An open letter to Bethany Baptist Church

An open letter to my church.  

Dear Bethany Family:

As we drove out of Salem on Saturday, I was hit by another rush of emotion. I keep wondering how many of these wandering rushes I can be hit by. But as we left my parent’s house while friends and family stood by, waving through tears, I was hit by another. It’s the painfully good reality that God has blessed us beyond measure over the past twelve years.

On Sunday the 10th, Traci and I were completely overwhelmed by the gracious testimonies, fond memories and kind testimonies offered by so many of you. Some were spoken, some were written and some were expressed with neck-adjusting hugs without a single word being uttered. Truly we know that God is leading us to Michigan, or we would never leave such an amazing group of people.

THANK YOU Bethany for loving on our kids. Without question, the most painful part of our departure has been watching our children have to process it. AJ is in middle school, and having to watch him say goodbye to his new youth group friends, and his long-standing Bethany friends has been excruciating. At school he has been connected to the same group of pals since Kindergarten. Likewise BJ & CJ have only known Bethany (and Salem) for the full-length of their lives. Their closest friends, young and old, are at our church. And of course, the way this church has rallied to support Tati and her family has been an example of God’s grace administered in its various forms (1 Peter 4:10). Many tears have been shed by all of them, and it’s in large part because of how much you have loved them.

THANK YOU Bethany for giving me the opportunity to grow as a pastor, and to be imperfect in my shepherding, parenting and husbanding. Some pastors are held to a standard that makes transparency impossible -- any flaw is fatal to his employment and calling. While Bethany strives to hold its pastors to biblically expressed standards, there is a freedom in that for us to be growing Christians, too. I’m so grateful for a church that has high expectations for its leaders, but still knows how to give grace. I’ve been the blessed recipient of that grace, more than my fair share.

THANK YOU Pastor Tim for being more than my boss. Few youth pastors get to work with a senior pastor for 12 years, but I’ve had that privilege because of you. You gently chided me when I needed it, encouraged me when I was struggling, went to bat for me when I was cornered and gave me advice when I asked. You gave me opportunities to learn and grow, and you provided coaching and instruction when things didn’t turn out as we planned. You have been a friend, brother, theologian, teacher, mentor and pastor to me (and my family), and it has been my privilege and honor to serve along side you for the past 12 years. You have set the bar very high for my future employer(s).

THANK YOU to so many of you who prayed for us, sent us cards, gave us gifts, brought us meals, visited us at home or in the hospital, came to our kids’ games, helped us clean, paint or process paperwork. THANK YOU for listening (enduring?) to my sermons, laughing at my stories (especially you, Terri Kersey. When no one else would laugh, I could count on you!), and oohing and ahhing at pictures of my kids. THANK YOU for coming to class when my wife and I taught, letting us come along side when you walked through hard times and for allowing us to share in your lives. THANK YOU for serving with us, sharing in the ministry side-by-side and for being willing to think “outside the box” as a church. In so many ways, you have lived out Hebrews 13 for us.

THANK YOU for helping us create so many wonderful friendships and memories. This church will always have a special place in our hearts, and we will always cherish the years we spent serving at Bethany. I know that whatever future ministry God will provide for our family, it will be shaped by the years we spent in Salem. Not because the past has been perfect, but because together we’ve been in process towards becoming who God wants each of us to be.

Finally, THANK YOU for following and supporting our journey. Whether it’s been youth ministry, family mission trips, fund raising, book writing, counseling or moving -- you have been there for our family. We’ve been overwhelmed to the extent at which so many of you have stepped into our lives and encouraged us on our Overboard adventures. We wouldn’t be here today, without your support.

I feel confident our family isn’t done with the tears. I know there will be more than one Tuesday when I will want to be back in Salem with my students, or a Sunday where we will desire to be in the fellowship of our Bethany family. But we thank God for the opportunity before us, and for the opportunity before you. May God give you the grace to extend to Bethany’s next pastors the love, patience and friendship you extended to us. And we look forward to seeing how God will continue to use all of you to connect the community to Christ for the next 12 years, and beyond.

