Indescribable

Indescribable isn't just the name of an amazing Chris Tomlin worship song that's been spinnin' in my CD changer for a little while... it is also the only way to attempt to describe how I'm feeling right now (notice the irony). 

Seriously, though, it just truly hit me that exactly two weeks from this moment I will be going to bed after my very first day of work at Accenture. And, in exactly one week, I will be laying down for my final night of sleep in Dallas as a Dallas resident for who knows how long... That's crazy. I'm really doing this. I am completely stress-free right now because everything I worried about the last couple weeks is out of the way. Furniture has been purchased (more will be purchased soon) for my new apartment, I have all the ID I need to verify my employment eligibility, all my utilities are set up, I'm mentally ready to move, I don't feel any stress about moving from the only metropolitan area I've ever known, and I'm not scared of the unknown before me. Life is good.

We had the most amazing Bible study Sunday night. I wonder where this was over the past 4 years. I've always had solid Bible studies, but these last two have taken the cake! Last Sunday, we discussed not only the amazing qualities of God and Joseph in Genesis 40, but we also tackled the "Healthy, Wealth, and Prosperity Gospel" issue and spent a long time discussing the merits of 5-point Calvinism, TULIP and the healthy tension between predestination and free will. Next week, my last with these awesome guys, we will be discussing Tongues. Boy, do I have some experiences to show with that! Haha I knew God would be using the bizarre week that was YFN in some amazing ways!

Also, I was fascinated to hear that Denver is rated by Forbes as the Most Lustful City in America (judged by per capita condom sales). I definitely don't have that subject figured out (in fact, I struggle with it like most guys), so perhaps maybe God will use this "thorn in my flesh" as He did with Paul to reach other people dealing with lust. 

One Little Anecdote I Forgot

I forgot a rather funny little story from Wednesday morning's fellowship with the Watermark Denver men. 

Before fellowship, we were all getting something to drink from the Watermark coffee shop. While chatting, we were talking about Denver. Michael Fleming started discussing the people going to Denver and started discussing how incredibly blessed we are that God is really surrounding all of us with other folks who want to pursue Christ in Denver as well. He went on to talk about how God has specifically blessed us with an incredible amount of single women joining us in Denver. This was a lot funnier in the moment, but he looked me dead in the eye and made some comment about how I had better get ready for all the single women up in Denver. That was slightly awkward, but it was truly funny because I was the only one he could say that to in our fellowship group. Of the 6 guys there, 4 are married and 1 is engaged and getting married in May. So apparently I get to hold down the fort as the only single guy in the group.

Here's the truly astonishing stat: Michael looked at me and stated in a totally serious manner that we could have as many as 30 single women serving with us up in Denver. 30! That isn't all that many if you're at some big, established church. But that is an incredibly large number for a church that is just starting and has only about 70-80 people total who want to get involved. Truly amazing that our biggest group of people in Denver starting out is clearly single women. Now I won't be the only single guy in our church starting out, but you have to like the odds anyways...

I have a phrase for that and many other things: "Praise the Lord."

WM Denver Men's Fellowship

I cannot begin to describe how amazing this morning was. I'm sure glad it was amazing since I had little interest in getting out of bed at 5:40 am (especially since I got less than 4 hours of sleep) to do anything. What did I do this morning? I joined Michael Fleming and Craig Kubicek (the new leaders of Watermark Denver) and some other guys for some fellowship, time in the Word, and a challenge. It really was amazing. Spending time with those guys will make any man want and desire to be an absolute warrior for the King. I get fired up every time I listen to them talk. I spent about 2 hours with them from 6-8 am.

We left the meeting with a challenge: We are tasked with coming up with the top 5 things we want to accomplish this year. The Lord was just pouring things into my heart this morning after Bible study, so I nearly have a Top 5 already. But the one that grabbed me the most was the idea or dream of being a YoungLife leader in Westminster, CO. YoungLife doesn't have a branch in Westminster yet, so part of me is ready and roaring to get one started. But I think right now that would be putting the cart before the horse. I need to establish a network with YoungLife volunteers first. If anything has come across to me LOUD AND CLEAR from the Lord lately it has been that I need to be faithful in the little things first. Then the big stuff will come.

By the way, the Watermark Denver website is watermarkdenver.org. Check it out.

In the name of patience, I leave you with this: Philippians 4:6-7.

I'm out,

Reed

More Pictures... this time of my possible new furniture!

