Happy Thanksgiving! This year, I'm thankful that Jesus listens to me. What a gift to be thankful for!

Now, why am I thankful that Jesus listens to me? Well... probably because I can learn to listen a whole lot better than I do. After all, I think Toby Keith was right. Our lives and world today might need a little less talk and a lot more action. That is, if the action is active listening. Simply put, in a world filled with noise and where talking louder gets more attention than silence; listening can be a great gift you can give to somebody who desperately needs to be heard.

Recently, I reread Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. I was reminded that listening is a foundational part of what it means to be Christian community - or oikos, family. Bonhoeffer writes, “The first service that one owes to others in the fellowship consists in listening to them. Just as love to God begins with listening to His Word, so the beginning of love for the brethren is learning to listen to them. It is God's love for us that He not only gives us His Word but also lends us His ear. So it is His work that we do for our brother and sister when we learn to listen to them.”

Here are three ways you can listen well.

Relax. Be in the moment.
I have personally found that I can be so focused on the next thing I need to do or say that I forget that God has me in this specific moment for His purpose. Eugene Peterson wrote in A Long Obedience in the Same Direction: Discipleship in an Instant Society, “From time to time, impatient with the slowness, I would try out ways of going about my work that promised quicker results. But after a while it always seemed to be more like meddling in these people's lives than helping them attend to God”. I have found that a great way to begin relaxing and being in the moment is to take a deep cleansing breath and remember that God gives me every second and this is what He has given me to do right now. Here we go.

Own what you hear.
It’s sometimes difficult to own what you hear, especially if you personally disagree with what you’re hearing. In college, I read Communication for Organizations by Dr. Dalmar Fisher. She points out that it’s hard to own what we hear because we tend to seek to fix, give advice, agree, or disagree with what we are hearing. With credit to Fisher, to own what I hear, I will sometimes repeat back what I hear the other person is saying in the emotional feeling that they said it. By doing this, I not only seek to understand what is being shared with me, I own the feeling with whom I am sharing the moment. The writer of Hebrews emphasizes that Jesus is our high priest who empathizes with our weaknesses because he has been tempted in every way (Hebrew 4:15).

Trade your periods for question marks. Statements end conversations. Questions continue conversation. Jesus asked some of the best questions that kept the disciples talking (and Jesus listening!). According to Martin Copenhaver, the gospels record Jesus asking 307 questions. My guess is that Jesus asked a whole lot more - which means Jesus listened even more.

And because I’m generous, here’s a BONUS THOUGHT: Remember who and whose you are. God made you a listener. It’s who you are. You belong to Christ (1 Corinthians 3:23). I’ve been told that we’ve been given two ears and one mouth for this reason. Joking aside, we are listeners because Jesus first listened to us. When we were still dying and dead in our sins, Jesus came and died for us (Romans 5:8). Jesus listened to the woman at the well (John 4). Jesus listened to Zacchaeus (Luke 19). I mean, how may times does the Psalmists cry out to God and God hears and listens? From being brokenhearted (Psalm 34) to burdened with sin (Psalm 51) to being scared stiff (Psalm 27), God hears us. God always makes the first move and listens to us.

So, this week, let’s be the ones to make the first move with the people God has strategically placed in our lives. Let's be the ones who give the gift of Jesus-like love and care as we listen to someone as we remember to also give thanks to God that Jesus first listened to us.

Love you!

Do you know the feeling that you have when you know someone is thinking about you? It’s wonderful, isn’t it? And it’s very good news that as we move into a very different kind of holiday season, God is still thinking about us.

Why? Because people and relationships are God’s top priority. That’s what Thanksgiving and Christmas is all about - God and you… and me… and us, in relationship together. Because people matter to God.

So, people and relationships are our top priority, too - both with God and others.

This past week, we all saw case numbers rise and transmission and infection rates increase both nationally and here in Pierce County. As a larger church that is part of a much wider community and who carries influence with a variety of social sectors, we continue to choose what is both wise and safe while continuing our deep commitment to our mission.

First, continue praying for our ministry team.
This week, we have been considering ways to better gather in small, safe, and relational ways as we move into the holiday season and into 2021.