In His Service,

Pj

How do you say goodbye?

How do you say goodbye to one of your best friends? Every time the Overboard blog hits a 50, we like to feature someone who is really out there living the Overboard Life. On blog 50, I did a piece on my wife and her sacrificial, life-saving gift of a kidney donation. To this day, it is still one of the top most popular posts on this site.

Today, I want to talk to you about one of my dearest, and closest friends -- Andy. Although we still have a few more posts to go before we hit 100, Andy and his family are about to cross the pond and won’t have much internet access for at least three years; I wanted him to have a chance to read this before they leave from Atlanta.

I’ve known Andy for close to 15 years. Shortly after I started as a full-time youth pastor near Seattle, Andy was doing youth work on the other side of Puget Sound, in Silverdale WA. Our paths would cross at various youth events and summer camps, and we quickly began forming a strong friendship.

By the time Traci and I Moved back to Salem in 2001, Andy and I, along with another buddy of mine, were starting to talk regularly, exchange emails and make intentional connections at several different annual events connected to our fellowship of churches. When we would get together at these events, it was not uncommon for us to duck out of meetings and make midnight runs to Muchas Gracias. Nothing builds close friendships like heartburn-enducing Mexican food that makes your whole body smell like cilantro, and makes your wife tell you to sleep on the couch. Ahhhhhh, male bonding!

Through these things Andy I became close friends, and for over a decade, I have considered him as one of my best friends. On several occasions, Traci and I have enjoyed vacationing with Andy and his wife and both he and I have travelled out of our way to make connections with each other. I talk to Andy 4 or 5 days a week, even though we haven’t lived in the same state for the past 12 years.

But that all changes in two days. On Wednesday afternoon, Andy and his family will load a plane with 18 crates containing all of their earthly possessions, then they’ll buckle themselves in and take off on a flight that will eventually land them half way around the world. By Friday morning, his family will be living with a tribal family in a rural village. They will be learning a foreign language and adjusting to life without indoor plumbing, electricity or internet. When it’s time to send an update to supporters back here, Andy will hike 30 minutes one-way to reach a hilltop from where he can get a cell signal. With that little cell signal, he’ll be able to tether his laptop, and send short emails about the work God is doing in their village.

I will miss Andy. I will miss our daily conversations, the regular emails that make me, literally, L-O-L in my office at church and I will miss the times we’ve connected over a burrito, a cup of coffee or a youth conference.

But what I will miss most from my friend is this: his constant challenge to me, to live the Overboard Life. Andy is a trail blazer. He has never been content with the status quo and is always questioning the norm -- wanting life to be better than average. When he was a youth pastor, we would have hour long conversations about the nuts-and-bolts of ministry. At times he was playing devil’s advocate, at times he was arguing both sides of the point, and at times he was wrestling with the core issues of the faith. But always he was challenging me to push boundaries and to rethink how ministry should be done.

I call him my hippie Christian friend, because of how he thinks about things. He’s a true Oregonian (thus…a true hippie), and always trying to get things back to their organic roots. He wants to strip away the programs that so easily become the tail that wags the dog, and get back to helping people. So it was no surprise to me that Andy was leading his last church in the same way he’s been leading me. He busted  out of the “traditional” short-term mission trip model, and started organizing trips with serious intention and purpose. On several occasions he led groups to help drill wells in third world countries, bringing God’s love through the provision of life-saving water.

At the same time, he was rocking the boat at Christmas. While most of us talk about Jesus being the reason for the season, Andy was trying to find ways to really live that out in December. He led his church through a significant paradigm shift by using the “Advent Conspiracy” program as a back drop to their annual Christmas giving, and radically changed the way gifts were exchanged in his own family.

When they leave on Wednesday, they’ll be moving in with an unknown host family and learning to live with a people who have never heard of Jesus. They will learn how to function in a village, they’ll learn how to farm and trade in the community and most of all -- they will share in life as villagers. Andy, his family and the small team they are a part of, are going to share life, so they can share Jesus. It’s not about bringing American money or American ways to “save” this village, it’s about living as villagers so that they can earn the right to share God’s hope.

