Yard Culture and The Landscapes of Life
A few years ago, we moved into our neighborhood which I adore. When we moved in, I said to Tim, "This place has a yard culture." He said, "A yard culture? What's a yard culture?" I took him outside and had him look down the street at our neighbor's lawns, which were by and large green, groomed and tidy. We live in a beautiful historic urban neighborhood. Most people take pride in their manicured lawns. Since this is the city, it is a postage stamp sized yard, so these are not big sprawling spaces. Once we noticed this, we fell in line. We lined up a lawn care service and got out there ourselves to pull weeds, plant flowers and try to keep things green.
This summer I've been noticing landscapes. When I travel to the mountains, there is not much yard culture--aspens, columbines, poppies and weeds grow wild and free together While visiting Israel, I was struck by the different landscapes of desert, mountain, and sea--the Dead Sea, the Sea of Galilee, and the desolate Wadi Qelt of Saint Georges Monastery (pictured above).
Our souls also have landscapes. We have seasons of lush, green, fruitful living when the beauty and consolation of God's provision and blessings abound. And we have seasons of dry, arid, seeming deadness and lack. Here the brutal is front and center and the desolation of our circumstances and interior world seem without hope.
In all of these seasons, God is present. In all of these seasons, there is an invitation to grow. In all of these seasons there are gifts if we are awake to see.
Sometimes we need to throw out our neat and tidy lawn mowers and embrace that wild and free landscape that our souls long for. Some days, we need to wake up with no agenda, no devices, and no productivity. Just as beautiful things grow in the unmanicured landscape of the mountains and desert, so beauty blooms in me when I allow space to follow my heart.
"If you cannot go into the desert, you must nonetheless make some desert in your life." -Carlo Carretto, Letters from the Desert
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Religion can get pretty strange pretty quickly. Mystical. Superstitious. Legalistic. Judgmental. Hypocritical. But religion isn't going away. The human race has an insatiable curiosity for the divine. Since the beginning of time, men and women have established elaborate rituals and traditions in an attempt to bridge the gap between the seen and the unseen; between the sacred and the secular.
Today there is no lack of resources to teach us about God. We are often quick to tell each other about the latest podcast, teaching, or song that stirs something within us. The problem is that often we have not learned how to let that stirring within our souls continue without the constant need of external things to stimulate us. We become dependent on "religion" and "religious offerings" allowing others to digest our spiritual food for us. So when the pressures of life come pressing in upon us we resign ourselves to the fact that the stirring within us will never be more than sporadic or temporary - when we can get to another conference or back to that book in the hammock without a to-do list bombarding our mind.
But what if that stirring in our soul was meant to come alive even in the busy, even in the mundane? What if what we longed for 'out there' had been offered to us within all along?
Join us this weekend as we begin a new message series called "Losing Your Religion" where we will be talking about engaging God, not religion.
Worship with us this weekend at 9am or 10:30am. Childcare and Sunday School/Youth Group* classes available.
*Youth Group meets during the 10:30am service.
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Just Worship
Join us on the evening of September 6th, from 6:30pm - 7:30pm, as we gather together and "Just Worship". Forget yourself, your circumstances, your problems, and just focus on God for an hour. Come, relax, rest, sing, BE in the presence of God as "He inhabits the praises of His people." (Psalm 22:3)
(Childcare provided for infants and children 0-5 years old.)
Sign Up for Nepal Updates
Are you interested in staying connected with our ministry partnership in Nepal? Let us know! We would love to include you on our monthly ministry update email newsletter. To be added, please fill out a connection card via paper or via our app, or email us at
[email protected]
.
New Guest Lunch New to Platt Park Church? Join us for lunch THIS Sunday, August 13th, immediately following the 10:30am service to learn more about our history, mission, and how to get connected in the life of the church. No registration necessary...just come on in!
Download our Church App.
We now have a custom church app you can download to stay connected with everything here at Platt Park Church! You can access sermons, events, and give, right through our Church's app. Just go to your phone's app store, search for Platt Park Church, and download. Or click here:
Download Our App
Party in the Parlor Looking for ways to connect in our faith community? Want to find a place to serve in our church, in Denver, or globally? Come to our "10 minute Connection Party!" Susan Stein will be in the parlor following both the 9am and 10:30am services and is excited to share opportunities for serving and connecting at Platt Park Church and beyond!
Looking for a way to connect in our faith community? Consider volunteering during Sunday morning services. We have needs for volunteers in the following areas: Greeter Team, Communion Servers, Hospitality Team, Media Presenters, and Children and Youth Ministry Volunteers. Contact Susan Stein ([email protected]) for more information, and get involved!
#CasseroleCare Volunteers.
We're thrilled to offer #CasseroleCare to our new moms, families undergoing a severe illness, and others in need! It's a good-old fashioned meal train, where we deliver home-cooked or freshly prepared restaurant dinners. Service opportunities include meal preparation, delivery, or simply donating a gift card from your favorite fast casual restaurant! Please indicate #CasseroleCare on your comment card, or contact Marcie Everett at [email protected] for additional details.
