JUNIOR becomes a SENIOR

Two summers ago at Malibu, a student from North Central HS named Junior came to camp with little to no faith. I was invited to join cabin time and got to witness God's amazing love. We took turns sharing ‘God’s thoughts’ for each person in the cabin, and as we spoke, a tsunami of grace knocked down the walls around these kids' hearts. The next morning, Junior and another non-believer prayed with their leader, Kolby, to open their hearts to Jesus because that was ‘the realest’ experience they’d ever had with God. **See his video here for more of his God-story**

Fast forward two years. Last week, Junior and a group of guys went with Kolby on a YL hiking trip. One of the guys, Chaz*, had endured a series of challenges. During the previous year, Junior had been sharing with Chaz how God had changed his own life, but in his hurt and anger, Chaz continued to avoid God. However, while at camp, Chaz confided to Junior and Kolby how life was not working out and how empty he felt. After sharing this, Chaz went off by himself for a while. When he returned, he pulled Junior over to talk.

Chaz shared that he had felt God’s presence, and as he had looked around and considered it, he had sensed that God is huge and could be his strength. Junior asked Chaz if he wanted to pray to start a relationship with Jesus. Just as Chaz responded, “Yeah man, let’s do it!” a strong gust of wind pummeled them for six seconds straight, nearly lifting them off their feet. “God is so powerful!” Chaz exclaimed. They prayed, and, with Kolby next to them a silent support through the whole conversation, he gave his life to Jesus. 

So much awesome in this picture: God moving mightily, presenting himself to Chaz through nature and Junior’s changed life; Kolby’s consistent presence as a YL leader; and Kolby's discipleship of Junior over the past two years, guiding him to the driver’s seat so he could lead his friend to Jesus.

Chaz reflected as the wind gusted in that burst, “My faith is like the wind, just because I can’t see it, doesn’t mean it is not there.”  Let's pray for kids at camps this summer that they would be overwhelmed with gale force winds of the Holy Spirit and would see and respond to Jesus' invitation to follow Him.    -jeff- 

PS- Junior will be on summer staff at Malibu 3rd sesh with me starting tomorrow. Such a treat! 

North Spokane and the cost of saying yes

I Planned a celebratory post about the new hire for North Spokane YL today. Two calls were made to the two AMAZING finalists. Both were prepared to process the decision with their spouses. Their current teams where they serve. One received an offer. One did not. I don't have more to say today. It was actually a very emotional day for me and both candidates.

Imagine spending two months praying 'all in' for serving in a community, then realizing it's not the direction that's best. The feeling of letting go of a dream of trusting God big and being in a new time that you'd need to reply on God like never before but surrounded by an enthusiastic, welcoming host of people...and it not being the person invited.

Imagine getting a call being offered a huge leadership role 6 hours from home, requiring leaving the only home community you've even known. And taking on a higher level of leadership you've ever taken on. And having to communicate to a whole community who deeply loves and values you and your leadership. It makes sense that he is praying over the decision before saying 'yes'.

These are among a few of the emotions being experienced by the two finalists.

I remember my process when I was invited to apply for the regional director position. I remember the sleepless nights. My heart beating out of my chest out of exhilaration, anticipation, reliance on God for his guidance, and the looming fear of being a total dud. After investing time, prayer; hundreds of conversations, and having my attention completely captivated, I found myself leaning in so deeply.

When i was in the final days, the thought of taking the job or not being invited to take it both felt costly. Either way, I was in deep. There was no way to protect my emotions. I would suffer either way.  Losing all I knew and held dear for the call and the honor of saying YES to the Lord, or the hurt of being passed up for whatever reason would be given.

So my post is about prayer for two all in men who took the risk to expose their hearts for the sake of following Christ, forsaking comfort and familiarity and wanting to be available for the Kingdom.

How are you leaving it all out on the field? Are you in a position where you are all in? Are you appreciating and honoring those who give all of who they are for the sake of Jesus and others? Thank and cheer someone on today. :).   -Jeff-

Miracle Whip

Friends-

We argue HOW to pronounce the word 'miracle.'  Do you say MEER uh cull?  Or MARE uh cull? Our friend Troy Schwenke says the latter.  99.9% of everyone else calls it the former.  This was not meant to throw Troy under the bus, but to pull you in like a tractor beam (insert sound effect.)  Miracles.  What are miracles you've seen?  What is coincidence?

