Sorry for the Silence
Hey there friends of the Van Waardhuizens / Capitol City Church. Let me start by apologizing for a long hiatus from the digital updates. Honestly, these can be challenging to prioritize because I, like most of my peers and fellow Americans, are subtly (aggressively?) addicted to that dopamine hit that comes from affirmation. Believe it or not their isn’t much of a hit from these blog updates. So… I’m sorry for the silence.
Now that I have helped you all practice the ways of Jesus by both patience and forgiveness, I’d love to share what we are up to this year and what God has been teaching us along the way.
The primary theme for this year has been good, old fashioned, ordinary, day by day, week by week, faithfulness. By no means am I saying that we are nailing, as is implied in the category of “learning,” but it is very much a part of our life. The crazy thing about faithfulness is that so often you aren’t really even sure if you are doing it. But over the course of the last ten months we have experienced more and more clarity that faithfulness is a major piece of living as a missionary follower of Jesus.
What’s wild about faithfulness is how the primary context of this lesson is in the midst of doubt, hopelessness, and confusion either from trial or from mediocrity. When nothing is going exceptionally well or exceptionally terrible it is easy to question. “What are we even doing? What is the point? Wait what is happening? Did God really say? Are we being obedient?” These are a smattering of questions that come around and around to anyone once you “settle in” to the life. Or as previously mentioned these come up when the dopamine hit hasn’t been there or simply isn’t satisfying like it used to.
As followers of Jesus we are attempting that age old discipline of “a long obedience in the same direction.”
As leaders of a church community in our home we are attempting to be obedient to the scriptures, to prayer, to the proclamation and demonstration of the gospel, and to spiritual formation into the likeness of Christ. As missionaries in our neighborhood and in city we are attempting to be faithful to our neighbors, to our kids’ school, to the felt needs around us, to intercession and petition for those we know and love, and to just being present. As a couple we are attempting to be faithful to one another, to our kids, and to boundaries we need in work, rest, and play. All of this being done as ordinary people following the Spirit of God after the teachings of Jesus, King of kings.
When I look over this last year here are a few faithful things we have attempted:
Weekly gatherings of believers for the reading of scripture and prayer.
Feasts of celebration and consecration with our community both in a sober winter form as well as jovial summer camping trip
Intentional pursuit of the practices of sabbath and prayer with our community to reset upon the presence of God as our resting place and starting point in life / ministry.
We raised over $2000 to help purchase a car for our 17 year old friend who has been in recovery and needed a car as she is entering the workforce.
Easter brunch in our backyard where around thirty neighbors showed up to feast with us under the banner of Jesus whether they believed or did not.
Hosting an end of year party for our kids’ school where we blessed the kids (and parents) with cotton candy, popcorn, face-painting, and bouncy houses.
Ally and I participating in monthly trainings with other leaders of house church communities as we explore partnership together in our city.
Just last week we hosted a week of unbroken prayer (yes, 24 hours a day) with those previously mentioned house churches. What a sweet experience!
Ally and I pursuing covocational work in her tattoo business, and me working in coffee once again for a beautiful company Servant Coffee.
Two different couples from within our community started a marriage over the summer and I (Michael) got to officiate both weddings.
Multiple discovery bible studies started (and stopped) with people far from Jesus.
Ally and I celebrated 10 years of marriage by visiting Costa Rica!
Countless birthday parties, underground music concerts, Denver Nuggets games, backyard hangouts, soccer games and practices, after school playground hangouts, etc with wonderful friends in our school and neighborhood who simply don’t love Jesus, but through friendship are meeting Jesus in , word and deed.
And I’m sure there is a lot more I have forgotten…
It has been a great year even in the confusion. We are keenly aware of our neighborhood and Denver in general being a tough place for the seeds of the gospel to take root, but we are more than certain this is where Jesus has called us. He loves this city more than I can ever fathom and we want to keep joining him in showing and telling of his great love bottomless love.
What I hope you pray for us is what I pray for you:
Ephesians 3:14-21
“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