Now that I have posted pictures of my apartment bare and white (see previous post), let me introduce a little color to this new world of mine. And I do mean COLOR. My mom and I found some pretty nice stuff to brighten up what would otherwise be a dull and colorless apartment. So check these out.

The picture at the right is the only picture I have of something I'm likely to buy, so here it is. I didn't ever think I'd have an L-shaped couch but, let's be real, this one is AMAZING. Its not too old-school, nor is it too modern and funky (I hate the extremely modern and funky stuff, FYI). It's perfect. And my living room happens to have two big walls, so this actually will work! I love that this will sleep two people, not just one, which means I need people to come and VISIT ME so they can enjoy the wonders of sleeping on this couch. Its really, really comfy too. And whenever I move, I can toss the other pieces if I need to and keep just the regular couch part.

I would show the other pictures, but its stuff I really don't plan on getting, so why waste anyone's time?

Till we meet again,

Reed

Pictures! Long Overdue Pictures!

Finally, I have gotten around to posting some pictures of my new apartment. The pictures at the right are taken from the actual apartment I am renting beginning March 1st (I won't move in until March 5th). These pictures were taken on the morning of February 9th, 2008 at the Estates at Tanglewood. 

The first picture, with my Mom unknowingly posing for the camera, is the kitchen. The cool thing is that the kitchen is fairly big (not long and skinny like the kitchens I've been used to) and it has a magnificent bar countertop shown in the pic. The bar counter there looks out over the living room, creating a great sense of openness to the place. The kinda place I would host parties in if I spent more than 4 nights there a week. 

The second picture is of the long, skinny walk-through bathroom in my new place.

The third picture is of my future computer room. This should give you an idea of how much space I'm going to have. Downtown I could get 620 sq ft. In the apartment shown that I have rented, I get 836 sq ft for cheaper. If you don't know how much square footage 836 sq ft is, trust me, it is a ton for a single guy.

The fourth picture is my view of the Rocky Mountains. Yes I get a mountain view from my new residence! It and the fireplace cost extra, but oh well. Its not an opportunity I would ever have again if I move away from Denver! Click on it or any of the other pictures for a better image view. My iPhone doesn't have zoom, so the mountains look a lot smaller than they actually are.

So there it is... my future place. Doesn't look too glamorous right now, but trust me it will. My personal decorator (aka Mom) has selected some awesome furniture to deck out this place with. Of course, she doesn't pick really cheap stuff and this furniture is my first major purchase with my own money in my life. To be fair, the stuff she found was amazing and most of it was a really, really good deal. I will be posting pictures of some of my prospective furniture soon.

Till then,

Reed

Things Keep Rollin' On

Well, I'm not even in Denver yet, and I have a Denver Blog. Perhaps that's a little weird, but whatever. This is a blog about all this is happening that relates to Denver, and plenty is happening in Dallas that relates to Denver.

First off, I'm really looking forward to partnering with all the awesome people involved in the brand new Watermark Denver movement as we forcefully advance the Kingdom together (go to watermarkdenver.org and read the blog if you don't get the reference).

On Tuesday, I had the privilege of sitting down with Michael Fleming at Watermark and listening to his vision for the new church called Watermark Denver that we're all gonna be a part of in about a month. Every time I say that it will be a month, it blows me away that I'm leaving for Denver in 19 days. Wow that is sure coming fast.

So I had a great conversation with Michael conversing about the Lord and how we can partner together to advance the Kingdom. Today, he invited me to meet with a group of guys on Wednesday mornings (6-7:30 am, which is about 4 hours before I get up!) to get in the word, share triumphs and struggles, and build friendships for when we are in Denver together. This is such an answered prayer you have no idea. I have had my own struggles lately and had known that I need Godly community around me but had put it off until I move because moving day is so close. But God knew I needed it now, not in 3 weeks, so He gave me these guys! How awesome.

Other than those struggles here and there, I am having the most incredible time of my life right now. It actually has little correlation to all of the free time I have. It has more to do with just being totally content with where I am right now and realizing how free I am from worry about where my life is headed and who I'm destined to marry etc all because of what God has already done for me. I have hardly even stressed about starting a job I know so little about. I have to give praise to God for that because He has removed that source of stress from my mind and led me to focus on more immediate tasks that I need to accomplish before leaving. I'm living out Matthew 6:34 ("Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."). This is not a call to avoid planning; it is simply a call to not worry about what is out of my control, and I am living that verse out right now and I love it.

