TreasureField – Our new name and logo

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field.  When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” – Jesus in Matthew 13:44

In this short story, Jesus describes the incomparable value of the kingdom of God and what great lengths one might go to to get it.  As a small church plant, we feel like the man in this story.  And we’ll gladly do whatever it takes to gain the kingdom.  What a joy it is to be a part of God’s family and demonstrate His love to people around us!

That’s why we’ve decided to name our church network plant “TreasureField”.  My brother, Matt, has helped us through the branding process, and we’re excited about the final product.  Here’s a basic explanation of our values and growth environments.

RealtimeChurch.com

Every now and then, an idea comes along that makes you say, “Why didn’t I think of that?”  RealtimeChurch.com is one of those ideas.

RealtimeChurch.com is social networking that actually does something.  Critical needs or situations are posted by members, everyone else reads the post and jumps in to help if they can.  Very simple and absolutely life-changing for those in need.  I love and admire Josh Buck, and I’ve joined this cause.  Please consider joining right now… it’ll only take a minute.

Go to RealtimeChurch.com

Join the facebook group here.

Follow RealtimeChurch on Twitter here.

Church Of 2

Ever wish you honestly enjoyed reading your Bible or praying?  Do you find it hard to spend time with God daily?  I know I do.

The truth is that there is no magic formula or one way of doing it, but I’ve recently discovered a new tool or “training wheels” to help me with these problems.  It’s called a Church Of 2 (CO2 – cheesy, but memorable).  It’s simply a phone call each day (or as close to each day as possible) where we share and discuss two simple things: how we’re feeling and what Jesus has been saying to us.  The assumption, of course, is that we’ve spent at least a little time with Jesus before the phone call.  I’ve only been doing this for a few days and it’s already impacting me deeply.

“C’mon Marty… I don’t have a spare minute.  I can’t do this!”  What if you took the time to call a friend and talk for 20-30 minutes during a commute, while cooking dinner, or instead of watching America’s Got Talent?  What might happen if you MADE time to connect with God and connect deeply with a friend?  It’s been my experience that you never regret that.

So here’s the pitch…  Join me and several people in our church plant in an experiment.  Try out CO2 with a friend for 31 days (starting Oct. 1).  At the end of it, reevaluate and move forward as you wish.  Is 31 days too long?  At least give it two weeks.  I challenge you and your friend to SIGN UP HERE (enter your email in the box on the right) to get the CO2 email updates.  Make an appointment with the Lord and your friend for Oct. 1st, and give it a try.  It might just change your life!

Have more questions?  HERE’S A VIDEO that thoroughly explains CO2 and what to do when you get on the phone with your friend.  You can also post questions or comments here and I’ll do my best to address them.

Don’t go to church. Be the church.

On October 11th, we’re going to put our time and energy where our mouths are.  We’re partnering with our mother church, Cherry Creek Wesleyan, to serve two widows in a neighborhood near us.  As a church, we want to be serious about being the Body of Christ to the world around us: demonstrating God’s love tangibly.   (As a side note, we’re proud to have come from a church that is willing to cancel Sunday morning service in order to do some “real” service!)

The lady we will be focusing on is Karen.  We met her a few months ago and have been slowly building a relationship with her.  She is plagued with many health problems and is basically shut-in.  She has a very difficult time getting around, and needs help getting her house into a more comfortable and organized state.  We’ll also be enlisting some volunteer handymen to help do some basic maintenance projects that are simply too difficult for Karen.

We’re excited about this first big serve project, and we’ll let you know how it goes!

Corban is 2!

Hard to believe our little dude has been around for 2 years now.  We sure love him.

-Jaclyn

The Church is Not a Building

An article worth reading from John Eldridge.  This is a spot-on description of the MiniChurches we’re growing.

Church is not a building. Church is not an event that takes place on Sundays. I know, its how we think of it. “I go to First Baptist.” “We are members of St. Luke’s.” “Is it time to go to church?” Much to our surprise, that is not how the Bible uses the term. Not at all. When the Scripture talks about church, it means community. The church is little fellowships of the heart that are outposts of the kingdom. A shared life. They worship together, eat together, pray for one another, go on quests together. They hang out together, in each other’s homes. When Peter is sprung from prison, “he went to the house of Mary the mother of John…where many people had gathered and were praying” (Acts 12:12).

