A New Calling!

Dear Friends,

If you have not heard already, I am so excited to tell you about the new call that God has giving me and Leslianne to pursue!

For the past 3 years, I have been a volunteer mentor with Teach One to Lead One (T1L1) in Vancouver, WA.  T1L1 is a non-profit that exists to transform at-risk youth into responsible citizens. It equips young people to build lives of integrity, create positive relationships, stand strong in healthy habits, and multiply their influence among their peers.  We do this in the public schools and juvenile court systems through consistent mentor relationships and by teaching universal principles - that is, things that are true for anyone, anywhere, at anytime.

Each week for the past 3 years, I have spent an hour in a class with students who are failing, have broken homes, are in low-income families, or have been suspended/expelled/arrested.  Many of these at-risk students are absolutely starved for caring adults in their lives. Because T1L1 enables caring adults to love, guide, and mentor these students, we are seeing changed lives and tremendous results! I have numerous stories and stats that I'd love to share with you if you are interested! 

(If you live in Vancouver, I'd HIGHLY recommend that you get involved!)  You can find out more information on the website - T1L1.org  (we are looking forward to the new website and re-brand that launches in August! WOOT WOOT!) 

I have fallen in love with these students and this program, and believe that there is hope for the problems that we are seeing in our schools and in our young people today.  I believe T1L1 is an answer, so much that my family is willing to take a huge risk, in hopes to reduce the risk from these students. 

Along with this growing passion, Leslianne and I feel called to expand this organization into the place where we grew up - back in the Valley of the Sun!  It is needed badly in the Phoenix area, and we feel uniquely qualified with our skill sets and network to spear head it in Arizona.  With that, we will be moving from Vancouver in 2 1/2 weeks back to the heat.  (June 5th will be our last Wednesday at the church, and June 9th our last Sunday. We'll then take a week to pack up, load up, and take off). 

We are obviously excited for the opportunity to change the culture in a area that is dear to us, and to bring light to a dark place.  We also feel many other emotions as well!  We're nervous, confident, happy, sad, stressed, at peace, released and ready.  It feels really good to look at the work God has done here in Vancouver while we've been here. We are sad to say goodbye to some dear friends and people who make us feel loved. We are also really looking forward to spending time with old friends (who a lot also have children now... crazy!) and we're anxious about having to make new friends and re-plant ourselves.  

You can help us.  We are in need of prayer and encouragement, and lots of it!  We also need to find a few things to make this really go.  1) We need to find adults who care about at-risk youth and are not okay with them living destructive lives. We will be recruiting and training volunteer mentors who want to make a difference.  2) We need to find influencers in the public schools who want a character development and leadership program that works and changes lives.  We are looking for administrators, counselors, teachers, board members, etc. that can be a champion for T1L1 to exist in their community. 3) We need to find funds to cover program costs and to get this thing to move! We are looking for financial investors - not investors to make money, but people who will invest financially in changing the lives of hurting youth. 

If you are someone who can help, or know someone who can, let's connect! We are putting our skin in the game to reduce the risk for those students who might not have anyone else who will help them.  Please join us!

This whole process has been intense for me and Leslianne, but the one constant is a good God. He's had his hand in every step of the way and is opening doors like crazy - and even shutting some to direct us as well!  We are humbled by it all, and we feel God's heart to share love with these at-risk youth. 

So whether we are saying good-bye or hello, know that we are thankful for each of you and love you all so much! What a ride!

Grace. Peace. Love. Hope.

-Richard, Leslianne, and Lucy

The path to healing... pt. 4

If you were on our Winter Retreat, it has now been a few weeks since you revealed your scar.  So its time to refocus.  A big part of healing is committing to it.  You already did the hardest part and brought the darkness to light.  Don't give up now!

Committing to letting your heart and scar heal is about desire.

You have to want it.
You have to be honest with yourself.
You have to be willing to take a risk.
You have to be willing to have tough conversations.

Our God is a healer and restorer.  He makes broken and dirty things whole and clean.

Do you want to be full?


I think there are 2 specific ways of commitment.

1) The first is to commit to replace the hurt with something positive.  When you think of your scar or are reminded of it, the enemy uses it to beat yourself up.  View it as an opportunity for growth.  When we can't figure out how to process our emotional pains, we take it out on ourselves physically.  Whatever it is that works for you, figure out how to replace that hurt with something good.  Replace bad habits with good ones.  Replace negative thoughts with positive ones.
Love, serve, encourage...  Don't pretend like its not there or it didn't happen, just choose to over come evil with good.

