Life. Camera. Action: Top 7 Takeaways

The last 12 weeks have been such a gift to rest, reflect, be restored (i.e. Dietrich!) and allow God to rebuild my engine. Engines are meant to power movement. Here are 7 new ways I will be operating:

1. Modeling health and growth after John 15: the vine and the branches metaphor Jesus gives. Healthy things grow.  Health comes by connectedness to Jesus.

2. Use a disciplined focus in leading & living

-A 'Leading Vision' tool to consistently evaluate

-Use our 'Marriage 'check in' tool with Tanya. 

-Use Supervision Dashboards to stay focused on essentials with key staff, and areas we serve

-Use my process to 'Review and Preview' every week on Friday at 3pm. 

3. Battle against fear and scarcity thinking.  Love and faith is the fuel Jesus gives us. Fear and scarcity suck life, love and faith out. Pray before during and after everything. 'Pray continually' 1Thess5:17. And remember what the Spirit empowers me to do; love power & self-discipline.  2Tim1:7

4. Take Sabbath Seriously. TSS. Receive, protect and savor the day of rest, weekly

5. Focus on '12'. Jesus invest deeply in a few. Me too! And learn from others, especially from other cultures and backgrounds different from mine. 

6. Talk 50% less when leading. Prepare clearer messaging, prepare to simplify my words, allow for more Q & A so folks can process more. 

7. Focus on essentials first when planning

-What do you want? (Clarify desired outcome)

-Why do you want it? (Get real & honest.)

-What has held us back from this so far. (The more honest, the more helpful it'll be) 

I look forward to operating differently the next 1-5 years. Thanks for being on the journey with me. Feel free to bring up any of these topics, I'm happy to talk (50% less)...and ask YOU questions too. :)   -Jeff

Second Hand Smoke: Three Summer Highlights

I was off this summer, yet miracles still happened even without me around. Shocking! (please discern the obvious sarcasm!)  Let me share a few amazing kid stories. I'll add more in the coming weeks.

My friends the Morells and Tanya showed up to see the 175+ Spokane Malibu campers off for the bus trip. I ran into one frantic looking YL leader, my real estate agent and friend, and asked 'what is one thing we can pray for?'  He said 'pray for *Stoney.  We are looking for a place to throw away his drugs he brought.'  After catching my breath, we prayed. I just heard the rest of the story. The leader and Stoney dumped the drugs at the first rest stop. In the first days of camp, Stoney commented that it had been the longest he had gone without drugs in his system since being a little boy. His week was incredible. He tracked 100% with the gospel all week and gave his life to Jesus. His leader said 'I love that the kid i made throw away his weed was the one who radically met his savior!"


A Malibu work crew girl from Spokane shared their 'cardboard testimony' during the work crew presentation.  On one side it shared 'On the verge of suicide' and on the other was 'Found life and hope in Christ.'  For the first two weeks, it was a vulnerably powerful message to campers and declaration. When a family member from Spokane arrived week 3, she decided not to share her cardboard testimony. Meanwhile, the family member-camper shared with her leader about her battle with suicidal thoughts. She learned third hand her family member who is on work crew overcame her battle through Christ. In fact, two others in her group also heard and realized how Jesus brought the WC girl through, all three struggling girls gave their hearts to Jesus and chose the hope HE gives and surrendered the hopelessness they each carried with them in their hurting lives. Incredible how even when the WC girl DIDN'T share her story, her changed life was enough to speak to lead 3 girls to trust themselves to the savior!

Cam was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer and his last wish was to serve on a work crew.  Week one in the pit-crew was exhausting, yet when in week 2, a week full of Capernaum (YL kids with special needs) kids, he was re-invigorated. Cam referred to this as his BEST week ever in life. His cardboard testimony read: "Broken on Earth. Whole in Heaven."  A few weeks after his life changing work crew experience, he went to be with the Lord..WHOLE! 

*I changed Stoney and Cam's name to protect their story.