God’s Love…easy to explain? It turns out, no.

Play the video while you read this post….it helps.

I thought it would be simple. A message about Gods love. If there is one thing that should be easy to speak on it’s God’s love right? I mean, there are TONS of scriptures that I can use to share God’s love. Over and over we hear about and see God’s love demonstrated throughout the Bible.

But, it turns out, that’s exactly the problem. God does not simply love as an action. He doesn’t love as a verb. It’s not that God just loves. That would be a tremendous understatement.

God IS love.

It’s not a part of His character. It’s not a piece of what He is or does. It’s everything He is. God IS love. From beginning to end, from start to finish, from before time began and throughout all eternity to come, God IS love. His nature, His essence, all that He is and does IS love.

Love is not an action to God. It’s His substance. If one word could be used to describe the everlasting, all-powerful God, it is love. LOVE.

Ephesians 3:18-

“And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is.”

As big as God is. As great as God is. As powerful as God is. As eternal, unshakable, beautiful and majestic as God is. It is all contained, demonstrated, and validated by His unfailing love.

His love knows no bounds, no confinement. It cannot be stopped, stalled, contained, slowed, or refused. It permeates the very fabric of time and matter. God’s love is everywhere, all the time. From the furthest corner of this universe, to the lowest depths of the earth, to the core of my heart, God’s love is there. It is real, tangible, and evident in everything He creates.

God, show us your love. God, may our hearts be quited and the noise of our lives be stilled long enough to see how wide, how long, how high, and how deep is your love for us.

There is no greater- and more difficult to comprehend- truth, than the love of God. Help us Lord Jesus to taste, to see, to know, and to feel your love.

Do you believe that today? Are you willing to feel, know, and accept God’s love for you? Once you taste it, once you know it, once you are touched by God’s love, you will never ever be the same.

How do I, a simple creature, a finite expression of your creativity, ever express in words the greatness of your love?

Help me Jesus.

Growing Larger AND Smaller

Like most philosophical positions in life, there are two poles on the issue of growth within the church (and by growth I am specifically referring to numerical growth).   Those who desire growth, and those who don’t.  Obviously, every church grew at one time or another or there wouldn’t be a church there at all.  But the real issue develops after a church has reached “critical mass” (having enough people to survive financially and develop community among existing members) between those who want the church to continue to grow, and those who do not.

Let me state right up front: I want Discovery Church to grow!  I hope we NEVER STOP growing!  You read that right- I hope we never ever stop growing.  If we ever stop growing then we will start dying.  There is no such thing as “plateaued” or “holding steady” in the church or anywhere really. Bottom line is healthy things grow, sick things stop growing. The trees in your back yard will continue to grow bigger, taller, and stronger as long as they are healthy.  As soon as a tree becomes sick or damaged then it stops it’s growth and starts trying to maintain the life it has, and slowly it begins to die.  So it is with a church.  As soon as we move into “maintenance mode” and try to “hold on to what we got” we begin dying.  Population will continue to grow around us, the world will continue to change, and if we try to stay the same then we will be left behind, and attrition will assure we decline, and die.  So, may Discovery Church NEVER STOP GROWING!

However, numerical growth can take many forms, and it doesn’t just have to mean that Discovery Church of Parker becomes a mega-church with more people than a Bronco’s game.  I want Discovery Church to take a unique approach to HOW we grow.  Here are just two ways Discovery Church can grow without becoming a massive juggernaut of a mega-church:

• Growth through campuses: Discovery Church already has a number of families that commute to Parker from South Aurora, Elizabeth, Littleton, and Castle Rock.  That will no doubt continue to be the case.   As we outgrow our current facility at the movie theaters in Parker then adding additional campuses in areas where existing members live just makes sense.  We could easily move into a movie theater in south Aurora with a live band and a campus pastor and video cast a live stream of the teaching in Parker to that campus through modern technology.  We could also rotate back and forth; one week the live teaching is in Parker, the next the live teaching is in Aurora and the video stream is shown in Parker.  Hundreds of churches are already doing this and it’s a great way to grow LARGER while staying SMALLER.

• Healthy things grow- and once mature, they REPRODUCE: Reproduction is growth!  When Angie and I got married we spent a few years growing in our relationship and getting to know each other really well.  But eventually, having kids became the natural expression of the growth of our relationship- and our family grew too!  So as Discovery Church grows and reaches maturity we will reproduce ourselves through parenting and partnering to plant new churches around the Denver metro area.  As we engage in reproducing ourselves through planting, some people will become part of launch teams and go to the new church.  We don’t “lose” those people, we “sow” those people into a new church, and Discovery Church grows when the new church grows!  In fact- stay tuned for an announcement in this area soon at Discovery Church! 

