Joyful In Hope

NOTE: I was really excited to preach this sermon today… but when I arrived early this morning at the church to begin prepping for our Drive-Thru Food Bank, I heard a distinct dripping sound and noticed significant water damage in our auditorium. We’re assessing it now, but it’s obviously not safe to hold a service indoors today so we had to cancel. Anyway, here’s my sermon:

Romans 12.12

Be joyful in hope, patient in trouble, and faithful in prayer.

Romans 15.13

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him.

Author Karl Ove Knausgård said,

“There is only one thing children find harder to hold back than tears, and that is joy.”

Last week I talked about the faithfulness of God.

God is faithful. Always and forever.

After the service, a confident little girl (around 9 years old) holding a german shepherd stuffed animal under her arm came up to me and said, “I’d like to talk to you.”

It’s funny how my first reaction was to be kinda scared because, well… church PTSD (I’ve had some bad experiences that started out with those words, “I’d like to talk to you.”

Anyway, this girl was wonderful—she wanted me to know that they’d just moved into their new neighborhood and when they left for church this morning, their car didn’t work.

Their old neighborhood had a neighbor who helped them with their car before.

But today in their new neighborhood, a very kind new neighbor came to their rescue… and they made it to church, just a few minutes late.

She concluded her story by saying, “So, I think we agree. God is faithful.”

There was a pause, and then she asked, “Um, what is faithful?”

I love it. I think she knew in her heart that God can always be trusted because God is always good.

But big words can be tricky.

I stumbled around for a few seconds offering other big and tricky words:

“Reliable. Trustworthy. Constant. Dependable.”

I could see that no light bulb was going off.

So then I said, “God always keeps his promises. He’s always good and we can trust him.

That’s what faithful means.”

She nodded and agreed with me. “Yeah, God always keeps his promises. That’s right.”

“And the devil tried to keep us from getting to church this morning, but God is faithful.”

I laughed and said,… Read More

My Favorite Imperfect Cookies

Each week, I write two little family devotions that are printed as mini-booklets and added to the Kid’s Activity Pack that we hand out at our Drive-Thru Food Bank and our Sunday service. We’ve given out over 5,000 of these Kid’s Activity Packs now. Last week, I wrote about a happy family memory… my favorite imperfect cookies:

There is a fortune cookie factory here in Seattle’s Chinatown that sells bags of “un-fortunate” cookies. They’re the cookies that were somehow damaged, flattened, or just didn’t turn out perfect in the fortune cookie folding process. They are sold in a large plastic bag about the size of a beach ball (and they are much cheaper than the perfect ones).

bags of unfortune cookies for post

My parents loved going to dinner in Chinatown and they would always stop at the fortune cookie factory so they could buy a big bag of “un-fortunate” cookies. Sometimes, they would even buy an extra bag and give it to me.

I didn’t mind that these cookies weren’t perfect. Actually, the flat ones are easier to eat than the perfectly folded ones. Sometimes the folded ones hurt the roof of your mouth.

fortune cookies for post

The “un-fortunate” cookies tasted the same as the perfect ones. They came from the same factory. They had the same recipe. They just looked different.

I’m glad the fortune cookie factory doesn’t throw away these flat “un-fortunate” cookies.

Sometimes, when things don’t go the way we planned, or when everything isn’t as perfect as we’d like, we might not want to accept it.

But, have you ever had a warm chocolate cookie fresh out of the oven that broke when it was taken off the cookie sheet? Those broken cookies are delicious!

Maybe we should accept things, or situations, or people… that aren’t perfect.

After all, neither are we!

“Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” —Romans 15.7

 

 

Our Ninth And Final Campfire Service

Here’s the video of our ninth and final Sunday Campfire Service from last Sunday. It is hosted by Pastor Andy; it includes Scripture readings, prayer, and worship led by Pastor Kyle.

I wrap up our mini-series about making deals with the devil in the desert (or what Jesus teaches us about making deals with the devil).

If you missed this service or are unable to attend these outdoor services because of COVID-19 or for any other reason, we’d love to have you join us online!

PS—tonight’s service is cancelled due to inclement weather. We will be returning indoors next week, on Sunday, October 18 at 11:30am. Online registration will go live tomorrow. 

Go Seahawks!

Click here for a PDF of the Worship Guide: worship guide sunday campfire service October 4

Our Eighth Campfire Service

Here’s the video of our eighth Sunday Campfire Service from last Sunday. It is hosted by Pastor Andy; it includes Scripture readings, prayer, and worship led by Pastor Kyle.

Pastor Angela continues our new mini-series about making deals with the devil in the desert (or what Jesus teaches us about making deals with the devil).

Her message is to the kids… but really, it’s for all of us.

If you missed this service or are unable to attend these outdoor services because of COVID-19 or for any other reason, we’d love to have you join us online!