And that is what my friend Andy has taught me most. The world doesn’t need any more professional pastors or ministers. We certainly don’t need any more hair-slick-backed tele-evangelists offering prayers for dollars, or books promising an easy life for people who follow God. What we do need is more people like Andy and his wife; people willing to give it all up in order to follow God. People willing to live out the Gospel with an organic faith, not by having all the answers, but by sharing what they do know through life-on-life experiences, with a willingness to grow and learn more.

Come Wednesday, my heart will be heavy as my best friend takes flight for another land. Thankfully, God-willing, I will receive weekly (at least monthly) updates from Andy and his family as they get opportunities to send emails and share about God’s work in their village. While it won’t be the same as talking on the phone each day, it will least keep us connected until (if) they return from this journey in life. Although, knowing my hippie Christian friend like I do, I wouldn’t be surprised if this part of their journey becomes permanent. After all, when you step out of the boat and start living the Overboard Life, it’s impossible to ever climb back in and find the same joy and energy for life that you had while walking on the water.

I want to live like Andy does. I want to get back to the fundamentals of what it means to know and love God, and to know and love others. I want to live in such a way that people are more important than programs, and that my faith finds a natural, organic expression in my every day living.

Thanks Andy for leading the way. I look forward to the updates and stories you will share, of how people have been changed by meeting Jesus, because you (and your amazing family!), have been living the Overboard Life. And I hope when (if) you come back, you’ll find more hippie-Christians running around, filling the void you have left behind.

Go ahead friends, take the plunge -- life is always better on the water!

The 30-day Overboard workout

The late Brian Klemmer wrote a book called, “If How-To’s Were Enough, We Would all be Skinny, Rich and Happy.” Knowing how to do something, and actually doing that thing, are two very different beasts.

Think about your first kiss. You knew how to kiss. You knew that two people would do that awkward head tilt, close their eyes, and then press their lips together. All of that was in your brain.

However, the actual first kiss is an entirely different experience than what you know. My wife and I still laugh at our first bungled attempt at a kiss. Although since then, I’m happy to report, we have become quite proficient.

Living the Overboard Life can be the same thing. We know what we should do, but doing it is another issue entirely. Maybe for you the task seems entirely overwhelming, so you just plug along and hope you’ll find yourself overboard, soon.

Working out is like that for me. I know what I need to do, but actually getting out and doing it is the problem. In fact,  it’s not even so much the doing, it’s having a program that I can follow that will help me stay on track. I love doing workout videos and being a part of group classes for this very reason -- it gives me a general plan to follow so that I can get the habit developed. Just going to the gym and “working out” doesn’t cut it for most people. That’s why “30 days to a leaner you” and “the 45 minutes workout for washboard abs” are all big sellers.

If you’re struggling to get overboard in your life, here are five ways you could make the plunge over the next 30 days. By intentionally making each of these activities a daily habit, you’ll soon find yourself stepping out in big ways, following Jesus!

