A New Lifelong Friend

This is one of the friends I made while living in Colorado. He is like many Coloradians, he appreciates hiking in the mountains, sleeping outside, growing a killer beard and even eating organic. I met him hiking a 14er called Quandary Peak.

Update from the Mountains

Putting down some roots for the sake of growth

Hello Everyone,

I wanted to write an update for anyone who is interested and what better medium than our old, dusty, unused blog!

Suzanna and I just celebrated two years since our move to Clark, Colorado and we have thought back on all the memories, relationships and the faithfulness of God. One thing we both emphatically agree on is that it has been a wonderful two years. This place really does feel like home to us now.

Over the last few months we have had some doors open, some close and some really great opportunities outside of Clark. There was an opportunity on Colorado's "front-range," one back in the Midwest and even something out of the country. And while these were good and exciting opportunities, Suzanna and I were struggling with leaving this place. It just didn't seem like we were supposed to leave yet. There is so much opportunity for the local church in Clark to grow and develop and we wanted to be a part of what God is already doing here, in this unlikely place.

Updates & Stories

Hi Everyone!

I hope you are all doing well! As I write this the sun is shining which is AWESOME - since most of February has been overcast. The Elk are out in full force as we drive to and from steamboat each week (they like to steal food from all of the cows). And things are going great. There is a lot to update you on as we move into March, so here are a few things to catch you up.

Christmas Eve (better late than never)

Many of you know already but our Christmas Eve Service went great! I preached at two services- one further north in the old Hahn's peak village school house, and one at NRCC in the charter school. For several years if has been a community tradition for some of the folks that live in Hahn's peak village to have a Christmas Eve service at the historic school house and this year I was asked to speak. It was a lot of fun and we actually used the school bell to call people in - which was ... Awesome! We had about 30 people show up to that at about 5PM. Then 2.5 hours later we had our service for North Routt Community Church and it was a blast! It was an absolutely packed house (We ran out of chairs) of a 100 people and we were able to join together and celebrate the birth of our King. It was really special. Here are a few pictures from the night.

A few people in the back (mostly from Vista Verde) were troopers as they stood most of the night. 

There is Andrew (left) & Bubba (Right) leading us in worship. (2 of 6 who helped lead us) 

More worship!

Singing "Silent Night" with candles lit

It was an awesome night to see the community gather like that! Right after service Suz and I packed up and jetted off to Indianapolis/Chicago for the holidays, which brings us into another story...

The nightmare that was Christmas travels (At least Denny's is open on Christmas day)

Suz and I were all hopped up on caffeine and ready to drive through the night (we had left Clark around 11PM). The plan was to drive straight to Kansas City so we could caravan with Suzanna's sister and brother in-law,  Bekah and Andrew. But sometimes plans don't work out. Instead we didn't even make it to Kansas before our Subaru said, "you know what? I don't really feel like driving anymore" - which sounded a lot like our engine popping, followed by a horrible clicking noise. Long story short we broke down at 6AM, Christmas day in Stratton Colorado - which with no disrespect, it is in the middle of nowhere... So we get the car towed to Burlington CO which actually had some shops. We get our car to 1 of their two shops and have our very nice tow guy drop us off at a mom and pop motel. It was so "mom and pop" that the owner (an older lady) came out in a bath robe because she had been in the shower (haha). After she heard our sob story (I also told her I was a pastor) she took pity on us and gave us a room for free. It was incredibly nice and took a little of the sting out of a pretty crummy Christmas. In between naps and HGTV  we tried to figure out how the heck we were going to get to Indianapolis without a car (The shop was closed for the day and I was pretty sure the engine was shot) and no rental car for 200+ miles from where we were. So we did the only thing we could- we walked to the nearby gas station/Dennys to eat our feelings...And because of the emotional state we were in - it was glorious. However, although we went back to our room full we still didn't know what to do. At this point the family knew we were stuck and Andrew (brother in-law) offered to come get us and drive us back to KC - A total of 12 HOURS! Even though we felt bad, we accepted and he came and brought us back to KC and from there we all decided to drive through the night again (I know, what were we thinking). They let Suz and I borrow their second car and we hit the road. Well to close the story we got to Indy and Chicago, so it all worked out. I turns out the Subaru blew it's engine and needed a replacement. We decided to go ahead and replace it since the cost was much less than its worth. We would have never been able to afford it if it wasn't for the generosity of family that graciously chose to foot the bill for us and we could not be more thankful! So that was the condensed Saga of our trip back to the Midwest

