Ole Kirk Christiansen (Founder of LEGO)

The founder of Lego has been dead for 65 years. So what is this special episode of the Pure Christians podcast all about? Well, if you're a loyal listener of the show, you probably heard me half joke, and I swear I am half joking about how I can't wait to record episodes of this podcast on the New Earth where I'll finally get to interview some of my favorite mere Christians who are no longer living. And I was sharing this with a friend of mine recently who basically said, hey, maybe you can quote, unquote, interview these people on the show. You know, many of these people's stories are well documented. We know what they said, so why not take their words that are currently buried in, let's face it, somewhat boring biographies and put them into a fictional episode of the Mere Christians podcast? And that's exactly what I've done with my friend Kelly Stewart, the award winning novelist who first pitched me on this concept. Kelly's here with me. Kelly, tell our listeners, what in the world are they about to listen to?

So when, when we had that conversation and I was thinking about this idea of, I mean, how many of us have said, you know, someday when I'm in heaven, I want to talk to this person, I want to hear what they said. And, and you know, my job as a historical fiction author is to sort of dig out the nuggets of real people in history. It's my favorite part about my job. And so when I was thinking about the founder of Lego, and, you know, you kind of gave me a brief background of his story, which I didn't even know that he was a. I didn't know anything about him. And I started looking into it, and there were so many quotes directly from him, things that he said. And I thought, well, this is an interview waiting to happen. We know how he would answer some of your favorite questions to ask. So why not put this together in a way that is entertaining? People love to listen to podcasts. And why not? Why not put this together almost like a film script? And so it was really fun to kind of pitch that idea to you and for both of us to run with it.

It was super fun to work on it together. And so the conversation you guys are about to hear, of course, never happened. Right. But Kelly and I have worked insanely hard to ensure that every word of what you're about to hear is substantively true. Right. And I think your experience as a historical fiction novelist came in real handy here. Kelly, one more, one more question before we get to this excerpt of the episode what was your biggest takeaway from writing this fictional interview? Like, what really stands out to you about the life of Olay Kirk Christiansen?

I mean, I knew nothing about him. So when I first started reading, and honestly, I didn't even have like big Lego kids, so I just didn't even have like a big concept of what Lego was other than, you know, you don't want to step on him in the middle of the night. Right. But his life story is, is, is mind blowing. And what he walked through the, the tragedy after tragedy and yet his faith never wavered. He struggled, he fought, he wrestled with the Lord, but his faith never wavered. And I found that fascinating. And yet here was a man, I mean, he almost encompasses this idea of the mere Christian. A man who was not working in a way that obviously proclaimed the name of Christ, but he had such a work ethic and such a deep faith. I was, it was really, I learned so much just about my own faith and about walking through heartache and tragedy and still pursuing the things that the Lord places before you. And I think that people, when they hear this, they're going to, they're really going to be blessed by this fictional interview with a man using words from his own mouth.

I love it.

All right, so in just a second, we're going to play the first few minutes of my quote unquote conversation with Olay Kirk Christiansen written by Kelly Stewart and myself. But hey, here's the catch. The only way to Download the entire 90 minute episode is by joining the Mere Christians community before 11:59pm Eastern Standard Time on this Friday, September 29th. You can learn all about the community, sign up and get instant access to the full interview with the laker christensen@jordanraynor.com MCC Again, that's jordanrinor.com MCC for mere Christians Community. But for now, please enjoy this excerpt from my conversation with Olay Kirk Christiansen. Hey everybody. Welcome to the Mere Christians Podcast. I'm Jordan Raynor. How does the gospel influence the work of mere Christians? Those of us who aren't pastors or religious professionals, but who work as entrepreneurs, baristas and accountants? That's the question we explore every week. And today I'm posing it to an absolute legend. Ole Kirk Christiansen, the founder of Lego, the world's most popular toy? Olay and I recently sat down to discuss the remarkable parallels between his life and the tragedy of Job in the Bible. We discussed how his faith enabled him to persevere in his life and work even after losing his bride and Watching LEGO literally burn to the ground on three separate occasions. And we even talked about how Christensen used Lego to fight back against the Nazis in World War II. This story could not be more epic or more relevant to the work that you and I do as mere Christians today. So without further ado, please enjoy this conversation with my new friend, Olay, Kirk Christiansen. Olay Kirk Christensen. Welcome to the podcast.

Hello, Jordan.

Hey. By the way, I should have asked, can I call you Olay by your first name?

Yes, of course. It is the name my mother gave me, after all.

Indeed it is. And I was surprised to find out that you do pronounce this olay right, like in a Spanish bullfight.

Yes, that's correct.

Okay, good. I'm glad we got all the important stuff out of the way. So, Olay, a lot of my listeners probably don't know your name, but I. I don't know of a single one of my listeners that is not familiar with, with your company. I mean, I don't know anybody who didn't have at least one LEGO set as a kid. I have friends, even today, grownups who still love playing with Legos.