The wild thing right now is I've never been this organized in my life. Anyone who knows me well knows I can be something of a slob. I'm the most confusing person alive on this point. I'm germophobic enough that I wash my hands at the slightest hint of dirtiness, yet I don't mind dropping everything on the floor and leaving it there for months on end.  But right now, I'm ready and with the only exception of needing to set up utilities for my apartment, I'm pretty well set on the Denver end. What's left is to pack up my space in Dallas.

Happy Valentines Day to everyone, but especially to the single guys and girls "celebrating" this day as Singles Awareness Day. I had the most amazing time last night after CRU hangin' out with the coolest bunch of folks known to man (and saying a very sad goodbye to my long-time Bible study leader, Kirk) that I left that place singing at the top of my lungs to the most amazing oldies music ever. I get in one of those states every now and then. I call it my "belt it out at the top of your lungs and don't care what they think" phase. You will know it when I roll down the windows and drive by you and you hear more of me than of the extremely loud music. That's how I felt last night and that's how I still feel to a certain extent today. "Worldwide Couples Day" be damned, I'm going to have a great time!!!

My Wilderness Experience, Part 2

The reason I titled this series of entries "My Wilderness Experience" is as follows:

While I was laying down to sleep Saturday night after all the excitement of apartment hunting, I had this revelation about why exactly I am going to Denver and what the Lord's purpose is for sending me here. Let me explain a little further.

As soon as I heard that Dallas and Houston weren't available options with Accenture, my inquisitive mind began to ask why. I wanted to know why I was being asked to move away from anywhere that seemed remotely normal or stable to me. Instead, my options were all across the West Coast and North. I didn't ask Accenture. I knew they were full. That was a simple answer. I was wondering what God's purpose was in sending me there. As with most things, I ask and God answers in His own time. And this is no different.

It would be hard to know exactly when I knew I was supposed to be in Denver. Perhaps it was the first time I dreamed of Denver and my heart started racing so fast it nearly leapt from my chest. I have discovered over the past few years that what I love to do and what I am gifted at doing are often related. It makes total sense. Why would God gift someone in an area and not give them the heart to take advantage of those gifts? So I took it as an indication that this was the right decision that I was so totally overjoyed about moving to Denver.

Then I really got my assurance from the Lord. That came the moment the High School director at Watermark Dallas told me he thought Michael Fleming might be leading a group of families to plant a church in Denver. I had been worried a little the few weeks before that because I had no idea where I would call home, spiritually speaking. I knew it would work out, but I wanted more sure, clear answers. And God provided the emphatic answer with Watermark Denver. That is truly when I began to get it.

Secretly, I had dreamt for years (since I started attending Watermark in Dallas) of what it would be like to get to serve at a church that was just beginning. I was so jealous of the 8 families who started Watermark and got to see it grow to the incredible size it is today! I wanted that. And now I get to be in "on the ground floor" at Watermark Denver! Talk about an answered prayer... 2 years later.

Now that I've covered how the Lord has provided Godly people to challenge, equip and encourage me through this new venture known as Watermark Denver, let me explain how the Lord is leaving me exposed without a safety net in a way that I hope will bring tremendous growth in the next few years.

I am a people-pleaser. I like to keep people happy. It makes me feel better about myself. It even (sadly) makes me lie sometimes hoping no one will ever find out the truth of my errors. I simply want to be liked. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be liked, but I take it to an extreme.

I don't share the Gospel with my unreached friends because I worry too much of their opinion of me. I don't live every minute for the Lord because I want to make the joke or drink the drink that will let me fit in with the unchurched world. And I haven't become nearly as independent of my parents as I should be.

I have a deep, pressing need to be considered successful by my parents. Built over a number of years, this desire has led me to defer to them on nearly every decision, and certainly the major ones. By making the decision, I feel like I am taking too much a risk of failing, and I don't want to take that chance. Sad, isn't it?

I love my parents very much, but at the end of the day, I am going to have to learn better how to make my own decisions, plan for my own future, and maybe even fail and recover from failure. And that is exactly why I am overjoyed to leave Dallas and go to Denver. It's not like I'm overjoyed to leave Dallas, my parents, my friends, and everything I've ever known (besides Bridge City haha). But I know I must. I must, I must, I must!

I must learn to be a leader, have courage, and make the tough decisions in life. I certainly will need these things if I ever want to advance my career at Accenture. And the ability to independently (though with counsel, of course) make decisions and take action is critically important in my personal life as well. And that is why God made it abundantly clear to me that this is my Wilderness Experience.

