Brian & Justine Peterson
For eight years, Brian had been teaching biology, coaching wrestling, and leading Young Life at Auburn High School. As his own family was growing at home, Brian continued praying about how God would combine his love for Christ with his love for sport. Sharing his heart with a friend and colleague, the two came up with the idea of Reality Sports, and in 2006 Brian stepped into full-time ministry as the Executive Director. Reality Sports is dedicated to providing quality physical and spiritual training to athletes and families. Their coaches lead teams and open trainings where the focus is on preaching the gospel and making disciple-makers. Brian and Justine have been members at LTCC since 2010 and have three children and two grandchildren.
— UPDATES —
November 2024
Bob continues to encourage us to be intentional in sharing the gospel as we GO off this hill into our daily lives. Through the avenue of sport, Reality Sports coaches are intentionally sharing the REALITY of Christ with athletes and families each day from Lake Tapps, Bonney Lake, Sumner, Auburn, Buckley, Orting, Edgewood, Puyallup, Tacoma, and beyond. THANK YOU for being a part of going into our communities with the good news of Jesus!
Join us to celebrate what God is doing in the lives of athletes on FRIDAY, NOV. 15th at our Annual Dinner at the Puyallup fairgrounds.
It is a complimentary catered dinner so join us for some great BBQ!
It is a fundraising event, but we would love to have you as our guest just to hear about the ministry and to be encouraged by what God is doing in our community.
Come hear former Seattle Mariner pitcher and current Reality Sports Board President Garrett Olson give the keynote address while also hearing from past and current athletes.
There is an easy way to help Reality Sports because there are people that our LTCC family can reach that we cannot! So, if you plan on attending the Dinner, consider asking friends or family members to sit with them at their table - others who might be interested in hearing about the ministry to our local communities and beyond.
Again, THANK YOU for being a part of taking the gospel into our neighborhoods!
PRAYER REQUESTS
We continue to have facility needs and are trusting in God's timing and direction to meet those needs.
Pray for the hearts of kids and adults to be "good soil" who receive the seed of God's Word and it grows and increases "thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold" (Mark 4:8).
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august 2024
1. How is God moving in your ministry/what can we celebrate with you?
We've had a very full June and July hosting 13 summer camps/trainings with as many as 7 gospel messages to different groups of athletes in one day. It's been fun to see younger coaches being discipled by older coaches. Some of the younger ones have given gospel messages for the first time this summer.
2. What is your greatest need? Anything specific, large or small?
Our greatest need is for the timing of a new facility. We are in discussions with the city of Sumner about a 22,000-square-foot warehouse space, but it has been a very slow process.
3. What is a fun fact or unique incident that we probably don’t know about you?
A unique incident with me (Brian) in our first year of ministry: I misspoke during a gospel presentation, mashing two words together. In trying to say, "What the heck is life all about?" I combined the "heck" and "life", and it came out as "hell"... I wanted to quit ministry in that moment, but God showed me that he can use even a donkey to speak!
4. How can we be praying for you?
Sports are an effective way to connect with families who have little or no church involement. We desire to see sports ministry happening in every community in North America. Pray with us as we strategize how Reality Sports can be a catalyst for the gospel in North America.
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MARCH 2024
A huge thank you to LTCC for allowing Reality Sports to use the church parsonage the first week of March to host sports ministry leaders from Houston, Indianapolis, and Atlanta! The purpose of the gathering of leaders was to learn from each other and strategize about starting and growing more faith-based sports academies in the U.S. and Canada. Your support is enhancing gospel proclamation and disciple-making through sport across North America!
On the ground here in Pierce County, Reality Sports coaches are sharing the gospel with athletes and parents and making disciples of Jesus through competitive teams and open, donation-based training in 5 different sports. With Seattle recently named the "least religious large metro area in the U.S." (The Seattle Times, Feb. 29, 2024), your partnership is making it possible to proclaim the good news of Jesus to thousands of families in our region.
Prayer Requests
As the ministry has expanded to reach more families, our needs for facility space have grown. Pray for wisdom and provision as we pursue a larger facility.
Pray for the Holy Spirit to prepare the hearts of kids and parents as they hear the gospel each day.