Since we've been back 

In the months that we have been back a lot has happened. We are so thankful for the ways that God has worked in and through our community here. We had one of my mentors Keith Carlson come and stay with us, which was a great encouragement. We are continuing to meet every week for service and every month for community dinners in each others homes. We now want to have a community outreach dinner at the charter school for anyone and everyone who wants to come and eat with us. We are thinking of doing that every other month and advertising it in the community. Also this month, I participated in a 2 day training program called ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) because suicide is a surprising, yet glaring issue within our community. Also NRCC is in the process of partnering with a group called REPS (Reaching Everyone Preventing Suicide) to run a clinic up in Clark for the whole community to be trained in ways to be aware of warning signs and how we can ask questions and connect others to help and resources. Suicide is such an area of brokenness here and we want the Church to step into that brokenness to offer love and hope to those who feel hopeless. And to close with, we finally got the internet at home!!! We were without the internet at home for about a month and a half, which was preeeetty awful. So since we are hooked up to the world wide web you can now expect more updates from us in the near future.

Please let us know if you have anymore questions, comment below or email me at dbloom2388@gmail.com
We also have a Facebook page for the Church that will give some info on whats happening at the church, so be sure to check it out if you are interested!

Thanks so much for your love and support,

Dave & Suz

Church Update

Hi Everyone,

        I hope you are all doing well and had an awesome Thanksgiving! Suzanna and I are feeling the effects of our first winter in the mountains. We are happy to report that we're doing just fine after our first few weeks, which is a good sign because we have about 6 more months... But both of our cars now have snow tires on (I bet there are a few of you that didn't know those existed) and we have a full supply of canned goods for hot chili's and stews, so we are ready for it!

        It is hard to believe Suzanna and I have already been out here for 7 months. Time has flown by and we feel blessed as we look back on all that God has done out here. Here are a few updates on how things have been going up here in North Routt.

CHURCH UPDATES

Young Adult Group- We have been in the "off-season" for Vista Verde and lot of seasonal people are not returning and most of the winter returners are home until mid-December. So our group is about 1/3rd the size from the Summer. So we have decided to move from the charter school and instead we meet at our house or our friends place. There are 8 of us that meet every week to share a meal, worship, discuss the Book of Matthew, and then pray together. As we have moved into each others homes, with a smaller group we have grown a lot closer and the conversations are very rich. This group has been a HUGE blessing for Suzanna and I to build great relationships with people our age.

Community Gatherings- On the last Friday of every month we gather in someones home to share a meal, worship and pray together. We have had two so far and they have been a blast! Each time About 20 people were crammed into the downstairs of our cabin for a whole mess food and bunch of delicious sides. We worship together and spend time in prayer. It has been a really meaningful experience for us and we have had a lot of fun. The reason we started this is so that we could be intentional about how we do community. I had preached about community from the book of Acts and I thought that it would be good to actually try and live out the things that we read. We wanted to share our lives with one another in each others homes, with good food, worship and prayer. The plan is to continue this intentional practice more frequently as we share our lives together more and more as a community.

FUTURE GOALS

Discipleship- This has been a huge passion on my heart for the last few years. This passion has caused me to wrestle with the same question, Is the church in America making disciples of Jesus? Although, it is happening in pockets for sure, I would say as a whole, not so much. It seems as the church we have either neglected the great commission or we just assume we are fulfilling it through Sunday school and sermons. So I have been reading and developing (and taking notes from Grace Community Church) what it might look like if we got serious about making disciples like Jesus did. So the plan is to invite a handful of passionate disciples into a group study (with 12 core practices of discipleship) that we practice as a group, for about a year. Then after that year we are sent out to go and disciple 2-3 people in our lives through an intentional, consistent and committed relationship, where the "discipler" walks alongside, teaches and models what it looks like to follow Jesus in everyday life. For those of you who don't think this is suuuper boring here is an word doc that explains it in a little more detail. I am actually going to share this with the pastors of Steamboat in our next pastors meeting. My dream is that there could be "discipleship hubs" all over steamboat that are developing devoted disciples of Jesus. I think relational discipleship could could have a huge impact in a place like steamboat (which is 85% un-churched).

