I Was Lost & Now I'm Found-(Unfortunately I am still in the suburbs)

Christmas Shopping Done! Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-26T18:20:00.001-07:00

Well-almost done. Spent black Friday on my computer finishing up the shopping for the kiddos!

Our Denver church is growing like gangbusters-moving to 3 services a week from tomorrow.

For Christmas Eve we are also having 3 services.

MOST exciting to me is that my little girls Eva and Juliet are coming over Christmas Eve and waking up Christmas morning at my house. Yay!

We had a fun Thanksgiving: My FIRST ex-wife Diane Czarkowski, her husband Jay, their daughter Riga who is 6, came over to my house to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner on Monday at my house with my mom and step dad, my girlfriend Mary, and 4 of my kiddos: Tyler, Madison, Eva & Juliet. If only Eli could have come it would ave been perfect!

Technorati Claim

2011-09-06T22:54:00.002-06:00

9ZFZ57S3DSVR

Denver Chiropractor

2011-07-29T14:57:00.000-06:00

Doing work for a chiropractor based in Denver. Very nice office and great doctors. If you are in the Denver area and looking for a great chiropractor this is the place!
Denver chiropractor

Are YOU going to hell?

2011-05-13T12:44:00.000-06:00

(Blogger.com glitched, so I had to re-post this-I have also made some clarification related changes)

We have been speaking about heaven and hell in church lately and will continue to do so over the next few weeks. Of course it will be something we talk about on an ongoing basis -probably until the end of my life time.

Those who call themselves Christians and those who do not often get very uncomfortable with the heaven and hell topic when it is brought up.

I am one of the ones who reluctantly calls himself a Christian, and it’s “reluctant” mostly because of the fact that I associate “Christians” with the words “judgmental, ‘mental’, persecuting, hateful, unloving, insecure, weak, gay-bashing, prudes, boring, holier than…” the list goes on and on. Many people even associate "Christian" with "murderer" because since Christ died so-called “Christians” (people CLAIMING to be Christians) have killed millions of people in the "name of Christ" (yes, other religions have done and still do the same, but let’s stay focused on “us” for the time being). Even Hitler claimed to be a Catholic and was not officially "renounced" by the Pope until the latter part of the 20th century. No wonder we have such baggage to deal with!

I still have a hard time not laughing at the joke “Would YOU want to be in heaven with those people!?!”

However, before I was a “Christian” and to this day I am all for “living my life in the way of Christ.” I think that when most people think of Jesus they think of words like “Loving, wise, defender of the weak, defender of the poor, defender of anyone who is willing to love, empathetic, accepting, strong…” the list goes on and on.

Many coaches I know have a saying we throw around: “Give me a team of orphans and I would be a happier coach.” As a Christian who gets annoyed by the often deserved perception of Christians I would say “Give me a world without Christians and I would be able to lead a lot more people to Christ.”

That must have been what it was like for the first disciples. Going around loving and helping others who had not heard much or any of the way of Christ was the way Christianity has spread most successfully throughout history. It seems to grow in those places where the baggage of jerky Christians was not as present as it is today in the west.

Christ spoke against the believers of his day who went around judging and persecuting others. He spoke against the people who behave very much like the ones who have a bad reputation today as Christians (the intolerant, the unloving, the judgmental, etc.).

His disciples lectured many of the early Christians who after Jesus died very quickly went back to a life style of judgment, materialism, lying and trying to earn their way into heaven by doing good works. Much of what you read in the New Testament is Paul and others writing letters telling people “I love you, but STOP BEING ASSHOLES! Jesus wants your HEART, not your WORKS!” (OK, so he didn’t use those exact words, but this is the beginning of my new translation that REALLY connects with people like me who have potty mouths when children are not around.)

So are YOU or any of us going to hell?

The short answer is the one followers of Christ should be giving is “I don’t know.”

Because we do not. Jesus gave us two directives that are what I believe to be the most important; “Love yourselves like I love you, love others and DO NOT JUDGE.” Of course that is a paraphrase. I was not there. Many of the Christians I have known either skip right over these two directives or finish it with a “but…”, or a “Yah-yah, love is great but do you want to go to hell?!?”

At the very least, can we use the word “and” after talking about these two "directives" (as I like to call them) from Jesus?

Even better, can we just focus on those first two?

If you live in the way of Christ you will do your darndest to love yourself and others the way he loves us, and you will stay humble and not judge others because you are so imperfect that going around thinking of or telling others how imperfect they are is a hypocritical, sad, arrogant and hellish way of life. (do I have to throw in a caveat that I DO think we should be discerning)

So are you going to hell? Am I going to hell? What is hell?

I think that when I live my life thinking about how “bad others are” to make myself feel better I am living in my own personal hell. It is a band-aid that covers up the hurt I am experiencing because of my own feelings of inadequacy. It is an act that does not come from my heart but from my wounded-ness. When I get to a healthy, loving place and reflect back on this behavior place I am very sad.

I think that when I lie to others for any reason it erodes my heart a bit. I feel sad, disappointed, lonely, depressed and guilty for my behavior.