Anytime an army goes to war or an expedition takes to the field, it breaks down into little platoons and squads. And everychronicle of war or quest will tell you that the men and women who fought so bravely fought for each other. That’s where the acts of heroism and sacrifice take place, because that’s where the devotion is. You simply can’t be devoted to a mass of people; devotion takes place in small units, just like a family.

We have stopped short of being an organization; we are an organism instead, a living and spontaneous association of individuals who know one another intimately, care for each other deeply, and feel a kind of respect for one another that makes rules and bylaws unnecessary. A group is the right size, I would guess, when each member can pray for every other member, individually and by name.

This is the wisdom of Brother Andrew, who smuggled Bibles into communist countries for decades. It’s the model, frankly, of the church in nearly every country but the U.S. Now, I’m not suggesting you don’t do whatever it is you do on Sunday mornings. I’m simply helping you accept reality – that whatever else you do, you must have a small fellowship to walk with you and fight with you and bandage your wounds. This is essential.

---

To subscribe to this email, create a profile at www.ransomedheart.com/myprofile
See also the Ransomed Heart Podcast at www.ransomedheart.com/podcast

A Worship Gathering of Colorado House Churches

Tonight was special.  I went to downtown Denver for the first ever worship gathering of Colorado house churches… what a sweet time of Christian fellowship and worship of the Father!  Big thanks to all the volunteers that put the event together and led us in songs.

The Funny Part of our Move

After two long days of moving, the last thing I wanted to do was deconstruct, move, and reconstruct our trampoline.  So this is what we did instead!

Four Steps to Starting a Small Business

I recently met a guy who wants to start a small business, but he didn’t know where to start.  Getting and EIN number, a Trade Name, dealing with taxes… it can all be pretty scary.  Well here are four simple steps to starting a small business.  Is this all you need to do to be rolling in dough?  No.  But it gets you up and running.  And legal.

Four Steps to Starting a Small Business

1. Apply for your EIN# from the IRS either online or by phone HERE.  I believe this is free.  (When it comes to paying your business taxes… I suggest you get a tax guy or go to H&R Block.)
2. If you live in CO, go HERE to register a Trade Name with the Colorado Secretary of State.  It’s $20.  If not, google “register trade name in [your state]“.  Don’t worry, it’s a very simple process.
3. If you live in Aurora, drive to the Aurora government building and go into the Tax and Licensing Office and they will give you THIS FORM.  You will fill it out and pay $32.50 which is good for your first 2 years.  Again, if you don’t live in Aurora, go to your city’s government office and they will assist you.  It’s not difficult or expensive in most cases.
4. With your EIN#, registered Trade Name, and your Business License, you’re ready to go to a local bank and start a small business checking account.  I highly recommend Chase bank, but whoever you’re comfortable with will walk you through starting an account.  Now, people can make checks payable to “Your Business Name” and that feels great!

***Hint: When you’re self-employed, the taxes can be really steep.  So every time you get paid, I suggest putting %15 or %20 of it into savings.  Let that savings account build up (don’t touch it for any reason!) and then pay your taxes with it at the end of the year… whatever you have remaining in savings is good for investing back into your business (or for an annual bonus for yourself!)

So there you go… now you’re ready to get out there and make a niche for yourself!  Have fun!

If you need help with a business name, logo, website, or business cards, I highly recommend my brother, Matt.  Tell him I sent you.

Why I Love MailChimp

If you’ve joined our email list, you get our updates in your inbox bright and early every Monday morning.  They are delivered by my favorite monkey, MailChimp.  They make email communications fun and easy.  I’ve used it for three years and it keeps getting better with new features and better reporting.  I love being able to see exactly who opened, what they clicked, and compare all my email campaigns.  (Yes, I’m watching you!)

It just got even better… MailChimp’s “forever free” is not a free trial… it’s free forever.  As long as your list is under 500 people and you send less than 3,000 emails a month, you’re set.  I can’t recommend this more highly.  If you send out an annual family newsletter, send it free by email.  If you coach your daughter’s soccer team, send out great looking schedule reminders and team news.  If you have a church or youth group under 500 people, use MailChimp for free and look like a pro… With no technical skills needed!  (You’re welcome, MailChimp.)