The APPLE TREE CLOSET is open for shopping! Beautiful, upscale women's clothing, shoes and accessories are regularly donated to us by Common Threads on South Pearl and you can purchase them for a fraction of their original price. Students and those with low income can even shop for free! The proceeds from this ministry benefit our Benevolence/Blessing Fund. Come check it out on the lower level! (Due to space limitations we are no longer accepting donated items from the congregation).
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SUMMER GROUPS
Small groups are one important way to grow deeper in relationships with God and with one another. We learn to know Christ more and how to follow him in word and deed in the context of community. Joining a small group is such a vital and easy way to get to know others in the church, establish friendships and grow in Christ in a more relaxed setting. Sometimes participating in a group can help you determine if joining a church in Denver is for you.
Adoption Connections - Leaders: Tim & Gwen Vogelzang
Fourth Friday of every month, 6:15pm - 8:pm in the Parlor
We welcome
Platt Park members as well as anyone outside the church body who has ties to the world of adoption. Whether you've adopted internationally, domestically, through foster care, you're considering adoption, you were adopted, you placed a child for adoption...everyone is welcome. Bring dinner and eat as a family at 6:00pm if you wish! Our formal time together will begin at 6:30 when we will share journeys, discuss adoption related topics, and grow in community.
Child
care
provided
(starting at 6:30).
Evening Edition (Women) - Leaders: Carol Schmidt & Heather Easter
Thursdays, 6:30 - 8:00pm in the Lounge, meal provided
"What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us." -A.W. Tozer.
W
e will look at who God is, what He says about us, and how we can live out these truths. We will approach this subject in a lighthearted and fun way
:
by choosing a popular song each week and see what we can learn about the true nature of God. We hope to be encouraged and challenged to live well!
An Embodied Life: God in my Mind, Body and Spirit - Leaders: Heather Taylor & Carolyn Duhn
2nd & 4th Thursdays, 7:00pm - 8:30pm in the Parlor
This group is open to all. We will be creating space to experience God in a holistic approach by integrating practices that engage the mind, body and spirit. Allowing God to restore the joy that exists in each of us, as we become aware of His holistic presence, so that we can live an abundant life in the Kingdom today.
Family Group - Leaders: Anne Coughlin & Olivia Kosky
Summer meeting times and locations TBA
Want to connect with other parents in our Platt Park Church community? Join us this summer for food, fun and fellowship. We will be gathering in different homes each month, so sign up here to be added to the email list and to get more information. Kids are welcome!
"Just Worship" - Leader: Charlie Dodrill
1st Wednesday of every month, in the Sanctuary
Do you ever just want to forget yourself, your circumstances, your problems, and simply focus on God for an hour? That's what we will do once a month this summer
by getting
together and worship
ping
God through song.
Come, relax, rest,
sing,
BE
in the presence of God as 'he inhabits the praises of his people' (Psalm 22:3). Childcare available for 0-5 years of age.
Monday Night Men - Leaders: Mark Bixler and Tim Vogelzang
Mondays @ 7:00pm, at Tim
Volgelzang's
Garage
This summer we will be meeting together for "Garage Mondays". Whether you are a motor junky or just wanting to hangout, come join us! We tackle working on everything from oil changes on a car to engine rebuilds on a motorcycle. Even if you don't like working on cars you can still come join for the great fellowship!
Morning Edition (Women) - Leaders: Kelli Detzel & Terri Hedberg
Thursday mornings, 10:00am - 11:30am, in the Parlor
We invite all women to join us this summer for a meaningful discussion of two relevant and thought provoking books. For the first 6 weeks, beginning June 1, we will discuss Rebekah Lyon's book, "You are Free." Next, beginning on July 20 we will discuss Ann
Voskamp's
book "The Broken Way." Come and join the conversation! Childcare is provided.
Simply Jesus - Leaders: Cindy & Marc Haverland and Doug & Margi Kidd
First & Third Mondays of every month, 7pm - 8:30pm, Location rotates homes
This group will provide a conversational space that will inspire people to consider, wonder, and dialogue about the person, life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. We will watch video talks from the Simply Jesus Gathering by renowned Christian thinkers such as Carl
Medearis
, N.T. Wright, & Phillip Yancey, and enjoy conversation around discussion questions. Sign up here to be placed on the email list.
Wednesday Morning Men - Leader: Tim Grade
Wednesdays, 7am - 8am @ the REI Starbucks (1416 Platte River Rd.)
We will be reading The Gift of Being Yourself: A Sacred Call to Self-Discovery, by David Benner. Come and join the conversation!
Enjoy a meal and get to know
some of the amazing
people in our faith community! Your host will offer "one question" to get the conversation started. The goal is simply to make friends and build community! Your host will provide the main course and guests are asked to bring a side or a dessert to share. Space is limited for each
gathering.
Please email your host directly for more details and to RSVP.
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July 9: $2,770.00
July 16: $11,254.71
July 23: $6,420.00
July 30: $8,060.00
August 6: $8,272.01
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