Building Bridges is the name of the game today as we chat with Jordan Boessling, a true servant in Christ, who wears more hats than a magician at a birthday party! From overseeing worship media to leading discipleship classes, Jordan’s journey is a vibrant tapestry woven through faith, service, and a sprinkle of sports. He’s not just about the preaching; he’s all about connecting with the community, too, especially through his work with RBI Austin, where he uses baseball as a platform to mentor and inspire youth to become upstanding citizens. We delve into his experiences, from growing up in Houston to his 18 years at Christ Lutheran Church in Austin, and explore how his passions for sports and art significantly influence his mission. So grab your favorite snack, kick back, and let’s get ready to be inspired by Jordan’s story of service, faith, and the power of building connections!

Service and community are at the heart of what it means to be a bridge builder. In this lively episode, we chat with Jordan Boessling, a dynamic leader at Christ Lutheran Church in Austin, Texas. Jordan wears many hats, from overseeing worship media to coaching youth baseball, and he brings a wealth of experience and passion to the table. His journey through various Concordia institutions has equipped him with the tools to serve others effectively, and he shares how his faith fuels his commitment to outreach and mentorship.

Jordan's story is one of growth and connection, illustrating how his love for sports has become a vehicle for ministry. Through his work with RBI Austin, he has successfully engaged young people, utilizing baseball as a platform to teach valuable life lessons about teamwork, perseverance, and faith. He reflects on memorable moments in his coaching career, emphasizing that it's not just about the wins and losses but about building character and community. This blend of sports and faith creates a unique opportunity for connection, allowing him to share the gospel in relatable ways.

Listeners will be inspired by Jordan’s insights on navigating the complexities of outreach in a rapidly changing community. He shares practical advice on how to maintain a focus on service while fostering meaningful relationships, even in the face of challenges. Through heartfelt anecdotes and a genuine love for serving others, this episode is a treasure trove of wisdom and encouragement for anyone seeking to make a positive impact in their community. Whether you're a sports enthusiast, a community leader, or just someone interested in the intersection of faith and service, this conversation will leave you feeling uplifted and motivated to build bridges in your own life.

Takeaways:

• This episode explores the significance of community service and faith, showcasing how individuals like Jordan are making a profound impact.
• Jordan shares his journey from a Houston upbringing to his diverse roles in ministry, showcasing the power of faith in shaping lives.
• Listeners learn about the challenges and joys of youth sports ministry, emphasizing the balance between competition and character development.
• The podcast highlights the importance of mentorship and advice from various figures in Jordan's life, demonstrating how guidance influences our paths.
• We discuss how engaging in outreach and service can help build bridges in communities, especially in challenging moments like recent tragedies.
• Jordan's legacy aims to inspire others through his faith, art, and dedication to service, reminding us all of the joy in following Jesus.

Links referenced in this episode:

• christaustin.org
• https://rbiaustin.org

Welcome to Becoming Bridge Builders, where we spotlight voices that bring people together through service, faith, and community.

Born and raised in Houston, Jordan's journey of faith and service has taken him through Concordia Wisconsin, Concordia Texas, Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, where he earned a Master of Arts in theology.

Today, Jordan joins us to share how his diverse experiences in ministry, education, and community outreach have shaped his approach to building bridges both within the church and beyond. We welcome Jordan to the podcast.

Really appreciate the opportunity to have a conversation with you, Keith, and the to learn from you and to grow together in faith. Thank you for all you're doing.

Yeah. I looked at your resume and the things you do. I'm like, whoa, holy cow. It's like, I thought I was busy.

Just grateful for the goodness of God. Grateful for my wife, Kristen. Got married a little bit over four years ago. Got married at the age of 40.

Very grateful for Kristen and the life we share together in Christ.

And I've been fortunate to serve at Christchurch and Church in Austin, Texas, about three hours away from my hometown of Houston, where I grew up on the north side. And I've been able to serve at Christ Luton for the past 18 years with Pastor John Sinfield, who you went to Concordia Seminary with, Keith.

