Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday which marks the beginning of the Lenten season. This is a time to let go of something in order to focus our hearts and minds on Jesus as we approach Easter. 

I have been wrestling with how I might participate in Lent this year. The thing that keeps coming to mind is pursuing simplicity. So I will be looking for things that bring unnecessary complications into my day. With so many things going on with family, church and school I need to be extra intentional about creating space and simplicity. 

It will be an evolving project. Periods of fasting, silence, solitude, times when I need to say no so that I can hear the Spirit and say the yes to what truly matters. 

I’ve been thinking a lot about pressure lately. Everyone faces pressure from time to time. It could be financial pressure, relational pressure, peer pressure. It seems like pressure comes in waves. We may have seasons where we feel like life is light and free and then others where it feels like everything is pressing down on us. 

I have to believe that I am not alone in this. 

Some of the most difficult pressure that we have to deal with is the pressure that we put on ourselves. Much of this kind of pressure comes from our desire to preserve our image. We don’t want people to think negatively about us, so we say yes to every invitation. This creates pressure in our time and our relationships. We want to look like we are doing well so we buy things we can’t afford to impress people we don’t even like. This creates financial pressure. We struggle with temptation and sin and we don’t want people to know so we keep our struggles secret. This creates spiritual pressure. 

There are also sources of pressure that come from external sources. Our company is downsizing, our parents are depressing, our kids are rebelling, and on and on.

Dealing with all that pressure on our own can be exhausting. I am so grateful that Jesus invites us to come to him with all our pressures and he shoulders them for us. The worries and fears and challenges that you stay up all night fretting about … Jesus wants those. 

If we try to handle them on our own we will can get crushed under the pressure. It’s because of Jesus that Paul can say,  

8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11 For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. 12 So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

– 2 Corinthians 4:8-12

How we walk with Jesus through that pressure reveals the life Of Jesus in us and through us. 

I know in the pressures that I am facing right now that Jesus can be glorified. I know that the enemy would love for me to try to deal with this pressure on my own, but if I walk wit Jesus through this pressure something wonderful can come about. 

But I need to trust Jesusnwith these pressures and so do you. Will you give your pressures over to Jesus?

Wow.

This past week has been a bit of whirlwind.

Last Monday I discovered that my car had been burgled (I love using that word, I don’t like that I have to use it for my own experience). The thieves took my computer bag which had my laptop and my iPad. Those are two tools that I use every day. So I had to get that all taken care of quickly so that I could get back to work.

I was so encouraged as people offered to help any way they could. Thank you. Fortunately insurance really came through for us and I am (basically) back to where I started. Friends that I have known since elementary school (Megan and Justin) offered to give me a brand new iPad that they had purchased at a great deal but didn’t really have a need for. But, wow, they gave it me, and it has been a tremendous blessing.

I also saw the value of regularly backing up your computer. I have an onsite backup and a cloud back up solution. I would advise you to do likewise. I didn’t actually lose any of my projects which is great.

On Tuesday, we had an election. And it has led to all kinds of . . . interesting conversations. I have been praying for this election, and I am going to continue praying for healing in our country. Praying the the church would rise up and be good healers.

Wednesday through Friday really feel like a blur as I walked through conversations with people about the election and grace and being good citizens and good christ followers.

On Saturday I started fixing a toilet in our house. I had some difficulty getting all the matching parts as one fix, revealed something else that needed to be fixed. But I did it. Yeah, I can fix things around my house!

Also on Saturday Kathy set up our Christmas Tree. I don’t know how I feel about that yet.

Yesterday at Creekside I was encouraged as people were so kind and welcoming to people with whom they have political disagreements. Reconciliation is an ongoing worked for humanity, and I was encouraged to see that Creekside is striving to be agents of reconciliation with each other.

And now we are back to Monday. What does this week hold?

Last week had a lot of surprises. This week will have many surprises as well. How will we respond? Will we look at our challenges as opportunities to let the light of Gospel shine through us?

I am praying that the Lord would work in us and through us this week, that he would be glorified and we would see transformation.

What a wonderful time to be alive!