There are alot of ways to approach growth that don’t create a single service environment of 4,000 people.  I LOVE speaking to crowds of about 300 or less (though I do enjoy the occasional 1,000+ crowd from time to time as well).  So as D Church grows we will be creative, innovative, and intentional about managing growth in such a way that we also value and preserve relationships and intimacy.  Man- I’m so excited!

7 Reasons Discovery’s Move Is A Good One!

As I said in my last post, change- even good change- can be discomforting and sometimes difficult to deal with.  The move of Discovery Church from The Wildlife Experience to the Twenty Mile Stadium Theaters represents a significant change in many ways.  However, there’s just not much of a downside when you take the time to really understand what is made possible by the move.  Here are some of the things I think make this a GOOD move for Discovery Church:

1.  It places us right in the heart of Parker.  We are a community church.  That means we are not separate from, but a part of our community.  I’ve said that though our name is Discovery Church OF Parker, we are really more like Discovery Church FOR Parker.  Through Discovery Cares we are engaging in service, giving, volunteering, and supporting the community of Parker because we are called to be IN our community making a difference everyday.  Being located at Mainstreet and Dransfeldt puts us smack dab in the middle of all the activities our city is engaged in, and that’s a good thing.

2.  We can utilize our signs.  One of the difficult restrictions imposed by the developers of the Meridian area where The Wildlife Experience is located is that we cannot use directional signs to let people know we are there.  This is painfully difficult for me, first I know that we spent almost $3,000 for these signs, but secondly because thousands of cars pass that location every Saturday/Sunday while we would like to have our signs out…if only we could.  Now we can!  I’m excited about that opportunity and looking forward to the community knowing when/where we meet on a weekly basis.

3.  The theater allows us to grow in numbers and scale our space usage to keep up.  At The Wildlife Experience we were facing the very real threat of simply running out of space for our Children’s classes.  “But The Wildlife Experience is HUGE!” you say.  True, but there is only one available classroom for us to provide teaching and biblical instruction to children, and that classroom holds about 30 kids.  You can imagine the difficulty we would have in teaching 75+ kids as we grow in a classroom that seats less than half that.  Additionally, as we grow we can take advantage of empty retail space on the pads right in front of the Theaters.  By securing about 3,000 sq ft we can build out a more permanent are for children, youth, offices, rehearsal area for our band, small groups, parents night out, outreach events, the list goes on and on.

4.  The theater takes what I call the “formal edge” off of Discovery Church.  Let’s face it, Discovery Church is neither traditional nor formal.  However, The Wildlife Experience is by design a high-end formal “feeling” environment that makes our services feel a bit stuffy and formal.  The theater is a place we go to relax, be stimulated, and have fun.  That’s what Discovery Church is all about.  That makes it a natural fit.

5.  We can reach an entirely new set of people with a new approach to marketing.  Whereas free admission to The Wildlife Experience was a great draw for visitors, it was kind of a one-trick pony.  What I mean is, those who have already visited The Wildlife Experience are not particularly interested in that offer.  That leaves the attractional piece of our marketing as being solely the church service which, to the unchurched, is simply not that attractive.  But the idea of sitting in comfy reclining theater seats, munching popcorn and slurping down a Coke while listening to a 25 minute message, then walking across the hall and seeing an action flick all without leaving the building, sounds pretty good.  We’re going to go with that and market ourselves as the Theater Church!

6.  Change is good, and when it’s done right it feels more like momentum- because it is!  Bottom line, if Discovery Church weren’t growing at the rate it is, and if we weren’t already starting to feel the pressure of space issues with our children’s areas, we would fight hard to stay in The Wildlife Exprience instead of moving now.  But we simply can’t afford to miss the opportunity to move into a space that gives us one very important thing- options.

7.  Moving places us in a whole new community of potential visitors.  There are thousands of homes around the theater, and those homes are filled with people who will love the fact that there is a new church on their doorstep.  As we make our presence known to them we are going to grow.

In my next post I’ll address some of the concerns that are often expressed about growth.  Not everyone feels that growing numerically is a good thing and I understand their feelings and reasons, but NOT growing poses an even greater threat.  I’ll explain why, next time.

Who Said Change Was Bad?

They say “The only thing constant is change.”  For people who don’t like change (and I can be one of them at times) this is not good news.  Change moves us out of our comfort zone- but moves us  to where?  Well I suppose that depends on where your hope lies!  If you hope is in others, yourself, a job, money, or just about anything, change can move you out of a good situation into a bad situation.  Out of a bad situation into a worse situation.  Change can shake us to our foundation and often strips us of everything we held on to and trusted in.  Unless your hope lies in God.

