World Race Family -

Fundraising Angst

Fri, 16 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Recently, on the January 2012 WR Families Facebook Group, a question came up about the approaching support deadline. A current parent was asking for input from alumni parents and others about how to handle the angst that can be associated with those deadlines. Here's some insight from Kathryn Thornhill, an alumni parent:

World Racers look at support deadlines so differently than their parents. My son, Daniel, was always calm and collected about funding. He would tell me that if God wanted him on the Race then He would provide a way for him to be there. Well, being mom, I thought "Oh great, he's leaving and I'm going to get stuck doing his support raising or funding his account myself upon deadlines." Wow, did I learn a lesson.

God taught me that if I take on the support as my own personal problem then He'd let me try and handle it. But if I would pray and believe as my son did then He would provide. God reminded me to have the faith of a child; my child! This was not an instance where I needed to caution Daniel about practical reality.

[Note: Daniel was part of V Squad. He is currently at G42 in Spain, having left immediately after Searchlight in January.]

I can't speak as a WR parent, but I can speak from the Adventures in Missions side of things - as someone who works in the office. It's an amazing thing. We've seen God do so many miracles in this area - including people (parents and others) who pitch in to keep "their" Racer's teammates on the field. Or we get calls in the office from people saying "I know there's a deadline coming up. Are there Racers who still need support? I just feel like I'm supposed to help." Many times it comes right down to the deadline.

How about you? Any stories you can share - How God provided? Your own journey in this? Words of encouragement for parents still in the middle of it?

Launched to the nations

Fri, 9 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Tim Abare is COO of Adventures in Missions. In January, he experienced a World Race launch first-hand. Here are his observations ....

There are a couple of times when you can just about count on me getting teary eyed.

It doesn't really matter where I am or what I'm doing, but when I am deeply moved by the splendor of brilliance and excellence I get choked up... every time. The other is anytime I feel the tangible, albeit unexplainable presence of God in a person, place or environment.

In January, I traveled with Seth Barnes to Fort Lauderdale as we launched about 150 World Racers into their 11 month 11 country journey from a plain and messy Romanian church.

Now, I have been right smack in the middle of many enormous, extravagant and unexplainable moves of God over the past 25 years - both in my family and ministry... way too many to mention here.

But not much could have prepared me for what happened on that final night as we gathered in that Romanian church. I've never seen such a rag-tag group of diverse 20-somethings vacate themselves, their presuppositions, fears, and pride as they went all-in with God worship and prophetic declarations.

The very next day they were headed for the different nations and continents - for 11 months. But this night, God breathed into their lungs. This night, God's love, the kind we only read or hear about, was palpable, liberated and abundant. This night, freedom was expressed and experienced. This night, the Great Commissioner absorbed us. This night, I wept, almost uncontrollably, on behalf of every parent who could not be there to share this Divine moment with his or her adult-child. Rest assured, as a father of six children, I hugged and prayed for them, just like they were my own.

While they were praying, the place where they were meeting trembled and shook. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak God's Word with fearless confidence. Acts 4:31 The Message

Welcoming a New Group of Parents

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Two weeks ago we launched our latest three World Race squads.

As the parent of a World Racer, you are part of a growing community of people who discover that the Race is not just about what God wants to do in the Racers. It can also be a life changing and transforming adventure for you as well. As you "let go", as your kids grow up, and as you read the stories from the Racers, we hope your heart will be stirred in deep ways.

The Racers will be experiencing a strong sense of community. But what about you? Not too many people know what it is like to be a World Race parent. Many of you may be experiencing a wide range of emotions - maybe some excitement, some sadness, some uncertainty about finances, perhaps some fear. Eleven months can seem like a very long time!

As we spent time recently with some of the parents from the T, U and V squads, they expressed two main desires - a wish that they had been connected to each other during the race and a desire to be available to future WR parents. You'll hear from some of them in future blogs.

We're looking into the best way to connect those of you who would like to get to know each other. In the meantime, welcome! Feel free to introduce yourselves here and suggest things that would be helpful as you begin your own journey. If you are an "alumni parent", offer your words of encouragement to those just starting out.

Finally, if you would like to talk to parents who have already been through this, we have some parents who would love to talk to you. Please email Betty Means (bettymeans@adventures.org) for their contact info.

Advice for Future Racers

Tue, 14 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT

I know that so much of the World Race is learning along the way, but if you are a future or newbie racer and want to make things a little easier on yourself (and your teammates), here is my advice (some of these won't make sense until you've been to training camp or launch):

Feedback is the real deal. It's important to get over the fear of people not liking you - I wish it hadn't taken me so long. If I had told my teammates the character flaws I saw in them from the start, it would have made things easier for them, it would have helped our relationship, and it would have ushered the kingdom of God in sooner. Feedback should be given often, for we are all far from perfect, amen?

Equally as important as giving feedback is accepting it humbly - even if people are wrong about you. I've had teammates feedback me about things that were not true - misconceptions and such. Instead of defending myself I had to swallow my pride, say "thank you," and remind myself that God knows my heart, and that's all that matters. I think one of the best ways to accept feedback is to ask for it - to once a month ask your teammates for ways you could improve and grow and whatnot.

I recommend giving feedback during your daily feedback meeting, as opposed to one-on-one. My team did one-on-one feedback for a while (we thought it wasn't necessary to bring things up in front of the whole group if it didn't concern them.) But it always concerns the whole group when you're living in such close community. Really, it does. When we began feedbacking one another in front of each other our team became a much, much safer place.

Note: when people aren't feedbacking each other, it's a pretty sure sign that the mood on your team will be tense. Because everyone knows what's going on but no one is talking about it (or even worse, certain people are talking about it with each other - aka gossiping/defiling.) Also, I believe that meeting every night for feedback is significant. At first many of my squadmates and I had issues with this - we would complain that we were adults, so why do we have to be forced to have a meeting every single night? We aren't wired to work that way, we would say. My squad had teams that stopped meeting, or would only meet a few times a week, but I as the race continued I found it extremely beneficial to end the day as a team - it helped us bond together in a deeper way. It's a sacrifice - so much of the time we were tired, or just wanted alone time, but choosing to have a good attitude about it made our team greater than if we didn't do it or complained about it.

Morning prayer is vital. This was a hard one for us to grasp. People (myself included) were tired and grumpy in the morning, and again, why were we being forced to pray? But once we were all broken or humbled or whatever, we started buying into morning prayer and it became such a beautiful time on our
team. Often we would sing songs a capella (our main one being "When I Think About the Lord," by Shane and Shane, or whoever really wrote it). Morning prayer doesn't have to be boring and monotonous, you can spice it up and cater to your team dynamics.

If you don't like someone on your team push through it. It may seem impossible to get along with them at the time, but I believe that God can redeem any relationship if you allow him to. The thing is, you have to try. You have to put yourself out there - you have to pursue the person even if they don't pursue you,
even if they are the complete opposite of you. Don't accept that you just won't get along - there are far greater things in store for you two. They have Jesus Christ in them, so how can you not find something in them to love? Trust me, it's hard, but it's so, so worth it in the end. Some of the teammates that I didn't get along with at first became my closest, most dear friends. It didn't happen naturally - we had to fight for it, and I'm so glad we did. Take note: when someone doesn't like another person on the team it holds the entire team back from reaching deeper intimacy and community (and therefore holds back the kingdom of God.)

If you have a bff on your team - make sure not to cling to him/her. Get to know and love your other
teammates. I had a bff on my team, and we often made our other teammates feel left out. Not cool. After being feedbacked enough times we eventually learned how to find the balance between maintaining our close friendship/not being exclusive and loving our other teammates.

