Yesterday we were given a great opportunity to worship with Canyon Creek Church, a small congregation in Wilsonville seeking gospel renewal and outreach in that community. Their pastor Travis asked me to preaching in his stead, and I am thankful for the opportunity. (Listen to a recording of the message below, if you wish. Note that the audio quality isn’t the best.)
Here’s a brief intro/summary for the sermon they put in the church bulletin:
As a young man David received a promise and prophecy from God: he was to be king over the nation of Israel. Yet, more than a decade passed before this faithful man would sit on the throne as king. During that time he was the recipient of the mad tirades and lunacy of current king Saul. Everything pointed to God’s promises failing. Why the delay? (David was clearly the better man for the job.)
What was God up to in the process? Watching David’s life and response to disappointments, personal anguish and persecution helps us keep perspective in uncertain times. In this "happy tension" between suffering and glory, David trusted in God’s sovereignty — He knows what He’s doing — and began to learn to see life through God’s eyes. Can you relate to David’s seemingly unending disappointments? Our Creator made us for Himself and never wastes any situation in shaping our character — all of life is preparation .
Essentially this message is one I’ve been "swimming" in for the last four years. Let me know if it impacts you as it has me during this season.
Five years ago today Kari Zyp and I exchanged vows, and then I got to kiss the love of my life for the very first time. What an amazing time it has been, my Sauce. We’ve had our adventures: moving 7 times, living in two states, both following the call to seminary as students, raising Dutch, continuing to serve our Lord Jesus Christ, and being able to know, love and enjoy Him oh so much more because of one another.
Sauce, I love you! I told you back then that I want to plunge the depths of who you are, and that passion has not and will not fade. You are cherished and loved!
Because 5 is not enough to convey how much my Sauce is worth (well, nor is 55!) …
She loves Jesus
She loves me
She was created to be a wonderful Mommy and is more than our boy Dutch (and baby #2 on the way) could ask for
She thinks
When someone asks if I can share my wisdom with them, I respond, "No, I’m not sharing my wife."
She is my best wisdom
She searches and swims in the deep things of God
She realizes that our pursuit of joy and God’s passion for His glory are not at odds — He is our Joy!
Her identity is not wrapped up in what she does
She is "in Christ" and walking in the Spirit in all of life
She loathes the separation of the Sacred and the Secular
She’s not afraid to say "No" to many good things
Her words drip with wisdom and grace
She waited for me, and gave me a second chance, even when I broke her heart 6.5 years ago
She does something once, right, and then moves on
She enjoys reading as the greatest form of entertainment
She doesn’t waste words
She is a woman of exceptional character
She is so consistent and faithful that I often say I feel rebuked yet encouraged trying to catch up
She has many young women "caught up in her wake"
She loves to solve issues quickly with grace-filled resolutions
She is God-centered in all her ways
She is a far better djembe player than she will admit
She is graceful and dancing, and patient with her clumsy husband
She perseveres always
She loves when I lead spiritually (yet is so strong in Christ that it seems like she doesn’t require my initiative)
She’s willing to think and feel with God in the fullness of her being, all the appropriate emotions (as found in the Psalms)
She’s quick to forgive
She’s coached me through a few somewhat humiliating yet totally humorous public situations
She likes it when I call her good nicknames and returns the favor (my Sauce!)
She is a devoted friend
She recycles
She’s is an ever-grateful daughter to her parents
She’s willing to do crazy thinks like live with them for over a year (this past year)
She puts up with me, and the quirks I’ve managed to pass down to the Dutcher
A better wife none could ever find
She makes each day of marriage better than the previous
She still has the joy and perspective of a newly marred bride, mingled with the wisdom of a mature woman beyond her years
People of all ages listen to her (and ought to)
She is a giver not a taker
She makes me want to eat vegetables
She is the greatest chef I’ve ever met (sorry Mom, you set the bar high!)
She can turn nothing into something absolutely delicious
She holds her finger below her nose in just a certain way while deep in thought
Justin Taylor brings us this quote from C.J. Mahaney’s book Sex, Romance, and the Glory of God (pp. 49-50), about transitioning one’s soul during the commute home from work. It struck me as powerful, practical, and very effective for being essentially a small thing. Seeking to do this has had great impact on our home life, and it is easy to tell when I haven’t paused and calmed my soul to be “all there” at home after a long day in class or at work. Let’s strive to be better husbands and fathers. Here it is:
When our first two children were still quite young, I realized that my commute home in the evening was functioning as little more than a review of my day. As far as I was concerned, by the time I got in that car, my responsibilities were pretty much over until the next morning. I saw my home as a refuge, a place where the emphasis, for me, was on being served rather than on leading and serving with Christlike love.