What do I mean by Wilderness Experience? By calling my time in Denver a Wilderness Experience, I am drawing from Matthew 4 and Luke 5. I feel a little like Jesus must have felt in these couple of instances. I am alone in a wilderness (Denver), without any close friends or relatives to catch me if I fall. And I could not think of a better place to be. Why? Because, just like Jesus, I have to rely on God to get me through my trials. I am looking forward to a great deal of growth because I have the opportunity to understand truly what it means to follow God and to rely on His Spirit for life.

By the way, that is where the similarities between me and Jesus end. He is God, and I am not. But I think our situations aren't so different. If you remember Matthew 4 (I once wrote an article solely focused on the temptation of Jesus in Matthew 4, and consequently it is just about the only whole chapter of the Bible I understand the context of), the opening portion of the chapter deals with Jesus' time in the wilderness prior to His main ministry.

Jesus spends 40 days and 40 nights without food, and is then tempted by Satan. First, he is tempted to turn stones into bread. Basically, Satan is tempting Jesus to rely on Himself rather than God the Father for sustenance. Then Jesus is tempted to test God. Finally, He is tempted by Satan to worship Satan in exchange for power.

In some way, I am going to be faced with the same challenges.

Having to live on a budget of my own money for the first time will challenge me to compromise my own priorities and beliefs to make sure I don't end up on the street without any money. I love Proverbs 23:4, which says, "Do not wear yourself out to get rich; have the wisdom to show restraint." I know that I can be incredibly stingy with my own money. That is good when you're trying to save, but I have to guard against becoming so consumed with accumulating money that I miss out on life outside of work, like serving in the church, or making lasting friendships, or having fun.

Secondly, I will be tempted to test God all the time when I have no one to rely on but Him in a new city. Testing God allows Satan to twist the rules to convince me that God isn't coming through for me in my life, eroding my trust in His provision. Not something I want when God is my Wonderful Counselor (Isaiah 9:6).

Finally, I will definitely face the temptation of power, as Jesus did in His 3rd trial. Accenture is a major company (170,000+ employees). They work with the best and brightest companies. The question is: When those situations come along where the moral choice and the choice that advances my career aren't one and the same, which will I choose? Will I choose the right choice, or will I give up something or bow down to something in order to advance my career? What is really important to me, God or this high-class, well-paying job? As Jesus was asked to bow down to Satan in order to gain everything (though it was all His already haha), I will be asked to give up something in return for my own personal gain. These are the sorts of questions and temptations I'm going to face, and I have to be ready.

There is one other reason I look at this as a Wilderness Experience. Luke 5:16 says, "Yet Jesus himself frequently withdrew to the wilderness and prayed." The NIV translation explains it even more in terms that relate to me right now: "But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed." By going to Denver, I am withdrawing to a lonely place as well.

I heard it said once that Jesus withdrawing frequently to the wilderness to pray was central to His ministry. And I couldn't agree more. Jesus needed intimate, private fellowship with the Father in order to sustain Himself for the battles, trials, and persecutions He faced. Made in the image of God, I am no different. In order to truly have Life, I must also have plenty of intimate fellowship with God in order to become a more fully-devoted follower of Christ.

I simply cannot get that sort of fellowship and change in Dallas. I realized when I went to Bridge City how trapped I had been in Dallas. In Bridge City, I felt completely free to be a strong leader and role model for others. While I am in Dallas, I always feel as though I'm around someone who expects me to act a certain way. Its as if I've become even more of what people expect of me. I don't feel like I can as easily become a leader in Dallas because I'm not expected to be one here. I need to go away for awhile to somewhere where I'm not stereotyped to death as the nice guy who does what he's told and doesn't ask question. Only there, in Denver, can I truly withdraw to pray to God, seek His face, and watch Him make me into something greater than I currently am. Perhaps then I can return to Dallas far greater than I was when I left, and people will really take notice.

Looking forward to my time wandering in the wilderness of Denver with God as my Tour Guide,

Reed

My Wilderness Experience, Part 1

This past weekend was such a whirlwind that it hardly seems like it was only 3 days. I feel like I learned so much about myself and what my future holds in just under 72 hours. I know that sounds a little farfetched, but read on and I think you will come to understand what I mean.