If you have a crush on a boy (or girl) on your team, be very careful. Even though your first instinct might be to run to him or her when something happy or sad happens - don't. If you want to sit next to him/her on a long, overnight bus ride - don't. If you want to stay up late having deep conversations about life - don't. If you want to take an afternoon walk down the coast of the Indian Ocean together - don't. If you indulge in such desires your focus will be taken off Jesus Christ and consequently your purpose for being on the
race will be lost. Grab a teammate of the same sex and hang out with them instead. It will save you so much heartache. Trust me. If you are meant to be together, or whatever, don't "awaken love until it so
desires" (aka until the END OF THE RACE...like they tell you.) There is a couple that came out of my squad (they were on the same team), and they did it right and waited until the end. None of us could even fully
predict their relationship because they played by the rules, and didn't spend tons of time alone together or anything. Now they have a beautiful relationship.

Girls - be cautious in your one-on-one friendships with the guys on your squad. They will show you love in many ways - by listening to you, encouraging you, surprising you, sacrificing for you, supporting you, defending you, spending alone time with you - but this doesn't mean they have a romantic interest in you. I can easily list half a dozen girls from my squad who were under the impression that certain guys liked them and wanted to pursue them after the race. The guys usually had no idea - they thought they were just friends. When the girls realized the guys had no real interest, their hearts were a bit broken.

Guys - be cautious in the way you interact with girls. You may think you are merely being a brother to us, but often times lines can be blurred and we can view it as something more. Be careful not to flirt with us and to not cross emotional boundaries - to you it may be fine, but like I said, it can often mean something else to us.

If you aren't leader - and this bothers you, don't let it. I spent the first half of my race feeling insignificant and worthless because I wasn't given a leadership position. Finally I grasped the idea that even though I wasn't a leader in AIM's eyes, I was a leader in God's eyes (sounds cheesy, I know. But it's true!) The
race became so much more enjoyable for me at this time - I was sure of who I was in Christ. And you know what? Then I was made team leader. Not saying this will happen for you, but still.

If you are leader - don't strive to lead, only strive to follow after God, and everything will fall into place after that. It may not happen right away, and things may be really messy on your team, but I believe that as leaders (or as anyone, really) the only thing we are in charge of is making sure we follow Jesus Christ - the perfect leader. We are only accountable for our own actions - we can't control our teammates. Don't try to change anyone but yourself. Very important: don't allow yourself to be frustrated with your team. Always believe in their potential, even if they show no sign of change.

Dive into ministry - no matter what. There were so many times on my race when I wondered what the point of the ministry even was, and doubted that my efforts would result in anything effective. So I would make a half-hearted attempt in order to make it through the month. Don't do this. The best months on the race were when I gave my all in ministry - despite how useless it seemed at the time. Wear yourself out each day and you will have a great month.

Don't blame AIM/the World Race/Michael Hindes/Jake Rodrigez - or anyone else for things that go wrong or that you don't like. Let me assure you of this: things will go wrong (often) and there will be many aspects of the World Race that you will not like. They tried to prepare us for this at training camp -
leave your expectations behind, they told us. Hah. We didn't. We were upset when our ministries and countries fell through and when miscommunication happened and when the World Race "made us worse versions of ourselves." We are only accountable for our own actions - no one or no thing can make us a worse person - only we have that kind of power in our lives. Michael and Jake and Jimmy will mess up, but I believe fully that they and everyone else on staff have our best interest at hand. They want us to have the best World Race experience possible.

Believe the best about your teammates - this is advice Michael Hindes gave our squad at our halfway debrief, when we all were so sick of each other. He told us to put 10s over everyone's head each morning - though at the time we thought he said "tents." After much confusion, we discovered what he meant is to give each person the benefit of the doubt, no matter how many times they let you down or disappoint or betray you the day before. It's beautiful wisdom, which means, of course, that it's really hard to carry out. My team took his words to heart, and we would call each other out when we weren't believing the best about each other. When I was team leader one of my teammates pulled me aside and told me she didn't think I was believing the best about our team, that I wasn't putting 10s over everyone's head. She was right, and when I realized it I was able to change, and our team became a much better place. Feedback, people. If she hasn't talked to me things would have only gotten worse.

Don't complain - it will be hot, the bugs will bite, you will be hungry. Things will go wrong. Talking about it won't make a difference - it will only allow you to focus on the negative. Train your mind to think about whatever is true, noble, right, lovely, pure, etcetera etcetera.

Internet/computer - don't let this become a coping mechanism when you are having a difficult time (or any other time, for that matter.) It's fun and fine to Skype and email home, to watch movies and to sort photos, but it can easily become a waste of time. My squad had a two-week internet fast (which caused much chaos to break out), but at the end of it most people agreed it was worth it. Many relationships were deepened during that time. We read more. We explored more. Sometimes when you haven't communicated with home in a while it can feel like you are forgotten and the world has ended. It hasn't. Home will come soon enough (even though it may feel like years away), so be sure to make the most of every opportunity on the race, because when it's over. It's over. Home will always be there.

Bring clothes - that are comfortable, but also represent you. You don't really need North Face pants or special camping clothing. Whatever clothes you bring will eventually get ruined - from being worn/hand-washed so much and from drying in the sun too many times, among other reasons. Note: Chacos
aren't for everyone.

Share - what goes around comes around. You will borrow all of your teammate's stuff and they will borrow all of yours. They will eat off your plate. You will sleep on top of them. If you are used to having your own
material possessions and personal space...try to let that go. Soon.

Money - I suggest trying to live off the World Race food budget. It's hard, especially when other people are buying Cokes and Big Macs, but I believe the sacrifice is part of the whole World Race experience...hence
why they keep our budget at $1.25 per meal. They could easily raise the budget and have us bring in a little more financial support, but they choose not to. The World Race is a great time to break ourselves of our American mentality, that we deserve whatever we want whenever we want it (especially when we're hungry.) It's nice to treat yourself every once in a while - and when you do your food tastes so much better and you savor it so much longer.

Alone time - is extremely hard to come by (the whole don't-go-anywhere-alone rule kind of ruins the possibility), but try to carve out time for yourself more frequently than not. I'm not necessarily talking about spending time with God (always do that), I'm talking about taking time to sit and be alone, to reflect, to
listen to music, to read, to have no agenda. I'm an extrovert, so I naturally adore being around people. But toward the end of the race I really suffered because I hadn't taken enough time for myself - I pretty much hid in my room for all of final debrief. I don't recommend it. On the other hand, if you are naturally introverted, this is the perfect time and place to push yourself out of your comfort zone.

Write things down - blogging is great, but be sure to write down memories and certain feelings that
you carry with each day, or at least every few days. I believe this is a good idea because a) it will be there for you to remember forever and b) you can see more clearly the way God is moving in your life. Maybe
you can do this during your alone time...If you think you won't get burnt during a day off at the beach in Africa - think again. If you think the burn won't hurt badly, think again. WEAR SUNSCREEN ALWAYS. Reapply often and much!

...so
basically, everything they teach you at training camp and launch is TRUE. I just happened to learn many things the hard way (which consequently led to much grieving.) Every World Race experience differs
to an extent - this is my advice from my journey. Hopefully it will be of some use to you...if not, at least it was good for me to write down and reflect upon :-)

What Does a World Racer Do After the Trip?

Wed, 8 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT

One of the most common objections to the World Race is: "Does it do any long-term good?" People want to know what happens after an amazing year of adventures around the world.

In fact, that was one person's comment on a recent World Race update: "How many go into full-time mission work when they are done?" To be fair, that's not the easiest metric to track or measure.

For some, the World Race is a seed planted, an investment into a kingdom lifestyle that takes years to harvest. For others, the fruit is immediately measurable. Nonetheless, we're seeing the Race have a tremendous impact on those who leave their comforts for a year to get initiated into God's kingdom.

