“To illustrate the pursuit of wholeness.”
We are the founders of Cedar & Palm — an organization empowering followers of Jesus in personal and relational health. We believe that within the beauty of the Bible is an invitation to follow Jesus and his way — a Way that not only frees us of our brokenness but leads us into life full of health and wholeness. Because of this truth, we are compelled to cultivate illustrative resources, aspiring to witness the surrounding impact of flourishing church communities.
“… a fruitful field deemed a forest.”
Or in our words:
“Healthy Church. Whole Earth.”
Tell us about yourselves!
We are Jared and Samantha Friesen, and we are the founders of Cedar & Palm. As former YWAMers (Youth With A Mission missionaries), we’ve traveled across the world witnessing the beauty of the gospel and the mystery of God. Now back home in Oregon, raising our son Joshua (7 months old), we continue to seek the same beauty and proclaim its goodness by cultivating literature, conversation, community, and much more.
What is the meaning behind the name Cedar & Palm?
Behind God and people, trees are the third most mentioned thing in the entire Bible. That’s no coincidence; you and I who are being compared to them — their likeness, character, properties. In fact, we see God use poets and prophets to paint a picture of a humanity that would be transformed from a wasteland into a forest. And within this imagery, we regularly find cedars and palms.
Cedar trees are a representation of wholeness, healing, and strength, while palm branches are famously known as banners of freedom and hope. Thus is our heart — that God would restore a desert-like people into a “fruitful field deemed a forest” — one of cedar and palm.
When we first met, you were working with Porn Scar and helping people find freedom from pornography. Then God led you into creating Cedar & Palm. Tell us about that.
As public speakers, we first-hand witnessed profound breakthroughs while teaching with Porn Scar, yet no matter the engagement we often found ourselves asked the same response: “I’m going to stop watching porn, but what do I do now”? Unbeknownst to us, we had been speaking to a generation who were wandering aimlessly, not because of their naivety of what to say “no” to, but because of their lack of vision of what to say “yes” to. And as the Proverb goes, “Where there is no vision, the people perish”. Look at Jesus — a man welcoming people into his kingdom; teaching what it truly means to be human. We wanted to do the same, and so Cedar & Palm was born.
What does a day in the life of Jared and Samantha look like?
The beauty of our work is that we go where we’re inspired, which is a necessity as poets, preachers, and podcasters. Some days it means bunkering in a nook to study and author a piece, while others look like pouring into individuals at a coffee shop or refocusing at the local abbey. And yet, all this must consider what we call the “domestic monastery”, or as normal people would say, life with our son.
We have a 7-month-old who we adore, and as all parents know, it’s a full-time job. So amidst all of our desires to create and grow, we are navigating what it means to be a father and mother for our kin.
Tell us about a personal experience with your ministry that has stuck with you?
One of the great joys of our work is that we highly prioritize working with a multitude of followers of Jesus. In our most current and major project — The Cedar & Palm Handbook — we’ve been fortunate enough to collaborate with a various number of photographers, designers, musicians, pastors, therapists, and journalists to produce a unique and delightful piece of literature for followers of Jesus to glean from. The idea of designing a book fixed on wholeness with the help of many hearts and minds truly encompasses what we feel is a real Church authenticity.
How do you want to see Cedar & Palm grow?
Although we strongly believe in quality over quantity, a future hope would be to increase the number of contributors with Cedar & Palm and thus continue casting more and more vision of wholeness for church communities to use as a resource in their endeavor in welcoming and forming more disciples of Jesus.
Tell us about your podcast launching this month!
My Friend, the Philosopher is a series of conversations about encountering Jesus through friendship.
Inspired by Rembrandt’s painting, “Philosopher in Meditation”, Jared and his pastor-friend David Russo “pursue the light” together, empowering followers of Jesus to do the same. You can stream new episodes every Monday on your favorite podcast platforms.
What is your hope for the individuals that will be helped by the work you’re doing with Cedar & Palm?
Our deepest hope is that followers of Jesus would have a tangible vision for personal and relational health in their lives. That they’d abide in what Jesus called the great command — to reconnect and love the Father, their neighbor, and themselves. And with such a vision at their foundation that its value would permeate all aspects of life, inspiring a healthy church to cultivate a whole earth.
How can someone support what you are doing?
Donate — As Cedar & Palm continues to grow so does its ambition to cultivate captivating and empowering content. And as the vision expands, so do its necessities. Would you consider becoming a monthly financial donor in our efforts to continue illustrating the pursuit of wholeness to a hungry generation of Jesus followers?
Network — Cedar & Palm is a ministry by the people, for the people. And in this ever-growing effort to impact people, our greatest avenue toward growth is through connection. Who do you know who is longing for healthier communities, families, churches? Who can you introduce us to who can help us advance the Father’s work in Cedar & Palm?
Pray — Of all the three, this very well may be the one we receive the least. “I’ll pray for you” has in ways become a cliche, and yet it’s easily the most important. Pray for us — for creativity and inspiration as we seek things “above” that will disrupt a kingdom of darkness and inspire a people desperate to flee from it.
How has The Cause helped you in your ministry?
Prior to partnering with The Cause growth was unattainable. Most of our time was spent sending donor receipts, navigating logistics, and merely trying to keep the “back of the house” afloat. And with so much time spent on the guts of ministry, there was always little time and energy to pour into the very work we had hoped to do — writing, teaching, mentoring… The Cause is a great platform for those called to impact the world without having to dive into the maze of spreadsheets, tax uncertainties, and non-profit nightmares. It’s true — we get to change the world and they do the rest.
You can listen to our podcast on all major podcast platforms, read about our handbook at cedarandpalm.org, and follow us on Instagram @cedarandpalm.
For more information on our current work, learn more at cedarandpalm.org
