It's been amazing to see how God has connected us with certain people here in the neighborhood. One such contact has been this single mom who works for the city of Denver as an arborist (that's someone who cares for trees if your not up to date on the lingo). She knew of a program where they gave away free trees to anyone who was willing to place them in the front yard and care for them. We saw this as a great way to get involved in the community so Ryan headed up contacting neighbors and figuring our how many trees were needed. One rainy Monday evening, with the help of some the neighborhood kids, we spent a few hours getting dirty digging holes and planting trees. It was enjoyable to give to the community is such a visible and lasting way. But I look forward to see more growth in the neighborhood than just the trees.

We also sectioned off a chunk of our back yard for a garden. After the prep work of clearing the area, tilling the soil, and mixing in manure, we were ready to plant. Mark picked up seed packets for pretty much every plant that can grow in colorado, and with the help of some of the neighborhood kids, we placed seeds all over the 600 square foot area. A few months later and hours upon hours of watering and weeding, we have now begun to pick a few of the first fruits. It's pretty enjoyable to watch things develop and grow from something as small as a seed.

The gospel of Mark chapter 4, records Jesus saying "This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come." Then Jesus moves on to the next parable with no future explanation. Although I'm not going to pretend I understand the full meaning of this parable, I have experienced both the mystery of plant growth and the mystery of how God works. What I ultimately get out of this parable is that I am able to do those things which I am called to (planting, watering, weeding) and leave the true transformation up to God.


1 Corinthians 3:7 "So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow."

Three months ago a group of us began a partnership with Lutheran Family Services to assist a refugee family being resettled here in Denver. Through our house church network we had learned about some needs in the refugee community and I had helped organize a clothing drive for a few refugee families. It was a first exposure for me into the refugee world here in Denver.

A group of us gather every Thursday night in order to learn and pray about events going on around the world. We call it TAP room (Tea And Prayer) and together we decided to pusue ways to further connect and serve the refugee community that is around us. Sarah Saunier contacted LFS and learned of this program to join a small group of people with a new refugee family. This Culture Mentoring program involved collecting needed items for thier new apartment, picking the family up from the airport when they first arrive, and having a hot meal for them waiting at their new apartment. But the great thing is it goes far beyond the initial contact. We are then commited to this family for the next four months as they transition into this culture. We take them grocery shopping, help them learn the bus system, assist in language learning, take them to doctors appointments, and eat meals together once a week. So in Febuary our group went through training and awaited our families arrival.

Our family were Burmese refugees living in a refugee camp in Thailand. They had been there nearly 10 years and their two sons had known nothing different. I must confess I knew pretty much nothing about the country, and this was prior to the Cyclones devastation that highlighted the governments cruelty of its people. But just a bit of research brought to light the awful human right violations that exist there. In a 2006 Human Rights Report it says "Across the country, Burma’s peoples continued to be subjected to forced labour, forced relocation, the burning of villages, rape and other forms of sexual violence, recruitment of children as child soldiers, trafficking of women and children, confiscation of land and property, extortion, religious persecution and discrimination against ethnic minorities." (source) . How is it that I had never heard of these atrocities before?

Our family is truly great. One of the greatest things about the Kyi family, is that they are fellow believers. The first night together we were able to pray with them each in our own languages. It was a really great moment. It's also good to know that they have plugged into a Burmese church where other believers can future understand where they come from and how to encourage them. But despite the language barrier between us, we all have been touched by them. They are so fun to spend time with and enjoy their immense hospitality. The kids find so much joy in simple activities and its hilarious what they get excited about. One day at the park they saw a squirrel run up a tree and flipped out! They ran to the tree end pointed and laughed for about 5 minutes. I find their joy to be so contagious.

If you have a moment pray for them as a family and this massive cultural, economic, and social change that is shaking their life. Perhaps you will meet them one day or find someone similar in your life.

This spring I was able to enjoy some really fun activities with various friends. I've chopped them up and tossed 'em all together for a delicious blog stew. Enjoy.

The major league soccer club here in Denver recently got a brand new stadium and it's not that far from our house. Before the season started the Rapids had a scrimmage and offered free admission to the public. So we took two of the neighborhood kids (Jose in red, Miguel in blue) that we hang out with a bunch and enjoyed a free game. We also went on opening night to see the Rapids take on the LA Galaxy. It was a fun game to watch and pretty cool to see great players like Beckham and Donovan play.

Skiing this spring was phenomenal. Generally the peak season is in Febuary/March, but this year it was in April. I was able to go several times with various friends. Brian, Jeremy, and Ryan each accompanied me on different excursion to the great white rockies. I absolutely love skiing and am so blessed to be only 90min away from some of the best skiing in north america. Let me know if you ever want to slide down the mountains with me, it ain't no thang.