For those whose hope is the Lord, change moves them deeper into His will.  When your life is fully surrendered to God, your source is God, and your future rests with Him, then change (even the changes we don’t like) are either 1) orchestrated by God, or 2) used by God.

Why the distinction?  Because not all change comes from God.  There is a human element constantly at work in our lives, but that doesn’t mean God isn’t involved.  When God initiates change in our lives He does it for a specific purpose.  Sometimes it is to prepare us or position us for something that lies ahead which we cannot yet see.  Sometimes it is to prevent some bad thing from happening in our lives.  Whatever the case, HE is orchestrating the change for His higher purposes which He alone understands, and our faith in Him carries us through the change, believing that God knows best.

But there is change brought about in our lives through sin, the acts of others, and the enemy.  This kind of change often brings us the most fear because we know there are forces at work that do not have our best interest at heart.  But even in this kind of change, God is not absent.  He may not be the one initiating the change, but He is very present and at work.  I think God loves to take this kind of change, which is typically meant by others to be harmful, and turn it into something positive.  In fact, I think He goes the extra mile to ensure the outcome is exponentially better than anticipated, just to demonstrate His great power to us- and those who oppose us.

This is happening in my life right now.  There are things (well beyond my control) forcing changes that I am not immediately comfortable with or ready for.  But I see God at work, behind the scenes, arranging things for the outcome that He alone forsees.  I just need to trust him and allow His will to be done, and resist the urge to take over!

Is change always bad?  I starting to believe it’s always good!

5 Things I’m Psyched About!!

I’m so excited about these things I can hardly sleep!!

#1. Discovery Church is 6 weeks old this Sunday and it has grown a TON in these six weeks. Everyone is scrambling to remember names as we have new people everywhere all the time! Wow- Thank you Jesus for growing YOUR CHURCH- help us to just stay out of the way!

#2. Discovery Church has had 10 public services and after reviewing the data from those 10 services, (get ready), on average, 3 people recieve Christ EVERY TIME we open the doors! We have had 30 people make a commitment to follow Jesus since we started having previews in April. That will NEVER get old!

#3. Tony Cena is doing a fantastic job with our band, and we have a number of new people signing up to be a part of it. D Church is so blessed to have Tony, and adding talented people to the team just makes it that much better! We have the best music anywhere- thank God for it!!

#4. Every week we get emails from new people telling us what amazing things God is doing in their lives and families because of Discovery Church. Sounds a lot like our mission: Transform Lives & Strengthen Families.

#5. Since our Grand Opening service Discovery Church has given away $2,500 to new church plants, college missions, world missions, and breast cancer research! Discovery Church will be known in this community for it’s generosity- we have certainly gotten off to a good start on that.

Bonus #6. Discovery Groups kick-off in February for the Spring Semester, and sign-ups start in January. That may seem like a long ways off, but it’s not. Discovery Groups are going to revolutionize Discovery Church by creating the opportunity for all of us to make new friends and grow together in community. Can’t wait to get in my group and grow.

If you haven’t gotten involved at Discovery Chuch yet, what are you waiting for?!

Great things are happening!! Read On…

I wanted to share some of the feedback we have been getting from people about Discovery Church.  These are all new people (since launch) and it brings tears to my eyes when I read what God has been doing in just the first month after the launch of Discovery Church.  Read ‘em and weep (I do!) 

“Entire audience had smiles, sure glad we didn’t miss Elvis. Fun Sunday. Your topic was “catchy” and made me think. I need to be where I grow in the Lord and Is the Best place for us. I did appreciate the enthusiasm and honest caring that seemed to be apparent here!”

“I was a resident of Sin City at one point of my life and continue to visit there whether I realize it or not. The pastor made me feel VERY welcome, no.. like I, a sinner would be a guest of honor at this church. That is something I have never felt before. Thank You!!”

“We really enjoy the service and the teaching!”

