Ordinary Made Extraordinary

It was so nice to see some old friends this past weekend.  Dustin and Amy work at Crossroads Church in OKC.  Dustin is the IT guy and Amy works with the womens group.  They are a fun couple with a beautiful little girl.  We also had the chance to meet Shea, a cousin of Dustin and Amy who will be joining a team to plant a new church in the Tulsa, Oklahoma area.

During their visit, Cindy and I took them to the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs.  Garden of the Gods is a beautiful park with enormous red rocks with a big contrast of snow capped mountains in the background.  I have driven by this park many times but never took the time to drive through until now.  If you are ever in the area I would highly recommend you take the time to see this beautiful place, and it’s FREE.

As we drove through the park, I noticed hundreds of people taking pictures of the beautiful rock formations.  I even took the time to gain a few photos for my facebook.  As I was taking a picture it dawned on me, I AM TAKING A PICTURE OF A ROCK!  A ROCK!  Think about that for a moment…  You might as well pick up a rock you find on the side of the road and take a picture of it.

So why am I fascinated by this huge rock formation protruding through the earth into the sky?  This is just an ordinary rock, or is it?  Rocks are rocks.  You can find them everywhere;  In your backyard, on the side of the road, in your shoe, or even in the bottom of your bathtub.  Rocks are ordinary.  But, as I looked at this beautiful site of well sculpted rocks, I had this thought;  Things are ordinary until God adds his creativity.  That is when ordinary becomes extraordinary!!!!

We, along with many others, were taking pictures of ordinary rocks created by an extraordinary GOD.  I was reminded of what Romans tells us “By taking a long and thoughtful look at what God has created, people have always been able to see what their eyes as such can’t see: eternal power, for instance, and the mystery of his divine being….” We see the invisible God through the visible creation of God.  Pretty amazing.

Creation is all around us.  Look in your backyard and I am sure you can see the extraordinary handy work of God.  However, if you ever have plans to visit the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, be sure to bring a camera with plenty of memory, it is a pretty extraordinary place.

A Great Story

I have recently moved to Colorado from Oklahoma.  Living in Oklahoma for several years, my wife and I were able to make a lot of friends.  We miss all of those friends but there is one friendship that means a lot to my wife and I.  I want to  tell you their story.

Their story starts off in a bar.  They were both working in a bar trying to make ends meet and to explore the party scene.  Because they worked together, they spent a lot of time with each other.  Because they spent a lot of time together, one thing led to another and before you knew it they were getting married.  Little did they know that the hurts and pain of their past would be a huge weight that would not shed easily.  Fights became a common occurrence leaving each other feeling trapped and frustrated.  Their marriage was driving full speed heading towards a brick wall.

They found themselves not wanting to give up, but not knowing where to get help.  So they decided to try the church.  The first visit led to a second and then to another.  Before long they were meeting young couples that had similar struggles.  Friendships started to blossom.  They started listening, learning and applying lessons to their marriage.  They began to notice they fought less.  Marriage was different They had experienced a transformation in their lives and it was happening right in front of my eyes.

It has been a little over three years since Amber and Landon have begun their journey as a follower of Jesus.  Things have changed a lot.  They are now debt free (with help from Dave Ramsey), they are now saving to buy their first house, Landon has played the main character in a few of the church dramas, Amber plays the flute for the orchestra, and they both look for places to volunteer as often as they can.  They still fight (and don’t we all) but nothing like the past.

When Cindy and I left Oklahoma City to help plant a church in Parker, Colorado, we received a letter from Amber thanking us for all we had  done to help them.  I still have that letter and I read it periodically to remind me why I do what I do!

Amber and Landon, we miss you guys.  We love you.  And we are very proud of you.  The truth is, you have helped us more than we have helped you.  Thanks for allowing us to be a part of your great story!!!!!!  To everyone else, what’s your story?