In God’s mercy, he showed me the selfish motivation I was bringing home each evening. I saw that my commute could be best utilized as a time of transition, so that I might be prepared to finish the day by loving and serving my family well.
So I made a practice of pulling the car over a few blocks from home so I could take a couple of minutes to make an effective transition in my soul. There on the side of the road, I meditated on Ephesians 5 as well as on some other passages. I confessed to God my sinful tendency to be selfish and sought to prepare my heart to serve my wife and children when I arrived home. In this way I learned to see my home as the context where I have my greatest privilege and opportunity to serve. This practice had a transforming effect, allowing me to walk through the front door with the mind and heart of a loving servant-leader. By God’s grace, I found it an excellent help in building a loving marriage, enjoying my family, and minimizing regret.
A few weeks ago Dutch started saying “Ba ba ba …,” over and over.
Tonight he said what appears to be his first official word: “Dadda.”
He said it clearly over and over, and added “Babba” to it a few times. (Perhaps that’s Kari’s nickname?) Now that he’s asleep and we’re playing Scrabble, I miss giggling with the lil’ Dutcher. Happy to be his Dadda.
Tomorrow morning I re-start full-time courses at Multnomah Biblical Seminary. As God’s providence proved, I had to take last year off, but am thankful to God for this next chapter in life to be able to return as a grad student and venture further towards completion of the MDiv program. My Monday classes are Biblical Theology, Greek II, Biblical Leadership, and Spiritual Warfare (9am-8:30pm) with Thursday evening course (Acts + Pauline Epistles) with my wonderful wife Kari (which will certainly be a highlight of the week; especially the commute up and back, alone to talk).
May God’s grace sustain us and help us to learn with heads, hearts and hands.
Here is my desk right now. Yes, it is a mess, but will be organized at the end of the day. Today is my last day of full-time work at Kamph Construction. For the past 2-1/2 years I’ve worked with long-time friend Ben Kamph to oversee and construct numerous excavation, underground utility, and development. I started as a laborer on the sewer & water utility crews, got a few hours on some equipment, but after about 6 months moved into the office full-time to serve as a Project Engineer, utilizing my civil engineering background and other work experience in like positions at two previous large general contractors (Granite and Swinerton Builders). I will continue on as a consultant of sorts, finishing up specific duties and adding input where needed.
The transition is somewhat bittersweet for Kari and I as I’ve been able to work with and enjoy the daily interaction with a very close friend in Ben, and Kari has been able to spend time with his wife Zephyr. We’ve known eachother for more than a decade now, and that friendship will continue for life. Kari and I will return to classes at Multnomah Biblical Seminary in ten days from now, as I finish up an MDiv degree in the next couple of years, God willing, and Kari wraps up her MAPS.
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Okay, enough news about us nobodies… The real news is that Dan Patrick is leaving ESPN. Today is his last radio show after 18 years with the sports supergiant. I will listen as possible starting at 10am PST as I conclude my own last day of work.
For those of us who grew up watching SportsCenter, Dan became one of our trusted friends. Teaming with Keith Olberman, Patrick (his real name is Daniel Patrick Pugh) delivered the best sports highlights and quick-witted commentary the world has ever seen. Just as we missed the “Big Show” when Olberman left SportsCenter and ESPN, so will we miss it again as Dan Patrick heads off into his next stage of life, apart from ESPN. For 18 years he has been “en fuego.”
The two Greek words de ("but") and Theos ("God") are the first two words of Ephesians 2:4: "But God, who is rich in mercy..."
Because of God's great love and grace extending to us in Jesus Christ, we are forgiven, redeemed and able to know, love + enjoy God more fully, ever-increasing and forever.
This site contains the thoughts and conclusions and journeys of the Patterson family -- Jeff, Kari and Dutch -- who have experienced the front-end of God's amazing grace, and continue to delight in His unfailing love.
Read more about us, and what we hold most precious.
A few weeks ago Dutch started saying “Ba ba ba …,” over and over.
Tomorrow morning I re-start full-time courses at 
Here is my desk right now. Yes, it is a mess, but will be organized at the end of the day. Today is my last day of full-time work at 
