Ken

This year for Good Friday, Mountainview will be hosting the Littleton Church of Christ for a combined worship service. Both of our churches share a common heritage and tradition; we also share a common geographic as the Littleton church is located only about 10 minutes away from us. Having been born and raised in the Churches of Christ, I'm very appreciative for my brothers and sisters who worship in that tradition. Over the last six and a half years, I've also been blessed to get know various staff members from the Littleton Church -- people such as Colin Packer, the former senior minister, and current staff members such as Kent and Anne Marie Rogers and Jovan Barrington. Singers and musicians from both churches will share the stage. Teens from both youth groups will do a reading of Isaiah 53. Finally, Jovan and myself will be co-teaching, essentially letting the audience…

As we approach Easter Weekend, I'm passing along a great article from Thom Rainer about how we (regular churchgoers) can serve the new people who will attend. These are easy things that anyone can do -- but they are important to creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere. Here's to a great Easter! P.S. If you live in South Denver and are looking for a place to worship on Easter, Mountainview has four services to choose from: Saturday at 5:30, Sunday at 8:00, 9:30, and 11:00. Easter. It will be one of the highest attended days of the year for your church. It may be the highest. There will be some people you don’t know. Some of them are guests. Others are members who attend infrequently. You have an opportunity to make a gospel impression on these people with a few simple acts. Indeed, you have an opportunity to make an…

Have you ever noticed there are a variety of definitions of what it means to be successful? Miriam-Webster dictionary defines success this way: “The fact of getting or achieving wealth, respect, or fame.” By that definition, Chase Daniel (Eagles), Josh McCown (Browns), Marcus Mariota (Titans), Blake Bortles (Jaguars) are successful NFL quarterbacks. All will earn over $5 million 2016. By that same definition, Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian are also successful. Politicians make up their own definitions as well. Only in politics can a candidate finish third or fourth in a primary and claim success. How would you define success? Since I believe you to be reasonable people, you would probably have a reasonable definition. Success might be reaching your goals or meeting expectations. Success might be having a healthy and happy family. Success might be learning from your mistakes and maturing. Most likely, your definition of success would include achieving some…

Recently I had the opportunity to travel to Orlando to watch our oldest daughter play softball for Bethel University. The trip was made possible in large part because of the generosity of Camp Gilead in Polk City, Florida. Camp Gilead has been serving the church since the 1930's and offers free housing to pastors when space allows. I arrived after 10 pm on a Sunday night and one of the staff members met me at the lodge and showed me to my room. A Youth For Christ group from Canada was also there, in addition to several smaller groups. Just behind the lodge is a large deck that overlooks a lake. Early mornings and late evenings were very peaceful and pretty. The room itself is well-suited for a private retreat (no television or WiFi). It's comfortable, clean, and really quiet (the YFC kids were staying at the opposite end of…