As a microcosm, Racer Hope Mendola provided this list of what she and her squad mates are up to. I think that it speaks for itself (note: these are all participants from one squad that got off the field just this summer):

Jodi Greenlee - has already returned to the Philippines to open up a rehabilitation center for young inmates
Michelle Johnson - interning with an anti-sex trafficking organization in Los Angeles
Brandy Chaffer - creating a ministry that combines her corporate experience with my ministry life
Melanie Dodson - just got a job with International Justice Mission
Ken Virzi - already moved back to Turkey to do ministry there
Anthony Ardino - interning at Mars Hill Church with Mark Driscoll
Geoff Shepard, Adam Coleman, Don Brensinger - working toward being youth pastors
Austin and Monica Anglea - already working as youth pastors
Marissa Villa - using her journalism skills to tell the stories of those who are unheard
Emily Gearhart - working toward opening a school in Africa
Holland Cox - interning with the World Race
Beks Casanari - an Invisible Children roadie
Halley Power - director of Missions at a Christian camp
Robin Barnes - getting her doctorate in audiology to work with kids who have severe hearing loss
Priscilla Cheng - getting her Masters in counseling
Shannon Morgan - working toward ministry among Muslims (overseas or in America)
Anna Notario - bringing revival to Austin, Texas through her business
Ashlee Hilis - currently volunteering at a college campus ministry as well as starting a nonprofit organization concerning malaria awareness
Aubrey Rainbow - currently studying sign language in order to do art therapy with the deaf population

Hope Mendola - pursuing a teaching job in a low-income community through Teach for America

Where is your World Racer now?

WR parents experience race life in Haiti

Fri, 2 Jul 2010 00:00:00 GMT

WR parents often see what their children are accomplishing around the world and ask the question, "How can I impact the world in a similar way?"

After hearing of their children's experiences on the World Race, Sue and Don Brensinger and Donna Morgan felt the call to come to Haiti on an AIM short term trip. The hope and passion of the Haitian people impacted these three, encouraging them to impact their communities back home in America.

Advice for Struggling Parents

Tue, 2 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

I just got off the phone with a potential World Racer who's struggling with what their parents think about the World Race. The risk factor is an issue; they are worried about their children being thrown in harm's way.

I wanted to throw this out to the group:

What would your response/advice be to parents who are worried about their child's safety while on the Race?

Let them go!

Wed, 2 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

My wife, Kathy, and I have been married nearly 29 years. We have three sons ages 22-25, they are all in the middle of pursuing God's plan for their lives.

It often feels that their walk into destiny is actually a walk away from us. A recurring thought I've had as we raised our sons was that they were trying to move away from us. See, when they crawled, they crawled away; when they walked, they walked away; when they ran, they ran away. We taught them to ride bikes, they peddled away, they got their licenses, they drove away. Now we see them in pursuit of independence and finding their voices. The problem we are having is they are fighting to get independence from us and their voices rarely sound like us. It's a painful job this calling to be a parent.

It's getting more painful all the time because the world is getting scarier and increasingly unsafe. On top of that we are the generation that has over-indulged and over-protected our children. We have cared more about their comfort than their character development. We have done everything we could to keep them from pain - every sharp corner covered, every outlet protected, "baby on board" signs in every minivan. We haven't wanted them to feel the pain of losing either, so now every sports participant gets a t-shirt and a trophy for just showing up. We call their bosses if they get harsh evaluations at work. I recently heard a professor interviewed and he said "parental intervention is getting out of control". He was further quoted as saying "that for the first time in 30 years he was having to regularly defend grades to parents of undergrad and grad students a like".

We must stop the madness of constant interference. These young people are actually God's plan to bring in the next great harvest. The work is going to be hard, painful, lonely, humbling, and even dangerous. We can't run behind our children any longer with pillows trying to soften the pain that God himself may be orchestrating.

Our young adults need an alternative to our interference. They need places that will offer initiation into adulthood. They need places to find their voices and independence. They need places to be exposed to real pain and have the Holy Spirit ask, "What will you do about it?" They need places with close community that will challenge the behaviors and attitudes that we have previously excused. In short, they need places to grow up and grow away from us.

The World Race is one of these places and it provides this kind of discipleship. It offers ministry in tough places internationally while bringing ministry to tough places internally.

Real discipleship should offer real ministry while providing a real invitation to real maturity.

The world needs our kids and we need to let them go!!!

Taking a break

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I've been blogging here since July and with Thanksgiving arriving, I'm ready to take a break. It may be an extended one.

The reason I started the blog was an observation: I watched many of you parents "go along" with your son or daughter on the race. As the parent of two, I knew what you felt from the inside out. And I wanted to help you gain insight into your process as much as possible. It's a scary thing watching your child go around the world, taking risks that you'd never let them take and then letting you know about it long after the fact. And at the same time, the vicarious experience is a stretching, growing time for many of you.

I've also wanted to get to know more WR parents and to help you get to know one another, so this has been a venue that I'm hoping will turn into something of a community.

We've had a number of you who have written very heart-felt guest blogs and I've been very appreciative of those of you who have commented along the way. I want to say thank you and I hope that you'll send more along. I also want to say thank you for those of you who have given us the benefit of the doubt as we've tried to help your children grow. Our WR staff is often incredible, but sometimes messes up and needs your grace.

I guess for this blog to continue, it's going to need other people to step up. I'm that some of you will self-identify. We need writers, editors, and counselors. We need those who will get other parents involved and help them along the way. Please email me using the "Send an Email" link on the left if you'd like to volunteer or make a suggestion.

God bless and have a great Thanksgiving!

Racer parents refusing to rescue their child

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

In the World Race, we say to you parents, "You've given it your best shot for all these years, if you trust us with your children, we can't always guarantee their safety, but we'll return them home better than when they left." And for some of you, that is tough.

Actually, we usually do much more than that. More times than not, we really help racers discover their identity in Christ. We help them them eject all the junk in their lives that they've taken on over the years. Even the best of you parents are swimming upstream against a lot of junk in our society, and many of you have inadvertently have engaged in counterproductive behavior, delaying the maturation of your child.

Too many of us fathers have abdicated our God-given authority role. And when we do, who can fault our wives for stepping into the breach and doing what good mothers do - protect and nurture?

Without realizing it, parents have become chauffeurs and concierges for a generation of children that bounces from Game Boys to soccer practice to Nintendo and in the process came to assume that life owes them a good time.

Many parents identify so thoroughly with their role that even after their children leave the nest, they are incapable of releasing them to feel the consequences of their own actions. Enmeshed as they are in an identity validated by living vicariously through their children, they helicopter in at various points to rescue their children when they are in peril.

Of course such a situation is absurd. God never intended for parents to live this way. He delegated authority to fathers as providers and protectors. He set it up so that "it will go well for you" if you obey your parents.

With things so far out of whack, is it any wonder so many children struggle to trust and are looking for community - a place to belong and recover a sense of safety they never had growing up? The irony is that they test the fences around them so much in part to validate that they can be trusted. When parents give into their kids, the kids actually feel less, not more, secure.

As difficult as this may be for some of you, those of on staff working to make the World Race a life changing experience want to thank you for your trust. We believe there is no better experience or training for helping your child become the man or woman of God that is their destiny.

Racers working thru identity issues

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

When your child signs up for the race, you may think their experience is going to be primarily about developing a world view and missions. At least that's what I thought when I first conceived the race.

What I learned in that first year is that too many racers are still struggling with identity issues for this to be the primary focus. Until they've wrestled through some foundational questions related to identity, all the missiological training and experience in the world will be wasted.

So, we've modified our efforts, not to cater to a racer's narcissism, but to help them get out of the way so that they can begin to work toward understanding what God is doing in the earth and how they can join them in it. The video below by Ashley Higgins explains the sorts of issues that many racers are struggling with even as they go around the world seeking to bring hope.

If you're interested in learning more, let me encourage you to read any of my blogs on the subject.

Tara Reed leaves the hospital

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

This Video is dedicated to all the staff at the EuroClinic. Thanks for being there when I called you. S.O.S.