On Sunday nights we now have a gathering of believers that meets at our house. We start around 5:30pm with a game of frisbee or soccer in the park and then sit down for a big meal together. We normally eat out in the park because of space limitations in our house, but it also provides a chance for us to get to know more people in the neighborhood. We then head inside for some time of singing, praying, and discussing scripture with each other. one of the really cool things that has developed from this gathering is how we do food. Each sunday a different person volunteers to head up the meal, and it generally takes on a flavor from their life. For example we have had Hawaiian, African, Paraguayan, Bolivian, and Hispanic food. Miguel and Joses' parents are from Mexico and cook up a mean carne asada. So although they don't come to our gatherings, they volunteered to make some authentic mexican food. It's really exciting to get to know the neighbors more and build better relationships. We will see what God does in the future with our friendships.

Our community house has grown to a total of 6 guys now. That many people in one house creates an environment where boredom can't exist. But even before our numbers grew we felt it important to take some time to get away and re-focus on our lives and what God has for them. So we headed up to a friends cabin in the mountains (thanks Burmeisters!) and spent the weekend singing songs, building fires, going on hikes, and spending many hours alone with God. It was a really rejuvenating and encouraging time. Oh, and that picture of us three... c'mon... you don't want to mess with that.

Our good friends the Starrs, invited us to a day at Elitch Gardens (Denver's largest theme park). We received a large discount on the tickets being their friends because they home-school their kids and this was a home-schoolers only day. An ever better benefit was the lack of lines for the rides. It turns out most home-school kids are pretty young and not really into the "scary" rides. This means jackpot for the rest of us! We probably waited in line for a maximum of 8min at any given ride. It was awesome! The best ride was one called the tower of doom where they take you up this ridiculously high pole and then let you free-fall for a few seconds. Really fun!

Well this blog entry was pretty efficient now wasn't it. And we march on to catch you up with the present!

In the begining of March I left chilly Colorado behind to join the rest of my family for a week in Bahamas. We were gathering in this beautiful location to celebrate me gaining another brother (in law)... or something like that. My sister Audra had found is grand ol' chap named Cullen Brown and due to this mysterious thing called love, decided to get married. Cullen's uncle has a place down in the Bahamas and graciously offered to host the celebration. It was a truly stunning setting and Audra naturally used here creativity to make every detail of the wedding beautiful.

The most enjoyable part for me was being asked to take pictures at the wedding. This would be my first attempt at wedding photography and a testing ground for if I wanted it to be part of my business. It turned out to be loads of fun, and I was really pleased with my first go at it. I even got a second photo job because of it. Pretty awesome how God provides.

Even better than running around taking pictures was spending time with my family. My family is a bit scattered over the world with my parents in Michigan, Tricia in Ohio, Myself in Colorado, Audra and Cullen in Illinois, and Steph, Kris, and Adalia in east Asia. So being together in one location (especially this location) was a pretty special thing. Although there were things to do in preparation for the wedding, we found time to hang out at the beach, visit the Atlantis water park, and enjoy ice cream on the boardwalk.

The first day I was there, I set out to get a bit of a tan. I had failed to pack sunblock, but I figured one day without it would be no problem. Well, it turned out to be a bit of a problem. My burn was so bad that my code name on the two-way walkie-talkie was "red lobster". It didn't ruin the vacation, but it certainly added much discomfort... to pretty much every activity.

Amidst all the enjoyment and celebration there was a side of the Bahamas that was rather awful. Despite all the tourism and wealthy people that live and visit the Bahamas, it remains an incredibly poor place. I have never experience such a chasm between opulence and poverty in such close proximity. The racial divide was also shockingly evident wherever I went. Heartbreaking isn't it, that our best attempt at paradise falls so utterly short. Pray for God's Kingdom to come.


Be sure and check out some of the pictures from my trip here.

My blog has been dead for the past four months despite the many pleas to keep it alive. The past months have held some major changes in my life. April 5th was my last day as a valet manager as I sought a change in the way I lived. As you know, in December I moved to a low income neighborhood in an attempt to build relationships with the urban poor, live out a simpler lifestyle, and seek God's Kingdom among the disenfranchised of Denver. Within just a few months of living here, I realized my job was robing me of opportunities to fully seek out these things I felt led to. So I let go of my steady paycheck and jumped on staff with the house church network. In an attempt to stay afloat financially, I started my own photography and graphic design business (www.dekorneproductions.com). Needless to say, this new chapter in my life has been full of adventures and challenges.

I am now presented with the task of filling you in on those events and catching you up to the present. So I will be working hard to recount the many things that have happened from March to June. Check back for frequent updates and enjoy the new site!