Last week at Washington Family Ranch camp, an 80+ year old who works there, who has seen COUNTLESS miracles that God has performed said: "...but the greatest miracle of all is what God has done in my heart."  Do we see the miracle of a changed heart?  Do we give God credit, or is the change too incremental?  Or have we let him continue what he started...but aborted the last mission and took control back?  Miracles are all around.  Being at YL camps is a thin place, where heaven and earth seem closer than a typical day.  I want to share a few miraculous moments I heard a few days ago from a few YL leaders/staff who just returned from camp.

One of our leaders, when working at a their job at a prison in the Inland NW, got to know a particular inmate.  Over a period of time, this prisoner's heart was visibly changed by encountering Jesus and releasing a life of hate-filled sin.  The prisoner shared with the YL leader about his children and wanted prayer for their life to go a different direction.  A path of hope, love and a path of faith.

Fast forward a few years to this past month.  Guess who is in HS now and headed out for Young Life summer camp?  That inmates child.  God answers the prayers of prisoners.  My apologies for my atypical ambiguity (yes, Jeff can be known to be an over-sharer) but one of our areas has leaders reaching all kinds of kids, even hurting ones who have grown up with incarcerated parents.  Yet what a blessing in this story, that the parent became a pray-er.  And God HEARD the prayers of a convict and acted.  God 'called' a leader to show up to a school regularly, build relationships with all kinds of kids (not just the confident, hipster ones mind you), and create the kind of relational momentum (through prayer, boldness and faithfulness) where girls would sign up and invite friends to come to camp.  And that is what we can celebrate.  Light in the darkness.  Hope to the hopeless.  Releasing prisoners.  Isaiah 42:7 expresses that Jesus came "To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the dungeon And those who dwell in darkness from the prison."

This echoed from Matthew 25 when Jesus expressed how he receives our efforts for those down and out as thought we served him directly. "When I was hungry, you gave me something to eat...when I was in prison, you visited me...whatever you've done for the least of these, you've done unto me."

I love that you and I can be a part of Jesus' work in this world.  Introducing young people to Jesus who would not otherwise, and help them find a path perhaps that was not clearly laid out by their families.  Or...the families had to rely on prayer from behind bars.  God helps the helpless. Isn't its great we can be a part of the answer to desperate prayers?  Beautiful.  Let's pray that the girls' experience at camp was a life altering, hope infusing impact!

These posts will start coming as we leave for Malibu in 10 days and the stories will be shared!  Stay tuned.  'Subscribe' if you choose.  -Jeff-

Fireworks and Quietworks: Evidence of God's grace

With all the 'fireworks' provided by God in his directing of our family to move from Everett to Spokane and the Inland NW Region, we wondered if there might be a red carpet paved through the Red Sea of the region. Not that we expected the paparazzi to be flashing pics as we unloaded our trucks, but we hoped perhaps that a 'small group' of friends might discover us and invite us in their incredible fellowship, or a best friend for both Janna and Dietrich would appear on the scene without skipping a beat. It has not been quite so easy.

Dietrich cries almost every night at bedtime from missing his friends. Tanya has been wrestling to find her 'place,' adjusting from being in such a sweet spot in Everett.  Janna, armed with an iPhone to communicate with friends back home, a resilient resolve, and a clarinet that gives her access to a room full of musically inclined friends; she has fared most seamlessly.  I had such a well-carved-out rhythm in my life in Everett that I'm still reeling from losing it.  I flourish when I have a daily and weekly connection with God (3 hour solitude weekly, daily journaling, small group every-other-week, having a home church, exercising 5 days a week, etc) and lost that groove back in the summer when the crazy train of transition left the station.

Here is what we do know.  God is with us.  Where God guides, God provides. We trust him.  His love never fails, he never gives up, and he doesn't run out of love on us.  Jesus revealed the heart of God's Fatherly heart for us when he expressed frustration towards a dependence upon miracles and signs (Mark 8:11-13.) We asked God for miracles and signs for this big decision and He GRACIOUSLY gave us them.  He does that for us at times.

Oswald Chambers says: "If God has given you a silence, then praise Him— He is bringing you into the mainstream of His purposes."