After I do things JUST for money, power, control, lust, to look good, to feel good now, to escape from the reality of life, to degrade others I look back on it when I am in a love filled place and I feel a bit of shame.

Why do I feel this shame?
Because I know it is a behavior that brings me further away from love in my life and from loving others. It is a personal hell to live life in the ways of greed, pride, lust sloth, etc. When I realize that there are people who love me and forgive me for these bad behaviors I begin to heal. The people in my life show me this love and I know it comes from something beyond the physical realm. It comes from the heart God gave them. The heart God wants them to have for themselves and others. That is heavenly. When I think about the fact that God loves me and forgives me for this behavior I begin to heal at the level of my soul.

When we hear stories or see people who spend their whole lives in these unhealthy ways don’t most of us realize that they must have felt lonely, depressed, sad, bad, weak, insecure, inadequate, unloved, deeply alone the majority of the time?

Don’t you hope and pray that before they died they had a moment where they went “Oh…I am so sorry. Thank you for loving me despite how badly I have lived my life.” Don’t you think it would be profoundly sad to NOT realize you were loved before you died, to NOT realize that God loves you, and that you were forgiven for all of the bad things you have ever done by good loving people, and a good, loving God who is waiting for you with his and her arms wide open ready to take all the pain of your wounded life away?

The person who has led a despicable life, but realizes before he or she dies the error of their ways, feels pure love, and feels it towards others has glimpsed heaven at least once before they pass on.

The person who dies bitter, lonely, sad, feeling unloved and does not know what it is like to purely love others has lived a life of hell.

My adoptive father, Jeff Stratford...
...died alone in an apartment in front of his television in Albuquerque a few days before he turned 50 back in 1996, technically from a heart attack. He had not spoken to me, my sister, his mother or any of his family or life long friends for years. Before we got there his neighbors who called 911 likely robbed him of the gold ring his father gave him that he never would have sold and would have been mine. They stole anything of value to them; they took his jewelry, the last of his weed, his cocaine and left him with the stuff that they did not think was of any value. I found the tan leather sport coat he bought in the 70s that was worn, soft, torn, and stained from his life. It is my one possession I wear to remember him by (and to get a lot of compliments when I wear it). It reminds me of hell and redemption.

He led a life of extensive drug and alcohol abuse. Of chasing money, women and cars-he literally raced Porsches and other automobiles for much of his adult life. He verbally and physically abused those he loved-who loved him. He spent his life trying to find “God” or “Nirvana” or” something” in everything BUT love day after day. I could tell you stories that would make you cry. At least they still make me cry.

His life, how he lived, how he felt must have been a living hell. Even when he was “up” I suspect he was in the hell of his insecurity, in the hell of his fear of losing it all, in the hell of the fear of being sober.

Did he go to hell? I don’t know. I know he lived a life that often must have felt like hell.

Only God knows where he is now.

God also knows he came from a family of mental illness. Only God knows if it was true that his mom tried to drown him when he was a baby (as she also struggled with mental illness). God knows that his father died when has a boy. God knows that he grew up with a mother who once had him committed to a mental hospital so he could not claim the inheritance money his father had left for him. God knows he went to Vietnam with the assignment of dragging men who were literally blown up to awaiting medics like Forrest Gump did. He didn’t do it just once-it was his regular job for his short 6 months in the Marines before he was blown up and spent another year in a hospital. All of this before he met my mom when he was barely 21. 2 years younger than my oldest son is now.

When I think of him I pray that even if it was only just before he died he saw love, he saw God and said “Oh. Thank you for loving me. Please hold me daddy. I have missed you so much…”

Only God knows our true hearts, our true selves during our lives and when we die. Only He can make the decision as to whether or not to open up his arms and hold us despite of all of our brokenness and all of the bad things we have done in our lives. I believe He loves me. I believe that if I try to live my life feeling love, giving love and being humble-understanding I am at least as imperfect as most people, and that without the love of others that comes from God I would be so sad and lost. I believe that when others love me despite my faults I am tasting heaven.

To me the way of Christ spiritually, philosophically and even intellectually seems like the way to a bit of heaven on earth, and I hope more of it after I pass on. Does that exclude you if you don’t follow “Jesus” specifically? I don’t know. I may never know. I just know that living my life the way Jesus wants me to live it seems like a path towards heaven-and that includes NOT telling others that I know whether or not they are going to hell.

I can't say this too many times: "Only God knows if he is taking me into heaven after I die, but at least I get to experience a bit of it at any time while I am here on earth."

So are you going heaven or are you going to hell? Where am I going to end up?
One more time: "I don’t know," AND...whether you consider yourself spiritual, atheist, religious, agnostic, Muslim, Hindu or even British I invite you to join me in this journey trying to live my life in the way of Christ, NOT in the way of what you and I have perceived as the way of Christians. Follow Jesus for a while and your life will probably be better. Not easier, but better. Then you can decide if want to take the leap of faith that Jesus died for your sins, that he is THE Son of God. I don’t even know if that’s true, but I have come to a place in my life that I have faith in Jesus, and sometimes I even have something "near" faith in Christians.

