All fall and into the spring, we want to make disciples who love God, love people, and live like Jesus by:

1. relaunching onsite ministry experiences at our Tacoma campus, and
2. leveraging our online campus by creating digital and relational experiences.

So, I want to take a moment and share three points of unity that are fostering a culture of care and belonging as we embrace being a church (a people!) both onsite and online.

Honor
What do you do when everybody has a preference? When it comes to wearing face coverings, each of us has feelings, reasonings, and understandings of what they do and what they mean. ...and that's normal and very much OK.

Right now, perhaps for reasons only God really knows, the State of Washington requires all people regardless of vaccination status to wear a face covering while in public spaces.

As Jesus followers, we choose to come together in unity not over our preference of wearing face coverings, but in the unity of faith which honors the authorities God has placed in our lives (Romans 13, 1 Timothy 2:2). We also choose to honor each other's preferences over our own (Philippians 2) by wearing a face covering while on-campus. If you need a mask, we have plenty onsite as you enter any of our campus facilities.

Where else do you see honor promoting unity in your life?

"Be" the Church
The unified church is seen wherever people are gathered together around God’s Word and promises - wherever they are.

Jesus followers are never satisfied with only “going” to church onsite or online - we want to “be” the church everywhere we go. That’s why most everything we do onsite can be translated into an online or at-home experience.
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For example, we worship as "be" one united church in how we worship.
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• While some people choose to experience God’s presence in their home or other location, others choose to physically gather in our Worship Center. While the environment is certainly different, the content that we share - our Jesus-rooted and Biblically-rich messages and the songs are the same wherever we find ourselves.
  

• And, if you’re at home and you crave talking with people before or after the service, jump into the chat box to the right of the video box at watch.oslc.com. Our Online Hosts are ready to connect with you and even pray for anything that might be on your heart during the service. If you want to learn more about how all that works, give Gerod a shout out at [email protected]. 

Another example of "being" the united church is Faith in Action. While the context or location of faith in action may change, you are choosing to be united as once church by living generously and living your life on mission - wherever you are... which happens onsite when people gather for a variety of service projects and can also happen right where you are - with the people in your life (even those who may not know Jesus or go to church).

• You may walk across the street to have a conversation with your widowed neighbor. That’s faith in action. 

• You may choose to head to the grocery store and pick up some extra food for a friend who is struggling or cook a meal or cookies for someone you know who is sick or recovering. That’s faith in action.

• You may write or decorate greeting cards for people you know who need encouragement - people like first responders, hospital workers, teachers, or other community leaders. That’s faith in action.

You may know something your local neighborhood needs - you can give Kristi a call or send her an email at [email protected] to figure out how best you and some friends can make things happen. That’s faith in action.

While the context or location of faith in action may change, you are choosing to be united as once church by living generously and living your life on mission - wherever you are.

One last example: We grow in unity through Youth and Adult Life Groups and Bible Studies which help you become the intergenerational body of Christ. While some groups meet onsite, others find growth opportunities in their homes, neighborhoods, workplaces, and wherever else they find themselves.

• Did you know that Bible Study content, Kids ministry resources, and a bunch of other learning tools are available to help equip you to become the intergenerational body of Christ on Right Now Media?
  

• Right Now Media is our online hub for growing deeper and wider in your understanding of Jesus that you can use when you’re face-to-face, on a ZOOM call with friends, on a phone call with your grandkids, or by yourself on a device. Go ahead and reach out to Pastor Matt at [email protected] to learn more and get started, today!

• And - if you're looking for Kids Ministry Resources, check out oslc.com/kids.

Again, Jesus’ church is wherever people are gathered around God’s Word and promises. That’s why most everything we do onsite can be translated into an online or at-home experience - right where you are.

Care
We are united in our care for each other and our community. This unity flows from the love of Jesus who cares for each of us - right where we are.

• I believe that the absolute greatest ways to give and receive care and prayer is while you are with and among each other. This is another part of “being” the unified church everywhere we go.
  