So, this past weekend I travelled with my mom and dad to Denver to locate an apartment for my impending move to Denver. For those who don't know (I don't think there is anyone left in the Dallas area I haven't told by now that I'm headed to Denver but oh well), I'm moving to Denver in early March to start work March 10 in Downtown Denver at Accenture, doing entry-level technology consulting. Accenture is a great company, and the opportunity to work with them was #1 on my list throughout my job search last fall.

I digress. My family arrived in Denver safely on Thursday afternoon and drove into the city from the airport (which is out in the middle of nowhere North and East of Denver). Interestingly enough, the northbound portion of I-25 just north of downtown had collapsed earlier Thursday due to a water main they had (foolishly it appears) placed directly underneath the northbound lanes. It created a sinkhole some 16 feet deep and at least 30 feet wide in all directions, shutting down the northbound side of I-25 for about a day (only a couple lanes were unaffected enough to resume traffic flow after a day). This did not affect our trip in, but I-25 is the main route home for me from my new apartment (unless I take the bus) so I hope they've made some headway on repairs by the time I move in next month.

Thursday was nice and quiet except for a nice dinner at Maggiano's (as you can see, we initially failed to locate anything we couldn't get in Dallas, but it sure was GOOD, so no complaints).

Friday morning was a very fortuitous day for us. I had selected around 10 different places to look for apartments. I had narrowed that list down to about 8 locations. Anyone who has been apartment hunting will tell you (and I especially know the feeling since this is my 6th place to call home, not including my summer in Bridge City, since I graduated high school in May 2003) that going to see 8 apartment complexes in a single day is suicide. Absolutely insane. But when you're only in town for basically 2 full days, you do things a little differently.

Well, we started outside the city at Camden Arbors. Nice place, but a little old and too much like my current apartment for me. What was fortuitous about the day was that Camden Arbors is directly across the street from the apartments I ended up renting. Why? Because I had never heard of the Estates at Tanglewood in all of my online searching. I decided to take a look at the Estates (because they looked brand-new), and I am glad I did (More on that later).

After that, we drove around Westminster (10 miles straight north of Denver) in our hatchback Mazda 5 rental car. Westminster looks like Southlake did 5-10 years ago in some respects. It is growing like crazy, it is a pretty nice area, and the amount of fairly nice retail there (or being built) is impressive.

I decided to skip my other stop north of Denver because I knew I wouldn't pick anywhere else than the Estates if I wanted to live north of the city.

On the immediate north side of downtown, we checked out The Manhattan. The baseball fanatic in me went crazy over this place. It was so close to Coors Field that you could see all of the outfield from the top of the high-rise. Plus, the rooms were nice and the amenities even nicer. The back patio area, lap pool and hot tub were very nice. The biggest downside to this apartment was the price and the reality that the studio in my price range was basically one open room divided into a kitchen and bedroom/living room. But it was very nice and even included a Murphy bed lol.

I won't relate all the stories of places we visited because I would be here all night long typing. But visiting the Retreat at the Park (so named because it sat just a block from City Park, which is kinda like Central Park in New York plus a municipal golf course) was an adventure. Retreat was in a very sketchy part of town. It was mathematically eliminated from contention before I even stepped into the leasing office. The property was VERY nice. I was impressed with the layouts of the apartments, the amenities, and the proximity to the park. But, in the end, it just wasn't worth it to live in a slummy part of town near auto body shops and adult video stores.

The only other really notable stop we made was at 1600 Glenarm Place. I could go on and on and on about this place. The water bottles labeled "1600 Glenarm Place." Concierge service. Complimentary Valet Parking whenever you arrive home at your apartment. Dry Cleaning and Packages brought just inside your door. Across the street from a massive AMC theater and tons of restaurants and shops (including the Maggiano's we ate at Thursday night). Walking distance to my office. Like I said, I could go on. 

I blame Accenture for making me choose elsewhere to live. Parking at 1600 Glenarm Place is 200 a month, so if Accenture had parking I could have saved 200 bucks a month. But they don't, so I decided to live elsewhere. 

That really isn't the only reason I chose to live elsewhere though. When it comes down to it, I'm not a city boy. I'm going to be spending most of my worktime downtown (including my nights in downtown hotels while working in other cities), so I will probably want to live somewhere outside of town just for a change of pace. I'd feel too claustrophobic if I had nowhere to retreat to outside the city. I love the outdoors, contrary to what people probably think since I don't get outside enough.

By Saturday morning, I had made my choice: I will live for the foreseeable future at the Estates at Tanglewood in Westminster, CO.

See Part 2 for the rest of the story.