We're all busy.

So, here's one simple way to prepare for the biggest celebration in our Christian faith on earth...

• as He looks you in the eyes when He approaches the Jerusalem gate
• as He smiles at you when He rides through the crowd of palm-waving chanters
• when He drives away those who profit off of those who want to have a relationship with God in the temple
• as He gently teaches you at the Mount of Olives about what it means to love other people like He loves you
• as He invites you to the Upper Room to celebrate the Passover
• as He passes you bread and wine and says, "my body and my blood is given for you"
• as you look at him with confusion wondering, "is it I?"
• as you follow him to Gethsemene and try to stay awake and pray
• as He lovingly glances at you while the guards arrest him and take him away
• when He passes you on his way from place to place and eventually up the hill to be crucified
• as He speaks his last words and breathes his last breath
• as He meets you in the garden and says that My peace is now your peace.

How best can you prepare yourself for Holy Week and Easter when you're busy?

• Sit with Jesus in the noise of your life by always being mindful that Jesus is there with you... always.
• Sit with Jesus in the silence of His story. Carve out a minute or two every hour to think about how life would be different if this part of His story never happened... Scary, isn't it? The good news is that this part of the story very much did happen - and it silences every accusation of sin, every threat of eternal death, and every self-deprecating self-talk and self-worshipping desires.
• Sit with Jesus in His peace that He gives - not as the world gives. Why? Because He stills your heart and calms your anxiety and fear (John 14:17) through the events of this one week.

Yes, come sit with Jesus. You will not be disappointed.

Anyway - while none of us remember this moment, I can say with great certainty (and by looking at my facial expression), I was very thankful for my coat.

Each spring, Our Savior collects coats to give away to kids in our community at our August Back to School Fair. How can something as ordinary as a coat make such a huge difference in the life of a child?

Earlier this week, I caught up with Kristi, our Director of Outreach + Connections and asked her why we are so passionate about coats? Here’s what she shared with me...

Giving away coats started as a partnership! A local community member offered to donate coats and asked us to help distribute them to kids who needed them. We reached out to the Franklin Pierce School District to confirm the need. They responded with a resounding, “yes!”. They were so grateful that we were able to meet this pressing (and very real!) need.

Why are coats so important for kids? Practically, coats are a big ticket item that families put off - especially when they must choose between rent, utilities, and food. So, coats help kids go to school on cold days. Without a coat, kids just won’t go outside - or they’ll layer other clothing just to shiver in the classroom. Coats also help kids feel safe and provide a sense of individual value and worth in something they can call their own. Additionally, providing coats to kids is easier (logistically) than shoes or other clothing because kids can typically wear a coat that is a little big for two years and tend not to be gender or age specific.

How are they distributed? Every August before school starts, families look forward to our Back to School Fair. They arrive early to make sure their children get one before supplies run out. The last few years, supplies were so limited and many children did not receive a coat.

Wow! I learned a lot from Kristi about how important this coat drive is for kids in our community (and their families!). 

The need for kids’ coats in our local community is great - and we anticipate it to be even greater this year as we continue to move through the pandemic and towards post-pandemic recovery.

Will you join me donating a coat or a few bucks for a coat?

We have a goal of receiving 450 coats. Last year, we gave out 450 backpacks filled with school supplies but the supply of winter coats was exhausted long before that. So, our goal is to have a coat for each student. You can check out oslc.com/coatdrive for more information and keep tabs on how we are progressing toward 450 coats by April 18.

And, if you want to learn more about coats or how to join one of our outreach teams, send her an email at [email protected].

Hey there friends!

It’s Friday, which means it’s blog day - the day I get to share some encouragement, occasional insights, and the rare deep thought that could leave us all confused. But hey - at least we can be confused together, right?

But seriously, I hope these blog posts inspire you to think and act more like Jesus.

Today, I want to share how play has a lot to do with following Jesus - our discipleship.

I used to think that fun and play was only for kids and that following Jesus as an adult had to be super serious 110% of the time. No time to waste. Don't smile, too much. The obligatory "hi" and "fine" were good enough. I mean, following Jesus was all about digging into deep bible passages and pondering how God really works. Worship had to be scripted and set on a schedule. Prayer time needed to be regimented. And fun? Nope. Fun was at best a distraction and at the worst, evil.

By this point, you might be thinking, "wow, you were super lame". The truth is. . . I was. (Some say I still am!)