1. Spend time with God, every day: Seems like a no-brainer, right? Yet I know so many God followers who never spend time with God. Sometimes I get so caught up in what I’m doing that I forget to connect with HIm! It’s so easy to do. But if you want to live the Overboard Life, God has to be a regular part of your daily schedule. I recently interviewed a young woman who said, “I connect with God every morning before my feet hit the ground. I finish my day by chatting with Him before my head hits the pillow.” What a great life pattern!
2. Be inspired every day: Let something, or someone, capture your imagination, every day. Yes, every day. There is so much to be captivated by, but we miss it because of our crazy lifestyles. I’ve been working on this a lot in my life lately, in fact, here are my last four days of inspiration:
   • I was captivated by the science behind some running pants (it’s true!)
   • I was struck by the joy of my seven year old daughter over something so small
   • I spent 15 minutes reading about the interesting history of our local train station
   • I played 4-square with 6 kids, and spent a lot of time laughing and having fun
3. Help someone else achieve a goal or dream: Help someone else live Overboard. Each day I try to find a way to help my wife achieve her goals and dreams, even as I’m working on mine. Sometimes it’s as simple as heating up dinner, or taking the kids for a walk while she works. Other times it means sitting and brainstorming with her, or taking time to help her craft an email. I also like to call other people who are living Overboard, encouraging them through prayer or texts or coaching (if they ask for it). Whatever it is, a call, a note, and email, or a service project -- help others reach their goals.
4. Be thankful. Take time every day to thank God, and to thank the people He has put in your life. My least favorite people to hang out with, our ungrateful Christians. After all, we should have the most to be thankful for, and the most for which to give heart felt, genuine and regular gratitude. Spend some time being intentionally thankful, and watch how your Overboard Life improves.
5. Read a good book. Few things work more quickly to challenge your Overboard living, than reading a book. I have four quick recommendations. Read one of these over the next 30 days:
   • “40 days to a Joy-Filled Life”: Ok, you’ll need to squeeze an extra ten days in there, but I think you can make it work. Tommy Newberry’s book is awesome, and worth reading if you want to experience life-changing joy.
   • “Leadership and Self-Deception”: This is an outstanding book that will challenge you to think about how you view leadership, how you lead others, and how you are led. Very complex principles put into simple terms.
   • “A Million Miles in a Thousand Years”: Donald Miller’s book is fantastic, especially as it pertains to expanding your dreams and goals for God.
   • “The Longing”: This is a new one to me, written by author/speaker/blogger/coach/dreamer Joey O’Conner. You can download it for free from his site, www.joeyo.org. The Longing will challenge you to pursue the one longing we all have -- a fulfilling, life-changing relationship with God.

So take this 30 day Overboard workout challenge and see what happens. It’s so easy to get comfortable in the boat, floating around “waiting” for the right opportunity to jump out and follow God. But Jesus is already on the water. He is already calling you and I to trust Him, and to grab the sides of the boat and jump -- to walk on water like Him! But the best life you can live isn’t found in the boat.

Go ahead and take the plunge…life is better on the water!

New cars, mayhem and sex: lessons from Superbowl commercials

Yesterday’s Superbowl was a fun game to watch as a football fan. It had a lot of sports drama, some great action on the field, the officials called a consistent game and the winner was unknown until the clock hit 00:00.

As usual, I also found myself enjoying most of the commercials. In fact, this morning I though I’d offer up a few reflections about Overboard living from the Superbowl, based on what I saw during the commercial breaks.

1.  We love our stuff. Why are companies willing to pay $4,000,000 for a :30 second TV spot? Because they know we love our stuff. Cowboys, bikers and showgirls all racing to a Coke mirage is worth $16,000,000 in advertising because Coke knows we love our drinks! Cute babies in space, families having an awesome play date and a boy stealing a kiss at the prom is worth $12,000,000 because Kia, Audi and Hyundai know we love our stuff! (It worked on me. My wife and I will need a new vehicle in the next year or two and now we’re seriously looking at the new 7 passenger Santa Fe!)

The thing is, stuff is fine, but if we want to live the Overboard Life, we must be willing to live with stuff in its proper place in our lives. It’s so easy to let stuff take over, for stuff to become what matters most and to lose sight of the remarkable life God has for us. As we are packing for our move to Michigan, we are realizing just how much stuff we have and just how much we love our stuff. Selling, donating and throwing stuff away has already proved to be invaluable for our family, and we have a long way to go. But it’s good to have a season of making stuff less important, so that what is important can center stage.

2.  Someone at Allstate Insurance is a theologian! Did you see the Mayhem commercial? Wow! The Mayhem character has been interesting over the past couple of years, but during the Superbowl, Allstate gave us a theological lesson in Mayhem’s origin. Starting in the Garden of Eden, Allstate showed us that Mayhem’s origin (Adam and Eve’s original sin) has reeked havoc throughout history. Wars, natural disasters and political conflicts (including a humorous bit about a gift horse!) all the way down to car accidents, home disasters and replacement refs (ha ha) is a result of sin. (Or in this case, Mayhem).

