Riding the wind...

This past Sunday, a handful of "Riders" from the Church at Park City got together after 2nd service and rode up to Coronado Heights, north of Lindsborg, Ks.  In a word, it was a "stunning" day for a ride, and it would have been nearly impossible to have asked for a better one.  And, for me, it wasn't just an additional event on an already packed Sunday schedule, it was a much needed few hours of being on the road with Jesus.

I don't know what it was, but being there, riding together with a group of people, on a beautiful day, across the wide open Kansas spaces, watching the road roll out before me and the land unfold all around, taking in all of the scents of early Fall (sunflower fields, headed out milo, harvested corn, freshly tilled soil, blossoming alfalfa, and newly swathed hayfields), and hearing the roar of the wind in my ears... it just opened my soul.  And, with each additional mile I prayed a prayer that felt like an involuntary response of my heart saying, "I'm listening Lord, speak to me please..."

Once we arrived at our destination, we parked our bikes and climbed to the top of the sandstone WPA castle at the crest of the hill.  From the top of the castle we spent a few minutes talking about our ride and what all we noticed and experienced along the way.  Then we spent some time "taking in" what is undoubtedly one of the best views in the state of Kansas.  It is a view that is indeed picturesque, to say the least.

During our last 20 minutes on the hill, we all took some individual alone time to observe our surroundings, think about our lives, about what we really needed, and about what God might be saying to us at that particular moment.  As we all met back at our bikes, getting ready to head out, one of the things that a couple of us discussed that we had noticed were the vultures that were "riding the wind" all around the summit of the hill. 

For me, the really cool thing was that not only had we each noticed the vultures, but that we had also received the same "word from the Lord."  Which was...  "Don't fight the wind... ride it.  Ride the wind like they do."  For me, the moment that word came to my heart, it found instant application.  And, as soon as I received it, I whispered a prayer and said "Bring the wind Lord, whatever it is, I'll ride it.  I'm so sorry for all of my resistance and for all of the ways I have fought for control of my life and of the winds I encounter every day.  Bring the wind Lord, Bring it, I want to fly like they do."

So...  How you doin'?  How has the wind impacted your life to date?  What if now, right now, may just be a great time to begin to realize that the Christian life is actually a lot less about fighting the wind, resisting it, hunkering down and hiding from it, and a lot more about jumping up, lifting off, taking flight, and allowing the winds of life, that we never have been able to control or stop anyway, to be the very thing that helps us become who and what we were actually created to be in the first place?  What if that which we have previously feared and fiercely resisted is in God's reality the very thing that we most need in order to become who and what we have always wanted and dreamed of becoming?

I don't know about you, but for me it's time to pray "Bring the wind Lord, and give me the faith to ride it..." as I keep on keepin' on in Jesus through it all.

Isaiah 40:31

-Pastor Rob

By the way...  John, the guy on the right-hand side of this picture, said a prayer of faith and became a brother in Christ right before we headed back down the hill last Sunday afternoon!  What a truly awesome day!

"So... What's A LifeHouse?!?!"

"So...  What's a LifeHouse?"  I've been getting that question a lot lately, and, quite honestly, I love it! 

For us, here at The Church at Park City, the "LifeHouse" started with the realization of a "need" that was revealed to us through our first organized prayer-walk back in July of 2011.  From that point it became a recurring prayer in which we began to ask God; "Lord, what can we do to make a difference here in Park City, in the lives of young, single moms, who find themselves with limited resources and options?"  And, from that prayer request forward, that "revealed need" became a recurring theme that God began to lay on the hearts of people who were drawn by God into the life and ministry of the Church at Park City.  It was a theme that would resurface again and again in prayer and in conversation, at small group gatherings, church functions, and in interpersonal interactions as different people, from different backgrounds, shared either similar personal first hand experiences, and/or a common burden for single moms facing difficult circumstances and uncertain times.

Then, in January of 2013, during our "Sanctity of Life" message series, I asked a "What if?" question and issued a challenge to our church...  "What if God wants C@PC to not just be a 'Pro-Life' church, but to also take a very real step of faith and open a 'LifeHouse' here in Park City for young moms facing an unplanned pregnancy?"  In response, a handful of people gathered that Sunday AM after the message and prayed.  In that prayer, we asked God to abundantly provide for whatever it was that He would call us to do.  And, in many truly remarkable ways, God began to answer, not only that prayer, but every prayer that we prayed, every time we asked Him to show us His will regarding the C@PC "LifeHouse."  God's answers came as He provided more people who expressed interest in making the LifeHouse happen, and more people to pray for it.  He then provided answers through a group of people who began to investigate options and possibilities for a "LifeHouse."  And, then... He actually provided a person who literally felt called to sacrifice their (then current) place of residence in order to make room for a young mom in need of a LifeHouse.  And, finally, God also provided a couple who offered that same (and now open) residence (an additional home they owned here in Park City) as the future home of "LifeHouse" itself.  Stunning!  Truly!

Today, all of those answered prayers have become a revealed "Calling" that has been placed on our hearts (as a church) by God.  It is a calling for C@PC to provide an 18-month program, that takes place in a stable, structured, safe environment, specifically designed for first time, single moms, who find themselves in need of a place that can help them create a new beginning for themselves and for their baby.  Presently, we are in need of people to help with some basic interior and exterior preparations (painting, flooring, cleaning, etc.) and we are also in need of a Godly, live-in, resident "house-mother" as well.  Our daily prayer is that God (as He has so faithfully before) will continue to provide the answers we ask of Him, and that He will help us be able to have the house open and ready for our first Mother and child "house guests" by June 1st of 2013.