A friend pointed the truth out to me... I was a Christian. But, I was not a fun person to be around.

When I think about Jesus, he had to be a fun guy. He was always at parties. He turned water into wine. He was invited to dinner parties at Tax Collectors homes. He always had crowds seeking him out. The gospels tell Jesus’ story as if he was one of the most fun guys to be around. Now, compare Jesus to the Romans or the church leaders of his day who didn’t seem all that fun at all.

Here’s my point - Jesus knows that having fun (or play) is a big part of following Him with other people.

It’s through times of having fun together over a meal, a day outing, a weekend trip, a week at summer camp, a few days on retreat, or a multiple week mission immersion or trip where we both experience the joy of Jesus’ presence being fun and bond with the people God has placed around us to enjoy as we follow Jesus together.

Several years ago, a cousin on my wife, Beth’s side of the family got me interested in the life and writings of John Wesley. Interestingly enough, John Wesley once said, “There is no holiness apart from social holiness.” While some people may think he’s talking about social justice. He’s not. He’s talking about how playing together brings a sense of the divine. When we set aside time to play with others, we actually honor the time God has given us by doing the things Jesus did with His time. Things like eating and laughing with sinners; spending days sailing across lakes with his closest friends; getting away on mountaintops, walking through gardens and valleys, sharing a supper in the upper room, and eating fish and chips on the shore after his resurrection.

So here’s something to think about:

• Who are you having fun, laughing, and playing with these days?
• How is Jesus there changing your heart and the heart of those laughing and playing with you?

Drop me a note and let me know. And in the meantime… keep playing!

Love you guys.

PS: When we see each other again face-to-face, let's share a cup of coffee or tea and enjoy being together. What do you say?

Wow! I don't think I realized how long that story was. . . if you've read this far, I'm curious to know how you might have experienced community at camp by making new friends or deepening existing friendships. Send me a note at [email protected].

Join Beth, the boys, and me at Lutherhaven Family Camp this summer on Lake Coeur d'Alene, July 11-16. Check out www.oslc.com/lutherhaven to learn more and register.

Lent literally means to lengthen.

Growing up, I would practice giving something up during Lent. One year it was soda. The next year it was watching TV. I tried to give up homework - but that didn’t happen. Then, when I was in college, I thought that I would get more attuned to the passion story of Jesus’ death and resurrection by taking on a new habit. One season it was reading my Bible everyday. Another season, I chose to fast and pray every Friday. Needless to say, Lent has been a life-shaping experience for me. In fact, Lent is my absolute favorite time of the year within the Christian rhythm of life (or the liturgical church year, as some of us might have grown up learning).

But, to be honest, Lent was never truly about giving up an indulgence, taking up a holy habit, or just focusing on how doggone sinful I am as a human being. And even though a 2012 Huffington Post article notes that Lent could be about ensuring longer days and easier lives… I’m pretty sure it’s more than that.

Lent is not about lengthening our behaviors (the things we do and don’t do). If it were about lengthening our behavior, we wouldn’t need to repent and confess how, “we have sinned against You (God) in thought, word, and deed by what we have done and by what we have left undone…”. 

Lent is about lengthening Jesus’ behavior for me and my neighbor.
Lent is about Jesus’ ultimate behavior of love that is for me and all people.
And when Lent becomes about that kind of “lengthening”, it changes my life.

For example, Jesus lengthens His love for us when we worship and share communion.

N.T. Wright, the Archbishop of Canterbury writes:

We come into the presence of Almighty God, and to feast at his table, not because we are good people, but because we are forgiven sinners. We come as we come to a doctor, not because we are well but because we are sick. We come, not because we’ve got it all together, but because God’s got it all together and has invited us to join him. We come, not because our hands are full of our own self-importance or self-righteousness, but because they are empty and waiting to receive his love, his body and blood, his own very self.

This is as basic to Christianity as the ball is to football. And, just as you have a rotten game of football if people ignore the ball and simply tackle the opposition, or even the crowd, you have a pretty poor time in church if you forget for a moment that we are here because we don’t deserve to be. And when that truth gets hold of you, and sink s down inside you like a hot drink on a cold day, then the effect on the whole life of the Christian community is quite marvelous. We are all here by grace alone: so we can relax. You don’t have to pretend in the presence of God; no more should you need to pretend in the presence of your fellow Christians. The ground is level at the foot of the cross; the only people who are excluded from the party are those who exclude themselves, by supposing they don’t need the cross, don’t need God’s forgiveness, don’t need the free love of Jesus, in the first place (N.T. Wright, For All God’s Worth: True Worship and the Calling of the Church, p. 79-80).

