“A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…”

**Que the music and those famous scrolling words**

Happy Star Wars Day! May the Fourth Be With You! (and if you were raised in the Lutheran church I’m predicting that you wanted to add, “And also with you”)

I love everything there is to love about Star Wars Day. Yes, I am a Star Wars fan - but some of you are much more fanatical about your love of all things Star Wars.

Yes, I am a fan of movies - but once again, some of you are much more fanatical about your love of movies.

So what is it that I enjoy so much about Star Wars Day? I love that it has grown into a thing. People talk about it on the news. Tweets, posts, reels, and TikToks will be made by the millions. Pro sports teams will use May the Fourth as a promotion to get Star Wars fans to come to the ballpark.

There are people that celebrate Star Wars Day that don’t even know the story. Star Wars is a marvel of storytelling and Star Wars Day has become another opportunity to tell the story.

When I was coaching high school softball our school colors were black and white. The first year that we played on May 4th I asked the girls if they would like to wear all black jerseys (Darth Vader) or all white jerseys (Stormtrooper). Most of the girls didn’t get it. We went Darth Vader. The next year though, the same girls that didn’t understand the Star Wars reference the year before, were excited when they found out we were playing on May 4th again.

The week before our May 4th game, one of my players asked if we were going Star Wars-themed again, and by the time the game rolled around, the entire team was excited to wear our “Stormtrooper” uniforms.

People got on board with a seemingly irrelevant “movement” because they bought into the storytelling. Our Star Wars games taught me that if you believe in something and make a big deal out of it, others will come alongside you. 

People gravitate to others that get excited and are inspiring.

The more we’ve told our story, the more we’ve been able to tell our story. We’ve had the privilege to chat with many people from around the country sharing the dangers of unsafe sleep. We’ve gotten to share how we’ve seen God working in our lives, not just in the aftermath of Anders’s death, but in the miracle of Anders and Linnea’s birth, and the miracle of Elias’s life. 

Our opportunities have got me thinking about other people that need to share their stories - you are one of them. People need to hear your story. They need to hear what you have to say. You have wisdom and advice that others are longing to hear. Go out and tell it!

Over the next few months, I’m going to be sharing a number of projects and ideas that I am working on to help others share their story.

As we walk this road together, please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have. Also, feel free to forward this newsletter to a friend! 

----

Ryne

Book Recommendation:

Soundtracks: The Surprising Solution to Overthinking

by Jon Acuff

I’ve been following Jon Acuff for years. He’s a talented writer and speaker. He’s smart and funny. He’s goal-driven and likes to talk about how much of a goal-nerd he is. I’ve listened to interviews and watched videos. For Christmas, Rachel got me his latest book, Soundtracks: The Surprising Solution to Overthinking. 

What. A. Read.

The key premise of the book is that people that overthink (and that’s nearly all of us - literally, he even conducted a survey that proves it) are telling themselves soundtracks that are faulty. We all have soundtracks but broken soundtracks don’t move us forward. The solution - fix the soundtrack. And for that solution, you’ve got to check out the book - or stop me and ask me to talk about it, because I love the message he shares.

If you need to replace some broken soundtracks in your life (like I’ve been working on doing for the past few months) then grab a copy today!

Scripture:

14“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16In the same way, let you light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” - Matthew 5:14-17

When our pastor preached a sermon on the passage above, I felt like he was talking to me. Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, is speaking to those following him and instructing them to let their light shine before others. We like letting our light shine before others, don’t we? We like when other people can see the good things that we are doing. 

But that’s not where Jesus stops…”so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

I need to remind myself of that daily. It is not about me, it’s about God the Father. I pray this encourages and challenges you. I’ve been encouraged and challenged to pray that I would make His name known and not my own.

My Favorite Post of April

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