For three specific ways you can pray for our ministry team, watch my video here:

Second, consider your part.
Wear a mask. Keep your distance. Wash your hands frequently. And, limit the number of people you gather with each week. These are simple ways to honor those who God has placed in authority over us for our own good and the benefit of the people around us.

Finally, commit to being a good neighbor.
The people you live with and around need you - and if we were honest, you need them. We need each other. God created us to be in community. So, write some encouraging words in a card. Kids - draw some pictures. Pick up an extra few flowers at the store. And then go visit the people who live right next door to you… down the street… across the road… or someone you frequently see - your doctor, your cashier, the person who brings your groceries out to your car. Give them the card, picture, flowers, or whatever. Or, just stand by their door - 6 ft away, and say, “hello. I just wanted to say hi and thank you for being my neighbor”. And, don’t forget to smile under your mask. That’s all. It’s that easy.

Don't know where to start or have history of difficult conversations with your neighbors? CLICK HERE for our "how to have a difficult conversation" resource.

And why would we want to continue to pray, consider our part, and commit to being a good neighbor? Because people and relationships are always our top priority - both with God and others. It’s how we can continue making disciples who love God, love people, and live like Jesus - right where we are.

​Love you more than you know. -t

• Join Kristi Kellogg and our Backpacks 4 Kids Team at Novemberfest
• Learn about our Backpacks 4 Kids’ Peanut Butter Drive
• Connect through Women's Zoom Night, Marriage Night, and much more
  

This Sunday, Pastor Matt continues our series, i See; You See by helping us see the future that Jesus sees. I can’t wait to see you online, this Sunday.

Love you more than you know.
Pastor Tim

PS: I can’t wait to see you on Thursday at 6:30pm for our online Novemberfest experience. No registration required. :)

Making decisions that we know affect other people is one of the most challenging things we do as people, parents, citizens, neighbors, and leaders. Oftentimes, we begin placing our thoughts, feelings, and potential outcomes through a filter. Almost certainly, we never use a single filter. More often than not, we use a hodgepodge of filters such as personal experience, limited knowledge, trusted input, and our intuition. And, as Jesus followers, we strive to also apply the filter of God’s Word that is light to our path (Psalm 119:105).

So, how do we make big decisions that affect (literally) thousands of people? I can’t say that I’m an expert, but I will share a few things I’ve learned over the years about decision making that have been affirmed in the last eight months.

We pray. Prayer roots us in our Master Decision Maker, Jesus. The fundamental reason a decision needs to be made is either we don’t know what to do next or we already know what we need to do and we need the confidence to do it. For both reasons, we bathe every decision in prayer. We reflect and thank God for his faithfulness in decision making in the past. We rest in the truth that God is the chief decision maker. And, we place our trust in whatever conclusion God will bring us to in the end. Prayer also invites us to present to God our collective insecurities and worry. We become vulnerable with God and each other which increases our trust in each other as a team. We take seriously, “Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5). It’s almost like we have a collective, constant, and ongoing conversation with God - which is the heart of a life of prayer.

We center ourselves on Jesus’ mission. Like a magnetic field always shows us “true north”, Jesus’ mission always shows us where to go next. Jesus’ personal mission was to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10) and we see that every decision Jesus made pulled him closer to Jerusalem, the cross, and the empty grave. Fast forward to the early church, we see that every decision that was made was oriented toward Jesus’ co-mission: to make disciples of all people (Matthew 28:19-20). Both individually and as a church, we center ourselves on Jesus’ mission for us: to make disciples who love God, love people, and live like Jesus. Anything that distracts us from Jesus’ “true north” is given less priority which frees us to keep walking in Jesus’ direction.

Now - I don’t believe there is always one correct decision. Rather, God has given us incredible freedom to choose how best to follow Him both individually and as a church. Oftentimes, our own fear of failure or anxiety concerning disagreement fuel our indecision. Ed Stezer, Professor at Wheaton College once said that if you want everyone to like you, go sell ice cream. Making decisions is not for the faint of heart. Decisions are hard and a common agreement on a shared mission brings unity, disarms fear, and brings peace in the conviction that anything that loves and serves others is the best decision we can make.