• We have many ways where you can become equipped to use your gifts, life experiences, and compassion to make a difference in the lives of people. Whether you are healing from a divorce, having surgery, getting married, or in need of someone to pray with, we value the privilege of caring and loving others through life with you. I want to encourage you to check out oslc.com/care to learn more.

So, let's continue to be unified in honoring others, "being the church", and caring for each other as we move into October and November - onsite... online... right where we are.

I’m praying that you stay healthy and that together we continue to make disciples who love God, love people, and live like Jesus - everywhere.

Love you!

Would you agree that human relationships were complicated - even before COVID?

Expectations. Preferences. Feelings. Insecurities. Fear. Personal Histories. Past Experiences. Hopes. Dreams. Passions. Convictions. And then there are beliefs about mandates, economics, politics, and religion - whew!

If you put all of this together, even the most simple person can become complicated. 

Add another human with the same complexities into the mix and we discover that some of the most significant earthly relationships we may ever have - our spouses and significant others, can be incredibly complicated.

Here are three ways you can build a deeper and stronger bond with anybody - especially your spouse or significant other in this complicated time and life.

1. Embrace your fear.
Connecting with ourselves on an emotional level is an important place to begin building deeper and stronger bonds with other human beings.

Relationships are scary. We become exposed, known, and vulnerable. We so want to be seen, heard, and belong. At the same time, we’re afraid of rejection and being alone with our thoughts and selves. That’s why isolation is such torture.

You can begin building a deeper and stronger bond with someone by saying it’s OK for you to feel the need for love and feel the fear of being hurt, rejected, and alone if it doesn’t work out.

Jesus reminds us that He is always with us (Matthew 28:19-20) and that we are never alone (Romans 8:31-39) - which means we can be wrong without the fear of rejection from God or the grace of others.

2. Learn to dance.
Right after we were married, Beth and I gave ballroom dancing a go.

She excelled at it. 

I have two left feet.

The point is, we learned the awkward moves together. She was better than me and I had to swallow my pride of looking foolish and messing up and trust her lead.

In our relationships, at times we need to trust each other’s lead because the other person has insight that we need to hear and consider or we have two left feet and need to simply learn something from the other person. 

I remember that in order to learn the moves, I had to just be quiet and move with her. . . which required trusting that she knew the moves (which she did).

This principle helped us both on the dance floor and in our marriage.

As Jesus followers, we are given both the example and power to not live in our own pride, but trust in both the Lord and the grace God gives to each person. 

There are certainly situations where sin has broken trust and amplifies pride to the point where we need much more than a dance instructor. Realizing that there are people all around us who want to help us dance together is a huge confidence booster to say, “let’s get help” and continue dancing.

3. Practice Jesus-Centered Empathy
Right now, our culture is all about empathy. And rightfully so - we need more of it!

Brene Brown defines empathy as “connecting with people so we know we're not alone when we're in struggle. Empathy is a way to connect to the emotion another person is experiencing; it doesn't require that we have experienced the same situation they are going through” (BreneBrown.com).

Here’s something to consider - human empathy alone may connect you with someone else’s emotion in a particular moment or situation. It’s needed. And it’s a way that God has created us to be in common unity (community) with each other.

However, human empathy only provides a greater human experience. In other words, we can only empathize to the point of where our human emotions allow us to go. That’s Human-Centered Empathy. It’s good and necessary. And it’s incomplete by itself.

Jesus-Centered Empathy places Jesus (the human of all humans) as our shared empathizer - not only ourselves.

• Jesus experienced fear so that we can be brave - even when we don’t have or know the specific ways to do so.
• Jesus experienced loneliness so that we can never be apart from him.
• Jesus experienced rejection so that we are always accepted by someone.

When Jesus centers our empathy for each other, we can grow deeper and stronger beyond ourselves - more like Jesus.

I think that deeper and stronger bonds or relationships with other people are challenged when overwhelming emotions take over our thoughts, words, and actions. 

This is why we admit that “we have sinned in our thoughts, words, deeds and cannot free ourselves”. Asking God to “forgive us, renew us, and lead us so that we may delight in Your will and walk in Your ways” to the glory of God and the blessing of others is a wonderful place to begin building deeper and stronger bonds with anybody.