“I wanted to share with you how much I have truly enjoyed coming to church service these past 2 weeks.  It has been like nothing I have ever experienced in my life and after my first visit, I was completely excited to come back and see what Jon’s sermon was about.  My husband and I are both ‘works in progess’ and I am so grateful to have found Discovery Church.  I don’t want to go on and on…because I really could….but thank you for all you do.  :)”

“I’m so glad I got a chance to sit down and talk with you a little bit today.  It is nice to have the opportunity to get to know you and find out more about the church.  I am so excited to be a part of this new community and family.  I am just so amazed how God is already using you and the church to reach people I, too, believe that God transforms lives and changes people’s hearts and I know that God can change even the most unlikely of people.  In fact, I think that those are his favorite projects.  God pushed me to ask my husband one more time to come to church with me.  And this time he actually agreed.  Since that first week he has been back with me every week and God is changing him before my eyes.  He is still not completely sure yet, but he has miraculously become comfortable asking me questions about God and having open conversations with me about God.  He tells me that he feels these sermons are specific to him and they are giving him a new perspective.  He says he has been opening his mind to these ideas that are new to him and they are making sense.  You are showing him God from a new perspective and this is working for him!  But not only are you doing great things for him, you are feeding me spiritually as well.  I know that God will continue to use you to bless people and to reach people.  I look forward to continuing to grow with this wonderful new church.”

I’m so thankful for all that God is doing!  Do you have a story to tell?  Send it to me at: jon@discoveryparker.com we love the encouragement!!

Wheels Of Discovery

9 riders participated in the first annual “Wheels Of Discovery” 25/50 mile bike ride benefitting Discovery Church and Parker Families First, Saturday Sept 26th.

They pulled out at 8:10am- here’s a picture of them lined up and ready to roll!

Post-Launch Recap!

After nearly two years of prayer, planning, pavement pounding, and partnerships, Discovery Church acquired “lift-off” this past Sunday, September 13th 2009.  To say it was easy would be inaccurate; to say it was worth it would be spot on.  After living in Parker for four years and serving on staff at a church in a nearby city, Angie and I were so burdened by “the lost next door” that church planting seemed the most natural expression of our love for them.  We knew in our hearts then, and have repeated it hundreds of times since: “There is only one good reason to plant a new church- to reach the lost!”

October 2008 brought the first stage of development as we invited about 50 friends to an informational meeting.  Of those 50, one family said “yes.”  That would be enough; for then.  In January 2009, we started bible studies in our home along with two other families,.  The team would steadily grow over the course of three months leading up to our first of five preview services to be held once a month April through August.  At the start of August our launch team was close to 60 people- but that was too many!  God “thinned the crop” and left us with a Gideon’s army of about 38 heading into September.  At first, I was troubled by this shrinking so close to launch, but God is sovereign and needed to separate the truly committed to be set apart for His purposes.  We would have all we need- and more.

As the date of our launch approached a multi-faceted marketing campaign kicked off.  20,000 mailers to all of Parker, CO.  5,000 flyers on homes and vehicles, a front page ad in 98,000 papers, and 78,000 impressions on facebook.  Would it be enough?  It would have to be- we spent all our marketing budget!  Hits were way up on the website (about 300 % of normal).  Still, nobody knew for sure who, or how many, would show up for our Grand Opening.  “Jesus In Vegas” is the title of the opening series; creative, eye catching, and Christ oriented.  God, this city needs this message- send us the lost!  That was our prayer.

The sun rises over The Wildlife Experience

As the sun hits the peaks of the front range mountains on September 13th, 2009 a small band of men (7 in all) assemble at the loading dock of The Wildlife Experience; the new home of Discovery Church, and the site of it’s Grand Opening on this very day.  It’s 7:00 am and a school bus turned storage truck is backed up and items are being unloaded as an excitement (and a chill) hang in the air.  Sound equipment, video equipment, toys, diapers.  Boxes, carts, offering containers, communion supplies.  Everything a church  needs is in this converted school bus; the tangible evidence of the support of so many churches, individuals, and organizations.  This is church planting dollars at work; church planting dollars doing God’s work.

D Church tech crew at work

Inside “The Great Hall” (where the adults will meet) the tech. and worship teams are hard at work.  Running cables, plugging in mics, setting up a video screen, dialing in a projector.  Soon the sounds of worship will be heard as the band tunes their instruments and get’s warmed up.  Outside in the expansive foyer, the tables, signage, guest information and discovery guides are being prepared for the arrival of worshippers and seekers alike.  Children’s areas are being prepared, coffee is brewing- so is the anticipation.  What if nobody comes?  What if it’s just our launch team of 40 and a few others?  Would it still be worth it?

9:45 am: a group of team members and I gather in a side corner to pray.  “God, it doesn’t matter how many people show up, there’s nothing we can do to change that now; what matters now is that you show up!  May lost souls be saved today as we share Jesus with everyone here.  Amen.”  As we break from our huddle I see people are entering The Great Hall- people I’ve never met!  Is that the Mayor I see?  He actually came!  That’s so

Jon and Mayor Casiano

cool.  I head towards the newcomers and am actually cut-off by a member of our hospitality team.  I adjust my course toward another new family- beat by a team member again.  It’s okay, I’ll settle for greeting the Mayor.