After 35 days, I left the Hospital. Fresh Cold Air in Bucarest!!! I was taken to the Popa's house where I will be living for the next two weeks (then Mom and I fly to Phoenix the 13th). What a blessing when Mom and I walked into our new home:

What an amazing family. We are so blessed to be here. I had a lovely dinner (thai curry with different toppings) with the family and some students of Bucarest Christian Academy. We had a great time. It has been fun to spend time with the girls (in order from left to right in the picture), Lexi, Noami, and Daniela. We made some peanut butter chocolate chip and M&M cookies!!! Yum. God knows how much I love baking and cookies. I am so thankful.

Practical help for your returning racer

Mon, 9 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Here are some practical resources for your racer after they return home.

Online colleges

Alumni businesses & ministries

Gear on the WR

Resource exchange (for returning racers giving or selling stuff to future racers)

Post-Race Community

CO Springs
Port Huron
Gainesville

Activities & Ideas

Sign up to interview WR candidates in your area.

Form a local WR alumni chapter - talk to Ashley Musick

Come staff a training camp in GA - talk to Jimmy McCarty

Help lead a WR team - talk to Allison Johnston

Join a traveling team and visit churches that have followed the WR to give testimonies

Sign up to adopt a new WR squad and help counsel and encourage its members

Debriefing Resources

Barnes' blogs on debriefing

Finding Your Call

Barnes blogs on reaching your destiny

Opportunities

AIM project leadership

Coaches' blogs

Alumni blogs (still current)

WR alumni count (numbers still being checked)

In full-time ministry - 24

Volunteering - 25

In school - 21

Doing other stuff - 51

Total alumni - over 300

(Another 300-400 scheduled for 2010)

Coffee lovers

James Spano (see Cup to Cup Coffee) started a high quality coffee business in Savannah. He is open to taking on apprentices and makes this offer: " come over here to Savannah and spend time with me. I'd have somewhere for you to stay (probably in a spare room I hope to one day have) and give you what information you want or need in exchange for helping me at the shop."

Squad blog sites

2007 squads

2008-09 squads

E squad
F squad
G squad
H Squad
I Squad
J/K Squads
L Squad

(If you don't have the passwords please email home office.)

Please contact me with your ideas and I'll add them to this.

Help your child become an adult

Thu, 5 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

In a recent last blog, I asked the question, "Are we raising a nation of wimps?" But more importantly, if you've bought into the cultural paradigm of parenting, what do you do? This is a particularly relevant question to those of us as World Race parents.

Well, let's look at Susan's mom to illustrate what we're up against. At a party, my friend told me about Susan. Susan is in her early 20's and lives at home with her parents. When she didn't answer her mom's text messages last week, her mom became so concerned that she drove the hour distance to her daughter to find out what was wrong.

As it turned out, nothing was wrong with the daughter. The only real problem lies with the mom whose understanding of her role in her daughter's life is way out of whack. Unable to do what any mother in nature does instinctively, she has slipped into a dysfunctional codependent relationship.

In doing so, she's created a mess, an irresponsible daughter who remains tethered to the nest, unable to fly as God intended. So what's the answer?

The best thing that could happen to the daughter is that she begins experiencing the pain of her own bad choices. As Herbert Spencer said, "The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly, is to fill the world with fools."

Sadly, the prospects for a young woman like Susan are poor; her character is almost fully formed. Her best hope is that her father will wake up to the devastating result of his failure to exercise authority and call a halt to his wife's mothering run amok. It won't be easy - detoxing never is. Susan is sure to scream for help. But if she is ever to move from adolescence to become a functioning adult, she has to start feeling pain.

If you're a parent wrestling with this issue, the first step is to get on the same page with your spouse. Karen and I have a similar philosophy of parenting, so it hasn't been hard for us, but I can't help but cringe as I watch many of our friends fall prey to a broken cultural model where the mom is allowed to continue mothering well past the appropriate age. What makes this harder still is that often one spouse or the other knows in their gut that things should be different.

The next step is to apologize to your children for all the coddling and to inform them that you've decided to make a change. Let them know specifically how you will be changing your behavior and what changes you will expect them to make. Susan's mom can say, "Honey, I won't be worrying about you so much and I won't drive an hour to find out how you are."

The first time this happens - when you fail to swoop in and rescue them will likely produce yelps of pain and protest, so it's best if you can refer back to a conversation where you said, "Now this is what you can expect ..."

Naturally the younger the child, the greater the possibility of making a successful course correction. If your child is 15 and you're still making her lunches, now would be a good time to stop. Ask your child to get a job. When she makes a mistake, refuse to rescue her.

For a deeper look at this wimp-making syndrome that has swept our cultural landscape, check out yesterday's blog.

How I bonded with mom thru crisis

Sun, 1 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Tara Reed never expected to bond with her mom as she has on the WR, but her crisis has done just that. Here's her blog about it.

So, today is my Mom's 30th birthday. Just kidding. But I just wanted to write about her because she is an amazing woman. Anyone who knows her knows that she is a woman after God's heart. She is humble, gentle, strong and loving. Everything a mother should be and more. She is a great example of faithfulness to God and being led by Him and not her own desires. I am so thankful God brought her here to be with me. My mom has been so sacrificial and has served me in so many ways. Here are some pictures to show all the fun we have been having. It has been an honor to be served by her and just worship the Lord and pray with her. It has been great just to be in her presence and soak up her love and sweet spirit. My mom has helped me run after God since I was little and is continuing to do so, especially now.

I love you Mom!!

From playing yahtzee, to giving me a pedicure, to changing my bed pan, to praying, Mom and I have done it all in the hospital.

Shannon and her daughters brought my mom cupcakes and flowers and then took her out on a shopping adventure for her birthday. Mom deserves it, she has been at the hospital for many hours. A true mother.

We have started working out our arms using household items to make up for all the desserts that are constantly brought to us.

I consider myself honored to be roommates with my mother. Not many girls get that opportunity. It is such a blessing to have her!

My mother. Dixie Reed. "She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future. When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness. She carefully watches everything in her household and suffers nothing from laziness. Her children stand and bless her. Her husband praises her. There are many virtuous and capable women in the world, but you surpass them all. Charm is deceptive, and beauty does not last; but a woman who fears the Lord will be greatly praised. Reward her for all she has done. Let her deeds publicly declare her praise." -Proverbs 31:25-31

I love you mom. Thanks for being an example of a godly woman!!! Happy Birthday.

P.s. Everyone, make sure to tell your mom how much you love her and how thankful you are for her. Being a mom is a hard job and they get no credit. But they are truly sacrificial and amazing. God bless you all. Thanks for your continued prayers.

What to do when your fears come true (part 2)

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

In the first blog that Dixie Reed wrote about when her daughter Tara fell off a roof, she recounted a number of coincidences that "just happened." She continues her story here.

It just so happened ....there was an American doctor at the church who was in Romania as a medical missionary. He took the flash drive of Tara's CT Scan, got into contact with our orthopedic Doctor back in Phoenix, and began communicating with him. He served as a liaison between the Romanian Doctors and the doctors in the states. He also helped by calling the insurance company with questions.

Catalin, the Director, also got daily reports from our Doctors here and communicated with us to keep us informed on what was happening. He has offered his home for us to stay in when we get out of the hospital, before our trip to the states, and has pretty much "adopted" us.

It just so happened...that the day of the accident, Tara had been talking with one of the World Racers and they had brought up the topic of their mothers. She had begun praying that God would strengthen her and my relationship when she got back. Little did she know, it would happen so soon. We are enjoying being roommates in the hospital, late night talks, playing games together, and praising, singing, and praying together. With her having spent the last four years at college, we had not had this amount of time together in years!!! How precious are the hours we are spending together!

You're probably thinking that there are a lot of "it just so happened's" in this article. And you're right. But the fact of the matter is, nothing "just so happened." There were no coincidences. God directed our journey every step of the way. He was planning miracles before we even needed them. In these times of my greatest need, I have learned a greater trust in God than I have ever experienced. And it wouldn't have happened when life was merrily passing by. I have seen my every need met in a miraculous way that has caused me to love my Jesus more each day!