We did. And I remember about John is that he was extremely competitive.

Oh, yeah, I think he was. He was twice intramural champion of the year or MVP of the year. And he possibly could have been the been a third.

So very, you know, he's really into pickleball these days and very good at that.

A licensed professional pickleball coach, teacher, and, you know, definitely very competitive and definitely leverages pickleball very much like I leverage baseball in the community, to connect with people and to, you know, connect them to Jesus, just, you know, through his actions and the way he. He goes about things. And so very much grateful for Pastor John as well.

He's a great guy. So I'm going to ask you my favorite question. You can't get away with this, Jordan. You're trying to talk your way out of it.

But what's the best piece of advice you've ever received?

Well, I first, I feel like my life is a reflection of a mosaic of advice that I've received from, from my mom and dad, from my brother Jacob, who's, who's in full time ministry, from his wife, my sister in law Nicolette, from my wife Kristen, from my pastor. I would say I've been thinking about that question for a while because I've been listening to a number of your, your podcast episodes.

And so as far as advice from someone that I know really well, I would say Pastor John, give me some advice about five years ago. And that was a quote from John Wadd or John John Wooden.

And I'm sure that you know that name pretty well as a coach Christian, you know, being an athlete and sports guy yourself, Keith. But things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.

And so that's, you know, some advice that's really stuck with me and also some advice that I was given by a pastor that I've become friends with, Tim Neekert down in Salem, Tomball.

He gave me some really good advice to a sermon that I listened to one time of him preaching on a live stream on demand situation about remember yesterday, embrace today and yearn for tomorrow.

And so I think, you know, those are some tensions that we sit in as Christians about, you know, looking back at the past and, you know, reminiscing and remembering and recalling, but also learning from, you know, the good, the bad, the ugly, embracing the day, like making the most of what's in front of us today, being where our, our feet are, but as in Christ, yearning for the future in terms of, you know, what God has in front of us and, you know, running the races that he has set before us and going the distance, enduring to the end, you know, as we look forward to that day of his return where he will bring to completion, you know, the good work that he has begun in us. And so I would say those are some things that stick out as far as advice that I've been given.

And then, you know, just from the sports world, from coaches, from athletes, I really enjoy listening to press conferences. And one in particular stands out to me.

Probably about 55 years ago, in the context of the north side of Houston, my dad crossed paths with coach Gary Kubiak who ended up, you know, leading the Broncos to Super Bowl 50. And so they were kind of, they're, you know, from the same area.

And it was just a very Brief encounter, but something, you know, as I kind of followed the trajectory of his coaching career with the Texans and with the, the Broncos. He said something very profound as he was kind of getting ready to, you know, step aside from football.

He ended up going to the Ravens and the Vikings.

But he said something I picked up from his press conference is there's never a time to feel sorry for yourself, but there's always a time to be honest with yourself.

And so I thought that was really profound as far as, you know, you know, someone that had been very successful in the eyes of the world, but very much a strong Christian person in his actions is, you know, calling people by name, you know, not being afraid to admit when he didn't know something up on the dais and treating people with respect and integrity really stood out to me.

And I got to know his brother in law a little bit, David Pierce, who was the head coach at University of Texas for their baseball program for a while. So those are some advice that I received from people that I know really well.

And then some people that it's just kind of crossed paths with and you know, with Kubiak had a brief conversation with him. So. But ultimately God's word is, you know, our Norman source and a lamp into our feet.

So ultimately we need to take heed and follow the words of Jesus himself.

I love that. I'm also curious, Jordan. If you think about your life, you've named a lot of people that have poured words into your life.

Is there somebody in your life who served as kind of a mentor or inspiration for you? Because I know a lot of times those people have a, a huge, play a huge role in our, in our lives.

If you want to kind of mention that person, maybe give them kind of a shout out for the impact they've had on your development.

