Did you know coffee was a means of grace?

Over the past three weeks, I started having “coffee hours” at Muddy’s with students.  I send out a Facebook announcement the day before and wait to see who will show up.  Without fail, at least one person shows up and some of the most amazing conversations take place.  Many times, two or three gather and new friendships are born.  I find a way to ask about what they are looking for in a church, what they need from God at this moment in their lives, and how we can serve them while they are at school.  The answers they give blow me away and continue to shape what the Yellow Door is becoming.   The stories they have begun to entrust me with allow me to share their burdens and listen to what God is doing in their lives.  Without asking, many have asked to be a part of the leadership team.

Good coffee.  Deep conversations.  Earl Grey tea.  The Holy Spirit.  Free internet.  Perfection.

Seeking Jesus Prayer Guide

This semester, we are working our way through the seven miracles and seven “I AM” statements of Jesus in the Gospel of John.  I turned back to these passages when we came up with our initial mission statment for the Yellow Door:

Yellow Door is a community of young adults seeking to live out the beauty, truth, and justice of Jesus Christ.

As we read, pray, and teach through these passages in John, we are asking how our deepest needs as human beings are met in the work (miracles) and person (I AM statements) of Jesus.  I don’t have any preconceived ideas of what we will experience, just a hope that Jesus will break into the lives of these students dreaming and visioning what the Yellow Door will become.  Again, I want to invite you to pray along with us and I would love to hear what God has revealed to you about the work and person of Jesus and how we should live that out here on The Plaza.

Acts 2:42-47
42They DEVOTED themselves to the APOSTLES’ TEACHING (STUDY) and FELLOWSHIP, to the BREAKING OF BREAD (WORSHIP) and the PRAYERS.  43 Awe came upon everyone, because many wonders and signs were being done by the apostles (HEALING). 44All who believed were together and had all things in common (UNITY); 45they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need (GENEROSITY). 46Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food (RELATIONAL) with glad and generous hearts (THANKFUL), 47praising God and having the goodwill of all the people (FAVOR). And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved (GROWTH).

My imagination for what the Yellow Door should be continues to grow out of this simple description of the early church.  John Ed Mathison preached a great sermon off of this text at COR this summer on “How to Build An Awe-ful Church”.  There’s nothing new, but we have to be devoted.  I would invite you to print this out, pray through it with me, and ask God to help us live out this ministry in a way that our devotion is marked by the same characteristics of the early church.