I have watched my Tara grow closer to God each day, not even questioning what is going to happen, but looking at this as a "detour" on the World Race. What Satan meant for bad, God is using for His good...and Tara has chosen to find the joy in the situation, instead of complaining. She is witnessing to the nurses and doctors here with such joy that there have been many opportunities to share Jesus. They are asking questions and finding excuses to come in our room.

And she continues to blog; however, her readership has greatly multiplied. Her story has caused many unbelieving friends, relatives, and acquaintances to start following her blogs. We have heard of reports of relatives who have come to Christ, and others who are becoming bold in their faith - encouraged by God's working in her situation! To God be the glory! It is like Paul in Philippians 1:12-14 "Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard (hospital staff) and to everyone else that I am in chains (hospital bed) for Christ. Because of my chains (broken pelvis), most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly."

So, to you parents out there fearing the worst that can happen: know this-- His grace is sufficient....in all situations. Had this unfortunate accident not happened, there would be nurses and doctors in Romania who may not have heard the Good News. We would not have met and have been ministered to by a wonderful family of believers who we now consider our new and dear friends. We would not have had the joy of becoming so close to one another. We would not have experienced complete trust in God during time of need. And, we would have missed the miracles that God chose to bestow on us because He delights in us (Ps. 18:19)

"As for God, His way is perfect..." Psalm 18:30

(to hear more of Tara's story, log onto www.tarareed.theworldrace.org and begin with "He reached down from Heaven and rescued me...")

When your worst fears come true (part 1)

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

In this blog, Dixie Reed writes what it was like when her daughter Tara fell off a roof in Romania. It's a mom's worst fear, yet in the midst of it, she saw God show up in so many ways.

My husband and I were doing yard work on Saturday, Sept. 26, when we received a phone call from one of the squad leaders from the World Race in Romania. Our hearts almost stopped! Our daughter, Tara Reed, (WR June 09) had fallen from a two story balcony and fractured her pelvis. Details were unclear, however, they wanted to let us know that she was alive and stabilized in the hospital, and could move her hands and feet.

Our day and our world changed as we gathered our son, TJ, with us and prayed for a miracle. "Please be with Tara, protect her and heal her body!" The rest of the day was spent with phone calls back and forth from Romania and AIM staff in Georgia. I was so emotional I would break into tears whenever I heard the voice of a friend or family member. Tim, TJ, and I posted the urgent prayer request on Face book. Within one hour, we heard from 85 people with prayers and scriptures; again I was crying, this time with gratitude for all the support. We prayed, and decided that I would go to Romania to be with Tara while my husband, stayed at home and manned the fort! It was hard for him to stay home, but we rested in God's perfect plan.

Then the blessings and miracles began. A friend, Nancy, volunteered to take off two weeks from work and go to Romania with me as moral support.

It just so happened ...that she had a brother in Romania, already had her passport, and was willing to leave on a moment's notice.   Friends and our church gave over $2500.00 for two tickets within 12 hours of hearing about the accident. When we arrived in Romania, Nancy's brother and family picked us up and took us directly to the hospital where a joyful reunion took place. Tara and I hugged and cried together.

It just so happened ...that Nancy's brother's sister-in-law was a nurse and was able to talk with the staff at the hospital about Tara's condition and interpret for us. Tara would need to be on her back in the hospital bed indefinitely with four fractures to her pelvis. The hospital was state run and conditions were poor, so I knew I needed to move Tara, but where? I was a stranger in the land.   My heart was heavy with questions and doubts about being able to handle the situation. Should I evacuate her to a country in Western Europe? How would I do that? Someone mentioned private hospitals in Romania? Where? How do I find them? My husband should have come!! God, help me!

It just so happened ...that a contact from our home church in Phoenix, was part of a Christian Medical Association in Romania, and called within minutes of our arrival with information about hospitals in Bucharest that Americans use and sent a representative from the private hospital, Roxanne, to actually take us there. My decision was made for me!

It just so happened.... the new hospital (Hospital Euro Clinic) was located next door with a walkway from the old hospital. Tara didn't even need to ride in the ambulance, but was wheeled in her bed directly there.

It just so happened ...we had purchased international insurance and they approved payment for both hospitals. Our entire stay of five weeks will cost only a $500.00 deductible, and then the rest covered by insurance at 100%. However, the first state run hospital required that we pay cash for her three nights there, so I called Wells Fargo Bank to let them know I was out of country and using my bank card...and to see how much I could withdraw. The bill was approximately $800.00.   The limit was $500.00.

It just so happened.... I had $300.00 cash in my wallet. That gave us the $800.00 needed. The Wells Fargo representative told me of her experience with a fractured pelvis and offered her PRAYERS. I told Tara that Wells Fargo Bank was praying for her!!! I called my husband to tell him I took the money out of the bank - we were tight on funds, so I told him he might need to come up with a way to put the money back into our account.

It just so happened....he told me he received a check that very day for $850.00. Three days earlier at church, when people heard of Tara's accident, although they did not take an offering, they gave money anyway. The result: our $800.00 miracle. God had provided the money before I even knew the need!

It just so happened... that the CEO or Director of the Euro Clinic (Catalin) was a Romanian Christian who had spent 16 years in the United States, and several of those years in our home city of Phoenix, Arizona. When he heard about us, he came to visit, moved us into a bigger room, set up a bed for me to be with Tara, and started sending an extra meal for me during every meal time. He introduced us to his family, took me to International church where I was prayed over in English and Romanian, and the Christian community surrounded us with love and support. We began receiving visitors in the hospital who brought flowers, desserts, Mexican food, games, and DVD's. We had times of praise, circles of prayer, and sweet fellowship with believers we had just met, yet felt like we had known forever. It was exciting to start each day and see who God would bring in our path that day!

continued in the next blog

Stop protecting your child from life's pain

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

As a World Race parent, you're no doubt aware that parenting seems to be a tougher and more ambiguous task these days than ever before. But one thing is clear, a generation of parents wants to keep protecting them and looking over their shoulders far too long. This comment I just received from a youth leader underscores the point:

"I am seeing a lot more dads with this type of behavior. It's hard to minister to youth who have every little thing done for them. I rarely see a kid or youth who knows how to go out and explore or spend time working things out with other kids. It's all non-stop organized activities. We are losing our free thinkers."

If the age of accountability is 21, then we parents need to be releasing them to experience pain long before they leave our home. Unless they experience the pain of failure and their own mistakes, their growth will be stunted.

This is particularly difficult for moms, many of whom seem to have a difficult time locating the "off switch" in their role as a mother. In the book Culture Shift, author R. Albert Mohler Jr. diagnoses a number of the things that are breaking down in our culture. Of particular concern is the poor parenting going on in our homes and families. Today's parents have turned into hyper-protectors, Mohler says. Here are some of the key points he makes along these lines:

Today's parents are now spending a great deal of their time doing little more than protecting their children from life. Our kids are growing up to be pampered wimps who are incapable of assuming adult responsibility and have no idea how to handle the routine challenges of life.

Kids have to excel at everything, even if parents have to actually do the work or negotiate an assisted success. Although error and experimentation are the true mothers of success, parents are taking pains to remove failure from the equation.

Smothered by parental attention and decision making during childhood and adolescence, these young people arrive on college campuses without the ability to make their own decision, live with their choices, learn from their experiences, and grapple with the issues of adult life.

Even in prekindergarten programs, parents now show up with a list of special demands, insisting that their child must be treated with special care. Inevitably, this is often transformed into diagnoses of learning disabilities that will require special instructional accommodations.

Cell phones are partly to blame. Even in college...students are typically in contact with their parents several times a day, reporting every flicker of experience.... When parents play along with this dependency, they 'infantilize' their children, 'keeping them in a permanent state of dependency.' Life is lived in an endless present tense, with no need to frame long-term decisions, make plans, or engage in sustained interpersonal conversations.

Many see life as a competitive game, and they are determined to do whatever it takes to get their children on top. One college student said, "I wish my parents had some hobby other than me."