Yeah, I would definitely say my mom and dad, I've been very blessed to have them as parents.

You know, the faith formation, the foundation that they laid for me in Christ, the opportunities that they gave me specifically through the Lutheran church that we attended the, you know, but down in, down in Houston, as far as being able to, to go to Lutheran schools starting in the sixth grade, specifically at DCE that I had in high school, who is now a pastor, who's a mission planner. Travis Hartchin, he was my director of Christian education in high school. So he was very impactful and influential.

Some teachers that I had at Luther North, Michael Stalin work, and Matt Stever, my college baseball coach at the Falcons at Concordia in Wisconsin, Val Kiefer, my academic advisor for biology there, Tom Soluska, who was the soccer coach, and then Jim Jurgeson as well.

And then, of course, you know, over the last 18 years, my pastor has poured, you know, so much into me and connecting me to Jesus and helping me grow as a child of God, as a minister of the Gospel.

And certainly there's been a lot of people along the way, you know, know that are older than I am and more wiser than I am, you know, that in many, in various ways have shaped who I am as a person. You know, being able to draw upon their life experience and their walk with, with Christ.

One of the joys I had in ministry was I realized as I had been a minister, a pastor for a while, that I wish I had someone to be a mentor for me and pour into me.

Is there some somebody that you've said, hey, I want to kind of pray, pour into them and be a mentor for them and kind of come alongside them as someone who does discipleship?

Absolutely.

I would say a lot of that's been in the context of one of your questions a little bit later on in the, the questionnaire is the, the children and the youth that I've been privileged to, to work with and, you know, entrusted to work with over the years here at Christchurch and church, as well as with.

With RBI and in the context of some other baseball coaching that I've done, just being able to, to be involved in their lives and to be invested in their lives. And so I think that's one of the rewards from ministry of being. Haven't been at the same place now for 18 years.

You.

Know, just, you know, engage in discipleship and help them to, you know, read God's word, to pray in the name of Jesus, to serve others. And to go forth and to share the love of Christ, to know love and to follow Jesus.

Oh yeah, that's great. I'm curious, Jordan. Tell us about your journey. I mean every, every ministry journey is unique.

So tell us your story from growing up in and Houston to being at Christ Lutheran Church.

Definitely. I appreciate you asking, Keith. So I was born and baptized, you know, and raised on the north side of Houston.

So that was the first 18 years of my life. And then I went to college at Concordia, Wisconsin.

I really wanted to study to be a teacher ultimately I really wanted to be a high school and college baseball coach eventually. And big part of that was teach religion. And so I wanted to play baseball there. They had a great education program.

You know, I'm really close to my parents, but on the other hand I really wanted to have an opportunity to kind of spread my wings and you know, be in a pocket of the country that I hadn't really spent much time before, you know, in some big league baseball markets being, you know, Milwaukee and close to Chicago, and so went up there to school and you know, I think, you know, a number of people have unconventional ways of getting to where the Lord ultimately wants them to be. And so, you know, here I AM today after eight years, so 18 years in Houston, eight years in the Midwest and then 18 years here.

And so I think an important part of that story is that it was in eighth grade that I really felt that kind of inner call to, you know, do something in the ministry. Growing up in Houston, Texas, you know, very space city astronaut oriented.

And so I thought, you know, at German, you know, it would be need to be an astronaut, it would need to be an Astros baseball player for the Astros, for Houston's MLTB team, or to be an announcer.

But I think something that I really strongly thought about that plays into my art art background, which I create a background told you a little bit about, is I thought about being an architect in terms of like some of the major league ballparks that were being designed back in like 94, 95, especially the one in Baltimore, Camden Yards, Gorsville and Denver, and then later PNC in Pittsburgh, some of my favorites. And so I thought, you know, maybe I'll be an architect and be able to kind of do art and creativity and baseball.

