Pancake!
Attack. What am I talking about? Do you believe that context is key?
Campfire. Still don’t know?
Pancake. One more guess. At this point maybe you know.
I am actually not referencing a day in bootcamp. Or some video game cheat codes. These are all terms from volleyball. But without context it’s really tough to figure it out. If I had thrown in the words like, “spike,” “set,” or “serve” it might have made it easier to figure out. But these other terms are really only for those in the know. I don’t want to act like some prolific volleyball player. I only played for one year in high school and then jumped in with the women’s volleyball team at UCSC during their practices to lend a hand with some extra players on the court. Oh and that one time I was at a Marine Corps family day with my family in Pendleton and got landed on by a full grown Major in the Marines when I was like 8. I did a pancake and then was pancaked by the Major.
Context is absolutely everything. So making sure that we are all on the same page changes how we look at things. Otherwise the distractions, like having a giant picture of a pancake in this article, can pull you away from what we are talking about rather than bringing you toward it. Don’t get distracted, ask for more context. Pastor Joseph mentioned this in a meeting the other day and it was beautiful. As leaders we need to ask questions like “can you help me understand?” rather than saying things like "you are wrong about XYZ”
I am always glad to be able to have context in the things we talk about as a team. The fact that we get on the same page is important. Otherwise we are just walking around saying the same words without having the same heart posture or understanding of what this is all about.
In the book of Ruth we get an example of a woman who saw the context and uncovered more of it over a short time. Her mother in law was using some of that context to try to scare both Ruth and Orpah away after the death of Naomis husband and her two sons, the husbands of these young ladies. For the sake of these two young ladies to be released and start over again. Instead of being run off Ruth embraced Naomi and asked for more context.
…“Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.”
Ruth 1:16-18
Ruth was not swayed by the dire straights. Naomi joked about her situation that there is no way Ruth would sit there waiting for Naomi to find another husband in her old age, somehow have sons later in life AND then wait the appropriate amount of years until they were of age to marry Ruth. She told her your responsibility to me is done. You are free. Let me go beg for bread. But Ruth did the unthinkable in that time. She didn’t look out for her own survival. Remember this is a time where there we no credit cards. Ruth couldn’t say, “Ay yo, Naomi chill, lemme run up this Amex Black card and have that Rice Barn overnight Fedex’d. I gotchu…” She was putting her own life on the line for the sake of her mother in law. She knew the context, she got to be a part of an eternal story of redemption that started with her own redemption.
When Boaz discovered the context of Ruths choices, already discussed above, he gave her privilege. He eventually took her hand in marriage and that woman became the great grandmother of King David. In the lineage of Jesus.
So the context that we are living in today on this team is that we are a church that knows we “exist so that people far from God would find life in Christ!” That is the context and everything flows from that. Our team vision word for 2026, “Unity” stems from that TFH Mission. Our GS “One Thing” is to “Serve Like Jesus!” Context. Context!! CONTEXT!!! I love it. I love being on the same page as our pastors and I hope you do too. This church is entering its 30th year in a couple days. Let’s keep our minds focused on where we have been, where God has us now and where He is taking us tomorrow.
Serve Like Jesus!
James
What am I reading?
“Everybody Always” - Bob Goff
Key takeaways
Every single person matters no matter their circumstance or what they have done to you.
You have the chance to show them the love of Jesus, everyday.
Check out the book by clicking the link below