Why? Because the strongest and deepest bond that we share with each other is the bond of peace through the unity of the Spirit which we have in one Lord, one faith, and one baptism - one forgiveness, one hope, and one source of truth and love (Ephesians 4).

Do you find yourself making assumptions about people, places, situations, and circumstances?

"Judging a book by its cover" or drawing conclusions on little (if any) factual information is dangerous stuff.

I'm so glad that Jesus didn't draw an assumption about me (or you) and acted upon it. Instead, Jesus sees all of the facts and lives in reality and hope - not the fear that comes from uncertainty or making a judgment based on a sliver of information.

• While we were still sinners, Jesus died for us (Romans 5:8).
• God made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. (Ephesians 2:4-5).
  
• Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy (1 Peter 2:10).

Here are three ways we... or, I can get beyond personal assumptions and love people like Jesus loves me.

1. Give people the benefit of the doubt by offering a generous amount of grace. Out of God's fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given (John 1:16). This doesn't mean we become doormats or bury truth under the blanket of cheap grace. It means that we are "quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires (James 1:19-20) because that's what Jesus does for us on the cross - and it cost Him His life.
2. When I don't have all of the facts... instead of judging the person, situation, or circumstance - pray for it. Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:43-48). Afterall, it's really hard to judge somebody that I'm praying for!
   
3. Choose peace over war. That might sound odd.  Jeremiah 17:9 says, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?". In a very personal and intimate way, when we make assumptions and judge others based on a limited number of facts, we declare war in our mind between fact and fiction. The Arbinger Institute's book Leadership and Self-Deception explains, when we begin to assume things about people, we place them in a box. We can think of the box as a kind of mental warfare similar to solitary confinement. We single them out, characterize them in a way that only we think they are, and define them based on only what we conclude - not who God says they are. Remember, the other person doesn't know they're in the box you've placed them in within your mind. So, who is the real prisoner of war? More often than not, our minds prefer fiction over facts. As I consider Romans 12:18, "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone" - I much prefer not fighting the mental battle that comes as a result of making assumptions.
   

Ultimately, Jesus leads us beyond our assumptions. He is not only the model - He is the only One who can judge... and He was judged... for us!

The only One in the entire universe who could make an assumption about us chose instead of making an assumption based on half-truths and partial facts, chose to love us unconditionally.

Here's the point: whether it's giving people the benefit of the doubt, praying for others instead of judging them, or choosing peace over war - Jesus' Spirit is the source of our power when it comes to living this out.

How has Jesus taught you to go beyond making assumptions like He did for you? Drop me an email and let me know.

​Love you!

The leaves are turning. School is starting. Traffic is increasing. The Fair is swinging. Football games on my TV are streaming.

Fall is here.

It might be autumn outside, but what season is it in your soul?

I want to share four seasons your soul might be in - and Jesus’ promise for you in the midst of it.

Anxiety
Martin Luther once said, “I spent more than a week in death and hell. My entire body was in pain, and I still tremble. Completely abandoned by Christ, I labored under the vacillations and the storms of desperation and blasphemy against God.”

That might be the season your soul is in right now. Pain. Fearful. Shaking. Feeling abandoned by people and God. Desperate and Depressed.

Here’s some great news for those in the season of anxiety: Jesus is with you!

• Be still and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10)

• Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30) 
  

Distress
The brokenness of our world and our lives weighs heavy on our souls. God’s Spirit who lives in us knows that this world is temporary… and that God’s world is eternal. 

Could that be one of the reasons we experience seasons of heartbreak, anguish, and suffering? 

We see people who are innocent, hurt. People who are oppressed, abused. People who try their hardest to do the right thing, punished.

Injustice, suffering, and oppression weighs heavy on us. And if you’re in a season where your soul is just heavy, Jesus is here to encourage you.

• We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. (2 Corinthians 4:8-9)
  

• The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. (Numbers 6:24-26)

Restoration
There are seasons when our soul is working hard to restore that which has been lost. Whether it’s a relationship that seems to be on the mend, something you have felt God has been calling you toward gaining traction, or you simply feel like your relationship with God is on a growth curve - you’re in the process of being restored.