May Jesus’ forgiveness that covers the full length of our sin.
May Jesus' Spirit constantly remind you whose and who you are.
May Jesus’ words of healing cure your body, minds, and spirits.
May Jesus’ invitation into what He is doing in the lives of other people give you deep meaning and purpose.
May Jesus’ nail-pierced hands fill your empty hands with His love, His body, His blood, and everything He has to offer you... so you can share it with others.

And may Jesus lengthen His love that flows through your thoughts, words, and actions into the lives of your neighbors, family, and friends this Lent.

Let’s begin our journey with Jesus that is full of questions, reflection, repentance, and the joy of grace at one of our Four Identical Ash Wednesday Worship Services on February 17. You can choose to reserve a seat at our Tacoma Campus at 12:00pm, 5:00pm, & 7:00pm or gather at our Online Campus at 7:00pm.

Love you!

I’ve been thinking about how love, ashes, presidents, and Jesus all go together. Afterall, over the three weeks, we’ll be celebrating Valentine's Day, Ash Wednesday, and President’s Day.

Love
This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. (1 John 4:10)

Ashes
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor,
and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all who mourn;
to grant to those who mourn in Zion--
to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that they may be called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of the LORD, that he may be glorified.
They shall build up the ancient ruins;
they shall raise up the former devastations;
they shall repair the ruined cities,
the devastations of many generations. (Isaiah 61:1-4)

Presidents
Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God. (Psalm 20:7)

Jesus
"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." (Revelation 1:8)

Let’s go learn what these verses mean this month.

Love you!

I have The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook on my bookshelf. From parenting slip-ups to surviving the holidays with your ex and from dealing with those first awkward conversations about sex to figuring out how to level up your golf game - authors Joshua Piven and David Borgenicht have helped millions of people casually (and seriously) prepare for life’s very real and unexpected events.

I mean, there’s a lot that can change our ideas of what life is going to be like, right? We’d be devastated if we unexpectedly lost a loved one. Our anxiety would shoot through the roof if we’d lose a job or other source of income. At any age, a health diagnosis can change the entire trajectory of your life. Worst things are often bad things. Scary things. Painful things.

What do you think is the worst thing that could happen to you?

Jesus has a response: you can lose your soul.

At one point, Jesus asks, “What will you gain, if you own the whole world but destroy yourself? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” (Mark 8:36, CEV/NIV). 

Jesus asks this question in the context of helping his disciples understand the cost of following Him to the cross and eventually to the empty tomb. Bad things will happen. Bullies will come. Beatings will be given. Breath will be withheld. Yes - and you may even be abandoned (like an eternal quarantine).

But that isn’t the worst… at least for Jesus and His disciples. The worst is to lose their spirit. Their soul. The breath of God that lives in them.

Even Jesus - on the worst day of His life when He died on the cross as an innocent man sentenced to a criminal’s death - wasn’t the worst day for Him because He knew who held his spirit.

Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last. (Luke 23:46, NIV).

Author and Pastor Tim Keller wrote a book titled, Counterfeit Gods. In it he defines an idol or “little-g” god as anything that we fear losing… the worst thing to happen. For some of us it might be losing a partner, spouse, or child. It might be losing income or retirement plans. It might be you being diagnosed with a terminal illness.

Those are all really, really, really bad things and would cause pain, heartache, anger, and all those things rational human fears, for sure.

Jesus says that the worst thing that could happen is to lose the hope we have in Him.

As I think about all the things that would be “the worst” things to happen… compared to losing sight that Jesus loves me and trusts me to use with everything He has given me to love Him back and others as I’ve been loved - they aren’t so bad.

Let’s continue to fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God (Hebrews 12:2, NIV).

In 2007, Beth and I were perusing the Compassion website searching for our first sponsor child. I'll admit it. I agreed to begin sponsoring a child through Compassion International because I thought I was doing something great for a child in a developing country.

I didn't expect it to change me.

Beth spent a semester in college studying in France. She majored in French and was endorsed to teach K-8 French and Music. (Fun fact: a few years later, she actually was about to commit to teaching in a French immersion school when we found out she was expecting our oldest son.) Beth being a Francophone lover, she was drawn to that specific area of the world. And, we both share an interest in Africana (she's still insanely jealous that I have travelled to Africa three times now).