2) The second part of your commitment to heal and move forward is to find some accountability. We were created to live life with others, and we need help.  Find someone who loves you, cares about you, and that you trust.  Ask them to ask you tough questions, to filter out the fluff and cover ups that you give.  Ask them to encourage you and pray for you.  Ask them to tell you what they see.  And most of all, be honest with them of what is really going on.  Honesty is the only way accountability really works.

This stuff is not easy, but its necessary in your path to healing.

The path to healing... pt. 3

Another step in the path to healing is connecting to a community of fellow Christ-followers.

God designed human beings to function relationally.  Thats why we are all connected to some sort of family (healthy or unhealthy), a group of friends, or why people have been getting married for thousands of years.  It's in our God-given DNA to need social relationships.  And we see that all over the Bible... from the time of Adam and Eve to the New Testament with Jesus, the disciples, and Paul/Timothy/etc.

In Proverbs - the wisdom literature - its written that "2 are better than 1" and also "just as iron sharpens iron, one person sharpens another."

Yet, for some reason, we are deathly afraid of deep and meaningful relationships.  We feel like if people really knew our deepest hurts and secrets, they would reject us or not love us as much.  So we try to keep it to ourselves.

Having other people who can pray for you, encourage you, ask you hard questions, and be there for you is essential. That's why the Church is so important.  It doesn't exist so that we can be "good christians" or earn some Jesus Bucks.  It exists so that we have a community - or family - to walk alongside in our relationship with Christ.

The Church is just a group of broken and hurting people who dont have it all together.  We need each other.


If you aren't connected to a body of believers - a church - a small group - an accountability group - a mentor ----- then you are crazy! And you are seriously missing out on how wonderful life in community can be, and how healthy it can be for your own self.

Find an ongoing and consistent place for hurting people who look for hope and healing.

The path to healing... pt. 2

A HUGE step to healing is being able to confess it.   And you confess it in 3 ways.

First, you have to confess it to yourself.  You have to be honest with yourself and quit pretending like it isn't there.  You know its there, and its eating away at you.  Put a name on what happened and acknowledge it.  It starts there.

Next, confess it to God.  Yes, He already knows.  But He wants you to talk to Him about it.  We don't have to do anything to receive his grace except for to say, "God, I need you. I need to be made clean. I need a Savior."  Ask God for grace, peace, and healing and see what happens.  See what He does in your life.  See who He puts into your life.  But dont take my word for it... try it and see what happens.

Finally, (and this is probably the scariest part), confess it to someone else.  Who is someone you can trust? someone who really cares about you?  Go tell them.  Ask them to pray for you.  Go to them for encouragement and accountability. Take a risk.  We all have crap in our lives... I'm sure they will understand.

I love the story of David.  He was a great king and hero.  He was a man's man! He killed wild beasts, and of course the GIANT Goliath.  But he also committed adultery and murder - and he tried to keep it a secret.  Here's what he said in Psalm 32:3-5:


"When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long.  For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord' -- and you forgave the guilt of my sin." 

Secrets control us and hold us hostage.  They isolate us from meaningful relationships, and they effect our entire being.  When we don't know how to process emotional hurts, we take it out on ourself physically.

So recognize that hurt happens... its a part of life.  Realize that you are not alone, and confess it.  The God-given healing is worth the risk.

The path to healing...

This last weekend with our high school students is something that I will never forget.  The whole thing was God-ordained. Literally.  From the planning that took place in the months beforehand, to each session, to each conversation, and to the follow up after the retreat... God had his hand in every bit of it.  I mean, He usually does... but it was so evident and it was "not normal" in the fact that it was so normal (that is - normal in the way God intended it to be).

The enemy comes to steal, kill, and destroy, but Christ has come to give life - and life to the full. (John 10:10).  And that is true for each of one of us.  Hurt, pain, and scars are part of each of our lives.  And the enemy tries to win by convincing us to keep that to ourselves... to live in darkness and isolation.

This weekend, we saw teenagers living as the Church. Yeah... the one we read about in Acts and Romans, and in the way Jesus told us to live.  They chose light over darkness. They chose to live in grace over fear.  They chose to love instead of judge.  They chose to hug over rejection.

As their youth pastor, you can imagine how proud I am of their bravery and hunger for Christ.

However, the path to healing is a long one... and what happened this weekend is just the beginning.

Whether you were a part of this weekend or not, I hope that you can choose to live in grace as well.  And I hope this blog can help you.  My next few posts will be offering tools for healing.

