Working on a LEGACY: Half way through tour

The road thus far has been incredible fun, indescribable beauty, and incessant hard work. Five weeks in and I can also say that the road has contributed some very life enlightening experiences. This past Sunday we went to two different Christian church services…and by different I mean completely opposite ends of the worship spectrum. The first was called New Life in Colorado Springs. Sound familiar? If yes, maybe you’ve heard of Ted Haggard? Or the movie “Jesus Camp”? Yes, this would be the mega-mega-mega church that Ted Haggard founded and it is also featured in “Jesus Camp”. Although I was not used to the large scale production and super high energy during the service (I think its fair to say that Catholic mass is a little more subdued), I thought the Pastor’s message was remarkable, as were the friends that we went with. Later that day we attended a church in Denver, called Scum of the Earth. The church gets its name from the passage in 1 Corinthians 4:11-14:

“To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world—right up to this moment.”

Scum of the Earth intentionally breaks the mold in order to reach out to people who have felt rejected by society and/or more traditional churches. To be honest, I wanted to bust out my flip camera to capture the inside of the church and the service in order to properly convey the atmosphere and energy inherent in that place of worship. It was obviously different than any other church that I have ever been to, and it was so phenomenal to see how people from all walks of life can come together and worship as one. The experience of attending two completely opposite Christian churches in one day solidified my belief that we should focus more on what unifies us in faith, rather than what sets us apart.

As for Colorado…this state is a glorious one. Besides two days in the past week and a half, the weather has been perfect and the Rockies are always providing for some pretty killer scenery. It did snow about 8 inches last night in Denver so it is absolutely gorgeous out right now, but we had a screening canceled. So, we’re gonna make the best out of a bummer situation and live it up in Denver today. I haven’t gotten a real feel of this city yet, but in driving around I really like what I have seen (except for that atrocious Broncos Stadium…yuck).