So... will you join The United Methodist Church at Park City as we continue to step forward, seeking to make this "Calling" and this new ministry opportunity a reality?  If you are interested, we'd like to invite you to come to our "LifeHouse Community Luncheon & Open House" (1419 Beaumont here in Park City) on Sunday, May 19th, from 12:00 Noon to 2pm.  This "Open House" event will not only give you a chance to come and see the LifeHouse in person, but it will also provide you with an opportunity to see the needs firsthand and to sign up to help out in whatever way you may be feeling led by God to do so.

I Hope To See You There!

Keep On Keepin' On...

Rob Schmutz, Pastor
The Church at Park City
Zechariah 4:10a

(For more info call 316-744-0029 or email us at
churchatparkcityops@gmail.com)

Happy Birth-Month C@PC!!!

Happy Birth-Month C@PC!!!

Sunday, February 5th, 2012 was the last day of an unforgettable kind of weekend. On Friday the 3rd, C@PC'ers Eddie & Jeannine Pennington exchanged marriage vows to become the official first couple to get married in the church! (Happy Anniversary Eddie & Jeannine!) Then, on Saturday the 4th, we had our first funeral, out at the "101 Club" north of Park City, and celebrated the life of an amazing woman (and sister in sobriety) named Annette Kerr. Then, it was on the next day that we actually opened our doors for our first "Official" Worship & Connection time on Sunday the 5th, and then later had our First-Annual "Super Bowl" party that evening.

What had initially started 6 years earlier as a "gnawing" burden for the Park City Community (that had first been placed on my heart as I drove through Park City to do marriage counseling and home visits with a couple that had moved from Benton, Ks, into the Chisholm Creek Mobile Home Park here in Park City) had finally become a real church, with an actual "open" door... And, even though we were meeting in a formerly bankrupt "Movie Gallery" building, in a foreclosed-on Strip Mall, in a space that looked more like a "bar" than a church, in a community where three churches had recently closed down in the past three months, we actually managed to scrape together 121 humans to come to our very first service... (Though I'm pretty sure we had to count expectant mothers as "2" to get that number!)

Looking even farther back, it was in February of 2011, that we had actually started meeting illegally (unbeknownst to us at the time) in this same (then unheated) building (in the only corner of it that was not under major renovation). Initially we met as a small group of 15 adults and 9 children who gathered together on Sunday evenings for Worship, Friendship, and to Study Francis Chan's book and DVD curriculum "Crazy Love". And, it was from that "small beginning" that we were first given the verse that would become our theme verse ("Despise not the day of small beginnings..." Zechariah 4:10a) and an understanding of who we were to be and what we were to become as a church. A place that focused on Worshipping God, Loving People and Following Jesus... where people could reconnect with God, and with one-another.

This month, we will be celebrating our "First Birthday" on Sunday, February 3rd, by having an Early Worship "Preview Service" at 9AM, hearing a testimony from Keith Thomas (1st Svc.) and Kristena Hoover (2nd Svc.), enjoying Birthday Cake before and after services, and then having our 2nd Annual Super Bowl Party and watching the game on a 16foot High-Def Screen here at the church. (Thank you Don Neff!)

To all of you who know that God has brought you to this place, to jump in and become a part of C@PC, thank you so much for your faith and faithfulness. Wow! You guys truly blow me away! Knowing each one of you has both touched and changed my life forever. I am deeply indebted to you, and I consider it the highest honor to be your pastor, and to call you a friend. Thank you to each one of you who have become such a special part of this amazing adventure!

May we all... Keep on Keepin' on In Jesus... Because I truly believe that the best is yet to come!
(1 Corinthians 2:9)


Rob Schmutz, Pastor
The Church at Park City
Zechariah 4:10a

www.facebook.com/TheChurchAtParkCity

Sent from my iPhone

A Gun Dog’s 23rd Psalm

I got the chance to do a funeral for a friend of a friend last week, an awesome guy named Roger Duncan, who passed suddenly and who will be missed by many. 

Though I did not know Roger, I was blessed to talk to so many who did and to then have the honor of officiating at his Funeral.  His life impacted mine even though it was through what others told me about him and not from having been well acquainted.  As I thought about the words God wanted me to share at his funeral, knowing that Roger was a dog trainer, a dog lover, a hunter and an outdoorsman, the Lord led me to re-work the 23rd Psalm... from the eyes of a hunting dog...  Here is my best effort...

"My Master is my provider,

I trust Him to give me everything I need.

I lie down, and I rise up at the sound of His voice.   He teaches me to seek, and to point the quail and the pheasant hidden in the fields, the meadows, and the hedgerows, and along the creeks where we venture.

My soul is most alive when He leads me along the well-worn paths that take us to all of our favorite places, and my heart soars at the rush of the wings as the birds rise from my point.  Hope bursts from my chest at the sound of his shot, and it is for His Names sake that I proudly retrieve the birds that are downed and place them into His hands.

Even when I grow fearful, or weary, holding point in dense cover, seeing Him in my memory, His shotgun in hand, remembering the sounds of his approach through the grass, I am comforted, and I am strengthened, knowing that my Master will find me again, no matter where I may be.

Water, food, a warm bed, all this… He prepares for me, and He speaks my praises in the presence of lesser dogs and of their Masters.  I am certain he is proud of me as he pats my head and says “Good boy…”

Great memories, of the best of times, that only a Gun Dog can know, will be treasured in my heart… and those memories will follow me all the days of my life, knowing that, in my Master’s Soul… I will dwell forever and ever.   And He… by me… will never be forgotten."

-          Pastor Rob Schmutz