But at that point the Lord had other plans and so, you know, been fortunate to work in full time ministry.

I taught part time for a year, taught full time for a year, and then I've been at Christ Lutheran for 18 years and so It's a blessing to work with and among people across the generations, across the lifespan, from cradle to grave.

I love that. So from someone who grew up in Louisiana, my first experience up north with winter was traumatic.

What was, what was it like for you going from Houston where if you saw snow it was because someone, you know, jumped over, over ice, ice truck, versus actually being in Milwaukee where I sure you ran across snow.

Well, I'll say this, for four years when I was in school in Milwaukee at Mac1, I didn't have a car. I really relied on some dear brothers in Christ. I'm gonna list three guys that you probably know pretty well. Kevi Dean, Greg Trui and Ryan Peterson.

And so those are some guys that came mine as far as, you know, having vehicles. And you know, I bonded with those guys as brothers in Christ. And so I relied on them a lot.

And we went, you know, a number of places and they had a lot more experience than I did, you know, driving in the snow and the ice and things.

So, you know, it made for some really cold baseball games, playing for the Falcons or you know, warming up in the bullpen waiting to, to get my opportunity.

Um, and so in 30, 40 degree weather, it was definitely a change of pace and it's something that was, was neat to embrace having, you know, been from Houston and with the hot and the humid heat and the humidity, but at the same time great to be able to come back to Texas for the year round baseball and the barbecue and the country music and the things that I, you know, grew to know to really enjoy, you know, growing up here.

Love it. You mentioned baseball stadiums and some of the ones you mentioned are some, some newer classic stadiums.

One of the joys I had growing up, loving baseball too a little bit, was seeing some classic old stadiums. So my first call was to, to Michigan. So I got a chance to go to Tiger Stadium, the old Tiger Stadium.

And my kids, my youth kids had never been to a baseball game before. So I took some of my inner city youth to a baseball game. Our first game we went to at Tiger Stadium was to see the Seattle Mariners play.

And we were in the bleachers and my kids who didn't know much about baseball were, I remember they were booing the center field or calling the center fielder of Seattle Mariners a bum. And I looked at them. Ken Griffey Jr. You do realize you're booing Ken Griffey Jr. Right?

Yeah. Ken Griffey Jr. Was in my mind one of the greatest players that I've ever seen. Watch play baseball in person. He was my brother's favorite player.

Jacob's growing up, you know, he collected a number of his cars, including his upper deck one from 89.

And so my mom and dad and my brother would often go to the Ballpark at Arlington and then the one before that, Rangers, Rangers Stadium, to watch Junior Griffey when he was playing with the Mariners and coming down to Dallas Fort Worth. And so, I mean, what a five star generation. Yeah. 5:12 player, generational player, hall of Fame player. That's, you know, quite the story.

I mean, County Stadium was, was a gem and a jewel and, you know, I know a lot of, you know, a number of people up there, including Tom Eggerbrick, would love to see the brewers finally win their first World Series, you know.

Yeah. And then I took my family and I went to a game to see the Oakland Athletics play in Tiger Stadium. And it was a historic game.

I had no idea what could have happened. But it was a game where Ricky henderson stole his 1,000th base.

Oh, wow.

And it was also the game where Mark McGuire had the most home runs by a rookie before the All Star Game in the same game. And so, you know, it was, it was just a really historic opportunity to see that. So, yeah, baseball has a way of tying in history and amazing moments.

I also saw Mark McGuire's very last home run.

Oh, wow.

Because no one knew he was retiring. And part of our bowling league would go to the brewers game as end of the season. So the Cardinals were in town. I'm a big Cardinal fan.

We went to go see the Cardinals play the Brewers. They beat brewers like 11 to 5. McGuire hit this majestic shot and after the game we found out that he was walking away from baseball.

So that was his last home run.

And then you mentioned about you being a big St. Louis Cardinals fan aficionado. Some great memories there of Bush number two and then Bush number three.