He desires a dependence upon HIM, his ever present Holy Spirit which guides us towards his will (love and bringing glory to Him) and away from sin, selfishness and fruitless living.  Thus, in the aftermath of God's miraculous leading of us here, we see the miracle of living in the "promised land"; the life God prepared for us, parted the seas, and paved the way for us to enter into.  We have a daily connection with God and miraculous displays of God's grace to discover.  God was already at work in this region before we arrived.  We are joining Him in it.  And He began a work in us and will faithfully work to complete it.

God is at work in extending his grace, which didn't run out Feb 1st when we moved.  Dietrich was just invited to a 'boys night out' from our friends the Jagers.  Tanya is the new prayer coordinator for North Spokane YL and has also been pursued to be the co-Women's Leadership Network leader for the region and is finding an exciting ways to serve.  Janna is applying to be on ASB next year and even was asked to share at the Regional Leadership Day to 400 volunteers about be-friending non-Christians.  I am growing into the giant role of a Regional Director.  He is equally faithful even when he is not as 'visible' as he is during the fireworks displays.

God is with us!  God is with you, whether you're over your head, in transition, in a dry season, or if you are in a holding pattern and withholding from God out of fear of the unknown.  He is with us!
-Jeff-

Special Assistant TO (God) the Inland NW Regional Director

With the weight of responsibility that comes with being a regional director, I spent a lot of time in prayer and met with some key mentors in my life to start this new role well.

One key mentor in my life, Marty Folsom, invited me to pray and listen to what God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is saying about HIS region, the Inland NW.  Marty is a professor, a counselor, a theologian, a president of a seminary, leads a movement in the NW to pull key organizational leaders to work together, and an author too.  When we meet, I fill at least three journal pages each visit. This time, we prayed, and I put my pen down.  In this time of prayer and seeking the Lord, three statements were clear to me of what God's heart is for the Inland NW Region.

1. "I've heard you."  He wants his 'people' here to know that He has heard their prayers.
2. "I am preparing to cut off and prune branches (areas, staff, volunteers) so that this region may be more fruitful (more changed lives of kids and adults.)"
3. "I desire more unity." Unity between people, within areas, between areas, between staff, and in communities that have lost trust and concern for one another.

I took these three 'words' from God to me (the leader God has clearly called....as evidenced in the past entries) as my direction and briefing of what to look for.  I mean...if God really did call me....and God really has specific thoughts for his people...and He really does speak...including to me...and did...I figure(d) that I can, with confidence, follow His lead.

Since starting, I have heard SO many people say "you are just perfect for what we need."  "Thank you for your input, I'd been praying for exactly THIS kind of wisdom and person to come alongside me." Another example: "I just want you to know how thankful I am for you and excited to be working under your team! I have already felt very cared for and honored by you and Tanya!!"  -A (Superstar) Inland NW female staff person-

Again, I say all this not to inflate your view of me or mine of myself, but to articulate that God is real, active and is good at His job! As Rich Sweum often said, "If God can use an ass (Balaam's donkey) in the Bible to speak....then He can use us!"

I have been a part of many conversations where people have acknowledged that they sense God is trimming them, preparing for significant change in them, and preparing them and their area for significant growth. In each of these personal conversations, I say to myself "of course!"  Our Father in Heaven, the gardener, has his loving shears out and is preparing his vine for a bountiful harvest of changed lives.

And lastly, for unity, I am amazed at the conversations I've had involving disunity amongst staff, areas and such. Immediately, conversations have sparked to unify these communities, and staff. Othello is heading towards joining Connell, who previously cut themselves off from one another.  Ellensburg leadership is desiring to pull in previously disconnected Cle Elum/Roslyn.  There are discussions of the Bi-Cities (not the actual name) becoming the Tri-Cities again, with Pasco re-joining Kennewick-Richland.  Staff who have not felt 'connected' to other staff or 'that Spokane group' are gelling like never before and loving it.

These words feel weird to type about myself and what I am personally involved in, but if you are reading along with me...I am not the main character in this story.  I am the reluctant side character.  God is the hero in this story.  It is a joy to aim to be 'best supporting actor (leader)' in His Story.
-Jeff-

The Mountaintop Experience

During the season of mulling over lists in our journals, trying our best to be good students, we were totally transparent with our small group.  We have been blessed for the last 15 years to have an intimate inner circle of friends who encourage and keep us accountable to live the lives we have committed to living.  We call this group of 5 other couples our Small Group.  They pray for us, love us when we forget the truth, think  erroneous thoughts, sav hurtful things to our spouses and yell at our kids.  When we were considering applying for the regional job, they were the first to hear about it.  They willingly joined us in prayer and patiently processed every facet of this life-changing decision.  