                                                                                                                              
Healing starts with a double portion of God.  Whatever you think you need to do in your relationship with God right now, double it.  Pray like crazy, and then pray some more. Spend a crazy amount of time in the Bible.  Write or journal.  Worship.  Talk to your friends about it, to your parents, to your pastors or youth leaders.  Go above and beyond what you think you should or could do for a couple of weeks.  

Its like when you get dehydrated... you start downing water and then some.  God is the living water.  Your soul needs Him, and a lot of Him.

When I grew up practicing sports, we would always over-emphasize and over-exaggerate our fundamentals. When the pressure was on during a game, your fundamentals would naturally take over.  These things are like the fundamentals of your relationship with God.  Be ridiculous! Pretend you are a monk.

God is a healer. He gives life. He gives grace.  Take advantage... He wants you to.

More to come...

Making the Most of your Christmas Break

Christmas break has already started!  Its going to go by fast, so don't waste it!  Here are some things you should to do to make it a great break:

1) Sleep!

Don't sleep the whole break away, but take advantage of the extra time to get some rest. It's great to stay up late with friends and hang out, sleep in, repeat... (these times were some of my favorite memories from my teenage years).  But use a couple nights to go to bed early and sleep in late. It'll do wonders for you!  You're only halfway through the school year, so freshen up and get ready for the rest!

2) Hang out with friends!

I know that seems obvious, but make sure you don't spend your whole break by yourself playing video games, watching tv, or on Facebook.  God made us as relational beings. So be relational. It's so good for your soul!


3) Clear up the clutter.

This could include your room, house, car, social media, or apps.  It's not the most fun thing to do, but it gives you a sense of refreshment when you are done.  Again, get yourself ready for the rest of the school year! Doing this every once in a while really helps.


4) Do something nice for your family.

You have some extra time. So do something for your parents or siblings that you wouldn't normally do! (some of you are rolling your eyes at me right now).  You might feel like you have to put up with them, but guess what?  They probably feel like they have to put up with you sometimes, too!  Bake them cookies, prepare dinner, clean the house, or write them an encouraging note. Think outside of the box. You'll make them feel loved, and we always feel good about doing something nice for others.


5)  Invite someone to church for Christmas Eve.

Not everyone knows the real Hope of why we celebrate Christmas.  We all know people who are going through hard times. What better way to help them through it than to point them to the Hope of the world?  (FYI... our church has services at 4:00pm and 6:00pm this year.)


What would you add to this list? What are you doing to make your break awesome?

4 tips for your first day back to school!

School starts tomorrow for a lot of students up here.  I thought I'd offer some tips to make your first day great and set the tone for the year.  If you already started school, I'm sorry I'm too late! I just thought of doing this now... but you should still go ahead and still try them though!




1) Bring an apple for your teachers.

I'm joking right??  Well, kind of... Such an old school idea, but I bet your teachers would get a kick out of it!  As an adult working with teens, I love when my students bring me something when they show up. It shows that they thought of me outside of church.  It also would show your teacher that you are looking forward to having a great year (even if you really aren't).  Or if you dont like the apple idea, leave for school early and grab a Starbucks for your 1st period teacher. Get on their good side. :)

2) Make a new friend.

It's a new year.  People change over the summer.  Go make friends with someone who you weren't friends with last year.  Maybe you've never met them before, or maybe you just didn't like them.  Give them a chance.  Everyone has a story and you have no idea what's going on in a person's life if you never talk to them.  Be a friend.  Gain a friend.  Its a win-win!

3) Go out of your way to talk to a freshman or a new student.

Remember how uncomfortable/awkward/scary it was as a freshman? Or if you've ever been a new student somewhere, you know how hard that can be... sometimes even lonely. Everyone has their "groups" and "tables," so how does a new student break in?  They're not familiar with where everything is or how everything works.  Or maybe they do. But you should go out of your way and ask them how they are doing and if you could help with anything.

4) Start and end the day right. 

Set your alarm 10-15 minutes earlier than you normally would and wake up to start your day with prayer. God cares about you and your first day of school as well. Why not talk to him before you do anything else? Tell Him how you feel and ask Him to give you wisdom, courage, and to surround you with the right people.

At the end of your day, take another 10-15 minutes and write down how your day went.  Write about how you felt, what happened, who you met, etc.  You'll love looking back at that a year from now, and 5 years from now, and 10 years, and so on.  Oh, and while you're writing, thank God for the good things that happened and dedicate your year to Him.


Those are just some quick ideas that are easy to do.  What would you add to that list?