I (Heart) Atheists

A new friend I met where I go swing dancing got quite the surprise when she heard what I did for a living. Her response: "Oh, well you may not like me then. I'm an Atheist." I thanked her for her honesty and assured her that I don't limit my friendships to people who believe the same as I do. She told me she and her family had come across different speakers who challenged the belief in God, but apparently had never heard any good responses to those challenges. I got to meet her boyfriend and a bunch of other recent Vegas arrivals in the next few weeks. After a game night at her place her boyfriend caught wind of my "day job" and started asking me a lot of questions about what I believe, while sharing his own story. We decided to continue the conversation another night over dinner. I was surprised when they invited 2 others to join us, both of whom saw no valid use for "religion" as they saw it. Not all who came were open to respectful conversations on such matters (so we decided to table the conversation until later), but one has come to a couple of our Missional Community gatherings, while the original couple has asked about coming to hear me preach. I love the honesty and desire for community I see in this group, and would love to see what God has in store for them in the future.

On the Move...

I made an offer on a house in the heart of the neighborhood our Missional Community meets in (about 1/3 of it's market value 3 years ago) ... and the seller accepted it! Now I must wait for the bank to approve the short sale (may take a few months). While my swamp cooler in my temporary home struggles to keep up with temperatures over 110, I've been able to beat the heat the old fashioned way ... by heading to cooler climates!

At the end of June I was flown out to Colorado to DJ for the daughter of a family I lived with after graduating seminary. After celebrating "Canada Day" in Vegas with with a wedding group from Newfoundland (who somehow thought that being a Vegas DJ meant I knew where they could get drugs at that hotel), I flew to Canada over 4th of July to visit some family I hadn't seen for 9 years. Great time of reconnecting in the beautiful foothills of the Canadian Rockies (the picture above is from their ranch). The next Sunday I preached in response to 3 questions given for our "I Have a Question" sermon series, all revolving around the origin of the Bible and how we understand it as a church. The next week I was off to fill the pulpit for another church in the area. It's encouraging to see what God is doing in other churches throughout this city. Final count: 4 churches in 4 weeks, 7 planes, 3 cancelled / rerouted flights, 2 malfunctioning video projectors, and 1 home sweaty (err... sweet) home.

Coming Up...

At the end of August I get to play tourist in my own town as my mom and her sister come to visit. But before my "stay-cation" I have an action-packed 4 weeks. This week I travel to Chicago for some church planter training with other planters from around the country. It should be a great opportunity to learn from others who have been down this road before. When I get back I'll work my 11th DJ gig of the month (yikes!), and we'll get to celebrate the wedding of a couple in our Paradise Missional Community right there in the back yard of the home that hosts it. My focus will then be preparing for sermons and the final exams of my ordination process in August. Assuming all goes well, I would then be ordained here in Las Vegas September 25th. Please pray for these times of training and preparation. It will be a very intense month, I'm sure.