Pray for the Academy leaders who stayed with us to be encouraged in their ministries and for the leaders to work together to multiply faith-based sports academies in other cities.
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NOVEMBER 2023
Reality Sports activity update:
Practices for competitive club teams and open trainings kicked off this fall and will continue through the winter. Hundreds of kids and adults in our surrounding communities are hearing the gospel taught at workouts, along with application for disciples to walk with Jesus in every area of their lives including sport.
Plans are set for the launch of a new Developmental Volleyball ministry in January. We are excited about this new gospel opportunity with families.
We are strategizing with other sports ministry leaders across North America to maximize disciple-making through competitive teams and open training.
Watch this video to learn more about the impact of Reality Sports.
Prayer requests:
In a clearly post-Christian region and culture, please pray against the spiritual darkness that many of the families we serve are living in.
Pray for wisdom for facility needs to accommodate the growth of the ministry.
Pray for our upcoming “GO” Annual Dinner on Nov. 17th to be a celebration of what God is doing and an invitation into the Great Commission.
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AUGUST 2023
"K" is a star high school athlete from an unchurched home. She recently expressed the joy she is having each night as she reads the Bible that was given to her at Reality Sports. The good news of Jesus is coming alive to "K" in the face of an overwhelming burden of performance in the athletic arena. "K" is just one story from the 600+ kids that have attended one of our 14 camps/trainings this summer. Each of those 600+ kids receives a free Bible at the end of their camp/training. Though Reality Sports trains athletes year-round, summer is one of the busiest times of the year with kids out of school during the day. Thank you for your support and prayers for all of the kids and adults in our community that are hearing the gospel through the platform of sport!
Thank you for continuing to pray for the following:
Pray that the seed of the gospel would be protected in the hearts of kids, would continue to be watered, and would grow up to produce a crop 30, 60, 100x what was sown!
Pray for much needed rest for our coaches during the month of August as things slow down before school starts back up.
Pray for wisdom and direction for facility needs to accommodate the growth of the ministry.
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FEBRUARY 2023
Your partnership and prayer support are furthering the proclamation of the gospel in our local communities!
PRAISES
* Building gospel foundations with kids through 12 competitive teams in volleyball, baseball, and wrestling this winter and spring
* Encouraging adult men and women with gospel truth during Cross Training classes
* Celebrating the 1-year anniversary of sending the Breffle family to plant Reality Sports ministry in Colorado
* Acquiring new facility space in Colorado where the gospel can be presented during training
PRAYER REQUESTS
* Pray for the many unbelieving kids and adults to repent and believe the gospel as they hear it presented at each practice/training.
* Pray for Christian athletes to integrate their faith with sport as their coaches walk with them.
* Pray for Josh Breffle as he travels to the Global Sport Movement summit in Malta in March to train sports ministry leaders how to share the gospel through elite and competitive sport.
* Pray for more harvest workers (coaches/directors) to reach more kids and adults with the good news of Jesus.
Thank you!
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SEPTEMBER 2022
You made it possible for hundreds of kids and adults in our community to hear the gospel through Reality Sports summer camps. Your partnership allowed 18 camps in 5 cities to be conducted, reaching almost 500 athletes with the good news of Jesus. This included our first camp in Colorado where one girl was so excited to receive a Bible because she said, “We don’t have a Bible at our house.” We are stepping into a full fall season with the start of school and look forward to the discipleship opportunities with our competitive Baseball, Volleyball and Wrestling teams.
Pray for Josh Breffle as he travels to Egypt this week for a global sport summit where he will be equipping sports ministry leaders from around the world in the strategy of competitive sport to preach the gospel and make disciples.
Pray for our coaches to boldly proclaim the reality of Christ to athletes.
Pray for athletes to turn from the idolatry of sport and worship Jesus as their one true King!
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MAY 2022
Josh and Emily Breffle made the move to northern Colorado in mid-February to plant Reality Sports and are settled into their new home and church family in Windsor. Josh has been meeting with local pastors and Christian coaches in the community to cast vision for proclaiming the gospel and making disciples through sport. They are excited for the first Reality Sports camp to take place this summer in partnership with Windsor Community Church (the Breffle's home church)! Reality Sports also continues to minister to hundreds of families in the Pacific Northwest, teaching kids and adults how to integrate the gospel into every area of their lives, including sport.