I believe I was, I was helping out with the baseball team at Lutheran High, St. Charles back when they were doing the, and still do the Lutheran Day.

And so I, I'm pretty sure that I got to be in the dugout and a little bit on the field for Lutheran Day for the Old Bush State, like the Old Bush Stadium of like the 70s and 80s as well as the new one.

You know, I think it might have been around the time that they won the 06 World Series and an incredible baseball city, St. Louis is, plus to have been able to live there and take that in in addition to going to the seminary there for my masters.

So tell us because of your love for baseball and you're wanting to coach baseball, tell us about your RBI club.

Absolutely. So RBI Austin is a local nonprofit that focuses on, on baseball and softball. It's a mentorship ministry.

It's a relational, relationship driven ministry.

And so at the heart of RBI Austin is giving young people, children and youth from age 4 to the age of 18 an opportunity to play baseball and softball.

It's very similar to Christchurch in church, where Chrysler in church is my full time day job, my call, my, my professional work calling.

But I very much have been involved with RBI Austin over the years in various roles and that was a lot more on the field type of stuff with clinics and coaching and umpiring and being a commissioner, you know, kind of for a season that moved into more of the game day ops roles for some regional tournaments that we hosted for some teams that were vying for a chance to go to the RBI or the RBI World Series Series.

And so just helping out in various capacities, you know, on the front lines, behind the scenes, I was a lot more involved than I before COVID and before I got married.

And the Lord has, has brought the blessing in my life of being married for, for four years now to Kristen and, and I got married at 40, so I'm 44 today.

And so or at this point in my life with rbi, it's a lot of more of the being on the committee to help with the programming and the ministry for the younger children from age 4 to 12.

And so what that looked like this past summer being 20, 25, is that I was part of a team of people that wrote a discipleship gospel faith based curriculum based on Joshua chapter 1, verse 9. Be strong and courageous. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous for the Lord thy God will be with you wherever you go.

And so for each week of the summer we had a verse that we focused on that the teams were encouraged to focus on and to reflect on in the context of baseball and softball.

And what it looks like to have hopes and dreams on and off the baseball field, to take those to the Lord in prayer because of the death and resurrection of Jesus. You know, to look at specific things from Jesus's life of who he is, why he came, what he does for us.

And then also, you know, given teams as an opportunity, as they felt comfortable with, to look at examples from the scripture.

For example, the first week would have been like Noah and Moses and Joseph, some of those key Bible people, right out of the beginning of scripture of how they showed strength and courage.

So at this point, you know, my role is mostly focused as a volunteer on the faith and Gospel discipleship component and the why we are, why we exist, our purpose, our mission, to keep the main thing, the main thing, because as you know, you know, from sports, you know, it's obviously can, you know, get very much about, about winning and, and money and become very businesslike and obviously, you know, like there's the college level and the professional level, but I mean, we're talking about youth sports here.

And so that's kind of what we do to give kids an opportunity to play baseball and softball so they most importantly can grow as people and hopefully get to know Jesus for the first time or to come to know him more as their Lord and Savior.

I had the joy of coaching my kids in sports, loved coaching him in softball, and it was a lot of fun. Tell me how you, when you did that, how you handle the parent you just talked about. It's about, you know, teaching the kids to just enjoy the sport.

Every parent thinks their kids the Next.

King Griffey Jr. How do you, how do you, how do you, as a Christian coach involved in youth sports, how do you deal with that parent who takes this way too seriously and kind of misses a point of why we're, why we are there?

Yeah, I think that comes with building out a holistic approach from the very beginning in terms of our scaling out of the RBI summer programming as far as really striving to seek out, to recruit and to train up and to build up mission minded coaches and to prepare them, you know, to kind of diffuse those kind of situations and to keep the focus on, you know, winning gracefully, losing gracefully, you know, something that I learned in the context of at one time being a younger ball player, you know, growing up.