Since Google does not decide whether or not I am going to heaven or hell, I am going to add an SEO related link to this post: denver church

Who knows, maybe it will help lead someone to the way of Christ!

HCX Highlands Ranch is Back by Park Meadows

2011-04-09T11:46:00.000-06:00

One of my hair salon clients is "back". Since the Highlands Ranch location cosed, I am now helping the HCX hair salon by Park Meadows with their online marketing. They do a great job.

Check them out if you need a cut, color or waxing!

This is content from their home page...

HCX Park Meadows

Haircolorxperts of Park Meadows
9615 East County Line Road, Unit B
Centennial, CO 80112
Call Now For an Appointment: 720-257-9482

Our Park Meadows Hair Salon:
At HaircolorXperts of Park Meadows we pride ourselves on providing quality hair care, styling, hair color, dimensional hair color and facial waxing. We are a Bumble & Bumble salon which sets us apart from the rest. In addition to providing top notch hair care, our salon is founded on several core values which guide all that we do: integrity, passion, creativity, & community. These values guide our business and we know you will recognize them as soon as you come into the salon.

Each one of our individually selected stylists is ready and eager to serve your needs and provide you with one of the best hair salon experiences you have ever had. Feel free to contact us today to learn more.
HaircolorXperts is a premier hair salon by Park Meadows Mall serving Denver, Highlands Ranch, Centennial, Littleton, Parker, Castle Pines, Castle Rock, Greenwood Village & Englewood Hair Salon Clients.

Please call or email us to schedule an appointment today at: 720-257-9482

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Stylists - Hair Salon Services - Contact - Site Map SEO and Denver Internet Marketing by Integrity Internet Consulting

Questions for or about God?

2011-04-02T16:37:00.000-06:00

My church in Denver, Restoration Community Church, is doing a pretty cool series over the next few weeks leading up to Easter:

Sermon Series
"Morph"
April 2011

April 3:
Morph: Romans 5 - Resistance Training

April 10:
Morph: Romans 6 - I ( ___ ) therefore I am

April 17:
Morph: Romans 7 - Upside Down World

Denver Easter Service April 24:
FAQS4GOD: Romans 8 - Does God Really Care About Me?

On Easter we are going to answer questions for or about God at www.FAQs4God.com.

People are submitting their questions randomly and we encourage everyone to do the same.

Have a great April!

Rv Rental Denver

2011-03-16T02:39:00.000-06:00

I am actually considering renting a big luxury RV for a week or so this summer. I met this really nice young couple who own a RV Rental service in Denver. They are from Michigan and now own 12 luxury RV's in Colorado.

I think it would be an awesome way to see the Grand Canyon on the way to Disneyland with the kiddos.

Anyone have any suggestions when it comes to renting an RV and going on a RV trip?

Their site needs a little work, but you can get to it via this link...

RV Rental Denver

My gift to all of you, my dearest friends...

2010-12-21T01:32:00.000-07:00

I have been very busy buying gifts for my kids, some friends, and for myself. In fact, I spent a little too much on myself. Really; all I need you to do is send me some money so I can buy you some gifts. On second thought; give yourself some money and consider it from me!

Merry Christmas!

You are welcome!

Dan Stratford

Lawyer Website Videos

2010-12-14T11:48:00.000-07:00

Lawyer Website Videos

Should you spend money on videos for your website part 2

2010-12-10T01:29:00.001-07:00

What should you spend on a video for your website?

2010-12-10T01:29:00.000-07:00

Picture of our new church!

2010-12-04T20:37:00.000-07:00

Christmas Eve Church Services in Denver

2010-12-04T11:52:00.000-07:00

I am so excited about our new building for Restoration Community Church. We did have a minor set back; the basement of the church flooded. The cool thing is that the insurance company that insures many of the churches in Denver actually covered the losses. Which means our basement is going be redone with a new space for our children's programs and other programs.

In the meantime, the insurance company is paying for us to have a temporary building in our parking lot for our children's services so they have a nice space to meet learn and play in while the parents and other adults worship.

If you are looking for Christmas Eve Church Services in Denver don't hesitate to visit Restoration Community Church in Denver.

Should you take your car to your dealer or Discount Tire for tires?

2010-11-02T14:26:00.001-06:00

With regards to my experience with Acura, Lexis, Mazda, Porsche and Audi dealerships…

Here I am sitting at Discount Tires because I chose to save a few hundred dollars vs. getting my tires at the Acura dealership. Whenever I buy something from multiple shops or vendors I get a little anxious because when something goes wrong a lot of "passing the buck" wastes a lot of time and causes a ot of headaches, which costs me MORE than the few hundred dollars I thought I saved!

This is what happened: I bought tires from Discount Tires a few weeks ago before I headed out of town. They weren't cheap, they were Yokohama, which are very god tires and about $200 less for 4 of them vs. the Michelins. I then took my car to the Acura dealership to have the oil changed and the wheels aligned while I was out of town. (I already learned my lesson about getting my wheels aligned by someone else than the Acura dealership a year ago; Big O Tires aligns the wheels to a much lower standard than the Acura dealership.)

