Author Archives: brian

About brian

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I am a happy husband, dad to some amazing young people, fly-fishing dabbler, and pastor to a kind-hearted group of Christ followers.
January 18, 2012

Tebow AFTER the Game

By brian

“Tebow time” has been in the news and on blogs for weeks. Opinions are all over the map about Tim Tebow’s public display of faith. And people have opinions about his qualifications as a quarterback. Will Denver embrace his as their future starter?

I learned something this week about Tebow that is truly remarkable. And it has nothing to do with his on field play. In fact, it has to do with what happens off the field each Sunday immediately after the game. Do you know what Tebow does win or lose? Do you know his rhythm? I just found out and it put him in the hero category for me.

Rick Reilly from ESPN wrote an article that explains what Tebow does on Sundays. He always invites someone who is suffering, dying, or has injuries to come to the stadium with field passes and spend time with him immediately after the game. He flies them in, rents them a car, puts them up in a nice hotel, and spends time with them personally after the game. It does not matter whether there was a win or loss, this is what Tebow does. Tebow recently spent time with a 16 year old boy who just completed his 73rd surgery. His mother wrote about the weekend and meeting with Tebow, “ It was the best day of my life, It was a bright star among very gloomy and difficult days. Tim Tebow gave me the greatest gift I could ever imagine. He gave me the strength for the future.” Cue the tears! This is good stuff.

In the era of “me-first” athletics where pros usually have a jaundiced eye on their next payday and sport egos too big to enter the front door, Tebow stands out for this simple act of humility. Read the article, see if you don’t agree.

I hope Tebow plays for many years simply from the standpoint that I wish for him to have this platform to touch the lives of so many young people and their families who long for this kind of care and inspiration.

“Tebow time” has a new meaning for me.

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January 2, 2012

Eat Bread Every Day

By brian

Lots of people make resolutions at the beginning of the year.  Many times, we refer to diets!  Lots of rich food and excess during the holidays gives way to restricting what we eat at the beginning of the new year.  For quite a few of us, it is with the motivation of shedding a few pounds.

Bread is filled with carbs and usually falls on the “don’t eat” list.  Vegetables are in, carbs and fat are out.  But I want to encourage the consumption of a different bread.  It is spiritual bread.  And it is always healthy for you.

Bread in the Bible often times refers to the food that is provided by God to his people.  It was impossible to think of food to feed the masses in Israel without thinking of wheat ground and baked into bread.  And I have traveled the world tasting all kinds of bread.  Makes my mouth water just thinking about it.

The Bible also refers to manna which was a bread-like substance that God provided to his people while they sojourned in the dessert following their deliverance from Egypt.  Manna fell everyday to provide sustenance for God’s people.

When Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness, he countered Satan with the words, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God’” Matthew 4:4.  With this, Jesus was showing the parallel between our physical food which our bodies need and the spiritual food that our souls need.  God graciously provides both!  Later Jesus called himself the “bread of life” (John 6:48).

The Bible is therefore referred to often as spiritual bread.  It provides us with sustenance for our souls by revealing to us God and His perfect embodiment, Jesus the Son.

Why not put eating some bread at the top of your diet “needs” for the coming year?  There really are some great tools today to help us do this.  Let me introduce just a few.  One of my favorite websites is biblegateway.com.  This website offers translations of the Bible in Bible Gateway Audio30 English versions, and many other languages from all over the world.  In addition, you can perform words searches.  But I recently ran across another cool feature, an audio Bible.  You can hear the Bible read outloud to you by famous orator, Max McLean.  He has an awesome voice!

But I need some daily reminders.  So I also like this site: oneyearbibleonline.com.  Pick a version and a plan.  I like the chronological plan which puts all of the books and passages of the Bible together in chronological fashion.  Using these tools, I can read bread every day, or I can hear McLean read it to me!

Some of you with smart phones will also enjoy a download called YouVersion.  It also allows you to create reading plans and also features an audio Bible.  This is a super hot application that puts the Bible (and reminders for reading the Bible) in the palm of your hand.

There are lots of tools available to help you eat bread every day.  Start the year off right by giving your soul something really nourishing to feast on!

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December 21, 2011

A Christmas Party

By brian

Last Sunday, we invited our neighbors into our home for Christmas.  I don’t really know why we had not done it before.  Maybe because we all get super busy at Christmas hanging out with friends and family.  And perhaps that is the point; many of us live in neighborhoods in which the people around us are not “friends.”