That brings me great joy to hear, Jordan. Lego was founded with the premise that the play should be fun and satisfying for children. But so many adults forget how to play well. So, you know, to know that grown men and women, I find enjoy in toys is really quite thrilling.

Yeah, I bet that concept of playing well is something that I know is really important to you. I mean, the name of the company, Lego literally means to play well, right?

Oh, yes, indeed it does. You have done your research. Lego is actually a combination of the Danish words leg and got meaning. As you said, play well. It was very important to me when we started the company to capture the heart behind our mission of creating quality toys for children. I love that.

Now, hey, let's back up. Talk to me a little bit about your story because it isn't an easy story to tell. Your life is marked by these deeply difficult circumstances, but it seems that you used many of those hardships to actually fuel your work. Can you take us back to the early days when you, you were just starting out, Olay?

Yes, yes, of course. I should say, though, that my life is also one marked by great delight and joy. Adversity is there for us to overcome all that adversity that we humans are being refined. I believe any person could say that if they truly stepped back and examined their lives closely. Correct?

Yes.

They go together. They. This is, after all, the path of sanctification.

Yes. Yes. So well said. Yeah. So tell us a little bit about your childhood, because those early years really paved the path to the work that you would end up focusing on as an adult, right?

Yes, Jordan, it's true. I grew up in Denmark at the turn of the 20th century in a modest but a good home in a. It was a small community called Pilsko. My parents were simple farmers who taught us to value hard work, but also to trust in the mercy of God.

Yes. And you started working on this family farm when you were pretty young, right?

Oh, yes, I did. Well, you know, back then, we all had to, what would you say, pull our weight.

Yes.

As a young boy, I worked in the fields, tending the family sheep. I attended school two days a week. Well, you know, to learn reading and writing and so on, but. But I was needed at home more than in the schoolyard. It wasn't terribly exciting work for a young boy, though. You know, tending sheep involves a lot of, well, sitting around with sheep. So, as children tend to do, I found ways to enjoy myself. Even then, I understood that work was a duty, but it could also be fun.

Yes.

I would tuck a small knife in my pocket each morning, and while I was out in the fields, I collected sticks and bits of wood and so on. And so during those long stretches of day, I whittled the wood into, you know, various shapes and so on.

I love that image of you as a young shepherd, just hanging out in the fields, making things with your hands.

Well, of course, I really didn't think I was a shepherd. I wasn't sure what that meant. It was just a thing I did then to pass the time, the whittling. But now I can look back on it and see that those were the days when I was being shaped by the Creator, by God, for the days to come. It was God's will for me to take the path I took. I think I understood that in my spirit long before I understood it intellectually. I also gained a real sense of, you know, the land all around me. In those days of my youth, I kept watch over the sheep. I'd always been aware of the land and on a constant lookout for potential dangers, you know, like wolves or incoming storms. I could build a cave, as it were, faster than anyone when I saw a storm coming.

Okay. And so these early days, you spent farming, but you didn't stay there, Right. You left as a young man to go to Bill in Denmark, where you began your career as a woodworker. Can you tell us about that?

Oh, yes. Billund Yash. Yes. As I said, I found very early that I loved crating with my hands, and I knew I had a talent for woodworking. My parents saw that skill as well. And when I got a bit older, I transitioned into an apprenticeship as a carpenter alongside of one of my older brothers. As a young man, I began the work as a traveling carpenter, but still have a family and established roots. I heard of a woodworker's shop for Smale in the small town of Bellon. I spoke with my family, and they agreed that I needed to pursue this dream, woodworking. So, with the help of, well, let's see, several family members who loaned me money, I was able to purchase this little shop for 10,000 krona, which was quite the sum of money in 1916. Yeah, that means the equivalent of roughly US$1,000. Well, at that time.

Yeah.

This is where I believe the Lord really began to shape my purpose. I was simply following the opportunity, but God was laying the path.

Yeah, no doubt. Yeah. Every account of those years that I've read, you were known in your community as a hard, young, honest worker, someone who was truly masterful at his craft. Is that a fair characterization, Olay?

Well, I do think so, Jordan. That. That those days I spent observing the land and tending to the animals gave me a real understanding of not just how to work, but how to work. Well, you know, I wouldn't call myself a master. We only have the one master, Jesus Christ. But if I had not done my job with excellence as a child, our sheep would have died and my family would have suffered. I took the same serious work ethic with me into adulthood. Our aim in creating our projects was quality. And my prayer was that the Lord would help us to run a reputable business in every way in our life. And our example that our actions and life may have been to honor him, you know, and with his blessing. I would pray that every day, you know, Lord, may we live in thy mercy.

All right. Hopefully that gave you a taste of what this conversation is like between me and Olekirk Christensen. If you want to stream the entire episode, join the Mere Christians community today@jordanraynor.com MCC for Mere Christians Community. Again, that's jordanraynier.com McClure.