayed over us.
• My former Pastor and friend in the ministry, Norman Hunt, closed our time together with prayer. I appreciated him coming and will always be grateful to him for giving me my first real opportunity in ministry as well as fulfilling my dream of being a youth pastor in my early ministry years.
• A generous offering was taken and valuable monthly support was gained. I am humbled by such gifts.
• I am glad for this day to have come and gone. Even though the timing of our move is uncertain our resolve is steadfast. This feels like a milestone, a significant moment. It feels like we are just that much closer to embarking on this adventure. It feels like the wind is blowing!