A Love That Wins

dan here.  a lotta people from new denver church read my blog about the NDC community.  the other night, at dinner, a bunch of the girls were giving me a hard time because the blog sounded too much like a dude.  true.  so, i invited my good friend and fellow NDC'er, lisamarie landreth, to write about the new denver church community.  she's a great friend, one of the key leaders at NDC, and her blog is awesome.  check it out.  enjoy.  

When I think of my time at New Denver Church, I think of a collection of moments when I realize that Jesus Christ is exactly who He says He is. It's not because I finally grasped an abstract theological concept or heard an audible voice from the Lord. It's because everyday I have the privilege of sharing life with a group of people that love each other radically. They love how God intended us to love: selflessly, honestly, and faithfully.

God also intended us to live in community. He knew that in this life, there would be hurt, brokenness, and loss. He knew we're all broken people living in a broken world. He knew that we'd need an unfailing Love. Day in and day out, we'd need a Love that wins. 

New Denver is a community of people with a Love that wins. Dan said it best, "we’d do anything for each other." That means that if someone in our community is moving, or needs a ride to the airport, or prayer…then getting that person moved, to the airport, or just through the day is our collective priority. Through triumphant wins and bitter losses, we have a love that wins. We rally around each other, we cheer, we pray, and we believe in one another. No matter what's going on in our lives, we're grounded together in the family we've formed and the faith we profess. 

At New Denver, one of our pastors always closes Sunday service with, "If you're going through something, don't do it alone." But in life, aren't we always going through something? If it's a good something, you need a team to celebrate with! If it's a tough something, you need a team to stand next to you and help you press on.

At New Denver, we don’t do life alone. We don't give each other the option of going at it alone. We do life together.  All of it: bad days, bold moves, heavy burdens, empty bank accounts, broken bones, broken hearts, awkward moments….whatever, we’re in it together. We pray, we fast, we serve, we eat, we share life, and we just love each other.

These people are some of the busiest people I know. We’re all chasing some big heavy dreams. But no one is ever, ever too busy to drop everything. It’s humbling. For weeks, I was having these daily headache/panic attacks that made me feel completely overwhelmed. I’d be in my house doing something mundane like laundry, and a panic attack headache would strike. At 11 p.m., during one of these creeptastic little episodes, I called Hilary. She answered and said, “tomorrow, let’s fast and pray.” We did, and since that day I haven’t had a panic attack or a headache.

Earlier this year, in a freak occurrence, I was sued for eviction in San Diego while living in Denver. At my hearing in San Diego, I testified with paystubs and proof that I’d been living in Denver for two and a half years. I lost that day in court. But all day texts of encouragement from our community were pouring into my phone saying, "we're waiting in Denver with hugs, rest in His embrace, and win or lose you are loved."

I was standing outside the courthouse in epic failure laughing and crying, because I realized that Jesus fought a frivolous lawsuit, too. He also lost…but ultimately, Love still won.

We all fall down in this life. But failure is momentary. A love that never fails…that’s eternal. It’s a Love that wins.

You know that cliche saying, what would you do if you knew you couldn't fail? Our version is, what would you do if you knew that despite failure, you'd have a community of people who'd love you all the same? 

A community of love is a love worth failing for. Acceptance at New Denver is not based on performance, it's based on a standard of grace. That is the love that wins. That's a love that could change this world.

You come as you are,


and you stay as long as you can, 


because we're all family here.

New Denver Church.