STORY

The original idea for the concept of Love Boulder came when I was serving as the missions pastor at a church in Nashville, Tennessee. I always loved connecting people with projects and organizations doing amazing work in the city. One of the greatest joys was seeing people that would otherwise just be going about the normal routine of life, now sacrificing their time, talent, and treasure, to serve and love others.

I would say that most people don’t make serving a part of their weekly or even monthly routines. I don’t believe it’s because people are just that self-centered, but more often than not, I believe it’s because they don’t know where to start. You see this played out when there is a natural disaster or when a tragedy happens in their city. People rally together in a hurry and quickly become generous and driven to serve. When the need is directly in front of you, and there is a solution to the problems that we see around us, then people have a harder time walking away. The same is true in many areas of life. After having been in the foster care world and been a foster parent for many years, I can no longer turn away from the reality that there are hundreds of kids in the system looking for a home to belong to and a family to love them. I look around at all the beautiful families in this city and think to myself, there is always room for one more. It would be my prayer that Love Boulder would not only give families a place to start, but that everyone involved would work hard, giving of their time, treasure, and talents, to creatively present the need so that others would be inspired to join the cause and make a significant impact in our city.

There’s a quote that my pastor would always share, he would say “If our church were to no longer exist in this city, would the city even notice.” That quote both haunted and inspired me. I don’t want to be involved in a church that seeks the interest of itself. I don’t want a gathering of people whose sole purpose in life is to feel good about showing up. I want to be a part of something bigger.

There is no greater example of living for something bigger than the life of Jesus Christ. He came to serve the rich and the poor, the educated and the uneducated, the person broken by a well, and the person lame by the pool. He came to heal the sick, raise the dead to life, bring peace amidst the storms, and to show compassion when everyone else wanted revenge. His life is not merely inspiration for us all, it is the guiding light by which we are to follow. Mark 10:45 says it this way “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

At the core of serving others is sacrifice. Sacrificing something that would benefit or elevate self, for the good of others. Serving is considering others needs over your own. “Can I get you anything else?”, “You go ahead.”, “Do you need help with that?”. Jesus came to earth not to serve Himself and rise in power, but to serve others and ultimately sacrifice everything for the sake of all humanity. The reason serving, sacrifice, and love are so connected is found in John 15:13, it says “No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends.” Jesus gave His life so that we might live. And the God of the universe calls us friends. How then can we simply go about our days, overlooking the hurting and broken in our city, and not consider the sacrifice that was made for us.

Love Boulder is more than serving, it’s more than sacrifice, it’s demonstrating the example given to us in Jesus by unconditionally showing love in the most tangible expression we know how. It is impossible to love without serving, and it is dishonest to serve without loving. My prayer is that we would present the most authentic expression of love through serving others with no agenda, no strings attached, and no partiality.

Love Boulder is not an idea, it is a rally cry. It is a plea to the city to get involved. It is a call to the church to make an impact. May Love Boulder change the culture for the good of all people, and may God receive all the glory!  

- Parker (Pastor At Pinewood Church)