Years ago in America, everyone who lived around us were considered “friends.”  In fact, that was the important role of the front porch.  People greeted each other as neighbors as they sat on their front porches during the summer.  We can all envision that iconic image of a rocker, glass of lemonade, and good discussion with neighbors on a summer afternoon.

But that is all gone today.  Porches have been replaced with electric garage door openers.  We all send messages to each other; I’m cocooning.

At church, we are beginning to talk about a new value.  The value we call “neighbors.”  And the idea is that we would become people who embrace and love those around us.  When we say “neighbors” we mean more than just those in the proximity of our neighborhood, but we don’t mean to exclude those important relationships that are literally across the street.

And so Denise and I decided to hold a Christmas party in a conscious effort to develop better relationships with our neighbors.  We made up a little flier inviting neighbors to our “neighborhood Christmas party.”  We went door-to-door to deliver them in person.  For the most part, we had a very warm reception.  However there were a few homes where we could not discover people “at home,” and we had another where a language barrier kept an elderly lady from answering the door.  But most were genuinely happy to see us.

So we got the house cleaned up.  We made cider and coffee.  Denise cooked up some goodies.  And 6pm arrived.  We waited for about 15 minutes and no knocks at the door.  Would it be awkward if just one family came?  What if nobody came?  We quickly arrived at the conclusion that we felt good simply to be in the position to offer our love.  Jesus was pleased with that regardless of the outcome.

But one knock at the door was met by many more.  People came joyfully with an appetizer or dessert to share.  And the talking and visiting happened automatically – almost like we were on that front porch of yesteryear.  People stayed for more than two hours!

We got to know certain neighbors better.  And some neighbors we met for the very first time.  A buzz was in the room that was very healthy.

All neighbors thanked us.  One neighbor wrote to me the next day,

“Thanks again for having the party.  It’s one of the rare chances to get to learn about each other comfortably.  Have a great holiday and an even better 2012!

Your Friends and Neighbors”

I have a vision for Christians.  Wouldn’t it be great to be known as the “gatherers”?  The people who help others gather comfortably and share life.  The people who move into their neighborhoods and create the environment for everyone to be known.  I’m more convinced than ever that a) it is not that hard, b) people are genuinely hungry for it.

Let the parties begin!  I’ll be happy to be labeled as “the party animal”… so to speak.

Merry Christmas

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November 30, 2011

Big Themes from Job

By brian

Chagall - Job

I have a good friend from seminary.  His name is Clyde Taber and he is the director of Visual Story Network.  Clyde is a dear brother who loves the Lord and the Word of God.  Recently, I saw an email where Clyde made some high level observations from the book of Job.  I found many of his insights compelling.

Chances are good that either you are in a dark period of life or you know someone who is.  I have people all around me who are walking paths that they never imagined.  And it is for moments like these that the book of Job means so much to us.  Enjoy Clyde’s observations below:

  • Be careful in judging.  I could be on the wrong side of God.  My theology does matter greatly.
  • God is big enough to handle our emotions (ch 6).
  • Be persistent when you know you are right (but hold this carefully)
  • When you have walked with God (vs. the casual scoffer), you can take issue with God’s workings.
  • Watch out for the mistake of Job’s friends that teach God is too distant and impersonal to enjoy me and for me to enjoy Him (ch 22).
  • We get a wide space for our faith to wax and wane.
  • God may allow sudden and dramatic reversals (ch 29-30).
  • God is never in question (He is assumed), but how he works is.
  • Compassion toward those who are weak and in need is a sign of righteousness.
  • God may be silent for a while, but he speaks eventually, and he gets the last word.
  • He has his own talking points and is not obligated to answer what I ask.
  • The fact that God is, and He speaks, should delight and humble me.  He is enough.

And here’s two more of my observations

  • We may never know the whole story about why certain things have happened in our lives (ch 1-2)
  • After going through trials, we will never see life the same way!

I pray that this is encouraging for you today as you walk in uncertain times that seem muddy to our common aspirations.

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November 12, 2011

It’s in the Translation

By brian

How do you say Coca-Cola in Chinese?  Or Tide detergent?  We don’t even think much about it, assuming that we say it just like it is said in English.

I ran across this interactive page at the New York Times which has an audio link to the way that common US products are pronounced in Chinese.  And what’s also cool is that it gives the way the translation of this word might be heard to a Chinese speaker.  For instance, Tide is tai zi which literally means “gets rid of dirt.”  Lays potato chips are le shi which literally means “happy things.”  Check it out.  It is a lot of fun to actually hear the pronunciation of the product.  In some instances it sounds familiar, Coca Cola, and in other instances it sounds nothing like its namesake, Colgate toothpaste.