PS—tonight’s service is at 6:00pm on the east lawn and there is room for you. BYOC (bring your own chair) and be sure to wear a face mask. Please RSVP at: nwlife.church/attend


Click here for a PDF of the Worship Guide: worship guide sunday campfire service October 4

 

 

Our Seventh Campfire Service

Here’s the video of our seventh Sunday Campfire Service from last Sunday. It is hosted by Pastor Angela; it includes Scripture readings, prayer, and worship led by Pastor Kyle.

I begin a new mini-series about making deals with the devil in the desert (or what Jesus teaches us about making deals with the devil).

The message zeros in on the theme of identity—and building a life on what is true.

If you missed this service or are unable to attend these outdoor services because of COVID-19 or for any other reason, we’d love to have you join us online!

PS—tonight’s service is at 6:00pm **NEW TIME** on the east lawn and there is room for you. BYOC (bring your own chair) and be sure to wear a face mask. Please RSVP at: nwlife.church/attend

Click here for a PDF of the Worship Guide: worship guide sunday campfire service September 20

How baffling you are, oh Church, and yet how I love you!

I’ve been posting our Sunday Campfire Service videos here each week, but last Sunday we had to cancel because of the unhealthy air quality due to wildfires throughout the northwest region. So, it’s kinda like when we have a snowstorm and have to cancel church… no video to share. But, since I’m in the habit of posting each week, I thought I’d share something else—something I read this week by Italian writer and mystic Carlo Carretto:

How baffling you are, oh Church, and yet how I love you!

How you have made me suffer, and yet how much I owe you! I would like to see you destroyed, and yet I need your presence. You have given me so much scandal and yet you have made me understand what sanctity is. I have seen nothing in the world more devoted to obscurity, more compromised, more false, and yet I have touched nothing more pure, more generous, more beautiful. How often I have wanted to shut the doors of my soul in your face, and how often I have prayed to die in the safety of your arms.

No, I cannot free myself from you, because I… Read More

Our Sixth Campfire Service

Here’s the video of our sixth Sunday Campfire Service from last Sunday. It is hosted by Pastor Andy; it includes Scripture readings, prayer, and worship led by Pastor Kyle and Janelle Mike.

I conclude our mini-series… a pandemic remix of the story of Jonah: “Things to do in the Belly of a Whale,” with a message entitled, “We Can Write Better Endings.”

The message is reminder of God’s vision for the beloved community—a reminder that we are being called closer to God and to one another.

If you missed this service or are unable to attend these outdoor services because of COVID-19 or for any other reason, we’d love to have you join us online!

PS—tonight’s service is at 6:00pm **NEW TIME** on the east lawn and there is room for you. BYOC (bring your own chair) and be sure to wear a face mask. Please RSVP at: nwlife.church/attend

 

Click here for a PDF of the Worship Guide: worship guide sunday campfire service September 6

 

Our Fifth Campfire Service

Here’s the video of our fifth Sunday Campfire Service from last Sunday. It is hosted by Pastor Angela; it includes Scripture readings, prayer, and worship led by Shaun Jones.

I continue teaching in our mini-series… a pandemic remix of the story of Jonah: Things to do in the Belly of a Whale.

The message is one of hope—a call to dream again.

If you missed this service or are unable to attend these outdoor services because of COVID-19 or for any other reason, we’d love to have you join us online!

PS—tonight’s service is at 6:30pm on the east lawn and there is room for you. BYOC (bring your own chair) and be sure to wear a face mask. Please RSVP at: nwlife.church/attend

Click here for a PDF of the Worship Guide: worship guide sunday campfire service Aug 30

Our Fourth Campfire Service

Here’s the video of our fourth Sunday Campfire Service from last Sunday. It is hosted by me and Shari and it includes Scripture readings, prayer, and worship led by Pastor Kyle.

Pastor Andy continues our mini-series… a pandemic remix of the story of Jonah: Things to do in the Belly of a Whale.

The message is funny, relatable, and applicable. It’s definitely worth your time.

If you missed this service or are unable to attend these outdoor services because of COVID-19 or for any other reason, we’d love to have you join us online!

PS—tonight’s service is at 6:30pm on the east lawn and there is room for you. BYOC (bring your own chair) and be sure to wear a face mask. Please RSVP at: nwlife.church/attend

Click here for a PDF of the Worship Guide: worship guide sunday campfire service Aug 23

Our Third Campfire Service

Here’s the video of our third Sunday Campfire Service from last Sunday. It is hosted by Pastor Andy and includes Scripture readings, prayer, and worship led by Pastor Kyle and Bailey.

I continue our new mini-series… a pandemic remix of the story of Jonah: Things to do in the Belly of a Whale.

It was 90+ degrees at 6:30pm last week and I’m pretty sure sweat dripped in my eye a few times while I was speaking. Thankfully, we did not have a campfire!

If you missed this service or are unable to attend these outdoor services because of COVID-19 or for any other reason, we’d love to have you join us online!

PS—tonight’s service is at 6:30pm on the east lawn and there is room for you. BYOC (bring your own chair) and be sure to wear a face mask. Please RSVP at: nwlife.church/attend

Click here for a PDF of the Worship Guide: worship guide sunday campfire service Aug 16