Actually it was something I think I learned from Daryl Kyle from an interview or something like the late great Cardinals pitcher who died way too young at 33, something I heard him say or news article about being humble in victory and galleon and defeat.

And so I think that's just, you know, RBI as a whole, you know, trying to encourage responsibility, you know, taking ownership for our actions, not making excuses.

And so I think from the very beginning of the summer with the parents are coached on, you know, having a code of conduct to abide by about this is how we're going to do RBI Austin. And if that's something that you can't agree with and be in accord with, you know, there's other programs out there.

And so, you know, we really try to define our why from the get go. And then I think that's as we go along. I mean, we live in a sinful, broken, fallen world and things are going to happen.

But one of my best friends who happens to be the founder of RBI Austin has put together such a, a great team of people and a staff and a leadership team of mission minded leaders that are reflective of the body of Christ.

And so, you know, folks, you know, folks within RBI work together to make sure that, you know, especially at the younger levels that, you know, winning isn't the priority, but it's that, it's that player development. But obviously, you know, base.

There's a lot of metaphors for life and the winning and the losing and the results on the scoreboard and how we respond to outcomes, you know, that helps us to grow, grow as people. So, and like, I don't have kids myself.

My wife and I do not have kids, but we do have nine nieces and nephews and I've worked with a number of children and parents over the years. So, you know, there's some valuable lessons that I've learned from being an uncle and from being in ministry.

And I think it just comes down to talking through situations and setting expectations and you know, like to, to apply the law and gospel is a beautiful thing and they remind, you know, to, to err on the side of grace and mercy. But also, you know, there has to be, you know, rules and expectations and guidelines and because of the world that we live in.

And it's, it's a game too.

Yeah, exactly.

I know that's a long winded answer.

No, it's a good answer because I think a lot of times that's a balance that you have as someone who's working with young people to remind not only the kids but the parents of, you know, we can have fun, we can win, but at the end of the day we're trying to build character and character comes from winning and losing. Yeah, sometimes your greatest Character comes from losing.

Absolutely. I mean, I was on a number of sports teams growing up that, like, lost a lot of games, you know, hardly ever finished above.500.

But yet I think that was, you know, part of my, you know, faith and character development. And I think with rbi, Austin, we really try to, you know, focus on developing a discipleship curriculum that.

Whether it's like, strength and courage, as it was this past summer with Joshua 1:9, we've also done the Armor of God, which you know very well with Ephesians 6 is, you know, really awesome word, you know, awesome word from God's word about being prepared, you know, being ready, being focused. But we've also, you know, had a summer where we focus on the fruits of the spirit.

Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self control. I think I got them all there. And so we were able to focus on one of those each week.

And so I think there's a lot of intentionality that goes into why we do what we do and having people on our committee, you know, each play their part and play their role. And it's like with anything in ministry here at Christ Church, communication, coordination, collaboration and teamwork.

And ultimately, it's something we, you know, like when we think about and pray the Lord's Prayer, you know, forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against those who trespass against us.

It starts with me, self reflection, self awareness, removing, you know, the log out of my own eye before I begin to try to, you know, take the speck out of somebody else's eye.

So right as we're recording this the second week in August, I know that Austin just dealt with a shooting.

I'm curious, as you work in the community and you do a lot of service opportunities, kind of tell us about some of the challenges that you're facing trying to do outreach in the. In the city of Austin.

Absolutely. Yeah. I've been here 18 years, and we. That was one of your questions as far as, like, what does outreach look like in our neighborhood?

It really ultimately comes down to, as, you know, it's very biblical, you know, Matthew 5. Be. Be the salt of the earth and be the light of the world.

You know, one of my verses that I learned about from Pastor John early on is Galatians, chapter 6, 9, 10. You know, let us not grow tired of doing good, because in the proper time, we will reap a harvest.

And so, you know, even though at times, you know, from, you know, almost. Almost two decades in Austin, you know, it feels very Antagonistic and apathetic and agnostic and, you know, very anti Christian.