[youtube=http://youtu.be/zjh2izUb0L8]

They nailed it. The consequences of sin are felt every day in this world. When we live Overboard, we are choosing to live remarkably, by God’s power, overcoming sin’s power. We don’t have it in us alone to live apart from our own flesh’s desire to sin, but with God’s help we can be victorious over sin and Mayhem!

3.  Sex still sells products. There were a couple of commercials that continue to prove that sex is still a great weapon in the arsenal of advertisers. It’s a sad reflection on our culture, though. Consider this: the Superbowl has become the largest sex trafficking event in the U.S. I read one story about a woman who was kidnapped (here in the U.S.!) and forced into the sex trade. She said on Superbowl weekend she would be asked to sleep with 20-25 men a night or face severe torture from her pimp. Often she was beaten, usually she was raped repeatedly for her “failure” to deliver. She said the worst punishment was having to watch the other women be tortured when they failed.

Sex is a beautiful gift from God, a true treasure given to mankind, that when used for the wrong purposes, has a powerful corrupting element to it. When you live the Overboard Life, you must choose virtuous living that opposes immorality and advocates for those who are oppressed by it. We cannot live Overboard and ignore the plight of those in need of justice and mercy. And of course, the greatest mercy we offer is sharing the love of Jesus Christ who shed His blood for our sins, that we might get to live eternally with Him in a perfect and Just future home.

I’m getting rid of more stuff. I’m trying hard to trust God for victory over sin. And I want to be used by God to bring justice where there is none, and to share the light of Jesus in the deepest places of darkness. I know I have a lot of growing to do, but I'm in process. What about you?

Go ahead and take the plunge, life is better on the water!

Pushing and pulling: the discipline of faith (4/7)

The Overboard Life is so rewarding, yet so challenging. There is such a pull to living life in the comfort of the boat, and very little push to get outside the boat, on the water, where Jesus is building His Kingdom. It seems like so many aspects of our lives are geared for our comfort, and “safety” -- not for our growth and personal development. That pull to stay close, to stay safe and to stay in the boat can only be offset by our ability to push beyond. Zig Ziglar has a great saying about this, “If you have enough push, you don't have to worry about the pull.” How much push do you have?

Like any gift, skill or talent, you can only make improvements by exercising the appropriate “muscles”. Musicians play better music by...playing better music. Pastors become more effective preachers by...preaching more effectively. Athletes develop skills by working hard to develop skills. Seems circular, but stay with me.

By contrast, a musician doesn’t improve her musical talents by spending hours on the tennis courts working on her forehand volleys. Her Musical talent is improved when she works hard at improving her musical talent. I do not know a good preacher who would correlate the quality of his preaching with the improved quality of his cooking. Preachers who spend their weeks developing their culinary skills will find they leave their congregations hungry after morning messages. Preaching gets better with better preaching. Music improves with improved music. It’s redundyclical.*

In the same way, your faith will only deepen when you exercise your faith. “Faith becomes stronger, when you exercise your faith” -- It’s redundyclical. It’s an issue of discipline.

Too often though, I think most of us want our faith strengthened by God zapping it. We want to wake up more eager to push ourselves out of the boat, and less eager to give in to the pull to stay put. Despite our desires and even God’s ability to zap us (which He can if He chooses), the truth of growing faith boils down to exercise: You must step out of the comfort of the boat if you want to learn how to step out of the comfort of the boat.

How disciplined are you, when it comes to exercising your faith muscles?

