Hello friends…these images represent the past year of engaging the world for the cause of Christ. Concerts, retreats, a summer music tour for high school and college students, church planting, storage shifting, prepping for the next Camino excursion, wakes, graduations and a thousand conversations. Life in Him is crazy.
I am about half way through my prayer that Jesus would give me 20 years of significance…that the last 20 would have more impact than the first 30.
Three things I’ve come to understand about following Jesus that I didn’t know would be true.
- Outcomes are His concern, not mine.
This time last year I didn’t have any, for sure, student musicians, no funding and yet, I felt led to create a summer ministry program like nothing else I’ve seen. And He provided 7 students, $35k, two buses, safety, scholarships and an amazing experience. My job was saying “Yes“. - Hard means you’re learning. The summer students who were the biggest pains, who never got it, who couldn’t get past their ego and fear…were the ones who taught me the most. And there were some tough days where I wanted to send them home and the Spirit had me pause.
- Grace takes courage. Choosing to be kind to yourself and others, recognizing that the Spirit is working on everyone, all the time, takes a God given resilience.It’s a choice made, daily, and sometimes you just don’t get it done.
And I couldn’t have done any of it without your financial support and prayerfulness.So, thank you. I pray it’s always an opportunity, NEVER an obligation.
Blessings
Kevin
If you would like to read more about the Music and Mission Road Trip 2023, here is a link that outlines the trip from the view of my co-leader, Samantha Elie, and then some responses by a few of the students.
Just to be clear, there are days I think I’m crazy. 
I’ve come to the place in my life that either Jesus is who He says He is or it’s all a marvelous fabrication…and I’ve decided to be all in. What that means is that I’ve chosen to buy into the theology I’ve processed over the past 65 years and it is remarkably different than what I grew up with. A small but succinct overview.
1st John 4:8 says that God is love and anyone who loves is of God. Our pursuit of the spiritual is to become more loving, which makes us more like God…and I’m not sure one can even love unless God has His hand in it. Not sure how that works for sure, but it’s where I’m heading. That God is working on us at all times, in all ways, to help us love better…ourselves and others.
1st Corinthians 13 lays out what that love lived out looks like…patient, kind, doesn’t envy or boast or succumb to false pride…you get the idea. So this believing in Jesus and choosing His way is all about learning to love well, by action and intent. And some times it’s really hard because the world we live in doesn’t value that mindset.
In Matthew 25, Jesus lays out the challenge of loving…calling us to love those that are outcast in culture…and then sharing the outcome of that life process…joining Him in whatever awaits us afterward.
And so, we choose the life of Love or the other life, whatever that is. It seems to me that both lives are full of really good things…the Bible says the rain falls on the just and the unjust…good and bad happens whatever you choose to believe…but choosing to live out of the transformative power of love leads you on a different journey…a wild ride…a crazy opportunity to be wielded by Him in ways unforeseeable.
This choice to seek how a life of love unfolds continues to challenge and delight my best self. It has led me to be available to the religiously untethered…the pastorless yet spiritually directed…the open hearted seekers unbound by past cultural norms.
In the past week…
I’ve arranged to serve a small christian school in Prineville, OR that is putting on a fundraising dinner and auction. 
They wanted live background music for dinner, rather than canned music…to class it up a bit… ( her words, not mine ) and so I gathered a couple friends to drive the six hour round trip to serve them. Since they don’t want any vocals, I’m just the driver and equipment procurer…the players will make $200 each. But what I really get is travel time with people I care about and time to talk about living an intentional life…which eventually, always leads into loving better.
I’ve gotten to comfort a friend who’s father died unexpectedly. Having lost my own father two years ago, my heart was deeply hurting for my him…and I knew his father because he had stayed with me for a few months, years ago…he was a wonderful man and they were very close. The point being, I had time to be present with him.
I met with two students from a small high school. 
One wanted help in creating a worship talk and the other ended up talking about how to bring engaging faith into cultural christianity….especially focused on high school students. It was intriguing because she is the student body spiritual leader and she has no ongoing relationship with other class spiritual leaders. I told her that her uncle and I would both pony up a $100 each to give her funds to invest in her peers. I’m waiting to get the call.
Living the life of love is different in your thirty’s than it is in your sixty’s but the mindset is the same…are you recognizing that you are an agent of grace, bestowing the blessing of what is described in 1 Corinthians 13.
And the future is moving forward at a crazy pace.
I leave Portland around the middle of March for a four/five week road trip through Washington, Idaho, Utah, Arizona and California. I haven’t served this community for a while and I look forward to sharing time.
The middle of May finds me in Spokane, celebrating a friends Doctoral graduation and then on to a celebration of life for Charlie and Jo Smith in Bozeman. Their family has been dear to me for 50 years…hard to believe.
And then, we discover God’s plan for the summer. It will entail music, 
travel and spiritual growth but how it comes together is still unfolding. We have connections with three different school communities. As we share information, we’ll see who comes forward to engage. And we will need to raise $30-35k for expenses and scholarships. Aim for the stars and perhaps we’ll hit the moon:-)
My friend, Steven, helps me understand that I share too much…but I want you to know that while it may be years between us sitting down over a beer or a cup of coffee…your support of this calling is launching me into the lives of folks who will never get a pastoral visit or spiritual support and I think that is a worthy endeavor…and I’m grateful for your support.
Talk to you in a couple months…either here or in person. Know you are loved. Kevin
Free Range, Cage Free
PS. There are areas of funding needed.
1. The summer program which covers food, lodging, gas, scholarships, insurance, etc. Last year this ran over $30k and we expect this year for the cost to rise.
2. Our red performance bus needs some engine work. Both exhaust manifolds leak and the engine needs a little upgrading. We believe we can get it done for $3-4k.
3. The second bus, our people hauler, needs a paint job. When we had the red bus done it was about 4k.