I mean, there are, you know, a number of God fearing Christians here who want to know, love and follow Jesus.

And so, you know, here at Christian Church, what it looks like for us is to be, you know, a place of inspirational worship, caring fellowship, loving service and relevant education.

And so to your question is, you know, in our community, amidst of everything going on in our city here in Austin, with the state of Texas and the world in this country right now in the world, and just across the globe, you know, we just try to be a shining light for Christ, you know, try to be the hands and feet of Jesus and so for Christ.

And so for an opportunity to, to be a good neighbor, to be loving, to be caring, to connect with people in that way. And, you know, we pray that, you know, people will come to know Jesus more for the first time.

And we did an art camp for eight years, for eight summers. We had a really good run and ride with that. We're also part of an art trail that we're coming up on our eighth year to do that for.

So I think in the midst of the turbulence and the chaos and the calamity that just, it's everywhere, but obviously it hits home wherever we serve. And so be faithful to the Lord and what he's called us to do in Christ Jesus.

You mentioned your calling. I'm curious. I know there are moments in my ministry where I go, am I really supposed to be doing this? And I question my decision.

Should I just gone into computer science? But what was that moment in your ministry where you, like, something happened that confirmed this is exactly where God wanted me to be?

And he nominated me based on, at that point, you know, my ministry at Christ Lutheran, my ministry at RBI Austin, my ministry I had volunteered for about 11 months at a local children's hospital. We're now in one called Dale Children.

So I think that was pretty cool to be affirmed and encouraged that not only have I been called to Christchurch and church, but I've been called and called to the community. And so I think those two things go hand in hand.

Not to get overly focused on the church stuff that we never go outside of our walls, but not to get so overly focused on, you know, the community stuff and flying around the country where, you know, we don't take care of what we're called to do in our local context, but, you know, it's a local balance of knowing. Knowing God's word, knowing ourselves, knowing our congregation. So I would say, to answer your question, you know, for.

For all along the past 18 years, I've been reminded, you know, of the. The call that I have to Christ Lutheran in a work context at this particular point in time, but also to engage in my community.

And so for rbi, often that's as a volunteer, but we also do a lot of stuff with the church, like with the food bank, with Marbridge, working with folks that have intellectual and developmental disabilities. We build a number of ramps through the Texas Ramp Project.

We've partnered with Art from the Streets, which gives people that are experiencing a home, that are people that are experiencing homeless, opportunity to earn a dignified income by creating art. We've also worked with another nonprofit, Adventures Academy of Austin, which will display their artwork as well at the Art Trail.

And so, you know, engaging with different service organizations and just branching out into the community to be the people of Christ, sharing the love of Christ and, you know, just to not grow weary and doing good.

Because one day when Jesus returns, it's going to be, you know, all worthwhile to be able to forever be with the Lord, with all the saints in the place that. That he is preparing for us on that great and glorious day. And so that's why we continue to.

To press on as God's children, as Christians, as the body of Christ is the. The, you know, the community of saints.

I love it. So, Jordan, in this season of the podcast, we have a surprise question. Pick a number between 1 and 3 for your surprise question 2.

Oh, this is a great one, especially for an athlete. Would you rather be the best player on a horrible team or the worst player on a great team?

I would probably say the worst player on a great team because I've got a lot of experience with not being, you know, being kind of like that. The guy that rarely made the roster, who's kind of a fringe bubble guy.

But, you know, I feel like I bring some intangibles and a team being a team player to the table and doing the things that maybe some other guys don't want to do.

And so, yeah, I mean, I would very much embrace, you know, being the worst player on a horrible team because I've kind of been that, like, worst player that's, that that plays when the games are out of hand one way or the other.

But to actually be able to, to be able to compete and buy for, you know, championships and, you know, all that that goes into that would be, would be pretty neat.

That's cool.

Yeah.