Five promises of a spiritual father

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Along the way on the World Race, my son made me proud in Swaziland. He helped carry baby Moses' dying mom to the funeral. And then he delivered the eulogy. Afterward, he wrote this blog about his experience. I couldn't be more proud of a son.

But let me be honest, this fathering thing I've been doing for 26 years now is emotionally wrenching. This morning I'm thinking about the concept of "spiritual fathering." I'll never forget teaching discipleship to a group of young people in Philadelphia about eight years ago. Just before starting, God spoke to me and said, "This is a fatherless generation." I guess I'm kind of obtuse. My parents raised me to be strong and self-sufficient. I had a warm home. My dad provided for us. So the idea of not having a father in one's life hadn't really penetrated my reality. As I looked at the young people and felt God's heart for them, it blew me away.

Later, I felt God giving me a choice between being a father or being a manager. I'm a good manager. Most things I manage do well. That role is a place of safety. I just naturally think about what needs to happen next organizationally. God was saying, "Leave that place of comfort." And after considering, I chose the role of being a father.

I've been trying to extract myself from management ever since. You have to leave before you can cleave.

Everywhere I go, it seems people are looking for spiritual fathers. Paul said we don't have many - they're in short supply. Karen and I are just about done rearing our kiddos - we think they're pretty awesome, but they're making their own decisions at this stage. So now we're focusing our attention on becoming a spiritual mom and dad to many of their peers. I can't imagine anything more satisfying. We're making it our aim to help fulfill the heart cry of many to anchor themselves. There's no manual for this - we're making it up as we go along. But we're putting ourselves out there, and as we do so, we find that our availability smacks into a great father-hunger in a generation of young people.

If discipling is waking up to one's identity and role in the Kingdom of God, then a spiritual father is the one who often does the rousing. "WAKE UP!" We yell, yanking them out of comfort zones. Mothers tend to want to keep their children around the house or in the neighborhood, whereas fathers push them out into the big, bad world.

If that's the point of spiritual fathering, then there are certain promises a spiritual father makes. The five I list below hold for spiritual moms as well. I list them here for guys since we seem to struggle more to find our roles in this regard.

You can trust me.
I'll believe the best about you.
I'll be there for you.
I'll share my life with you.
I'll tell you the truth.

All are a function of the criteria for being a spiritual coach (which I discuss in some detail here). The difference in being a spiritual father is that you make a commitment to be in the disciple's life for the long-term, whereas being a spiritual coach is a more short-term proposition.

Because people often don't live up to their promises, a person's status as a spiritual father or mother can only really be confirmed in the rearview mirror of life as the promises are fulfilled over the long-term. To say "I'll be your spiritual father" and then fail in one or more of these promises is to underscore the lies the disciple may have absorbed about all the father figures they've ever had. Instead of lifting that young person up, it wedges them deeper in the isolation of their orphan spirit.

Stated more plainly, if as a father you make the promise, "I'll be there for you" and then you leave the disciple dangling at one of life's crossroads, then the pain of all the old father wounds begin to throb.

What's true in building trust in business or marriage is true in spiritual fathering - better to under-promise and over-deliver. Better to set expectations low and exceed them. Young people have been lied to so regularly that they have grown cynical. Better to avoid all the drama of dashed hopes by only voicing those promises that you know you can deliver on.

Here are the two promises I'd begin with:"I'll believe the best about you" and "I'll tell you the truth." You may have to change your thinking. You're not allowed to criticize and you're not allowed to hedge. But keep those promises, and over time, trust will come - you'll be on your way to becoming a spiritual father to someone you love.

Releasing DJ to God & being overwhelmed by his grace

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Several months ago our son DJ shared with his dad and I that he had applied for an opportunity to go on a mission trip with AIM. Did I miss something that night? I do not recall DJ mentioning it was for 11 months. Details, details! Not long after that first conversation, he asked his dad and I "to be praying that if it were to be God's will, he would be accepted as one of the team members for this 11 month, 11 countries World Race Mission Trip." Whoa, wait just a minute, 11 months? Did I know what I was praying for?

The next thing I know we are on a plane bound for Georgia to attend a Parent Orientation! I sensed that night as we hugged DJ goodbye and spoke the words, "see you in a couple of weeks"; that something BIG was already happening. The next morning my husband Dennis and I drove back to Atlanta. We stayed overnight there before catching our flight home on Sunday morning.

I failed to mention earlier on that when DJ first came to us with his plan to apply for this mention trip; I was also seeking God about a life changing experience. My husband is self employed and since the time DJ began Kindergarten I had worked outside the home. I mainly worked to provide our family with health insurance along with the extra income of course. I had been seeking God about a job change or quitting all together, to coming home and working in our family business. Several weeks earlier Dennis and I had come together in unity that I was to quit my job. Weeks kept passing by and each Monday Dennis would ask me at the end of the day "so, did you give your resignation today?" I replied each time with "no not yet, but I'm going to next week."

I woke up early that Saturday morning in Atlanta. I lay in bed talking to God about DJ. I told God "I cannot put my finger on it but something is wrong, something is bothering me." I asked God to reveal to me what it was. We have all heard the proverbial "be careful what you ask for" Truer words have not been spoken! I felt God speak into my heart; "Cindy, you have not released DJ to me because you do not trust me to take care of him." "Now wait just a minute here God, did I not release him to you years ago, what are you saying God?"

With incredible patience I again felt God speak to my heart and say "the real reason you have not quit your job is because you think you may need that income or medical insurance to take care of DJ on this mission trip."

"Ouch God, that hurts."

Turns out, God was right, now why should that surprise me? I lay there crying, pouring out my heart to God, and confessing what He already knew. I told God that morning that "I would let go and release, fully surrender DJ to Him; but that did not mean it did not hurt." With much love I felt again God speak to me. "Yes, I know it hurts. I too have released my son; I surrendered him to the cross."

That did it! I could not control my sobbing. It was that ah ha moment! I was not being asked to surrender DJ to the cross but rather to release him because of the cross!

In the weeks leading up to DJ's October 5th 2009 departure, he made it very clear that he was going to get rid of everything he owned, and I do mean everything! I have learned so much already about what true surrender of our will for God's will looks like because of DJ. He gets it! None of this matters if it is not Kingdom driven, if it does not matter for eternity and most importantly if it does not bring Glory to God!

As I held DJ in my arms at the airport Monday sobbing, a picture flashed through my head of God releasing his son Jesus from His arms to be crucified on the cross. Suddenly I let go of DJ. I did it! I released him! Tuesday morning I decided to work through the remaining items DJ had left behind (telling me, "throw it all away to save yourself the pain") I cried a lot but soon the tears turned to laughter as memories of his childhood flooded my heart. I was reminded of the story in the bible when Mary was looking for her son Jesus. He was in the temple even as a child already teaching others on the things of God. I could just hear DJ saying "woman where else did you think I would be?" When we fully surrender our children to go and be what God has called them to, where else would we have them be?

This week has been an amazing week of family, friends, neighbors, and even DJ's school teacher from first grade coming forth with words of encouragement and support for DJ and prayers over all of us. They have all shared how much they all love DJ and how he has touched their lives. How he has deeply impacted them by his example of dying to self; of truly laying it all down to take up the cross and follow wherever Christ should lead him! It seems just like yesterday that DJ shared his heart to go on this mission trip!

In anticipation I can now look forward to the weeks and months yet to come for I know God has BIG plans. Yes, I long for the time I will hold my son in my arms again, if only for a moment. It brings me great joy in seeing the man DJ is because of what Christ is and is yet to do in his life. Because of his willingness to surrender his life fully to God's call upon his heart to go into all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.
My prayers are with all of you fellow parents as we all pray over our children.

Where are our spiritual fathers?

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Paul says, "You don't have many fathers." You can read more about spiritual fathers and this quote here.

Blog reader Valentina said, "I grew up with a loving father who gave all of himself for his three girls... and yet I still long for that spiritual authority in my life. A generation it seems is rising up, being taught that they should depend upon only themselves as the world is full of lies and broken promises... but we are all so ill-equipped and so tired."