When I picked up my car it was very clean-almost detailed, but it pulled to the right a bit while driving on any kind of road. I drove it for a few days and then took it back to the Acura dealership for their assessment. Luckily I can work from anywhere, so sitting at the dealership with WiFi was very handy.

They checked everything-including rotating the tires in multiple ways to negate the possibility that one tire was causing the problem. Then they told me I had to go back to Discount Tires to see if they would replace all or 2 of the tires.

Good news-good result:
I went back to Discount Tires, I only waited for about 20 minutes after explaining to them what happened.

They replaced the front tires and that seemed to fix the problem.

If they hadn’t made it so easy I probably would not buy tires from them again, just because of all of the back and forth I got into. Discount is much closer to me than the dealership, so going there regularly to get my tires rotated will still be convenient. Usually “back and forth” means “passing the buck” in these situations, but both discount Tires and Courtesy Acura in Littleton shot me straight, fixed the problem and going above and beyond what I expected!

Acura dealerships Denver
Tires in Denver
NYC Pawn Shop

What is Smallville?

2010-10-02T14:30:00.001-06:00

It hit me today what the best way is to describe the show Smallville: It is essentially a 10 year long "Origin of Superman" story. The show goes off on tangents sometimes (whose idea was it to link everything to native Americans and a cave?), but at the heart of the show that is what it is all about-how did a boy from Krypton become a Super-Hu-Man.

Like God became a man in Jesus, this Kryptonian shed his previous life to become the near perfect man. Jesus was perfect because he was exactly what God wanted for us (oh yeah, and technically he didn't sin) Superman is the nearest to what might be considered the perfect hero. He transcends race, religion, languages, culture, age, sex-everything. Who doesn't love Superman? Who shouldn't love Christ?

Anyway, back to the "light" hearted point of this blog post...

So far this season is above average for the show, I hope they don't "jump the shark" before the end of this final season. I mean, they already have to convince us Clark should fly around in tights & a cape-how could you come up with anything more crazy than that!

Superman-my 2nd favorite hero of all time! (Believe it or not, out of respect, Jesus is my my 1st favorite, especially now that you can get the bible in comic form).

These are my top 12 favorite heroes that I respect (fictional or real), for one reason or another...

1-Jesus (real)
2-Superman (fiction)
3-Steve Martin (fiction)
4-Brian Regan (real)
5-Maximus (real)
6-William Wallace (real)
7-Prince (fiction)
8-Dr. Porsche (real)
9-George Washington (fiction)
10-Tom Robbins (real)
11-CS Lewis (real)
12-Chris Rock (real)

Who are your top 5, 10 or 12?

I miss Hawaii../

2010-09-17T12:04:00.001-06:00

My Favorite Dennis Miller Quote from Monday's Radio Show

2010-08-03T08:06:00.000-06:00

“In war news…Netherlands became the 1st NATO country to conclude its mission in Afghanistan and withdraw its troops. The news of their departure was the first time the Afghan people, US soldiers, NATO and even in fact the Dutch military realized they were in fact involved in Afghanistan. Thank you guys, and get back there to hooka detail. ‘Hut! Hut! You gotta get high cause you can’t get down! Sound off!’”

LOL!!

(I love this guy!)

And now for the unabashed search engine optimization part of this message: :)

Restoration Church in Denver wants you to join us this Saturday for worship and dinner afterwords.

Restoration Community Church in Denver This Saturday...

2010-07-30T15:39:00.001-06:00

Restoration Friends, (by Ron Johnson)

I am not sure this week's message is for you! God has really been working on my heart this week as I have studied and prayed. The question I keep pondering is this, "do I have enough of God?" That question is messing with my heart and leading me to Jesus in some very good ways. I hope you come tomorrow night and join me.

On the fifth weekend of each month we bring surplus from our lives to our worship service to give to those less fortunate than we are. There are a lot of kids in schools on the southside of the city of Denver who do not have money to buy school supplies and even food. So, please take some time to bring some of the following: scissors, gluesticks, folders, erasers, notebooks, markers, non-persihable snacks, crackers, fruit bars, pretzels, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes, and hair brushes. Jill will get these supplies to grade school children who need them. Let's be the church and help out with this need. Thanks.

One last thing; PARENTS MARK YOUR CALENDARS! After our worship service on August 14th we will have a meeting with all Restoration parents in our church to discuss our Family Life Plans for the fall. Don't miss this. It will help your kids know God's love in ways that will shape their future!

Next Service: Saturday, July 31 at 5pm

Restoration Community Church in Denver

The Best Day of 2010 So Far

2010-07-27T08:05:00.003-06:00

ALL 5 of my children were together with me this past Sunday. Yes it was chaos, yes the house and the day was messy, but when there is such a strong family bond between us, so much joy and so much love, worrying about the messiness in life seems just downright silly.

