Last Thursday, we gathered to launch something we believe will change the trajectory of young adults and young professionals in our city. Over 100 of us packed into a room, and what unfolded was nothing short of remarkable. People came hungry for real community, genuine belonging, and honest conversation about the big questions that keep us up at night.

If you weren't there or if you're reading this and wondering what The Den is all about, this message is for you, especially if you're in your 20s or 30s navigating young adulthood and early career years.Here’s how to live His wisdom out in the workplace, one week at a time.

The Big Questions

Before we dive into what The Den is all about, I want to invite you to sit with three questions, the kind that matter deeply, even if they don't have easy answers:

Who are you? What defines you? How would you describe yourself at your core?

Why are you here? What's your purpose? Why do you exist? What gives your life meaning?

Who are your people? Who do you belong to? Who gets to know the real you?

If you're feeling uncertain about these questions right now, that's completely normal. In fact, if we're all being honest, most of us in our 20s and 30s are wrestling with questions that trace back to these two core issues. And that's not weird or wrong—it's part of the human experience, especially in this season of life.

The answers you find to these questions won't just affect how happy you are. They'll fundamentally shape the kind of life you build.

How The Den Began

About a year ago, around Christmas time, I felt called to start something new, a community specifically for young adults and young professionals. As I was thinking through what this would look like, the first thing I needed was a name.

I kept coming back to one: The Den.

So I looked up the definition. The first one I found was pretty bleak: "a place where monsters and beasts go to rest." That wasn't it. But then I found a second definition that resonated deeply: "a specific room or space in somebody's home where they can go to relax, connect with loved ones, and pursue passions in a place of peace."

That second definition felt right. But I couldn't shake the first one either, and as it turns out, that tension matters.

The Christmas Eve Moment 🎄

It was Christmas Eve, and I was at Beaver Creek Chapel in the Vail area with my wife and her family. During the service, the pastor was talking about the birth of Jesus, how the most beautiful, powerful, peace-bringing life to ever walk the earth was born in a dark, gross, monstrous, insignificant cave.

In that moment, it hit me.

Just as Jesus's birth story held both Bethlehem (peace, light, redemption) and Bedlam (darkness, chaos, struggle), The Den is supposed to be both things too.

What The Den Really Is

The Den is a place where it's safe to bring your monsters. It's a place where you can take off your mask and just be yourself. You don't have to pretend you have it all together. You can be honest about the struggles you're facing, the doubts you're carrying, the insecurities that keep you up at night, the darkness and baggage you're hauling around. We all have it, and you don't have to hide it here.

But The Den is also a place of refuge. It's where you can find peace in the midst of chaos, comfort in the midst of confusion, answers in the midst of uncertainty, and friendship in the midst of loneliness. It's like taking off a heavy backpack and sitting down in your best friend's living room.

The Den is where you discover a little bit more Bethlehem in the midst of your Bedlam.

Our Mission

We exist to create spaces where any young adult or young professional can:
Form genuine, organic community
Wrestle with what they really believe about Jesus
Discover how to follow Him more clearly
With Jesus at the center, we want to help you figure out **who you are, why you are here, and who your people can be.**

Three Invitations from Jesus

Now, I realize not everyone in our community comes from the same faith background, and I respect that. But I want to invite everyone to keep an open mind and open heart as we explore these three questions through the lens of what Jesus himself offered.

Question 1: Who Are You?

Are you exhausted trying to figure out your true identity? Tired of placing your worth in things that leave you anxious and frustrated?

Jesus offers this invitation in Matthew 11:28-30:

"Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light."

Jesus is saying: You're exhausted. Come to me. Give me a chance. Let me hook my life to yours and show you who you really are. The question for you is: Are you open to that? Do you want it?

Question 2: Why Are You Here?

Are you struggling to find your purpose? Wrestling with what you're supposed to do next or what your life should be about?

In John 14:6, Jesus says:

"I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

Jesus is offering himself as the way, the path forward when you're lost. He's offering truth, clarity in a confusing world. And he's offering life, not just existence, but abundant, meaningful life.

Jesus also tells us in Matthew 16:25:

"For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."

This sounds backward, but it's profound. When you stop trying to figure everything out alone and surrender your life to something bigger than yourself, that's when you actually discover who you are and why you're here.

Question 3: Who Are Your People?

Are you tired of doing this alone? Worn out from trying to figure out your identity and purpose by yourself?

The Apostle Paul, writing in Ephesians 2:19, offers this promise:

"So now you are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God's holy people. You are members of God's family."

You're not meant to figure this out solo. You're not alone. You're part of a family, a community of people walking the same journey. Here at The Den, we want to help you find your people, the ones you can truly belong to.

Our Final Invitation to You

Wherever you are right now, whether you're confident in your faith, still figuring things out, or somewhere in between, I want to leave you with two challenges:

First: Does God want to say something to you? Would you be open to what He might want to do in your life?

Second: Would you keep coming back here on Thursday nights to figure that out together with other people? Not to be part of a movement, but to be part of a real community.

The Den isn't about perfection or having all the answers. It's about creating a space where young adults and young professionals can be honest, find belonging, wrestle with the big questions, and discover who they're meant to be.

If that resonates with you, we'd love to see you Thursday nights. Bring your questions. Bring your doubts. Bring your whole self.

Because that's what The Den is for.

This Week's Action Items

Meditate On These Verses:

Monday: Matthew 11:28-30 — What burdens are you carrying? What would it feel like to rest?
Wednesday: John 14:6 — Where do you need direction, truth, or life right now?
Friday: Ephesians 2:19 — What would it mean to truly belong to a family?

A Prayer For You:

God, I'm wrestling with who I am, why I'm here, and where I belong. I'm tired of figuring this out alone. Show me who I really am. Help me discover my purpose. And please, bring me people I can do this with. Give me the courage to be honest and the openness to hear what you might want to say to me. Amen.

The Den Community exists to create spaces where any young adult or young professional can form organic community, wrestle with what they believe about Jesus, and discover how to follow Him more clearly.

Welcome to The Den Community