I love the seasons that lead up to Easter! But I also love to celebrate the days that follow the resurrection holiday. It is always a very special time of year. The air smells fresh, the grass becomes green, flowers break through, and the longer days remind me that the darkness of winter has faded away. It is a wonderful time to celebrate the newness of…
“For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than…
A week ago, I was called into the Tiger class in our preschool. This class of young 3-year-olds wanted to share with me about their generous giving that they had been practicing. Through my time in their class, I learned that they had been learning about how to help those who are less fortunate than they are and earning money to give to…
Last month the youth focused on relationships with each other. We worked hard to truly get to know and trust each other. This takes honesty and a willingness to be vulnerable. We told stories about events from our past that have shaped who we are. We learned things that we have in common, and did several trust exercises. We also made fools of ourselves while singing Karaoke…
Greetings Everyone on this Beautiful Spring-like Day! On March 7th our church hosted a District Leadership Conference. So laity and clergy came from Colorado Springs (on the south of our area), Breckenridge (on the west), Southern Denver metro area (on the north) and Calhan/Rush (on the east) and all the areas in between. We have 40 United Methodist Churches within this geographical area that make…
By now, most of you know that our congregation is about to take on the challenge of launching a new United Methodist congregation in the Parker / Lone Tree area. We have all seen the growth that is taking place on the west side of Parker. Homes are being built and commercial properties are being developed to provide space for the people who are…
“Well, God is almighty, I guess. But I think he’s on vacation right now because of all the [stuff] that’s happening in the world, cause it wasn’t like this back when he was famous.” – 16-year-old Protestant from Texas In his book, Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers, Christian Smith explores what he describes as “the de facto dominant…
Years ago, we were talking about Lent around our dinner table. We were sharing things that we were going to give up until Easter. My son, Matthew decided to give up ketchup. Now ketchup was a huge staple in his diet, and so I asked him over and over again if he really wanted to do that because it would be very difficult. But after a…
Last month was our 1st Annual Valentine Dinner and Dance Fundraiser for the youth program. A lot of hard work, planning, and preparation went in to making it a success. There were many volunteers that stepped up to make the food and decorations come together. I would like to thank them all from the bottom of my heart. The number of youth that attended the event truly…
Greetings Everyone, Cold and snow, sunshine and warmth, so come and go our winter days and nights. Maybe so it is the same with our lives, days that are ‘up’ and days that are ‘down’. Need a lift? Listen to a past sermon, or check out what is happening here at PUMC or within our conference. The websites are PUMC (parkerumc.org) or our Rocky Mountain…
Daily Lent Gospel & Epistle Readings for Lent 2015 This Lenten season we are focusing on times that God Breaks Through in our lives and the lives of others, impacting us in a multitude of ways. Let’s explore together to learn more about what God is doing in our lives. Wednesday February 18 Luke 18:9-14 Hebrews 12:1-14 Thursday February 19 John 1:29-34 Titus 1:1-16 Friday February 20 John 1:35-42 Titus 2:1-15 Saturday February…
How wide is the ‘threshold’ that helps us step into a new year? Can the threshold be wide enough to take us all the way into the middle of February? I hope so, because I want to take a moment to look back at 2014 and then focus on Looking Forward into 2015. 2014 was a remarkable year for the life of our congregation. Our…
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” – Proverbs 3:5-6 As I sit to write this article out, I am waiting to leave the church building to go give a presentation to the New Church Development Committee and to request funding for…
“Horses and Unicorns!” A response that came during Children’s Time a few weeks ago from one of our 3-year-olds when asked what will always make you happy. “So good!” A comment made by one of our kindergarteners after taking communion. “I just really like Jesus!” A statement made by one of our preschoolers during drop off last month. Children have so many wonderful truths that they share with…
In January, the youth spent time talking about courage. We had the privilege of listening to the powerful story of PUMC member, Isaac Ergogo, and his journey as an African Refugee. We talked about God’s angel armies, standing up for others, and being brave enough to go against “the world’s” expectations. Both adults and teenagers are given daily opportunities to be brave. But, when you really…