So, Jordan, I'd love to ask my guests this question. What do you want your legacy to be?

Yeah, I've thought a lot about that and I think to give you a little bit of context on that, I've thought about that in the context of my, my grandparents and I've thought about that in the context of, as I mentioned to you, reached out to you last week, about one of my best friends passing away of a complications of a heart transplant.

So I think as I've thought about the life and legacy of my, my best, one of my best friends, Casey, and then the fact that all five of my grandparents are now asleep in Jesus and resting in his arms, I've been thinking a lot about legacy. And I know that's a question that you ask toward the end of every of your podcasts.

So the answer to your question would be, I mean, at the end of the day, I want people to see my walk with Jesus and to be inspired by my walk with Jesus. I want to know him. I want to follow Jesus. I want to love Jesus.

And so my grandfather, my mom's father, who passed away When I was 4, he walked with the Lord from what I've been told. Let us offer. Walk with Jesus was, was his favorite hymn, one of them in Rock of Ages. And so in a take, precious Lord, take my hand.

And so, you know, I want to have a very strong relationship with Jesus, you know, one of prayer, one of struggle, one of meditation. That's something that stood out to me.

You asked about my days at the seminary, about how theologians are shaped through prayer, meditation and struggle. And so, you know, I want to, you know, give me Jesus, as the song says, in the morning, when I go to die in the evening, like throughout the day.

And so my legacy, I want people to, I would, I would hope and pray people. I mean, people are Going to say and believe whatever they want. And I can't control that. That's something that I love.

My step grandfather is the serenity prayer. But what I can control is trying to live with my, as my, with my identity, being in Christ.

My identity is, is being a Christian and first and foremost, my faith and my family.

You know, I want to be the best husband that I possibly can be to Kristen, the, the best son that I can be, the best brother I can be, the best uncle that I can be. You know, I want to serve God faithfully, you know, in my work.

And right now it has been, you know, being the minister of creative communications and it is being the communication, creative communications, community, connections person here at Christchurch in church, partnering with my pastor. I want to be, you know, I want to leave a legacy of, you know, in baseball.

My, my dad's dad was really into baseball as far as serving in the community. So I pray that through baseball, through art, that I'll make an impact.

We haven't really touched much on, on art and so, you know, I would pray that, you know, through the murals and the, the paintings, the art projects that I've been a part of here at Christian Church and that through my art and through my baseball, those are things that I'll, that people will see that I leveraged, you know, to connect people to Jesus.

I'm into belief and ultimately like my, not my top one on strength, Finder is responsibility. So I want to be the best friend that I can possibly be, want my identity to be in Christ. And so that's kind of what I'm thinking as far as my legacy.

And ultimately on that great and glorious day every of Jesus return and being in his presence and seeing him face to face with the fellowship of all believers. I don't know if all the earthly stuff will really matter.

Just being in his presence and his power forever, Jesus power and the fulfillment of his promises once and for all. I can't wait.

But, but, but there's still work to be done, you know, as we wait for, and we long for that day of Jesus's return when he will make all things new.

Love it. So Jordan, where can people find you, connect with you, and learn more about the work you do in ministry at Christ Lutheran Church in Austin?

Definitely. So our website at Christ Lutheran is www.christaustin.org. so that's christaustin.org and then it's connected to our Facebook page.

Our YouTube channel has a number of our pastors, Pastor John sermons on it. And then as far as from a personal standpoint, with my volunteerism at RBI Austin, the website for RBI is www.rbiostin.org.

Well, Jordan, thanks so much for sharing how God has uniquely gifted and blessed you and how you're sharing those gifts with the world to help connect people of all ages and all stages in life to Christ, Jesus and being a disciple.

Thank you so much. You're welcome.

God's blessings and looking forward to continuing to to keep in touch and keep the conversation with you going about life and ministry and drawing closer to Keith, to Jesus. Keith, God bless you, brother.

Thank you.

Okay.