I would rather have a messy house, a messy yard, a messy car and even the messy bickering that often accompanies living with 5 kids and big teddy bear of a dog than anything else in the world.

Of course, the old Porsche will have to be an extra car-and only 2-4 of us will be able to ride in it at a time, with one of my older kids driving behind with the dog and the other kiddos in the SUV!

I will posting pictures and videos of the messy, chaotic, fun and love filled day here and on my Facebook profile in my "spare time" over the next few days.

Blessings.

How I lost 10 pounds the last 4 weeks!

2010-07-16T20:10:00.000-06:00

My 3 step formula for FREE:

1-I ate less food.
2-I biked, ran and/or lifted weights 6-7 days a week.
3-The 3rd part was motivation. I had a very personal reason for wanting to lose the weight, that I often focused on before, during and even after workouts.

10 more pounds coming off in the next 4 weeks with this formula!

Bible.is for iPhone or iPod Touch: the Bible app for reading, listening,...

2010-07-15T17:58:00.000-06:00

Restoration Community Church Community Service Project

2010-07-15T13:37:00.001-06:00

Please join us if you can for our Denver service project.

Restoration Community Church in Denver

World Cup Soccer Haters-Chillax!

2010-07-14T23:14:00.000-06:00

Why do so many Americans feel the need to hate on soccer? There are things good and bad about every sport-especially at the professional level. When you hate on a sport it reveals more about you than it does the sport.

Having said that...
...these are the things I loved about the 2010 World Cup Finals:

1-It's a beautiful game, with some of the best athletes in the world.
2-It is refreshing to see different cultures and countries "play" against one another, rather than fight one another.
3-It's good to see a country unite behind something, again, without hating on others.
4-The French players got what they deserved :)-they should have been sent home in a Waaaaahhhhhmbulance!
5-What? Africa has cities?
6-Bill Clinton managed to keep his hands off of young women for over 90 minutes while he watched the USA play!
7-While the rest of the world was slackin'-we had an opportunity to pull ahead with our great work ethic while most of OUR country ignored the games! Furthermore, we could have even taken over the world, but we didn't!
8-We quit worrying about that silly little leak in the gulf.
9-Maybe FIFA will see that they are in the dark ages when it comes to how they decide who scores and how to call a game. Even tennis decided to forgo pomposity and use technology to determine if the ball is in or out.
10-As much as I am a fan of black soccer shoes, now kids can wear soccer cleats of all shapes and colors!

These are the thing that annoyed me:
1-People getting so annoyed by the horns. If they want to blow their horns and it adds some excitement to the environment, then let them.
2-The "dives". Yes, I agree that the dives are still ridiculous.
3-No instant replay? Still tough when everyone BUT the referees see what happens. All it takes is 1 extra ref watching the same game we all see on tv, then he can contact the center via the mic when he sees the travesties we all witnessed.
4-Ending the games on PKs. I say let them play until someone wins. They have subs, right?

Anyway, what did you like and not like about the game? Please try to answer with at least a little emotional maturity. After all, it's just a game-even if it does quite possibly have a bigger impact on the world than any other game.

Tyler, Kenny and I in DC

2010-07-14T02:46:00.001-06:00

I am not short! My son and his friend Kenny are over 6'3"! I am 6'! We had a blast in DC last month.
Someone pointed out to me today that I have HUGE hands in this photo. Big hands-you know what that means...big gloves!

Madi Stratford Original Song Video: "Your Intentions"

2010-07-11T07:40:00.001-06:00

Could I BE any more proud of my daughter!?!

Madi Stratford Singing the Beatles' I Wanna Hold Your Hand

2010-07-11T07:32:00.000-06:00

Prince on BET

2010-06-29T21:24:00.003-06:00

Prince gives some good advice..before he jumps the shark!

How to fix your bluetooth after it goes through the washing machine in your jeans pocket

2010-04-30T09:30:00.000-06:00

First of all, the LAST time this happened to my Jawbone II, I quickly plugged it in to the charger. BAD IDEA-it probably fried the thing internally. When Juliet was two she washed one of them for me in the sink: "Here daddy, I cleaned this for you!" Luckily, that did not hurt it.

When I discovered my newest one in the pocket of my jeans in the wash, I took a deep breath (these things cost $130, and I am on my 4th one in two years) and thought about it:

"Hmmm, if their (yes, I even use the wrong "their" when I think) are no moving parts, and all the parts are plastic or non-rusting metal, then if it dries out, it might be ok."

So I set it on the dash of my car in the sun for about half the day, then I plugged it in to charge it, and "voila!"-it works!

I guess only time will tell how long it lasts.

Sell My Watch

2010-04-22T18:22:00.001-06:00

I tried to sell my Movado watch the other day. Apparently there are a lot of fake Movado's out there. Mine is real, but I have to dig up the "card" and original box so I can finally sell my watch that I no longer wear..

If you are interested in buying my stainless steel Movado watch let me know. I like it, but I never wear it.

A new Denver Church

2010-03-28T01:26:00.001-06:00

I love my church. It is what I have always thought church was supposed to be about...serving. Serving others, serving each other, serving our families.