9:55 am: Elvis is in the foyer greeting people (really) creating an interesting distraction for the families in the line for child check-in that stretches to

One lucky Elvis!

the front doors.  WOW- look at all the people!  250 chairs in the Great Hall begin to fill up one by one.  The countdown video is playing- it’s almost time to start.

10:00 am: the lights drop and the theme music from 2001 Space Odyssey peaks the curiosity of the guests.  People are looking around wondering, “what’s going on?  Are we in the right place?”  Suddenly “Blue Suede Shoes” blasts over the speakers and Elvis appears from stage left, grabs a mic on a stand and does his “thing.”  People are smiling, laughing, dancing.  Church should always be this fun!  Elvis jumps off the stage, throws a red scarf around a woman’s neck, kisses her on the cheek, and makes his exit.  Applause, whistles.  The king (small ‘k’) has left, the King (big ‘k’) is now front and center as our worship team leads  179 of us in “Hanging By A Moment” by Lifehouse.  Everyone knows this song; it’s a great way to start worship.

The band does an amazing job; flawless in fact, and as I walk on the stage to lead in prayer the presence of God is tangible.  “Jesus.  That’s why we’re here.  Open your hearts, minds, and souls to receive from Him.”  The children are dismissed to the sounds of “Move It Move It” Several adults stand and dance as kids stream to the back of the auditorium, greeted with big smiles by our children’s workers.

A couple of videos play, one introducing the series and setting up my message was shot on-location in Las Vegas.  I feel comfortable and relaxed as I open my Bible.  “The truth and freedom of the message of Christ is reserved for those who are willing to acknowledge their need of a savior.  Luke 7: the forgiver, the forgiven, and the forgetful”  It’s a great message, there seems to be a real connection between me and those present.  We show a video introducing “Church At Benders” a new church being planted in a bar in downtown Denver.  I don’t think there was a dry eye in the house, it was  a moving video.  I reclaim the mic and announce that 100% of todays tithe and offering would be given to the new church.

I invite the band back and ask everyone to stand as I begin the invitation to follow Christ.  “If you need to receive His forgiveness today, would you just slip up a hand so I can pray with you?”  A hand goes up in the back, then another, and another, another.  I count 8 hands- those are just the ones I can see.  I remember our prayer earlier- it’s happening.  People are following Christ.  God rocks!

We sing another song and receive communion together (we know now that we need more than two communion stations for next time!)  I make an invitation for our guests to come back for the next 5 weeks of our series and give Discovery Church- and Jesus- a chance.  “Maybe, we can accomplish things together that we could never accomplish apart” I say.  I believe we can.

A short prayer of dismissal and the band ramps up again as the lights come up and people begin to filter out through the exit doors into the lobby where they are again greeted by our hospitality team and given a guest packet and Discovery Church water bottle.  Many stay well past the dismissal, talking with team members, asking questions, and laughing.

As I breathe a huge sigh of relief I am reminded of the many partners who helped make today a reality.  Without them this never would have been possible!  I’m so thankful for the Church Multiplication Network.  The coaching, the cheerleading, the matching funds.  The future is very bright for Discovery Church.  What a great launch!  One day down, thousands more to go.  May they all be filled with this kind of excitement, laughter, and God’s presence.  And may many many new souls be led to Christ through the selfless efforts of our team.  Thank God for them; they are amazing.  Church at Benders will be getting a check for $1750.00 to start their church; what an honor to give back so soon.  Born pregnant- that’s how it should be.

Child Registration Team: Linda and Carol Jean

Teardown is an afterthought- there is too much to celebrate!  It’s been a long day, but I haven’t heard even one complaint.  It is all worth it- just ask the 8 new believers, they will tell you.

D Church launch team at Grace!

Today about 10 from the D Church launch team joined me for a missions window at Grace Community Church. What fun to have so many from the D Team in the house representing with D church T-Shirts and big smiles!

Grace and Pastor Jim welcomed us warmly, received an offering in all 3 services, and had the whole team come up on stage so they could pray over us! Wow- so blessed. Thank you Jim and Grace Community Church!

Discovery Church Interview Video

We asked 2 questions of our team to see if they would give the answers that reflected our mission: Transform Lives and Strengthen Families. Here were the questions:

1. What do YOU like about Discovery Church?
2. What matters MOST at Discovery Church?

These are there answers!