Well, for my first blog entry, I think the easiest thing to do is to simply copy the e-mail update I sent out to most of my friends and family. Soon (very soon) I will post something new. Until then . . .
I imagine some of you may have been asking yourselves one or more of the following questions: Did Mandy actually ever move to Colorado? Did she die from boredom as she drove through the barren state of Kansas? After moving to Boulder, did she change her name to Moonflower, and join a cult that forbids communication with the outside world? Well, here are the long-awaited answers to these frequently asked questions: Yes, I did move to Colorado. I arrived here on March 10 around 7:00 p.m. (Mountain Time). No, I did not die from boredom as I drove through Kansas . . . but I did almost die from the tumbleweeds that hit my car every 15 seconds as they were blown by the 60 mph winds. And no, I did not change my name to Moonflower, nor did I join a cult. I do, however, meet twice a week with a group of around 15+ people in living rooms around Boulder, where we pray, fellowship, and come to a greater understanding of who Jesus is and what it means that the Kingdom of God is here--particularly that it's here in Boulder.
So yes, I am in Boulder. And even though I miss all of my friends and family a great deal, I'm absolutely loving life in Boulder. The mountains (which are actually foothills . . . but to a girl who grew up in the midwest, they're mountains) outside my window still take me off guard every morning. Several verses have taken on completely new meanings as I've sat for hours, amazed at the size and beauty of the mountains . . .
For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. Psalm 95:3-4
Your love, O Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep. Psalm 36:5-6
If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 1 Corinthians 13:2
Faith that could move a mountain would certainly be impressive, but without love, Paul writes, we are nothing. And I do love the people here, but I'm certainly still discovering how to actually put that love into practice here in Boulder, when everyone seems to be so different. In coffee shops, I'm often reminded of just how different the people here are when I overhear their conversations about the Peace Corp., astro-biology, and nudist colonies (all actual topics I've heard discussed in the last few weeks). Boulder is home to Buddhist monks, multi-millionaires, belly dancers, college students, fortune tellers, hippies, and street performers--all of which can often be spotted in a half-mile range on any given day.
But as a co-worker told me the other day, the thing that just about everyone in Boulder seems to have in common is that they have moved here to escape their old life and start a new and different one--the life they think they were meant to live. When my friend told me that, I wondered if she thought I had moved here for the same reason--to live the life I was meant to live. And the truth is that I did come here for that reason. The life I was meant to live is centered around the values of the Kingdom of God. What does that look like? Honestly, I'm not completely sure, but that's what I'm here to find out. All I know is that God has offered humanity access to Himself, and in Him life (and life to the full) is found. What an amazing message to give to a people who are searching for a way, a truth, and a life!
At the beginning of May, we will finally open our church doors to the people of Boulder. We had planned to do it sooner, but we found that we all needed a little more time to adjust to living in Boulder and to discover what the people here were all about before opening our doors. But that doesn't mean that we haven't already been making people a part of our lives. As we've started jobs, met neighbors, and regularly visited the same coffee shops, grocery stores, and restaurants, we've begun to engage the people of Boulder and gained quite a few friends.
We're all confident that God wants to move in Boulder and in the lives of these new friends, and we believe he will do so soon. David's words in Psalm 130:5-7 describe our current thoughts: I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. O Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption.
Unfailing love and full redemption are what we truly desire to make known to the people of Boulder. That is why we are here. We have found it, and we can't help but declare it to those who are seeking.
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