Long before western companies decided to market in other countries, Christians were bringing something into many language groups in the world, the Bible.  Christians believe that God has come to people.  We are near the celebration of this in Christmas.  Our fancy word is incarnation.  It means God has taken on flesh in Jesus.

What does this have to do with Bible translation?  It means that we believe that people need to hear the Word of God in their own language.  We don’t force them to come to the language of the Bible (Hebrew and Greek), we bring it to them into their heart language.  And many people have given their lives to the job of translation.  People serving with groups like Wycliffe Bible Translators are among the best.

But translation is a tricky science.  I hope the example above with Lays potato chips in Chinese makes the point.  Often times, translators work to bring across the force of a word or concept.  And there is debate today about the best way to do this.  The best translation of course is to understand the original manuscripts from which the translation is based.  But few know the ancient languages well enough to do this.  Even being trained in seminary as a pastor, I understand bits and pieces of Hebrew and Greek, but I am far from “fluent.”

Back to my point.  God cares so much for people of all nations that He has sent His Son, His Word, and His Spirit.  And he seeks for the “translation” to be true, accurate, and heart-felt for all people.

A few years ago, I was among the people of Malawi, Africa.  I went to teach the rural pastors an overview of the Old Testament.  Being with churches, I discovered that in a church of one hundred people, usually one or two people would have a Bible.  The Bible was available in their heart language, Chichewa.  But the Bible was usually beyond the purchasing means for these agrarian people.  So my church began to purchase the Bible for Malawians.  We received pictures of people holding in their hands what they considered a large treasure, God’s love letter to them.  The fact that it is in their heart-tongue further drives home the point that God cares directly for them.

The next time you open a Bible, think about God loving you so much that He comes directly to you.

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November 7, 2011

Husky Stadium Renovation Flyover

By brian

The new Husky stadium renovation is under way.  It has been splashed all over the Seattle Times for the past two days complete with cool pictures and diagrams.  I know a lot of Dawg friends who are pretty excited.

One of the coolest visions I have seen for the new stadium is this 3D flyover.  It takes the model of the stadium and allows you to see the proposed renovation from several angles.  Very cool.

$250 million and a year of work.  Mountlake will continue to be a shining gem for Seattle.

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October 19, 2011

Fulbright Students in Edmonds

By brian

Fulbright Students at ECC

I recently discovered that Edmonds has one of the highest concentration of Fulbright scholars in the state of Washington.  The Fulbright program has existed since 1946 and according to its founder, Senator William Fulbright, it aims to, “Bring a little more knowledge, a little more reason, and a little more compassion into world affairs and thereby increase the chance that nations will learn at last to live in peace and friendship.”

Students gain scholarships to study in the US.  And these are not just your average students; they are the cream of the crop.  I have been tremendously impressed with the quality of English that these students possess.  In fact, each of them has to gain a very high score on an English proficiency exam (called TOEFL) even to be considered as Fulbrights.  These students study in the US for a year and there are about 8,000 students all over the US.

I have met students from Egypt, Indonesia, Turkey, and India.  One student I recently met from Turkey is studying airplane maintenance.  He seeks to work on jets and helicopters in the Turkish armed forces.  I am always amazed to meet a new international student at church.  And for many of these students, it is the first time in their lives that they have been to a Christian church.  It gives me great honor to welcome them with our love and God’s.

I remember hearing the story years ago that leaders such as Lenin and Mao studied in the US but were never invited into the homes of Americans.  My hope and desire is for each and every student at Edmonds Community College to be invited into our homes and our hearts.  I’m grateful for friends at my church who keep introducing me to shining new faces from all over the world.

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September 21, 2011

Intergenerational Church

By brian

At the church where I pastor, we deeply value our experience of generations who not only co-exist, but actually mingle and enjoy one another.  It takes more work because we need to listen more carefully to people outside our generation.  We have a running dialogue about what to call the foyer of the auditorium where we meet for church.  An older generation wants to refer to it as the “narthex.”  A younger generation says, “huh?  We want to call it the lobby.”  A staff member said in gest, “maybe we should call it ‘the narby.’”

Pete Menconi writes in his book, The Intergenerational Church*, that the Bible has two distinct meanings to the word “generation.”.  First, it may refer to a group of people who live or lived during the same period of history.  And second, the meaning refers to a group of individuals who share a common ancestry.

God has connected the revelation of Himself and His Word to “generations” from the beginning.  God tells Abram, “I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you” (Gen 17:7).  God seems intent on His message being carried from one generation to the next, crossing age boundaries, physical locations, and even language and cultural changes.