PRAYER REQUESTS
Pray for the first Reality Sports camp in Colorado in July for kids ages 5 to 12. Pray for God's Word to bear fruit in the hearts of unbelievers, as well as those who follow Jesus to be encouraged in their faith.
Though Reality Sports training is year-round, the summer camp season is always a great opportunity with kids out of school. RS will conduct 16 camps in 4 cities in the Pacific Northwest. Pray for the gospel to be clearly preached by coaches and for the hearts of kids and parents to be open to the good news of Jesus.
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December 2021
Reality Sports will be moving Josh Breffle and his family to Windsor, Colorado before March 1st to replicate the ministry's Pierce County home base. As the new Mountain West Regional Director, Josh will recruit, develop, and oversee sports missionaries starting in Northern Colorado and extending throughout the region. The ministry will continue to extend its reach in the Pacific Northwest while developing this new region of the U.S.
Prayer Requests:
Please pray for Josh, Emily, Olson, and Haddon Breffle as they say goodbyes to so many after 14 years in the Pacific Northwest. Pray for the timing of selling their house in Edgewood and the purchase of a home in Colorado.
Pray for the transitions that will take place at the home office in Pierce County in Josh's absence.
Pray for new coaches to be raised up in Colorado to reach families with the gospel through sport.
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AUGUST 2021
We were thankful to be pretty much back to normal this summer for in-person camps and training. We've had 20 camps/trainings in 5 cities, including a launch of Strength and Conditioning classes in Bozeman, Montana. Hundreds of kids and adults have heard the gospel as they've trained this summer.
PRAYER REQUESTS:
Pray for spiritual protection and confidence in the Lord for our new sports missionary in Montana.
Pray for God's Word to find root in good soil in the hearts of those who have heard the gospel.
Pray for wisdom as Reality Sports works on an expansion plan to move into more cities.
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APRIL, 2021
Training with athletes has opened back up in recent months. After a year of very small groups, and at one point having to move all training outdoors in November and December, coaches are now able to meet with larger groups of kids. With such small groups and tough circumstances, though, over the past year our sports missionaries have really been able to dig deep into the Scriptures with a few. Spending more time with smaller numbers has been very fruitful in the lives of many kids. With things opening back up, we are able to cast "wider nets" sharing the gospel with kids in great need coming out of the pandemic.
We are so thankful for the support, prayer, and financial provision of the church family at LTCC. The spread of the gospel and the making of disciples has not been hindered by COVID. Your support has been so encouraging to our missionaries. We are grateful for you!
Some prayer requests for Reality Sports:
Wisdom in planting a sports missionary in Bozeman, MT
Provision in starting a competitive Running program
Protection for the seed of the gospel as it falls on the soil of hundreds of kids' hearts each week
Leadership in the North American Sport Movement as we come alongside other sports ministries throughout the U.S. and Canada in multiplying disciples of Jesus through sport
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June 2020
The 1st Annual Reality Sports Virtual 5K was a huge success with almost 300 runners in 30 states! It was a fun event for families to train for and participate in during the COVID shutdown and to also spread the word about the ministry nationwide. Thank you for supporting the mission of sharing the gospel in our local communities through the platform of sport. We were also able to contribute a significant amount from the event to CareNet of Puget Sound who had their spring fundraiser canceled due to the pandemic.
After going online to train athletes physically and in God's Word through videos and Zoom calls for 2 1/2 months, we were finally able to start training up to 5 athletes at a time when we entered phase 2 on June 8th. It has been great for coaches to finally see kids face-to-face again!
Please be praying for our very own Pam King who will be coming on full-time in the fall with Reality Sports! She has been faithfully serving as the part-time Director of Volleyball while teaching but resigned at the end of this school year. Pray for provision as she raises monthly support and transitions into the full-time ministry role.
Also be praying for the hearts of kids and parents during our summer programs. Hearts are open to God's truths during these tumultuous times and coaches are faithfully sharing the gospel. Pray that the seed is not snatched by the enemy or choked out by the worries of the world.