Adissa. She's the one. Adissa lives in Burkina Faso (a Francophone country). Burkina is in West Africa - check. Done. 

While Beth chose who to sponsor, I committed myself to praying for our sponsor child.

As you may know, one of the fun parts of the sponsor child program is that you can write letters back and forth. Over the years, we enjoyed receiving letters from Adissa. "Watching" her grow up from a young girl to a young woman made our hearts overflow with joy. I loved reading about what she was learning and about her family. One Christmas she shared what she received from Pere Noel (Santa Claus). I remember helping Adissa receive her first Bible. I recall the letter she sent and the feeling I had when I read that she gave her life to Jesus.

Beth wrote to Adissa. I regret not writing more than a few times.

I remember the day we were informed that Adissa "aged out" of the program.

Weird feeling flowed through my body from my head to my toes. I had never met Adissa. I knew her through Air Mail and the occasional photograph. We never celebrated any holidays together. Beth loves French. I can hardly say, "parele ou français?". But, I felt super connected to her. 

I wondered if she felt the same kind of grief and change I did in that moment.

Grief and change leads us to reflect on not just why we feel what we feel, but what we're learning from what led up to those feelings.

You see, I thought I was helping a "poor girl get out of poverty" - which I may or may not have since we didn't stay connected. I started sponsoring her because I could afford giving $30 once a month to feel good and hey - Compassion was a Christian organization, so bonus!

As I think about Adissa today, I can say that God used her - our sponsor child, to change me. As I got to know Adissa, she became less of "the poor Burkina girl we're helping" and she became a part of my life. In a way that is difficult to explain, Adissa became part of our family. She is like the child we've never met. An equal. She wasn't a number of a pamphet. She was deeply loved. She had a mom and brothers whom she loved. She had a community that she loved and who loved her. And she had a sponsor who she loved - and we loved her.

Jesus said it best, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:3). I like how Pastor/Author Tim Keller explains this verse in one of his sermons that I heard many years ago. He says something to the effect that while Jesus invites us to be poor in spirit, we want to be and are all too often, middle class in spirit. Middle class in spirit is the spirit of independence and self-sufficiency that led me to a self-righteous attitude that I as a "middle class Christian" can "help this poor Burkina girl". And, to a degree, in a material way, I can. Perhaps, I did.

But, what I learned is that God wanted to help her and me, together. I could give Adissa a few material things, but only God could give her what she really needed. And God could only give me what I needed. I needed to become poor in spirit.

Here's the point: God knew we both needed the same things... love. Grace. Community. Compassion. Acceptance. Joy. Peace. Patience. Kindness. Gentleness. Faithfulness. Self-Control. These are things $30 a month cannot buy here in America or in Burkina.

To sum it up - both Adissa and I needed more of Jesus and less of ourselves. And only by God's grace were we both able to receive what we needed. Truly, blessed are the poor in spirit... for we experience the kingdom of God, together.

Fast forward a decade.... Beth and I continue to sponsor children all over the world, including Pilar in Indonesia through Compassion. We love it.

Here's what I've learned: There are children right here in our own neighborhoods and communities who need the same love and care that I was praying for Adissa to experience over 5,600 miles away. 

There are thousands of Adissa's walking the streets in my neighborhood. In my son's classroom. Hanging out in the mall. Strolling through the grocery store with their adults.

God is already at work in the hearts of the Adissa's everywhere. Rich and poor. Burkina's and Americans. So as much as we love continuing to sponsor children (and it's a very good thing!), I have learned the greatest things in this world can not be purchased or sponsored - but they're only given when one life changes another life through the bond of Jesus Christ.

Adissa - if you by chance ever read this... thank you for being the hands and feet of Jesus to teach me a part of what it means to be poor in spirit.

Love you!

In case you missed it, here is my conversation with Bob Goff. It has inspired me to just go love people. Not always easy... but, simple. Practical. It's a transformational experience for me and other people. And let's be honest... looking at our own lives along with people in our neighborhoods, communities, and world - we all need it.

Jesus says it best: love one another as I have loved you (John 15:12).

​What did our conversation with Bob inspire you to do? Email me at [email protected] or text me at 253.260.5753 and let me know.

​Love you!

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