Painting is fun.

The first Saturday in October, I got the chance to paint at Blue Sky Church. This is something that Phil and I got to do all the time when we lived in California at went to Revolution Church. It was very cool to publicly return to making art as an act of worship. Here is what I made: 

If you are interested in purchasing this painting (proceeds will go to Blue Sky’s Emergency Fund to help families who need help paying for essentials like groceries), contact Blue Sky through the link above!

Cycling anyone?

I have been thinking a lot about the ways that life seems to cycle around back on itself. It is that time again, I have started back to school and Phil starts next week. My brother’s back seems to be giving him some issues (understatement). We really feel like Coloradoans by now and the weather is starting to cool a bit, bringing back all my winter-y memories from the past year and I can’t believe how quickly the summer passed. 

All these disparate things came together when Joe talked about the disciple Thomas tonight at Blue Sky. I had only ever remembered the Thomas I saw in art history classes – when Thomas was sticking his finger inside Christ’s wound, Christ looking slightly disdained. But before that, Thomas was a committed man of faith, saying to the other disciples, “Let’s go, too—and die with Jesus,” (John 11:16). Later, Thomas eagerly waits for evidence of his resurrected Lord. He is skeptical after so much change with Jesus’s death; this faith-filled man has a cycle of doubt. 

I am so grateful that Thomas, as a model of faith, is given to us in the Word. Wouldn’t it be transformative if all churches embraced doubting as a cycle of faith? Just as doubting was a cycle for Thomas, a new school year can be a cycle, the seasons cycle and even physical pain can be a cycle – that will pass, change and evolve. 

How do we know it will evolve? Because Thomas does not hang on to his doubt; he does not choose to live in his doubt. He welcomes the return of Jesus and the return of his faith, saying “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28). 

So for me, it is so important to know this – God is present with believers even when they doubt. He is even compassionate toward us, that we go through such mental gymnastics we confuse ourselves. Just because God provided in the past does not mean (as we often think in our doubts) He will not provide now.

We Rocked

Not too long after we moved to Colorado we met a great couple named Mike and Virginia at church. They recently moved from Alabama and are avid rock climbers. Does it get much cooler or more hard core than that, I think not. Sarah and I are by no means hard core in the least. But when the weather warmed up we got our chance. Mike and Virginia took us and a group from church rock climbing. Mike said that it was an easy climb, but too me it was still shear rocks going straight up for about at least three or four hundred feet. in actuality Mike said it was about fifty, my sense of distance might have been off while I was trying with an absurd amount of energy to look like I wasn’t scared. I learned a few things that day, first was that I could actually get to the top of a cliff (the view was amazing), second was that we have pretty amazing friends, and third was that my asthmatic wife is a far superior rock climber than I am. She was amazing, she looked like she was running up the rock. My wife is a Hoss

Phil

Sorry about the pictures, we used a cellphone

Phil at the top of the world

Sarah mid run