We ask questions which lead to principles. Conversation begins with questions that might sound like, “what do we believe God sees as the ultimate outcome?” and “what do we know today about the challenge?”. Each of us has a different perspective and the difference of opinions matter. Clarifying our thoughts and seeking understanding from each other builds a cohesion of consensus. For example, when it comes to onsite worship, God’s outcome is that we live lives of worship because that’s what heaven will be like - a never-ending worship service at the throne of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Our challenge today is multi-faceted. There are guidelines, attitudes, underlying beliefs about the virus, the hard science of medical pandemics, social stigmas, organizational ethics and liability, and the list goes on. Throughout our conversations, principles emerged such as, “relationships are king” and “we move forward when it is wise and safe to do so”. If mission keeps us oriented to Jesus’ “true north”, then principles define the parameters of what we are willing to do.

We seek wisdom and input. Like a dinner buffet, everything looks good. Yet, we know that some options are more sensible than others. The way we discern which option might be the best to pursue, we ask for input from a variety of people. In this sense, decision making is very much a community sport. On behalf of our team, I solicit collective wisdom from our Board of Directors, our team of elders, other ministry staff and leaders, field experts (such as our Medical Advisory Team), and those we know and trust in our greater community. They see things we cannot see. They know things we do not know. Their wisdom and input makes us all better. Every piece of input is extremely helpful because it affirms our proposed decision, refines it, or leads us in another direction. In all three cases, we win because the best decision is both the one that is avoided and the one that is affirmed.

We commit. Knowing that our decision is a team effort, we are committed to its implementation, follow through, and owning the results - both success and failures. Every decision is a learning experience that sharpens our skills more and more so that more people can be invited to make disciples who love God, love people, and live like Jesus.

When I think about it, these learnings intersect making decisions in most of life - from diets to elections. So much of life is about growing in our ability to make wise decisions.

In the end, I believe that decision making is a skill that we develop over time. With that said, we know that the biggest decision of all time that gives us confidence in every decision we make has already made. God made the decision to send Jesus to love us, die for us, come back to life for us, forgive us, renew us, and lead us as we continue making disciples who love God, love people, and live like Jesus.

I’d love to hear what you think about decision making! You can send me a note at pastortim@oslc.com.

Love you more than you know.

​In Protestant churches around the world, the Reformation is usually observed on the last Sunday of October. For those who are still tracking with time in 2020, that’s this Sunday. The day is usually filled with reminders of reformers like John Calvin and Martin Luther clarifying and crystalizing the gospel message that God’s salvation is by grace alone through faith alone rooted in scripture alone which is all about Christ alone.

And while the spiritual outcomes of the Reformation are certainly foundational to who we are Jesus followers, I think the Reformation might mean something more for us - especially this year. It’s so easy to forget that the Reformation wasn’t just a spiritual renewal, but also one of political, economic, and social change and how Jesus is the only solution that can get us there.

For a moment, let’s think about the Reformation as a period of time between 1517 and 1648 (instead of a one-time event). LutheranReformation.org helps frame out its significance. Here are some highlights:

• Throughout the 1400s and 1500s, children were told stories of the 75 million people died from the mid-1300’s Bubonic Plague
• In 1436, information accelerated with the Gutenberg Press
• In 1444, the first European slave market started in Lago, Portugal
• Then, in 1450, Portuguese bring African slaves to Cape Verde Islands
• Columbus sailed the Ocean Blue in 1492
• Scotch is first reportedly made in 1494
• The early 1500’s saw political alliances form between the church and government partially resulting in a bloody crusade (Christianized ‘Holy War’) against the Turks
• Early 1500’s the peasant’s revolution begins underground over oppression and discrimination and eventually erupts in a 1524 war led by Thomas Münzer
• In 1510, the Wheelock firearm was introduced in Nürnberg, Germany; the same year the First African slaves were brought to the New World (Haiti)
• In 1543, Christians are burned at the stake, alive
• In 1543, Copernicus declares the sun is the center of the universe; in 1592, Galileo invented the thermometer; and in 1595, Janssen invented the microscope
• The Thirty Years War begins in 1618

We could sum it all up like this: in a world of blurred religion and politics, questioning science and discovery, increasing social disparity and inequity, rumors of revolution, and fractured relationships, the words of Jesus Culture’s song, One Thing Remains echoes in my mind:

Dread is real. And it takes a toll on our mental wellness.