One friend from our small group said that when she prayed, she kept seeing a picture of Jeff and I standing on the banks of a rushing river.  In the scene that she saw, we were holding hands and stepping boldly, feet first, into a rushing river.  She told me what she saw.  With no harm done, I thanked her for sharing and parked this odd visual in the back of my mind. 

On the day of the interview with the regional board, we went out to lunch with the Ellensburg Area Director.  We listened to him talk about his region and his ministry over Italian salads.  After our meal, he suggested that we go down to the park at the end of the road as a place where we could gather our thoughts and put the finishing touches on our interview outfits.  He said it had a nice view and a shaded parking lot that would provide a cool resting spot on the hot August day.  We slowing rolled into the park.  Jumped out of the car to look over the side of the parking lot and were greeted by a rushing and powerful river.  Is this the river our friend saw in her picture of us?  I felt a little nauseous and wanted to jump in the Yakima River that was rushing before our eyes.  It was too real.

I didn’t jump. We went to the interview.  On the chatty drive home, we stopped at our favorite restaurant in Cle Elum, and kept driving, expecting a phone call lthe morning after.  Near the top of Snoqualmie pass Jeff received a text message from the Divisional Vice President requesting a call back.  I was driving, offering Jeff a break. We pulled over at the Department of Transportation restrooms at the top of the mountain pass.  We jumped out of the car and Jeff called back his supervisor.  He was offered the job and was asked if he would accept the job.  Silence.  Jeff looked at me, covered the phone with his hand and whispered, “what should I say?” “It’s your thing!”  I whispered back.  What a lie.  But I said it because he was the one who would be responsible for his decision.  He accepted.   And there, on the mountaintop, we knew things would be forever different.   

On the way home, we called our small group and requested a special meeting for the following night to discuss the interview.  One couple was away delivering their oldest son to college and joined us via skype.  We shared the play by play version of the previous day’s happenings.    Heather’s questions were peculiar.  “When you got the call, were you on the top of the mountain, or near the top, maybe on the other side?”  Her curiosity was almost troubling.  “We pulled over at the summit we took the call and said yes right there…” I assured her.  

“Hmm… not to freak you out, but when we were praying for you before this, I saw you and Jeff on the top of a mountain deciding if you would lead that region.  It was as if you were standing between the two areas, divided by the mountain, and were deciding right then and there where you would go.”  She didn’t want to tell us what she so vividly envisioned in her head.  I’m sure she thought I would think she was weird.  But she had to share the picture she saw and to me it was reassuring.  

The scene in her mind is exactly what happened.  Jeff and I at the mountain summit, deciding our own fate, choosing between the known life we have grown to love, and the unknown land of obedience. 

Mind was blown. 

A mind was meant to be blown

Many times after Jeff put his name “in the hat” I wondered what in the world we were doing.  I am always a worst case scenario person when thinking about potential situations.  I pondered the possibilities and would say, “Can I handle the worst thing that can result from this action?”    I reasoned that if we were hearing God and should continue down this path… it will turn out at minimum… just fine.  If we are acting as a result of bad pizza, this could be disastrous relationally, professionally and financially.  I contemplated to the point of insanity according to ordinary standards.  Finally, I was at the YMCA subjecting myself to pain and torture, having a usual ‘Jesus moment’ (you know when you think you are going to die), and I asked God between burpees and lunges… “so what do I make of all this stuff?  The interviews, the questions, the huge responsibility of a new position, a move, obedience, losing everything..”  And I felt like a still small voice say, ‘ Just hang in there.  I’m going to blow your mind.’ 

Well.  Fanfreakingtastic.  Blow my mind?  Just hang tight for a second while I recreate your reality thread by thread. Trust me.  It will be great.  In fact, it will exceed your expectations.  Hmm.  Am I capable of the kind of  trust I’ve only read about in books?

At that point, I didn’t think we would be in.  I only felt like I could rest into a roller-coaster seat, firmly seated beneath the seat-belt, not knowing where the roller-coaster would take me, or exactly what kind of ride I’d be on… but I was ready to have the fragments of my mind that remained prepare for take off!