This is an exciting season! My encouragement is to remember the words of Simon Peter: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68).

And, trust whatever God is restoring in and through you is God’s work for His glory and He wants you to use it to love and bless the people around you.

• May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us— yes, establish the work of our hands. (Psalm 90:17)

Joy
Need I say more? Sometimes, we find ourselves in times when our soul is content and happy.

• I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!” (Psalm 122:1)

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• You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy. (Psalm 30:11)

This is God’s work, too. . . His work of giving you a new heart and spirit.

• I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them. I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh and give them a heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes and keep my rules and obey them. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. (Ezekiel 11:19-20)

It doesn’t mean there aren’t challenges. However, it does mean that God is growing you up.

• Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything (James 1:2-4)

For sure, there are more… What other seasons of the soul have you experienced? Drop me an email at [email protected] and let me know.

Let’s end with some hope: in every season of the soul, God is with us and wants to grow us up. Through every season of our lives and souls, we are being stretched, strengthened, and sustained by Jesus.

So, let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2)

Indeed, walking with Jesus through every season of life and faith with others is worth it - wherever you are!

Love you!

We've received input from both a group of members, Backpack 4 Kids volunteers, Board of Directors, and staff - and our Board of Directors and Ministry Team have had an opportunity to see this exact information and share their input, too.

Psalm 107:9 says that God’s heart beats to satisfy the thirsty and fill the hungry with good things.

I believe that God wants to fill every hungry soul and belly. In fact, if you’re like me, sometimes you don’t have the ability to fill your soul without filling your belly, first. That’s just a human reality… the way God made us.

Now, I don’t know how that will literally happen. But, I know that God chooses you and me to be part of it.

Here in Central Pierce County, it looks like echoing God’s truth and promises face to face and through the internet waves. It also means that we get to be a big part of the solution of eliminating food insecurity in the Franklin Pierce School District by helping families gain access to healthy food.

Currently, we provide 300 weekly food bags to school district families. This project would over double our capacity. And, we know that there is a massive need beyond even that...

Today, I’m thrilled to share that we have been presented with the opportunity to expand West Campus to both over-double the weekly impact of our Backpacks 4 Kids program and provide incredible space for people to experience the unconditional love and timeless truth of Jesus.

This project would accomplish:

• Creating a fresh, fun, safe, and flexible space for people of all ages to experience God’s presence through informal and formal conversations, shared experiences, and local impact focused on hands-on service, personal and group discovery, and significant leadership development.
• Expanding capacity to live generously lives on mission by packing 500+ weekly B4K bags
• Enhancing dry good storage for B4K food
• Doubling food storage capacity (cuts food purchase costs)
• Creating space for groups 25+ to comfortably pack food bags
• Enhancing alternative community and ministry space that fosters a culture of belonging​

So here it is... the initial "reveal" of a potential space where people's souls and bellies can be filled with good things!

I've also linked a Project Summary Update to the end of this post which points out some massive highlights!

Will you pray for this potential project, everyday with me? Lord, give us wisdom to know how best to love and serve him and others with this potential opportunity.

Let me know what you think of the concept. Send a note to [email protected].
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Join me at our Town Hall Meeting on August 17 at 6pm in the Fellowship Hall to learn more about the project. No registration is necessary. The meeting will also be online at oslc.com/townhall.

God’s heart beats here… and I’m so excited that we get to experience it all together!

​Love you!

Fun is a part of how God has made us “to be”.

Through fun and play, we renew friendships, care for our minds and souls, and experience a side of our Creator God who laughs and enjoys what He has given to us… life, creation, and people.

Here are three ways you can experience God’s presence by having fun this summer without spending a penny.

Find Your Inner Child
Kids experience the world and learn through play. So, grab some toys, play make believe, or go out and run through the sprinkler.

As we “grow up”, childish fiction becomes somewhat immature. We become realists, jaded, and scarred by being bullied, fighting our own skeletons when it comes to what other people think about us, and being told that some things are “just for kids”. Through these hurts, we build walls of protection around our heart, mind, and soul. 