On March 12, 2020, New York Times Opinion Columnist, David Brooks said, “Some disasters, like hurricanes and earthquakes, can bring people together, but if history is any judge, pandemics generally drive them apart. These are crises in which social distancing is a virtue. Dread overwhelms the normal bonds of human affection”. And to think, Brooks wrote these words before the economic uncertainty, social disharmony, and the national election really heated up.

Dread is a specific kind of fear that expects the worst. Even the most positive person experiences a sense of dread over something. Dread is real.

The good news is that Jesus finds himself in a world of dread - and He does something about it. Think about it:

• The government tried to have Jesus killed.
• One season of poor weather could be the difference between his country’s feast or famine.
• Culture was at a tipping point as Rome inched closer to taking over Jerusalem.
• Protests and riots were frequent in urbanized areas.
• Injustice and discrimination was commonplace for both Jews and Samaritans.
• Taxes were high. Morale was low. The debt that people owed needed to be reconciled.
• Dirty, backroom deals were made between supposed respectable leaders.
• And when leadership mattered most, the judge washed his hands of the situation.

I can only imagine how dread-filled people living in a dreadful moment received Jesus’ words.

“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life… Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life… your heavenly Father already knows all your needs” (selections from Matthew 6:25-32).

But, Jesus - don’t you see that we are in dreadful times? I sometimes feel like I’m losing my mind. We seem to be moments from chaos. There are rumors of food shortages. Families are divided by ideologies and opinions. It seems as if the world is falling apart. Protests and riots have become the norm. Injustice and discrimination is rampant. I’m not sure about taxes, but morale seems really low right now - and there is a whole lot of debt out there. Dishonesty, disloyalty, and dis-everything seems to be more of a character trait among leaders than integrity. And when it seems like the world needs leadership, we find ourselves in a vacuum. 

Jesus responds, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need” (Matthew 6:33).

You mean, you will give me everything I need to get through this dreadful day?

Jesus gently speaks, “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today” (Matthew 6:34).

Perhaps surprisingly, Jesus doesn’t eliminate dread. Instead, Jesus gives us a better alternative than to fixate on our dread.

• Seek the things of God - His love, grace, mercy, humility, generosity, integrity, peace - above all else.
• Do the right thing, even when it’s difficult.
• Trust that Jesus gives you everything you need (and He does).

When our minds are consumed with dread, Jesus gives us everything we need to live with dread. Jesus lived through one of the most dreadful human experiences - not just abuse, being bullied, and humiliated - but crucified on a cross. Jesus experienced the worst: death. Jesus also comes back to life to tell us about it.

Indeed, we can find respite for our tired minds in Jesus’ words, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart; and you will find rest. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

Here are some fantastic resources to help you get started!

• Parent Cue Mental Health Resources
• Maintaining Mental and Emotional Health Wellness in a Pandemic
• Manejando el miedo y la ansiedad durante una pandemia de salud

If you or somebody you know needs crisis assistance, please use one of the following resources:

• Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-8255
• Crisis Connections: 866-4-CRISIS (866-427-4747)
• Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741
• Disaster Distress Helpline: 800-985-5990 or text “TalkWithUs” to 66746

One of the more influential people in my life is Dr. Dale Meyer, Emeritus President of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis. While sitting in my “Holy Time Out” waiting for my CT scan, I read what “Dr. Dale” wrote on March 2, 2020 about the coronavirus:

“The virus can scare us because we don’t have control over it. Lack of control can lead to fear, and fear can lead to anger. Some blame China; others blame our government. In the blame-game anger is present. Anger comes when something we hold dear is threatened, in this case our lives and the lives of those close to us may be threatened. When we follow the news with spiritual eyes, we see human nature as it really is, as we really are apart from grace” (The Meyer Minute, March 2, 2020). You can read his entire devotion here.