Here are three ways to work out your faith:

1. Create opportunity to grow. You can actually create your own opportunities to grow your faith. Create a service project that forces you out of your comfort zone, or participate in an activity that demands you exercise faith and trust in others. I often take my students to a local ropes course that forces them to trust God, trust the craftsmanship of the course-makers, and to trust their friends. Standing on a tower 50’ above the ground while your friends are holding your weight on a safety rope is faith-stretching! You can create opportunities to grow your faith.
2. See opportunity around you. If you look at the opportunities around you every day, I’m confident you’ll find chances to stretch your faith. When I was in college, I came home for Christmas and was heading over to my friend’s house to hang out after work. On my way to their place, I passed a young lady who was walking on the side of the road. Not that big of a deal right? Except that it was dumping buckets of rain that night, it was cold and windy and she was in the middle of nowhere in shorts and a small t-shirt! I passed her once, and then was struck by God that I needed to go back. So I did, and offered her a ride. She lived about 3 miles from where I picked her up, and she was headed home after her boyfriend kicked her out of his house because she wouldn’t sleep with him. She was only 15 (he was 20!) and she was left hoofing it back to her place. That girl had some serious issues (why is she dating a 20-year-old? why is she walking on a dark street in the rain at 11:30 at night? Why is she getting in the car of a total stranger? Where are her parents in all of this?!?!?) But in the 7 minute car ride to her house, I was able to share God’s love with her and stretch my own faith. I’m not saying picking up strangers is always (ever?) a good idea, but in that moment I followed God’s prompting in my life, and my faith was stretched big time!
3. Serve in your church and community. If you make it a habit to use your gifts and talents to serve in your church and community, I promise that you will have chances to stretch your faith. Serving others is always messy and always faith-stretching, but as you try to meet the needs of others, you will have the chance to step out of the boat.

Growing our faith needs to be a regular discipline. God will always give you opportunity (count on that!), but it’s up to you to seize it.

So go ahead and take the plunge, life is always better on the water!

*”Redundycle: It’s a compound circular word comprised of redundant and cyclical. Something that is cyclical is by nature, redundant, and to be redundant is to be cyclical. For example, the phrase, ‘working with middle school boys is crazy’ is redundyclical. “Working with middle school boys” is crazy. To say it “is crazy” is to say what is already known and to therefore, reinforce the obvious question: What is mentally wrong with the person you are talking with, to make them want to work with middle school boys? I know, because my wife and I have worked with middle school boys for over 16 years and have often been asked this question, in pity, by many a concerned friend or family member.

Happy Thanksgiving (aka: the discipline of thankfulness) (2/7)

I’ve really enjoyed the 30 day gratitude challenge so many people are doing on facebook. I’m curious if there’s a way to measure people’s overall happiness during this month, but if facebook is any indication, people are happier. After all, when you’re committed to being thankful at the end of day, no matter what happens, it forces you to see the good in life. And I think that’s the point of thankfulness -- seeing what is good all around us.  

Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5 to “be thankful always”. That seems incredibly appropriate as we celebrate Thanksgiving. But of course, “always” means our thankfulness must occur more often than the fourth Thursday or November (or the second Monday of October for our Canadian audience members).

As we focus on the disciplines that make it possible to live the Overboard Life, the discipline of thankfulness is one that must be learned, relearned and mastered. “Thank you” is powerful.

I’m currently working through Tommy Newberry’s latest book, “40 days to a joy-filled life”. I can’t say enough about Tommy and his book, and I encourage you to pick up a copy yourself. One of the key thrusts of Newberry’s book is this: you can choose what you focus on and think about. Each day, with every thought, you have choices to make about what your mind will dwell on. You can see things with a bent towards thankfulness, or you can see things through the lens of disappointment and victimhood. Each day, you get to choose.

When we develop the habit of thankfulness, I think we stop doing these three things:

1. Blaming others for our circumstances.
2. Looking for excuses as to why we aren’t where we want to be.
3. Wanting others to fail while.

And start doing these three things:

1. See our circumstances as part of journey, and find thankfulness even when the path is hard.
2. Choose to focus on the reality of opportunity in trials and tough times, finding thankfulness for opportunity to grow as we move towards the end destination.
3. Celebrate others’ successes, as much as own, finding thankfulness if the journeys of fellow travelers.

