I just finished watching the first four early-release episodes of The Chosen. . . and I'm a hot mess. It's the first ever multi-season TV show (think, This is Us) about the life of Jesus that has been created outside of the Hollywood networks. The Chosen allows us to see Jesus through the eyes of those who knew him in real-life. What I love about The Chosen is that it gives us a way for us, our families, our friends, and our world experience of the gospel. I don't have a financial stake in the series; however, I do have a stake in sharing Jesus' story and how it eternally changes lives.

At OSLC, we are committed to sending disciples - women, men, and children, to connect the unchanging God with a changing world. That's exactly what these episodes did for me... it helped connect the unchanging love of God in my changing life. I saw things about Jesus that I had never seen before. Things like...

• Jesus lived his entire life among the lost, the least, and the lonely.
• Jesus gave away more than he took from people.
• Jesus lived in freedom, not fear.
• Jesus created space for others and invited them to play with Him as he lived day by day.

In the end (at least for me), following Jesus is less about doing my own things, filling our my own schedule, making my own plans, and a whole lot more about spending time listening to Jesus speak and responding to what He asks. Sitting in awe of how the unchanging God of the universe continues to wake hot messes like myself up to what He wants to do in us and through us.

Sometime this weekend, clear your schedule and find a few moments to sit in the overwhelming awe of the unchanging God. May you know:

• You are loved beyond your wildest dreams.
• You are fully accepted and being transformed to be more like Jesus.
• You are valued more than the stars in the sky.
• You are free from condemnation.
• You are one of God's kids.
• You have been given a spirit of power, love, and a sound thinking.
• You are complete in Jesus.

You are God's co-worker... invited into the eternal work of the God who continues to connect your changing life and world to make an eternal difference in the lives and world of others.

Love you more than you know. -pt

I have been having a blast being part of what God has been up to these past 30 days both in my personal life and here at OSLC. No one week has been the same. But, each week has been complete with meeting new people, ministry team meetings, leading worship, meeting new people, writing, meeting more new people, spending time reflecting on scripture and praying, a few homebound and hospital visits, more meetings, meeting more people... well, you get the picture. After 30 days on the job, I am doing two things:

1. Thank God for a wonderfully diverse and unique extended family on mission we have here at OSLC
2. Seeking God with our ministry team and leaders for the incredible work He has in mind for us to do together as we move into our next 30 years.

I have come to deeply value two culture-building principles that will change lives and the world. The first is the power of invitation. Being invited to have access to a person's life and all the joy, love, safety, and encouragement that comes with that experience is something we and our world longs for. After all, we can only see Jesus by having access to Him.

The second is the influence of challenge. I have a bit of a competitive end, so challenges feel natural to me. By accepting an invitation into life together to see Jesus' power and presence at work, we also accept the challenge to live as children of God (indeed, that's who we are!).

When I think about it, Jesus lived a life of incredible invitation - giving access to his disciples, the crowds, and eventually the world through His death and resurrection. He also lived a life of incredible challenge where he stretched his disciples to do the things He did. The truth is, if there is one thing I want to be about for my next 30 years, it's living like Jesus - a life of both invitation and challenge.

So here's the invitation: Join us this weekend to share an hour of inspiration, teaching, communion, and singing. Pastor Matt is going to help us turn the pages of 2 Corinthians 2 & 3. And, we'll also celebrate a faith milestone for our 3 year olds and 3rd grade students: receiving new Bibles.

And, here's the challenge: Bring your Bible... and bring a friend... see you Sunday!  -pt

As we move into the weekend, I have to share this thought with you about Impossible Burgers. Truth is, (you might relate) I’m finding that the older I get, the more important it is to be conscious of what I eat. So, recently, I have come across the Impossible Burger. If you’re not sure what I’m talking about, check out this article from the Seattle Times.

Basically, the Impossible Burger is faux meat that tastes exactly like beef. Last week, some of our front office team helped me understand that heme from soy plants is what makes the burger taste so... well, impossibly real. You see, the burger is engineered in such a way that heme from the soy plants mimic the molecular chemistry of heme from animals.

Chemically, incredible! Flavorfully, delightful! Spiritually, disturbing.

I mean, as good as the Impossible Burger tastes, my mind is still saying, "it's fake".

We do that with our spirituality, don't we? I know, I do. Somewhere along the way, we bite into the Impossible Spiritual Life. We do all the right things - it looks good. We say all the right things - it sounds good. We get our shots of spirituality - it feels good. But, what I have discovered is that we can look the part, sound the part, feel the part and still not have a part of the full life we have in Jesus.

Jesus said it like this, "apart from me, you can do nothing". Translation: it's impossible to have true love without Jesus.

So, how do we get connected and stay connected with Him? When we Turn the Page in His Word.

Through the scriptures, we discover how great God's impossible love is for us that is made possible through Jesus. We discover how deep God's impossible grace is for us that has, is, and always will be for us and not against us. We discover how wide God's impossible forgiveness is for us that covers our past, present, and future. Indeed, Jesus makes the impossible, possible - not through chemical alterations, but through His life, death, and resurrection.

So, enjoy your Impossible Burger (they're delicious!). Don't forget that it's faux meat. And come and experience the very real love of God, made possible by Jesus, this week as we Turn the Page, together.

Bring a Bible. Bring a Friend. (And you can wear your 12-jersey!).  -pt