High Altitude Cooking and High Octane Worship

High Altitude cooking is tougher than it looks. Especially when the directions on the package are more than a little ambiguous. I've made frozen corn 100 times, and it's come out perfect every time. But the package decided to be really confusing about high altitude cooking, so I butchered the frozen corn last night. Ugh. And this isn't the first time I've miscooked (I don't know if that's even a word, but if Roger Clemens can make up words, so can I!) something since I arrived in Denver. Some things I've cooked have come out just a little undercooked due to the goofy altitude.  And each time I realize immediately afterward that I needed to cook differently because of the altitude. It's gonna take some time to get used to being 5280 ft above sea level...

This morning was the most incredible morning for me in quite some time. It is Easter after all, so no surprise there. Let me back up a little to give you the full picture (and by you I mean the random 2-3 people who search Google and happen upon this blog since I don't think anyone else reads it).

So God has really burdened my heart to reach out to my fellow New Joiners at Accenture ever since I knew I was coming to Denver. And the burden has only increased since I got to Denver. The burden upon my heart was so deep this week that I invited my co-workers to Easter services at a church north of Denver. Those who know me well will know that people-pleasing is such a struggle with me that I usually have to know someone pretty well before I ever start talking about God with them. While God is slowly breaking those barriers down, some do still exist. 

So it was a big step for me to even invite people I hardly knew to a church I knew nothing about. While there was not much reception (more indifference than anything) to my offer, the Lord has worked mightily in bringing me together with Jim Crouse, and this is a great example. Jim and his fiancee Kelly had been looking for a church to attend for Easter and Jim and I agreed to check out this new contemporary church north of Denver called Northern Hills Christian Church (FYI: I know Jim better than I do any of the other people I work with because we carpool to work every morning).

You must also know that I struggled a lot this weekend with worry about whether the church we would be attending would be a solid, Biblical church. I think I've gotten overly cynical over the last few years. I was turned off by the Pentecostal thing. In addition, I've heard a lot of stories lately about churches that seemed legit on the outside but were corrupt from within. Plus, I've been fortunate enough to hear both Joel Osteen and Benny Hinn preach on TV over the past couple weeks. While I have limited knowledge of their ministries, what I saw on TV was essentially identical to what I'd ever heard about them.

I'd heard they preached a "Health, Wealth, and Prosperity" gospel that essentially ignored sin and basically preached positive thinking. Furthermore, and this was true of Benny Hinn especially, it seemed the message was directly tied into convincing you that the right thing to do to please God was to give money to their corresponding ministry. And the promise was that you would be blessed many times over because you gave money. This simply isn't a Biblical message. Does God bless us when we walk faithfully with Him? Sure! But He isn't some cosmic genie who is bound to multiply our wealth when we give to Him. And He also allows trials and difficulties to enter the lives of those who are earnestly seeking Him. In fact, it is promised to us in Scripture that we will face persecution on account of Christ when we follow Him (See 2 Timothy 3:12, "In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted"). So the message is only half-complete when these preachers preach.

This knowledge of lost churches, churches that didn't suit my style and my knowledge of how unchurched Denver is led me into way too much cynicism in regards to Northern Hills Christian Church. I was really, really worried this would turn out to be a church where really weird things happened or that the message of Christ would be robbed of its power in this church. Neither turned out to be the case. 

God really convicted me in my cynicism using this church today. Northern Hills was neither crazy nor dead. It is very much alive. And it is radical in the Watermark sense. It is evangelical and boldly proclaims His Truth in a way that reminded me very much of Watermark. I could go on and on about how similar to Watermark in Dallas it was. The lobby with the modern architecture and the coffee shop (See the picture provided).  The open feel. The shape of the building. The number of people in the service. The audio/visual tech. The full worship band. The music and sermon only service style (except that Northern Hills served communion as well). But, most importantly, Northern Hills is like Watermark in that it faithfully presents the gospel message of man's sinful nature and God's redeeming grace FOUND ONLY IN JESUS. The Spirit-filled message this morning was amazing. It was all about "Where is your hope found/focused?" Basically, is your hope in stuff or in the one whose name is Jesus? (Side note: In no way does this change my desire to pour my heart into God's ministry through Watermark Denver. I'm just psyched to see that there is another solid church nearby.)

By the way, the music was phenomenal too. It was like being back at Passion. Songs like "Mighty to Save" and "Everlasting God (Strength Will Rise)." Right songs for the right moment.

Another awesome moment was during communion. I was feeling a little too focused on the tradition of the last supper. So I prayed that God would make the importance of communion real to me. God's answer to my prayers usually spans more than a moment or a day or even a week. But in this moment, His answer was instantaneous. He placed the image of opening Christmas presents on my mind. Specifically, he focused my mind on the mountain bike I got when I was a kid. Let me explain.

I am incredibly blessed. My parents are generous beyond any sound measure. Christmas is filled with gifts and every toy or gadget I could ever want. It really is a special holiday for more than just the gifts given and received, but my point is this: I've never suffered from a lack of abundant Christmas gifts. And, perhaps more than any toy, my bike always sticks in my mind. 

I loved that bike like few other things I've ever owned. There is nothing that opens a suburban boy's mind to fun and adventure more than a bike. To a young boy like me, it was like taking flight. It opened all sorts of possibilities to me. My territory was no longer defined by how far I could walk or run. The question was now this: How far can you ride?

I treasured that bike like few things I've ever had. Sure, I did a lousy job of taking care of it, but the memories I have of exploring on that bike will stick with me forever. I can't even count how many times Adrian and I (and some other friends as well from time to time) rode bikes through the trails from the lake in Stone Lakes into Timberlake. That is freedom for a pre-teen boy. Every time riding through those trees and bushes was something totally and completely different. And so it is with Christ. Each day is different and exciting in its own way.

Why is all of this important? I want to give you a sense of just how awesome God made communion to me this morning. When He placed the image of Christmas and my new bike in my mind immediately after my prayer, He was telling me that what He did for me on the cross (which we remember in part through the communion I was partaking of) is of even greater value than all of the Christmas gifts I could ever receive. It even tops all the bikes in the world. His death on my behalf on the cross is of more value than anything that has ever happened in all of eternity. This is what Paul is saying when he says in Philippians 3:8 that "I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of know Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ."

If you know Jesus, may you experience joy today and beyond that surpasses all of the Christmases in the world. If you don't know Him, I pray that you will come to know the God who gave Himself for us on the cross to save us from ourselves and defeated death by resurrecting Himself on the 3rd day. He's worth more than all the bikes and all the other things in this world.

HAPPY EASTER EVERYONE!!!