We gather 3 times a month for a "somewhat" traditional church "worship" service. Great music, a unifying and thought provoking message, and we gather together for coffee and/or dinner before and after the church service.

Every Wednesday a group gets together to make food for the homeless in Denver, and at least once a month we get together for a service project. Today we held a feast and an Easter egg hunt for homeless families in downtown Denver.

If you hav been visiting Denver churches and have been yearning for something different, join our Denver church Restoration Community Church and experience people trying to live in the way of Jesus.

Church in Denver

Eva and Juliet at the park in their shades

2010-03-13T14:13:00.002-07:00

Denver Easter Service

2010-03-12T11:12:00.000-07:00

Denver Easter service at Restoration Community Church is going to be a blast! The best part is that it is on Saturday March 3rd in the early evening, so we will not have to deal with the Sunday morning stress of getting up, getting all of the kids dressed and going to church. Of course we can still show up for the fun Easter egg hunt for the kiddos!

Join us at Restoration Community Church in Denver this April 3rd at 5pm.

Funny "Easter" story:

I saw a comedy show on TV a few days ago, and the comedian asked a guy in the front row (who was sitting next to his wife), "When is your anniversary?" The guy said "Easter!". The wife confirmed they were married on Easter. The comedian then said "When is that?". The poor guy had no idea. My heart was aching for him, because there is almost no way a guy could remember when his anniversary is if it is a moving target every year!

Daddy and Juliet Hanging out...

2010-02-22T17:22:00.000-07:00

Gerald May Addiction & Grace

2010-01-09T11:52:00.001-07:00

"To be alive is to be addicted, and to be alive and addicted is to stand in need of grace." – Gerald May, Addiction & Grace

http://www.theocentric.com/personal/reading/addiction_grace.html

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Please forgive typos

Dan Stratford

Cell: 720-985-7945

Fax: 866-482-6811

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www.facebook.com/iStratford

Flock of Seagulls & Rosanna-Rosanna-Danna!

2010-01-06T20:14:00.000-07:00

Restoratin Community Church Denver

2009-12-29T18:31:00.001-07:00

In case you have not heard-Ron Johnson started a new church in Denver: Restoration Community Church

Please visit the website to find more information.

Thanks!

Guitar Rockin' !

2009-12-25T09:15:00.000-07:00

Jungle Book Christmas!

2009-12-25T08:52:00.000-07:00

Is it the Partridge Family reincarnate?

2009-12-25T08:26:00.001-07:00

Rick Pauly

2009-12-24T22:36:00.004-07:00

atlanta auto injury attorney

Looking for atlanta auto accident lawyer? Visit Delius Law

Santa Pic With Your Dog

2009-12-12T14:05:00.000-07:00

Yep-bring your dog-the line is still short!

Friends can Follow Me on Twitter, facebook, etc.

2009-12-06T10:49:00.000-07:00

Ever since the announcement I saw on Friday, it seems my online subscribers for Twitter have increased exponentially.

So go ahead, follow me. I dare you ;-)

Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/danstratford
Professional Blog:www.nobseo.org
Join me on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/integrityinternetmarketing
Friend me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/istratford
Join me on Naymz: http://www.naymz.com/dan_stratford_2754970

Thank you!

The First Snow In Denver This Past Thursday

2009-10-10T09:09:00.000-06:00

The girls catching snowflakes...

Which version of Philippians 3:7-12 do you think is more true? Does either offend you or turn you away?

2009-10-09T20:24:00.001-06:00

Version 1:
The very credentials these people are waving around as something
special, I'm tearing up and throwing out with the trash--along with
everything else I used to take credit for. And why? Because of Christ.
Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my
life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus as my
Master, firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is
insignificant--dog dung. I've dumped it all in the trash so that I
could embrace Christ and be embraced by him. I didn't want some petty,
inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of
rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Christ.

I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it
made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so
wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no
means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye
on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward--to Jesus. I'm off and
running, and I'm not turning back.

Version 2:
The very credentials these people are waving around as something
special, I'm tearing up and throwing out with the trash--along with
everything else I used to take credit for. And why? Because of Love.
Yes, all the things I once thought were so important are gone from my
life. Compared to the high privilege of knowing Love as my Master,
firsthand, everything I once thought I had going for me is
insignificant--dog dung. I've dumped it all in the trash so that I
could embrace Love and be embraced by love. I didn't want some petty,
inferior brand of righteousness that comes from keeping a list of
rules when I could get the robust kind that comes from trusting Love.

I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it
made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Love, which has so
wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no
means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye
on the goal, where Love is beckoning us onward--towards more Love. I'm
off and running, and I'm not turning back.

Sent from my iPhone
Please forgive typos
Dan Stratford
Cell: 720-985-7945
Follow me:
Blogs:
www.nobseo.org
www.iStratford.com
Social Networking
www.Twitter.com/danstratford
www.linkedin.com/DenverInternetMarketing
www.facebook.com/iStratford

Eva Stratford's 1st Soccer Game-She Scored 6 Goals!