That’s not “growing up” - it’s insecurity.

But, Jesus talks about how even our faith must become childlike (Matthew 18:2-4). Simple. Secure not in ourselves, but in what God has done for us in Jesus.

When we become secure in that God made us to be childlike when it comes to experiencing His never-ending love for us, we can relax. The bullies are silenced by Jesus’ promises. The skeletons are buried in Jesus’ grave. And other people’s opinions are unarmed with the words, “I have called you by name. You are mine” (Isaiah 43:1). 

It may sound juvenile, but finding your inner child by finding some toys around the house, imagining life happening in a fantasy world, or just giggling in your front yard might just be what you need to re-engage your inner playful side that God created and you might have stuffed it down and away.

Best of all - it probably won’t cost you anything!

Take an Unproductive Walk
We say, “God made me”. We don’t always live like we believe it.

If God made our bodies (which He does), then God gives us the responsibility to care for them (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

So, go take a walk… wherever you want! Around the block. Explore the city. To the grocery store (instead of driving!). You don’t need an agenda. You don’t need anything to talk about. Just be together… and walk. You might end up laughing because it’s so un-American to be together without a plan, agenda, or reason. I mean, it’s so “unproductive”. And yet, God does His best work out of nothing (Genesis 1, Psalm 139).

Even if you walk in familiar places, you may notice new or different things when you're taking an unproductive walk.

Better yet - find somebody to go join you on the walk!

The only thing a walk might cost you is the lemonade or iced tea you’ll enjoy when you get home.

Oh... and leave your phone at home.

Draw a Picture and Share It
I think the older we get the more self-conscious we are about what we produce. Whether it’s a project at work, a meal that we cook, or the words that we choose to use in our conversations - our minds often overthink everything. Anxiety increases which leaves us drained and exhausted.

So, let’s try reversing our self-conscious thoughts!

Find a friend or someone else in your family and share a bible verse together. “Jesus wept” is totally fine. Then, grab some paper and markers, pencils, crayons… whatever you can find - and draw a picture of whatever the passage makes you think about using your non-dominant hand. Then, exchange the picture and guess what each other drew.

You’re engaging God’s Word (one of the places God promises to be present!) and if you’re so-not-a-Picasso, like me, you’ll share some good laughs!

Do you have a favorite way to experience God’s presence through fun and play without spending a penny? Drop me an email and let me know!

After 244 years, many of us continue the traditions of celebrating with food, friends, and fireworks to acknowledge the signing of the Declaration of Independence signaling our country’s freedom from King George III and British rule. I know that my family will be celebrating the 4th of July weekend with a cookout, hanging out with friends, and enjoying all of the colorful fireworks around us.

It is good and honorable to celebrate our nation's freedom. Our country (and every country) is a place and system that God is present in and works through. Indeed, we are citizens of our world, today.

As Christians, we value freedom and are able to express it in many ways. There aren't that many ways we can go wrong with celebrating freedom. And that’s a really great thing! Indeed, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free” (Galatians 5:1).

However, national freedom (while important) is distinct from our spiritual freedom.

Let me explain (in brevity... this is not a complete explanation and I know there is so much more to this than a paragraph in a blog post. I'd love to talk more, if you'd like!).

National freedom is partially (perhaps, mostly) rooted in a love for a specific civic system. Typically, it’s because the system either benefits us or it seems to advance an agenda that we share with others. As a nation, the two seemingly most prominent (but not only) civic systems have historically been democracy and capitalism - though this ebbs and flows from time to time. Most conflicts that we experience on a wide social scale (and we certainly have them) can probably be linked to one of these two “loves”. Just study the events that have happened throughout US History and you'll see what I'm talking about.