My random poll of Christians shows that spiritual fathers are in very short supply indeed. Women, you people are doing OK - I'm addressing the men this morning. Where are these guys who, having seen the kingdom of God, have sold their treasures to acquire it as Jesus suggested? I looked for years and years for someone to show me the kingdom and no one could. So I asked this question: where are all the spiritual fathers?

This question perplexed me as I was raising my kids. I was making a lot of mistakes. Surely there was someone to show me the potholes ahead in the road. Not that some great guys didn't show up in my life periodically. Larry Rybka helped me not lose heart when I was ready to give up on ministry. He and Jo helped Karen and I get a renewed vision for our marriage when our kids were little and we were struggling just to breathe.

And then, since the turn of the millennium, I have bonded for life with Andrew Shearman. I am so thankful I met these men of God.

I was on a hunt for someone older and wiser, and for years I came up empty handed - "why doesn't the church produce spiritual fathers?" I asked. And now, as I approach the ripe old age of 50 in a couple of months (btw - if anybody has any jokes to crack about that, they can just keep them to themselves), I realize this stark fact - for whatever reason, they just don't exist.

They became businessmen home late for dinner, pastors in their studies preparing Sunday's sermon, and sportsmen eager for the next game. They're busy working on their cars and mowing their lawns. They're more interested in the next election than they are in raising up world changers. They even are taking their kids to soccer practice or helping them with their homework. They're all good men, but at the end of the day, they have had precious few glimpses of the kingdom - that far country that Jesus always talked about. That place where grace abounds, where people live in community and care for one another, the churches that make the widow and orphan the object of their religious affections as opposed to the Book of Church Order and the hymnal.

And if they have seen it, their debt loads are so high and their lives are so full, that they don't know how they're ever going to get out from under it. They doubt themselves and the promise of abundant life.

Yes, that's the bad news and it's grim. But the good news is, it doesn't have to be that way. Jesus had a lot more in mind than saving us and whisking us away to heaven. When we pray, "thy kingdom come" we can be the answer to that prayer - right in our own families and churches. Fathers can repent of their distraction and self-absorption and begin exercising their delegated authority. And a generation of young men can rise up and show a different way - becoming for their children all that they yearned for in their own fathers*.

It begins with a change of thinking - a recognition that, whatever time has been lost, whatever faulty decisions you've made, past does not have to be prologue. Whatever dark, obscure place our spiritual fathers have been hanging out, they can come out of obscurity and make a bold offer to those looking for them. It will be a place of fulfillment and life-giving that will set their homes and communities aglow with hope.

*See this related blog series on fathering. And also check out my "Not Many Fathers" blog.

How do you say goodbye to your only son?

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

We'd already watched Talia circumnavigate the globe on the World Race. Were we tempting fate by sending our son, Seth jr., on his own race? It's a question we wrestled with. But we knew that the WR would be perfect for him. He needed everything that it does for young people. And the investment paid off in spades - it was by far the greatest maturing experience of his life. The fruit: He is currently discipling a team in Nicaragua. That said, it was tough at the time. Here's a blog I wrote when we sent him.

Yesterday, a jet crashed in Phuket, Thailand, one of the places where we currently have World Race teams. Many people were killed.

My daughter Talia is in Cambodia and my son Seth is flying to Thailand as I write this. Both are spending a year on the World Race. Parents are calling wanting to know if their kids are OK. We've been in touch with our team this morning and breathed a sigh of relief to hear that no one was on the plane.

This brings up a question: As parents, how do we say goodbye to our children and send them to the mission field? Pat Burrows, mother of World Racer Sarah Burrows put it to me this way: "I'd like to hear your perspective as a parent of World Racers. Even after the fear is released and the paperwork all signed, is it still a roller coaster of emotions for you?"

It's a timely question. Before Seth's team left for Thailand, I led a commissioning service for them. I was busy and hadn't given it much thought, but God began to speak to me about the seriousness of the occasion. He brought to mind all the times over the years that Karen and I have sent our son to the mission field.

In 1990, when my son was five, Hurricane Hugo hit South Carolina and devastated the coastal area south of Charleston. I took Seth on one of the first mission trips AIM sponsored. More than 70,000 people have followed since then. And every year since then we've sent Seth away on some mission trip knowing that God would use the experience to mold him as a young man.

As a family in 1994, we spent the summer in Mexico. I remember Seth talking to a Mexican kid and hearing about how the boy hadn't eaten in a long time. Seth responded by giving him his lunch. In 2002, on a mission to Lima, Peru he learned to pray for healing and was amazed at the way God healed people. In 2004, he went with me to Swaziland for the summer to touch those devastated by the AIDS pandemic. Later, a trip to India gave him a heart for that country.

In each place, Seth grew in faith and in a sense of his calling. And while as parents we became well-versed in the process of sending him out, it didn't make the sending process any easier. As these memories flooded my mind, I thought of all the parents, moms like Pat Burrows, who have gone through a similar process. For all of us, this has been a hard thing.

I stood before Seth's team and recounted the process that we'd been through in raising him to be a young man who has Jesus' heart for the world - all the goodbyes we've said. I'm not an emotional guy, but I was crying as I said the words - it was ripping at my heart. It's so tough sending our children out, and you'd think that Karen and I would be better at it. But it still strikes us to the core. We do it out of obedience. We do it because God did it for us and the world needs to know.

As we prayed for the team and said goodbye, this time it seemed different, more permanent. Seth is going to the world as a man now. He has grabbed God's vision for the world and made it his own. The thought came to me that the incarnation has become real in a new way for me this weekend. Just as God sent his only son to a dying and hurting world, so I was being given the privilege of doing the same thing. Yes, Pat, it is emotional. It's one of the hardest things I've ever done.

Celebrating Talia's return

Fri, 9 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Yesterday I shared what it was like to say goodbye to our daughter Talia. Here's the blog I wrote when she returned from the race.

After a year repeating Magellan's feat - circumnavigating the globe - our first-born daughter, Talia, has returned home. To have her back is poignant and marvelous. She arrived last night having spent a month or so in the following countries:

Along the way, she tested everything inside herself - her faith, her character, her vision - and proved what was real and what was phony. She had a hundred adventures, beginning with the Mayan ruins of Palenque, the Inca ruins of Machu Picchu, the Khmer ruins of Angkor Wat, and ending on the Mandarin ruins of the Great Wall.

Talia held orphans, cared for the poor, proclaimed good news to the homeless, set the captives free, and incarnated Jesus' Luke 10 model of discipleship. She slept in a sleeping bag most nights, leaving friends and the comforts of home behind. She reached down inside herself and discovered steel.

In sum, she left a young woman in search of herself and returned as a woman of God with a sturdy worldview, a compassionate heart, and a deep understanding of community - along the way, as a by-product, she found herself.

Today, her first day back, we'll unpack her backpack and begin unpacking her stories. We'll sip lattes at Starbucks, stuff a turkey, throw a football on the lawn, and look at pictures. We'll put on loud music and dance.

Talia put everything we call valuable at risk and amazed us all along the way. She and her teammates are heroes. In 45 World Racer homes around the country, it's a day of triumph - of dreams brought to a floral and scintillating reality. We've been waiting a year for this day. We're celebrating Thanksgiving a day early at the Barnes house.

Saying goodbye to our daughter for a year

Thu, 8 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Karen and I have sent out our two oldest children on the World Race. Talia went on the second race we ran, one that started three years ago. Over the next week, I'm going to share what that experience was like for us. Here's the blog I wrote when she left.

We commissioned our eldest daughter, Talia, to go on the World Race yesterday. We miss her already, but love the fact that she is committed to following Jesus in a radical way, and has reduced her worldly belongings to a 40 pound pack out of which she'll be living.

She is going for broke in a way that more of us need to in 2007! I pray that in this next year God enables you to identify and focus on what's important in your life (and at some point that he lets you reduce it down to a the size of a backpack). There is true freedom in that.