2009-09-19T16:22:00.001-06:00

David and Katie Yarian!

2009-09-12T20:34:00.000-06:00

Kyla Playing...

2009-09-10T20:55:00.000-06:00

Being Grateful and Keeping the Right Perspective

2009-08-30T12:18:00.001-06:00

God has given me everything I have that I have and will enjoy-
including the heart, mind and body I have to "earn", receive and share
them.

He also gave us the freedom we have which often results in "stuff" we
don't want in our lives.

Sent from my iPhone
Please forgive typos

Enjoying a Foghorn Barley Wine at Falling Rock Tap House

2009-08-10T21:25:00.000-06:00

Dan Stratford's New Mountain Biking Routine...

2009-08-10T09:26:00.001-06:00

Looking for an Orange County chiroprator?

Visit http://www.pacificparkchiropractic.com/

Wes Celebrating the summer kids program...

2009-08-09T11:00:00.000-06:00

"Boxen"

2009-08-07T21:19:00.000-06:00

American Idol Staff in Downtown Denver

2009-08-06T08:59:00.000-06:00

Eva, Juliet & Raelee Playing in the pool!

2009-08-02T15:05:00.000-06:00

Mad Men is Coming Soon-Sweet!

2009-08-01T15:15:00.000-06:00

Playing Drums at Denver Zoo

2009-07-29T20:13:00.000-06:00

Dots Ice Cream Break at The Denver Zoo

2009-07-29T20:12:00.000-06:00

At the zoo with the Cason's (and Emily)

2009-07-29T20:10:00.000-06:00

My Date at the City Park Concert Protects me from warrior wielding weapon

2009-07-26T19:22:00.000-06:00

Fast penguins at Denver Zoo

2009-07-26T11:39:00.000-06:00

Father and Son

2009-07-24T22:08:00.000-06:00

Spending a Saturday driving around Oahu with your son in a "Little Red
Mustang Convertable" listening to old school music turned into new
school rap. Does life get any better than this? I submit that it does
not! Check out the video...

I Saw Stanford Today

2009-07-22T16:28:00.000-06:00

Last night with Tyler at the beach in Waikiki

2009-07-22T08:41:00.000-06:00

Dan seeing Tyler off to the airport

2009-07-22T08:40:00.001-06:00

Tyler is looking buff!

2009-07-21T22:17:00.001-06:00

Tyler Leaves Hawaii in Big Limo!

2009-07-19T22:59:00.000-06:00

Dancing girls in Oahu...

2009-07-19T14:51:00.000-06:00

Having a hard time relaxing on vacation. I keep feeling the urge to
work!

Hanging out with Tyler has been fun, but I don't know what I am going
to do for two more days in Hawaii with nothing to do!

Dan Stratford and Tyler Stratford ar the beach in Oahu

2009-07-19T12:27:00.001-06:00

Sunset in Hawaii-Oahu

2009-07-18T23:16:00.000-06:00

Lunch at The North Shore

2009-07-18T20:56:00.000-06:00

Hawaii Road Trip

2009-07-18T20:55:00.000-06:00

Old School/New School Road Trip Music

2009-07-18T20:49:00.000-06:00

Dan Stratford and Tyler Stratford in Hawaii

2009-07-18T14:33:00.000-06:00

Honolulu Beach Run

2009-07-17T18:56:00.000-06:00

View from my hotel balcony on Waikiki

2009-07-15T23:15:00.000-06:00

FOXNews.com: Upcoming Military Robot Could Feed on Dead Bodies

2009-07-14T23:51:00.001-06:00

This sounds a little bit like the beginning of the "Matrix".

Injest a little AI, and we have the beginning of the end...

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,532492,00.html

Dan Stratford
Sent from my iPhone
720-985-7945
Follow me on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/danstratford
Professional Blog:
www.lawyermarketingexpert.com

"Speedy" checkout lane at Walmart

2009-07-11T21:47:00.001-06:00

Flight of the Conchords-The Issues

2009-07-09T19:03:00.001-06:00

Check out this video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5tmnBeNv18

Dan Stratford
Sent from my iPhone
720-985-7945

Michael Jackson,James Brown,and Prince on stage

2009-07-09T19:00:00.001-06:00

Check out this video on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CoxNzOOoQU

I know they are all wierd, but this cool.

Dan Stratford
Sent from my iPhone
720-985-7945

Riverside Run in Boise ID

2009-07-09T18:27:00.001-06:00

B-E-A utiful!

danstratford wants to keep up with you on Twitter

2009-07-09T16:18:00.001-06:00

danstratford wants to keep up with you on Twitter

To find out more about Twitter visit http://twitter.com/i/34699b422ad2384fcd4c96e535133d4409bf2d63

Thanks,
— The Twitter Team

About Twitter

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Sacramento Capital Mall Riverfront View

2009-07-08T08:16:00.000-06:00

From my Embassy Suites room.

At Joe's Crab Shack in Sacramento

2009-07-07T21:51:00.000-06:00

God help me...