Spiritual freedom is the freedom that the Apostle Paul is talking about in Galatians 5:1, is altogether different. It’s not rooted in a love for a specific civic system, rather, spiritual freedom is centered on a love of a specific person: Jesus Christ. Jesus is the One who sets us free from all which eternally holds us back from being the people God has created us to be. Our past sin can be forgiven (even while we don’t forget it). There is grace in our guilt and shame. There is respite from our grief. Ultimately, it’s because of the freedom that Jesus gives to the world and more specifically, to all people, we have “strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow” (Great is Thy Faithfulness, Verse 1).

As a naturalized citizen of the United States myself, both national freedom and spiritual freedom are very important to me. I believe they can coexist - but that doesn't mean that they are equal.

National freedom is not bad or inherently sinful in and of itself. It's just different than spiritual freedom.

The challenge for us as Christians is to distinguish between them. From Jesus being wrapped in American flags to prominent voices echoing that America is the “City on a Hill” (Matthew 5:14) throughout our media waves - it’s easy to understand and reasonable that Christians today are challenged in distinguishing between national and spiritual freedom. For sure, they are separate and distinct from each other. And, they are certainly not equal.

Here are two key distinctions:

National freedom tends to lead us toward greater individual autonomy. We are our own people with individual freedoms and rights - which I believe is to be true... and spiritually dangerous. It's not bad. . . just different than spiritual freedom.
Spiritual freedom invites deeper dependence on God. 

National freedom often wins by fighting for or against ideals, issues, platforms, and systems. While important, what we tend to become emboldened for and passionate about are more or less ideas and models than real people. It's not bad. . . just different than spiritual freedom.
Spiritual freedom wins by fighting for people’s relationship with God, others, and the world around them.

This is what Jesus followers believe that has already done for us on the cross… Jesus fought the war for our hearts against our greatest enemies - the judgement of our sin, the threat of eternal death and punishment, and the root and author of all deception - the devil. And, Jesus won.

You are God’s treasure. You are so valuable that while we didn’t even know we were slaves to ourselves, our judgement, and others - Jesus died for us (Romans 5:8).

Earlier I said that national and spiritual freedom are not equal. The Bible points us to Jesus, not any one particular nation or civic system. And while it may be difficult to separate the two - especially in a climate where church and country seems so intertwined, we must remember this one thing:

Jesus followers love God more than their country. Compared to God, there is no equal. Indeed, the Apostle Paul says that all things are garbage (literally, poop) compared to Jesus and the freedom we have in and through Him (Philippians 3:8).

Anything and anyone that has equality with God becomes a covert idol that captures your heart and is relentless in requiring your loyalty to pay it back with everything you have.

God doesn't require or demand repayment or your loyalty at all. You're free! And if Jesus set you free, you are free, indeed! (John 8:36).

And what happens when we prioritize and celebrate God’s freedom over any one nation's freedom?

• Belonging is rich and diverse. (Isaiah 43:1)
• All skills are valued and necessary to our community and world. (Romans 12:6-8)
• Everyone gets an invitation to play and celebrate. (Ephesians 2:10)
• There is equality and equity. (Galatians 3:28)
• There is justice and peace. (Isaiah 9:6)
• There is truth and grace. (John 1:14)
• There’s a whole lot more Jesus-like stuff… and a whole less of everything else. (Philippians 2:1-11)
• There are endless opportunities for all people to make the world a better place by loving others and living like Jesus where we live, work, and play. (Isaiah 43:19, Revelation 21:5)

​
I’m taking a few weeks away from the blog to rest and plan the next season.

​My next blog will be July 23.

June 19th is officially a federal holiday.

Yesterday, The New York Times reported, “Juneteenth commemorates the end of slavery and is also known as Emancipation Day, Jubilee Day and Juneteenth Independence Day. Its name stems from June 19, 1865, when Maj. Gen. Gordon Granger in Galveston, Texas, issued General Order No. 3, which announced that in accordance with the Emancipation Proclamation, “all slaves are free.” Months later, the 13th Amendment was ratified, abolishing slavery in the final four border states that had not been subjected to President Abraham Lincoln’s order" (17 June 2021)

This week, I wanted to share three key thoughts about what this new holiday means for Jesus people like us living in America, today.