It seems that our society is becoming ever more “niched.”  I was at the mall the other day and there was the grand opening of the American Girl Doll store.  The mall seemed loaded with little girls excited to see the new store.  They carried their favorite dolls in their arms.  The mall was not just packed with girls roughly in the same age-range, there was even a Disney radio station that was broadcasting live just for them!  And this stratification is repeated  a thousand times for many consumer products and experiences in America.

For me, the church remains a place where we embrace “all generations, not just my own.”  It is easiest to like and value what is most known.  But the intergenerational church forces us outside our “safe spots.”  It is a place where I experience the new music sung by an upcoming generation, but also the hymns from the past that anchored a previous generation.  For me, I am often in the middle ready to sing another Keith Green song that is between both!

At church we also have an open time of corporate prayer.  It is interesting to hear one generation pray for ailments of friends and family and kid concerns, while another generation prays for new jobs, going off to college, and missions experiences.  Don’t both groups really need each other?  Don’t we have something to give to one another?  I think so.

In a stratified society, it is important to remember our common roots.  An intergenerational church does this and reminds all of us that there is the God who is the same over “Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” (Exodus 6:8).

 

—

*Menconi, Pete.  The Intergenerational Church, 2010.

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August 31, 2011

Remembering Dad, 6 of 6

By brian

This is the sixth and final day of my writing one year ago.  I arrived that morning and just knew it was “the day.”  It was such an honor to be at my father’s side at the conclusion of his life.  My experience is my experience.  I don’t expect others to do it the same.  But I have hoped that revealing this to a broader audience will help others enter in more deeply with those they love during those mysterious last days and hours of life.

***

8/31/10, noon

Dear Friends,

Archie left his earthly body, that had been wracked with so much recent pain, at 10:30am this morning. I’m continually grateful for all your prayers and care.

I arrived at the hospital this morning and I knew something was very different. His color was ashen and his breathing more labored. Believe it or not, he had actually had a pretty rosy color through most of this ordeal. But this morning was very different, and I told the nurse, “I think this is the day.”

Through tears, I sat by his side singing hymns softly to him. I had my laptop (and the hospital has good wifi) so I called up the words to many of my old favorites and sang them over him – every stanza! I know that two hymns will always seal this moment for me. My Hope is Built (a.k.a. Christ the Solid Rock) is one of them. The tune says,

When darkness seems to hide His face,

I rest on His unchanging grace.

In every high and stormy gale,

My anchor holds within the veil.

Indeed Christ has been our firm foundation as the storms of difficulty and pain have raged. And this includes aiding him for four years of his life with Parkinson’s.

Also, I was very drawn to A Mighty Fortress. It says,

Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing;

Were not the right Man on our side, the Man of God’s own choosing:

Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He;

Lord Sabaoth, His Name, from age to age the same,

And He must win the battle.

I love this idea. The battle is won by Jesus. He is the right man to conquer sin and death. He must win the victory and therefore be the deliverer.

It was not a major struggle for dad to leave. As I saw him breath his last, I was able to pray thanking God for the father and friend that he was to me. And I could so easily give him to my Heavenly Father asking for tender grace and mercy. It all just “flowed.”

ArmbandI have decided to do something special in honor for my dad. It is reaching back into the past in our country for a ritual of what used to be done when grieving the loss of a loved one. I am convinced that we do not help one another grieve well. And partially it is because we don’t know or remember that someone has lost a loved one.

Therefore, I am going to wear a black armband in his honor and memory for one month. On the armband are four symbols. Each symbol is a reminder of what he meant to me. If you see me, ask to see the armband and the symbols. It will give me the chance to tell you a little more about my dad. I thank a close family friend for sewing this for me.

Many have asked how I am doing. I can say that e-mailing has been very healing for me. It has helped me tremendously to share my heart. So thank you for the gift of listening. And I send a blanket Thank You to everyone who has e-mailed me back. I read every single one of your e-mails and they were a balm for me.

I will be taking the rest of the day to just make some phone calls and let family and friends know. Tomorrow, I will likely move all his belongings from his adult family home. They have been so good to him, and I’m thankful that they provided such a loving place for him in his final years.

Of course, my next few days will also include pouring over more memories and probably writing some in my journal.

Let me leave you with this one Scripture. I have purposefully left it till the end. It is from Paul in I Corinthians 15.

Death has been swallowed up in victory.

“Where, O death, is your victory?  Where, O death, is your sting?”

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Remembering a good earthly father,

Brian

Spreading Ashes

Dad’s ashes were spread under the Golden Gate Bridge

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