I believe the discipline of thankfulness is a game-changer. I believe this so much I’ve intentionally moved much of my life in that direction. Several years ago I actually thought about how unthankful my prayers had been so now almost all of my prayer times begin like this: “Dear God, Thank you for....” By putting thankfulness at the beginning of my prayers, I believe I radically changed my communication with God. As much as I’m speaking to God about things I’m seeking His divine help on, I’m also mindful of the things for which I’m thankful. In fact, sometimes I start my prayers, “Heavenly Father, thank you...” and I actually pause because I wasn’t mentally ready with gratitude. The pause does me wonders, and when I think about and then express my thankfulness, my prayers are transformed.

Here are a few ideas to extend your thankfulness:

1. Evaluate your prayer life like I did, and intentionally add thankfulness to your prayer times.
2. Create a “Wall of Blessings” in your house. Write out the different ways God has blessed you and keep adding to it.
3. Make a point to write five thank you cards every week (or maybe one a day).
4. Wake up each morning and as you put your feet on the floor say, “Today, I am thankful for....” Repeat at night as you crawl into bed.

Do you have some ideas for developing an attitude of gratitude? Share those with us!

Living life out of the comfort of the boat and out on the water where Jesus is building His Kingdom is hard work and requires many different disciplines. One of those disciplines, is the discipline of thankfulness.

So go ahead and take the plunge, life is always better on the water!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

How many body parts can you donate?

Do you know how many body parts you can donate to others? You can donate your eyes, parts of your skin, your heart, your kidneys, your liver, your lungs, your blood, your hair and even your bone marrow. It’s kind of amazing. However, while you’re alive, you can only donate a few of those -- so don't overdo it!

My wife has always been an inspiration to me and her actions this week tell you why. She has just recently finished an extensive surgery to donate one of her kidneys to a dear friend. As I have watched her walk through this process the past eight months, my love and admiration for her has only grown.

A lot of people have asked why Traci was willing to do this for Rhonda. Rhonda is an amazing woman and of course, her own double-kidney failure is a serious issue. Without Traci’s kidney (and please pray that Rhonda’s body will accept the new body part!), Rhonda is destined for dialysis, 2-3 times a week for the rest of her life. And while dialysis is an amazing breakthrough in science and technology, it is a procedure that often diminishes ones quality of life substantially. But Rhonda wasn’t the reason my wife donated her kidney yesterday.

Hearing of Rhonda’s condition, my wife felt moved by God to do something. She walked through the doors of pre-screening, and when she passed each stage of the process, she continued to follow God’s leading. Throughout the whole process we both knew that God could shut down the opportunity at any time, but He seemed to do just the opposite. Instead of turning away my wife’s desire to help, He made it more and more a reality. A deeply personal and passionate relationship with God is why my wife has endured a kidney donation for a dear friend.

You see, my wife is a living, breathing example of what it means to live the Overboard life. Unlike many of us, Traci is ready to jump out of the comfort of the boat in a moment’s notice, when Jesus calls her, just like Peter in Matthew 14. In that story, when the storm was raging and everyone around was terrified, Peter obeyed Jesus’ call and he jumped out of the boat to walk toward Jesus. There are a million reasons to keep both of your kidneys, but when Jesus asks for one of them -- that’s all the reason my wife needed to part with it.

Following Christ is serious business. It is not for the faint of heart. More than once, Jesus saw his “followers” turn away when they realized the high cost of being called one of His disciples. It’s not that everyone will have to cough up a kidney -- but each of us must be willing, when Jesus calls, to jump out of the boat and follow Him anywhere He chooses.

Today is the 50th Overboard blog. And while we’re right in the middle of a 5-part series on remarkable living, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity this milestone (50 is a big blog number) gave me to brag on my wife. More importantly, I hope the story of my wife gives you a visible illustration of what Overboard living looks like.

If all goes well, our 100th blog will occur around April 18th. What are you doing right now, to live the Overboard life? Will we be able to tell your story of remarkable living when that day rolls around?

Go ahead and take the plunge, life is better on the water!