On Monday, my idea of life has indeed been threatened - this time not by COVID-19, but by a small and painful calcified stone lodged in my cecum. How did it get there? Why is it there? What is its composition? Do I have “the c-word”? Everything at that moment (and still today as I write this), I couldn’t control.

As I waited for my name to be called, I reflected on some other life aspects that I couldn’t control.

These are a few things that scrambled through my mind.

• I’m seven months closer to seeing Jesus.
• Debates and the ongoing election process now occupy the majority of space in every one of my news feeds. 
• The elusive economy is as unpredictable as what Jonah will eat for breakfast.
• My mind races to process how best to love and serve such a diverse community that God has called me to serve and lead.
• My heart breaks as so many of us are flirting with pandemic burnout - a state of feeling gassed out, our schedules becoming maxed out, which leads us to check out.
• There are others, but this will suffice for now.

And as I sat there in the middle of a swirling world with a racing mind and broken heart, I started laughing to myself.

I was in God’s Holy Time Out. Just like a coach calls a time out to re-focus their team, a Holy Time Out is a way God huddles us together to bring focus to what He wants to do in us so that He can do something through us.

What did I do in my time out? I just sat there.

What did I see?

• Ambulances rolling in one after another with sick people who were loved by the same God who loves me.
• A few confused discharged patients waiting and wondering if their ride home would ever come.
• A woman who accidentally fell down the stairs and broke her ankle.
• Another woman sucker-punched by her (hopefully by now, former) boyfriend.
• A family struggling to check their daughter in because they spoke Spanish.
• Hospital workers responding to whatever situation presented itself.
• And so much more.

What did I learn in my Holy Time Out? It’s all out of my control.

I think about how the Hebrew people must have felt out of control in 586 BC. Babylon had conquered Jerusalem and taken everybody into a whole new world. And in the chaos, noise, and clutter of life, God calls a Holy Time Out. He sends Isaiah to get the attention of the Hebrew people saying, “But now, this is what the LORD says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine” (Isaiah 43:1).

Those words are true in my time out today as they were around 586 BC. And, they’re true for you today, too. 

When everything seems out of control, we’re in “time out”: God is in control. We have nothing to fear because God has redeemed us through Jesus' life, death, and resurrection. God has called us by name. We are God’s.

Which means even when our life and world is spinning out of control, we continue to love and serve the people around us.

• So, I prayed for the unknown people being transported in on each ambulance.
• I asked God to give steady hands and a sharp mind to the rescue workers and medical teams.
• I sat for over an hour listening to stories from a scared Vietnam veteran wondering if his brother was going to pick him up.
• I laughed with a young woman share how she tripped over her own feet.
• I cried and encouraged the girl who was worried if her boyfriend was going to hit her again.
• I found Isaiah 43:1 in Spanish on my phone and shared it with the Spanish-speaking family in my "Gringo Spanish".
• And, as I left the ER that day, I told every nurse and tech I saw on my way out, "deep breath. God's got this and you do, too".

I don't share this to brag, but to share that perhaps God's Time Out was not just for me.

After all, I'm not in control.

This week, I find myself tired, sad, and exhausted.

Maybe you are, too.

I’m tired of a divided world. I’m saddened how easily humanity dehumanizes each other. I’m exhausted by the competition for a kind of human power that seeks to bend people to another’s will.
 
The great news is that Jesus is always more.

Jesus is more than our tiredness, sadness, and exhaustion. He’s more than division, dehumanization, and competition for human power. Jesus is more.

I’m continuing to read through the Gospels personally, and on Wednesday, I stepped into Matthew 14. The political power struggle is palatable. The world is divided. Herod dehumanizes John the Baptist to the point that he wants him dead. And then, Herod gives away John the Baptist’s head as a door prize at his birthday party.

Then, as the word spread about what happened, we find Jesus and his disciples tired, sad, and exhausted that they all withdrew (v. 13). The crowds of people who are unloved by their leaders, heartbroken and crushed by the broken world around them - they follow Jesus with everything they had: literally on their own two feet (v. 13). And, because Jesus is always more, Jesus continues to have compassion on the crowds of people who gather around him who are unloved by so many (v. 14).

What follows is a fascinating chain of events.