This week we celebrated yet another peaceful transfer of power in the US Elections.

Christians are upset on both sides of the political spectrum. One candidate has a track record of displaying their values don’t line up with core values of Christian faith. The other has actual recordings that display that their values don’t line up with core values of the Christian faith. Both make claims to be Christians. So . . . this is confusing right?

This may be one of the greatest blessings that the church in America could possibly have. Because right now we have a great opportunity to show a third way, the way of Jesus.

We have an opportunity to untie ourselves from political power grabbing and focus on proclamation of the gospel through words and deeds.

We have an opportunity to be a prophetic voice to the people in power because we are no longer a voting block that one party can depend on.

The church started out as a marginalized community, they had no political power at all. But they did have the power of God’s Spirit. The church grew and thrived because the trusted in God, not in political power. The Church grew because in the midst of perfection, they put their faith on display.

Brothers and Sisters, let’s do likewise. Let’s put our faith on display.

What does putting our faith on display look like?

• Praying for people – expecting God to work miracles
• Serving people – expecting nothing in return
• Sacrificing for people – because God sacrificed so much for us
• Setting aside our preferences
• Living peaceful quiet lives
• Talking about and celebrating Jesus
• Living with joy in the midst of hardship
• Working hard in our jobs
• Extending grace
• Loving our enemies
• Asking God to be merciful to those who hate him

The world ridicules Christians and many places have rejected our message, because that’s all it is to them, a message. They haven’t actually seen faith on display. Church, we have a great opportunity to show the world that we really believe that God so loved the world that he gave his son, so that whoever believe in Jesus might have eternal life.

Let’s put our faith on display. Let’s stop letting it be theoretical.

Jesus, help us show our faith by our deeds!

Quiet mornings refresh my soul. I intentionally wake up early because I need some slow time. When I wake up at the last possible moment and start rushing through the morning my whole day feels rushed. But a quiet, slow morning gives me time to reflect on God’s Word, pray over my calendar for the day, enjoy a cup of coffee, and prepare for the day. 

When I wake up early to run I’m caring for my body, but on non-run days I focus on soul care. It’s important that we find time to tend to our hearts. Otherwise, like the garden beds we inherited, our hearts will be over taken with things that we don’t want there. 

I’m writing this on Monday, my prayer for all of us this week is that we would find a time and rhythm to build soul care into our lives. 

Here are some ideas

• Turn the radio off as you drive to work and spend some time praying (please keep your eyes open)
• Listen to the Bible (you can use bible.com’s audio Bible for free)
• Spend some time outside during your lunch break listening to birds sing and reflect on how all of creation sings God’s praises.

It is never too late to start a good habit. Good habits are hard to build and maintain but they pay off in the long run. 

-Jason

We have a growing team at Creekside.  With the adoption of the Lynnwood Campus, we have added some more team pastors as well as members to our congregation.  One of the most important things that we are working on is building unity in our new congregation.

We recognize that there are two different histories between the two campuses but moving forward we are embarking on a new story. This is not easy work but it is important work.

Today in our staff meeting I shared what was on my heart about unity.

1 Corinthians 12:12-14 says:

12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

Even though we are coming from different histories we have so much in common because of what Jesus has done for us.  My prayer is that our team would recognize our distinct roles that we play in the team and that we would be unified by what Jesus has done and what Jesus is going to do.

Psalm 133 also talks about this:

When we operate in unity, we please God.  When our churches are working together we honor Jesus.  And we all can work together to accomplish the mission that Jesus has called us all to.

We know that we cannot afford to do ministry alone.  We know that we cannot do ministry for ourselves.  When we are unified around the mission of Jesus, we recognize that my gifts complement your gifts. My weaknesses are helped by your strengths.

Unity is so crucial.  We don’t have to agree on everything all the time. But we can still operate in unity when we are unified the mission of Jesus.

If you are part of Creekside Church, please be praying with us as we build unity.  And please don’t wait until someone gives you permission to practice unity.  Introduce yourself. Say hi to new people. Serve on a ministry team. Join a group with new people.

These are all things that help us to build unity.

These are all things that will help us please God.