Eva, Daddy & Juliet!

2009-07-07T18:01:00.001-06:00

Dancing "Potty"

2009-07-05T16:53:00.000-06:00

Visitors @ Hospital

2009-07-03T16:59:00.000-06:00

Mike, Christi, Rachel, Eva & Juliet

Kyla after 4 mile run...

2009-06-26T21:35:00.000-06:00

Tiny Portland Grasshopper

2009-06-24T12:28:00.000-06:00

My first video upload from my video iPhone...

Jimi Hendrix

2009-06-24T00:02:00.000-06:00

2009-06-23T23:57:00.001-06:00

Testing out my new text to blog feature...

Running in Seattle

2009-06-18T17:01:00.001-06:00

It is very difficult to find a place like this to run in Denver. I remember this type of forest environment in Minneapolis, but it also came with mosquitoes.
Of course my run today in Seattle was in the rain.
I would love to find a sunny, green, mountainous place to live with no mosquitoes, no earthquakes, and close to large body(s) of water.
Has anyone heard of such a place?

Back in Denver today cleaning up our church

2009-05-02T10:33:00.001-06:00

You go Wes!
It was cleanup day at Celebration church on May 3rd, 2009.
We got a lot done-including renewing the playground equipment with sanding and fresh coat of stain!

Get your favorite TV shows on DVD

The Way of Christ

2009-04-25T07:58:00.005-06:00

This song is more evidence to me that Jesus is right about grace. I don't think that Jesus is the only one to have this idea, but it is what He is about. Not sure that the writer of this song "knew" that he knew Jesus when he wrote this, but I am sure Jesus knows and loves him.

I wish most people thought of Christ when they thought of this song. Because this is the "heart of the matter"...

Words to live by:

I got the call today, I didn’t wanna hear
But I knew that it would come
An old, true friend
of ours was talkin' on the phone

She said you’d found someone
And I thought of all the bad luck,
And the struggles we went through
And how I lost me and you lost you
What are these voices outside loves open door
Make us throw off our contentment
And beg for something more?
I’m learning to live without you now
But I miss you sometimes
The more I know, the less I understand
All the things I thought I knew, I’m learning again
I’ve been trying to get down
To the heart of the matter
But my will gets weak
And my thoughts seem to scatter
But I think it’s about forgiveness
Forgiveness
Even if, even if you don’t love me anymore

These times are so uncertain
There’s a yearning undefined
And people filled with rage
We all need a little tenderness
How can love survive in such a graceless age?
The trust and self-assurance that lead to happiness
They’re the very things - we kill I guess
Pride and competition
Cannot fill these empty arms
And the work I put between us
You know it doesn’t keep me warm
I’m learning to live without you now
But I miss you, baby
And the more I know, the less I understand
All the things I thought Id figured out
I have to learn again
I’ve been trying to get down
To the heart of the matter
But everything changes
And my friends seem to scatter
But I think it’s about forgiveness
Forgiveness
Even if, even if you don’t love me anymore

There are people in your life who’ve come and gone
They let you down you know they hurt your pride
You better put it all behind you baby; life goes on
You keep carryin' that anger; it’ll eat you up inside, baby
I’ve been trying to get down
To the heart of the matter
But my will gets weak
And my thought seem to scatter
But I think it’s about forgiveness
Forgiveness
Even if, even if you don’t love me
I’ve been tryin’ to get down
To the heart of the matter
Because the flesh will get weak
And the ashes will scatter
So I’m thinkin' about forgiveness
Forgiveness
Even if, even if you don’t love me anymore

If you want Madison (Madi) Stratford's version of this song let me know and I will get it to you.

Eli (on the left) playing guitar at Easter Sunday Service

2009-04-12T12:18:00.000-06:00

Dan Stratford in 2001

2009-03-30T17:16:00.003-06:00

This was me 38 pounds and almost 8 years ago-I got 3rd place!

I have got some serious work to do to get back to this level of fitness!!!
--
Dan Stratford
MBA
SEMPO Certified SEM Professional
Google Certified Consultant
720-985-7945
Follow me on Twitter: www.twitter.com/danstratford
Professional Blog:www.semprofessional.blogspot.com/
Personal Blog: www.dannystratford.blogspot.com/

Hey-I think even this lady could beat me in a race...Bionic Woman TV Series DVD Discount Prices

Bionic Woman

Denver Zoo

2009-03-29T13:45:00.000-06:00

Only in Denver can you fight a snowstorm on Thursday and enjoy the
Denver Zoo on Sunday in 61+ degree weather.

At the Denver Zoo

2009-03-21T16:25:00.001-06:00

Juliet & Eva

Denver Zoo Giraffes

2009-03-21T16:22:00.000-06:00

Denver Zoo Elephants

2009-03-21T16:21:00.001-06:00

Old Guard soccer star scores bronze

2009-03-20T17:22:00.001-06:00

http://www.army.mil/-news/2009/03/17/18374-old-guard-soccer-star-scores-bronze/

Dan Stratford
Sent from my iPhone
720-985-7945