1. We have an incredible opportunity to empathize and connect with our neighbors.
While some of us might not feel the hurt of past sins, we are called to empathize and share the pain that our black neighbors and friends have and continue to experience.

Empathy is part of Jesus’ way (Hebrews 4:15).

Want to learn more about empathy? Click here to check out Brene Brown’s video. Sharing this video does not endorse or imply agreement in all things.

2. We have a chance to love people and not an opinion or social issue.
People are people - not a collection of opinions or social issues. God made each of us with intrinsic value (Genesis 1:27, Psalm 139:14). So, to pride ourselves on an opinion or social issue as if it is gospel truth is not loving people - it’s actually loving oneself. 

Jesus chooses humility (Philippians 2:1-5). He empties his opinion (Philippians 2:6) in order to love all people (John 3:16), not to judge or condemn them (John 3:17).

One way to love people this Juneteenth is to listen and learn from somebody in the black community. Invite them to share how you can honor their freedom and join Jesus in His mission of reconciliation.

3. Juneteenth brings another opportunity for people to experience grace in a different way.
Jesus’ spirit is alive and well in every time, culture, and place. That means through something seemingly secular as a federal holiday, God is at work.

The Emancipation Proclamation echoes the words of the Apostle Paul: you are free (Romans 6:18). This is grace! Freedom was originally theirs. It was taken from them by somebody else. And now freedom was restored.

This is their story. This is God’s story. This is our story.

When we connect the dots, we can come together and experience God’s grace in a shared and different way than the earned grace the world can offer us.

Let me know what you think about this week’s blog by sending me a note at [email protected]. I’d love to hear from you.

I love you and I’m cheering you on as we live life on mission, together! -pt

1. You Feel Isolated from Others and Know You Need to Get Connected
Whether it’s ZOOM calls, Team Meetings, or simply just not getting together with people as often or in the same way, life today just feels different than our pre-COVID days. So, let’s name it: pandemic isolation. And it’s real. And it’s OK to feel it.

When we feel isolated (whether from the pandemic or any other reason), we have a choice. We always have a choice.

Choice 1: Remain isolated and disconnected
Choice 2: Reconnect with somebody

Faith in Action Saturdays is a great way to reconnect with somebody. Call up a friend and spend a few hours together pulling weeds for your neighbor or help make some VBS decorations at church. And if you’re an introvert - it’s only 3 hours… you can go home and enjoy some quiet time over lunch afterwards.

Remember - when you feel isolated, you always have a choice to get reconnected… and serving together is a great place to start.

2. You Want to Help Others and Don’t Know Where to Start
I believe that God has made every human being with a natural desire to help other people. When we study Genesis 1 and 2, it’s how I believe God created us to be and to live. 

The problem is that there are so many ways we can help others or we see such an overwhelming number of needs that sometimes we don’t know where to start. 

Faith in Action pairs real community needs with simple hands-on projects while focusing everything we do toward giving our time and skills to real people. Sometimes we help people through our community partner organizations who extend the hands and feet of Jesus beyond our capacity as a church. Other times, we help people that we already know within our church family. At the end of the day, it’s still all about people.

Are you overwhelmed by so many ways to serve or the incredible amount of need that you see?

Let’s begin with Faith in Action Saturdays. It will help you help others with real needs - simple.

3. You’re Tired of Negativity and Want to Remind People of Hope
I don’t know about you, but it seems like Debbie Downer is everywhere.

On the radio. On my news feed. At work and school. Even in my own mind and heart.

In a world broken and shattered with the shrapnel of hopelessness, through serving, we can be reminded that there is hope.

In ancient times, lights reminded people that the safety of a city and the resources of others were available when they were in need. All they needed to do was to follow the light.

In a world filled with dark moments, Jesus continues to be the light that reminds all people that there is hope. And who is that tangible, human light today?

It’s you and me. Jesus said, you are the light of the world (John 8:12). You are Jesus’ hands, feet, and voice of hope. 

Are you tired of negativity in your life and in the world around you? Bring the hope of Jesus that is alive in you alive through a Faith in Action Saturday. Trust me - you will leave filled with more sunshine than rain clouds.