• The disciples ask Jesus to make them all go away (v. 15). 
• But, Jesus gives the disciples more work to do: “give them something to eat” (v. 16).
• “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish” (v. 17).
• “Bring them to me,” Jesus said (v. 18).
• Then, Jesus takes, looks up to heaven, gives thanks, breaks bread, and gives it all away (v. 19).
• Unloved people were loved in an unexpected way. “They all ate and were satisfied” (v. 19).
• And then… Jesus had more…  twelve baskets full (v. 20).

With Jesus, there is always more.

Jesus’ love meets us in the middle of our divided world and heals us on His cross, with the proof being our promised empty grave. Why? So that God can use us to heal people divided by human power that seeks to bend people to another’s will.

Jesus’ compassion empathizes with our sadness and walks with us the extra mile. Why? So that God can use us to walk alongside each person, He places around us to be “good news,” not “fake news.”

Jesus’ grace interrupts our exhaustion and encourages us to keep going with His power. Why? So that God can use us to encourage us that His love is the only love that satisfies an unloved spirit.

For each of us, Jesus is always more. And, that's more than enough for today.

Love you more than you know.

“Make it stop”. Have you said those words lately? Though we may disagree on the causes, I think we would agree that life keeps on spinning – sometimes seemingly out of control. Make it stop!

Recently, I’ve been reading through the Gospels over and over again in my personal devotion time. In Matthew 16, Peter knows a little about a “make it stop” world.

​As the great author Charles Dickens (p. 1) wrote, “It was the best of times. It was the worst of times”. At one moment, Jesus is telling Peter that his confession that “Jesus is the Messiah” will carry the church forward. And the next moment, Peter is listening to Jesus explain how he is going to die. Can you imagine? Make it stop.

And then, on top of everything, Peter is told by Jesus to “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns” (Matthew 16:23). Ouch. Make it stop.

The good news is that Jesus does make the world stop. The world stops as He dies on the cross and says, “it is finished”. The world stops as he places his life into the hands of God, our Father. The world stops as angels stand in awe on Easter morning when the dead Jesus is made alive.

Jesus doesn’t make anything stop in power, fear, force, or volume. Jesus doesn’t make anything stop in the destruction of people’s reputations, bending words, or burning bridges. Jesus makes it all stop when - as the song, O Praise the Name - Anastasis puts it: “I cast my mind to Calvary; where Jesus bled and died for me; I see His wounds, His hands, His feet; my Savior on that cursed tree” (Ussher, Sampson & Hastings, v. 1). 

What to do in a “Make It Stop” Moment and World

Remember that You’re in God’s Hands.
Call it what it is. Admit reality. You’re in a “make it stop” moment. Embrace it. Admit that you’re also in God’s hands. Nothing can separate you from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus, our Lord (Romans 8:31-39).

Remember that we cannot make it stop. Only Jesus can do that.
Peter heard Jesus talk about how he has to die and rise again. Peter is not OK with what Jesus is saying or the idea of what Jesus has to do. Peter sees Jesus’ death and resurrection as failure. In other words, Jesus’ death and resurrection cannot make his swirling life and world in that moment, stop. Yet, Jesus’ death and resurrection does make everything stop. Sacrifice, grace, and love is the cure for evil. It’s the solution to hate. It’s the antidote for the sickness of sin and brokenness. It’s boldness to the insecure. It’s wealth to the poor. We cannot make all the wrongs around us stop - only Jesus can do that. And, He does.

Remember it’s not about me... it's about God.
Jesus doesn’t seek more. Jesus doesn’t seek a greater understanding. Jesus doesn’t acquire anything. Instead, Jesus says that it isn’t about him… it’s about His Father (I’ll be talking more about tis in this weekend’s message!). Or, in the words of the song, Be Thou My Vision: “Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise; Be Thou mine inheritance, now and always; Be Thou and Thou only the first in my heart, O high King of heaven, my Treasure Thou art” (Forgaill, v. 4).

Did you notice what all three of these involve? Remembering. Jesus has already made the world stop once. He does it again and again when you’re reminded of who God has made you to be and what you are called to do in this moment as you love God, love people, and live like Jesus.

Love you more than you know. - pt