Small Groups- Another thing I am passionate about is small groups. Getting the church into close-knit groups that do life together and learn what it means to follow Jesus and live out the gospel in tangible ways. We want our community to be marked by the things have changed us, and shaped us as God's people. I think small groups are a great platform for a group of disciples to come together for fellowship, and to press into each others lives. I believe it is the kind of environment where the body of Christ can explore and practice what it means to be the church through gathering together and implementing the teachings of Christ in the context of genuine community (at least that is the hope!!)

Outreach- Over the past few months God has been showing me the different and unique needs up here for people. Almost every Wednesday I eat a pizza (pie and pint night!!) at the bar in the Roadhouse that is right down the road from our house (yes we have a couple of restaurants here). Every once in a while a local guy will share his life with me. A couple of them have given me a glimpse into some of the addiction, depression and loneliness that folks experience up here. There is a lot of hurt and brokenness that manifests itself in substance abuse and a crazy high suicide rate, which supposedly has continued to rise each year. So at NRCC we want to address these areas of brokenness and hopelessness with compassion, love and hope that's only found in Jesus. I have been able to connect with the principle at the charter school in Clark (where we meet for church) and he is excited about partnering in some way to address the needs of our community. In order to do that we want to develop an outreach team that can plan events, gatherings and initiatives that take intentional steps toward living out the gospel in more tangible ways and serving those around us, so that we can be salt and light to the community of Clark Colorado.

As we look back on our first 7 months here we can see just how much God has blessed us with relationships, ministry partners and loads of encouragement even in the face of challenges. We are so grateful for your continued support and prayer as God in his grace, continues to teach us how to lead others in humility. If you have any specific questions please don't hesitate to email me at dbloom2388@gmail.com.

Thank you all so much!

Dave & Suzanna

PS: Stay tuned for a picture update from Suzanna

A New Addition... And It's Not Another Puppy!!

Well, I bet you think Suzanna is pregnant... sorry to disappoint.

Even though our new addition to Colorado is not another puppy but a human being, he is in fact a full grown man.

Meet Andrew Fackler

This is us hiking in the Zirkel Wilderness! 

Some of you already know but a friend of mine from Indianapolis moved out mid-August to work at the Ranch and help organize and lead our worship team. 

Back Story

I met Andrew when I was an intern at Access the young adult ministry at Grace Community Church. He was the worship team leader during my internship and I got to know him more and more especially as he joined our small group. Over the past year, we became good friends. 

Last March I went backpacking in the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee. It was a last hurrah with my Indianapolis hiking buddies, Andrew and Kyle Affolder. We hiked for a few days and it was a great trip, even in spite of some real nasty weather and cold nights. One day Andrew and I were talking and out of the blue I asked Andrew to move out to Colorado. Our Conversation went something like this...

Me- "Hey, you should move out to Colorado and basically do what you are doing right now and get paid for it and then you can help lead worship for the church"

Andrew- "Get paid to hike and stuff?" 

Me- "Yeah, like guide trips and stuff at the Ranch"

Andrew- "Yeah, that would be sweet... but I don't want to just give up on culinary school. I want to do something that would at least be in that field"

....3 Hours Later....

Andrew- "Hey, you said the Ranch has really good food there, right?"

Me- "Uh huh, like really fancy, hoity toity stuff...in a good way"

Andrew- "So they have chefs there then?"

Me- "yeah, really good ones!"

Andrew- "Hmm, maybe you could talk with the manager or something" 

-End Scene-

          Saturday August 17th Andrew hopped on a flight with Suz and I to Denver to start his new job as a line cook at Vista Verde Ranch. So far he loves it! In his first week he worked 60hrs, road a horse, rock climbed, hiked in the Zirkel wilderness and cliff jumped into mountain lakes and he led worship at church and for our young adult group. Since then he has continued to pour into the Church by leading worship and helping in any way he can. He has been a great addition to our ministry team. It is so cool to see how God has brought so many things together, so don't be surprised if any of you get called to come out here to help NRCC!

PS. He also fries up some mighty tasty trout while backpacking!