Tonight Talia's head to Mexico an posted this:

I left Atlanta this morning and have safely arrived in Texas. A small entourage of fellow world racers greeted us (11 on the same flight) with video cameras and all.

We look like an REI commercial, crowding around the fountain in the middle of the airport. People keep asking what we are doing, and it is so exciting getting to share it all. Happy New Year everyone! I love you all and will see you in a year!:)

How the race changed me

Mon, 5 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I'm back from a four-day man hike in New Hampshire. These hikes are a great re-entry experience for racers and a good opportunity for fathers to connect with sons. If you're interested in the next one, please contact me. - SB

Today, racer Kim Daniels describes the complexities of the racers experience.

Before I came on The World Race, I often found myself in my brown cushiony swirly chair, browsing around on the website, reading the blogs, the FAQ's page, and studying the story-telling pictures. I remember reading this statement by one of the former Racers: "I found out that The World Race really isn't about saving the world. It's more about saving me."

...Interesting... At the time, it honestly sounded a little self-focused, but intriguing. Still, I knew I needed saving, and I also knew that Jesus is pretty clear that in order to find your life, you have to loose it. I had an aching in my core to do more than I was doing, and be more than I was being. College was done, and I had a full time job waiting for me; I thought I was on the road to marriage and though there was a lot of love, there was little peace. I was planning my next steps, but still felt like a giant part of ME was missing.

I had no interest in a white picket fence at the time. I knew I had very little idea about who I was, and though there were a lot of options on the table, I had even less of an idea of what to REALLY do with my life. And if I didn't purposefully figure it out, then I would default into something that I could very well do, probably even be successful at, have a nice, comfortable life and attain all the elements of the American dream... but would it be because that's what I was MADE for? Or would it be because I defaulted into it because it was "the next step"?

I came on The World Race for many, many reasons. I wanted to loose my life to find it. I wanted to be Love to people who had never known Him. I wanted to do the greater things Jesus said I'd do. I wanted to get it through my thick skull that the world does not revolve around me. I wanted to get wrecked, and live the clich: there is more to life than this. I wanted to go and make disciples of ALL nations, not just converts of all nations. I wanted to understand these abstract terms, like faith, hope, love, truth, community, and The Holy Spirit.

And here I am in month 9 of my Race, thinking back to the day when I used to think it seemed a tad bit selfish... that this Race might be more about saving me than it is about saving the world... but that was at first glance and before I actually got out here. Then you take a closer look into the thing, and it looks like this:

..........
A generation is asleep. They are breathing. But few are dreaming. And even fewer are moving. Their eyes are closed, and they don't know themselves in an awaken state. They don't know who they are, or who they aren't.

A generation of Christians don't operate in their God-given authority. They don't know they have it. They don't know what "IT" is. Living in the Kingdom of God is something distant and far off, attainable only on the day that we meet St. Peter at the pearly gates.

But then, one by one, they catch wind of a chance to do something out of the box, something that might act as a vehicle to drive them from their slumber. They abandon everything comfortable. They sell their stuff, they leave their jobs indefinitely, they kiss their moms and dads goodbye, and they move their lives away from their friends and malls and movie theaters and they show up in Gainesville, Georgia (of all places) for training on how to effectively live the next 11 months of their lives. And as one of my dearest friends said, "Life now changes".....

They launch out of foreign countries, living with language barriers and cultural hurdles, surviving off of only what they can carry on their backs. They are dropped into a community, forced to get outside of themselves, to serve something other than their own agenda, pride, or fear, and after 11 months, they have rubbed off the sleep from their eyes and are beginning to ask the tough questions. The ones that matter. They are saved of the things that defined them before, and for once, they see life through eyes that believe they can actually change the world.

But before they change the world, they have to be the first to change.
Before they can invade the world with Kingdom, Kingdom has to invade them.

...and then, one by one, they come back. Radicalized. None of this "nice young man" or "nice young lady" mess. They impregnate their communities with the truth they learned. They invade their states with Kingdom. They invite other people into this thing, and then those invite others, and those invite others.... And before we know it, this generation has woken up their own generation.

People begin to taste something that activates every single one of their taste buds, and the dullness they inhaled before is just plain boring and won't cut it anymore. They find something that is more vibrant than they thought possible, and once they live in it, they are willing to give their lives up for it. Except, it's for more than a cause, and for more than a feeling. It's actually for the One who came up with the whole thing... because we are living in the manifestation of His sheer genius.

This year isn't about 11 countries in 11 months. It's not about stamps on a passport. It's not about seeing the world and doing some good deeds along the way. This is not the Peace Corps. It's not about doing humanitarian stuff.

Its about intentionally planting Kingdom all over the world.
It's about His will being done on earth as it is in Heaven.

It's about raising up people who will stop at nothing to be agents of change, truth and love.

It is about saving me. And saving the 25 others who are here, too.

And then, with 26 wrecked people who will come back to the states in November, its about each of them influencing the next to take one step of faith that could change their lives for forever.

This is a movement.

A movement that will launch over 250 more potential agents of change next year.

Is this God's call for everyone? No, probably not. But I've become really, stinking passionate about expanding this thing, so that those who may be called to it will know that it exists, that it is a vehicle to change, and it is intended to spur a generation to become all they are intended to be.

I want to go where God is manifest and moving....

And from my seat, God is moving this way: Sometimes He takes us out in order to bring us in.

Our kids are on loan to us

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

A few days ago, World Race mom, Kathy Ardino made a comment on one these blogs noting that she realizes that her kids "are on loan" from God. I thought that was a great observation and asked her to write more about it. Here's what she wrote.

I had Lupus, was on steroids to control it and was told by the doctors that it would be best not to have children. Through a series of miracles that are too numerous to outline here, our son was conceived and I was healed of Lupus.

Anthony, who is now 23 years old, is currently in the World Race August 2009 Group 1. I wish I could say that his life was as miraculous as his early days, they were not. For the last 9 years and for whatever reason, (Pat and I have beaten ourselves up enough to know that we don't go there anymore; suffice as to say that we are human and have made our share of mistakes) Anthony chose a life of rebellion, drinking, drugs and drug dealing, stealing, lying, cheating and hating. He was a tormented young man. We sent him to a one year Christian program for troubled teens, twice; brought him to counseling, (both Christian and secular) put him in a local hospital for psychiatric evaluation, kicked him out, had him arrested with a restraining order, and put him in rehab.

Our marriage suffered deeply. At times when we should have been in unity and praying together, we fought and disagreed. When we were spiritually strong, we got by fine. When we were so weak, beaten down, and numb, we just collapsed. At times we were physically sick from it all; I was admitted to the hospital twice with chest pains and ended up with an ulcer. Emotionally and physically, we were a wreck; spiritually we hung on to Him. Pat is now a retired police officer and during his career a young girl (who had been kicked out of her house) was found dead, murdered, in a car. He was with the detectives when they had to notify her parents.

Understandably, it was difficult for him to put Anthony out of our home. I wanted Anthony out. It was killing us, or it seemed to be. Our second son Nicholas, also a miracle, suffered much as he saw and felt everything. Sometimes we struggled to trust God. Yet we knew everything else we tried had failed. There was nothing left we could possibly do to help our son. Thankfully many were praying for all of us.

The Lord led me to a study on our "seed." I found scriptures on what the Lord says about our "seed," wrote them down on 3x5 cards and proclaimed them continually. We knew we had nowhere else to go; no one else had "the Words of Life". We knew that we knew that we knew that God had an awesome plan for Anthony's life because His Word said so. I lived, breathed and ate Jeremiah 29:11.

Miraculously, 6 months ago Anthony, in desperation, completely surrendered it all to the Lord. These words don't do justice to what the Lord did for Anthony but I can honestly say that he is a new creation, not perfect and never will be on this earth, but nevertheless a new creation.

In conclusion, Pat and I have learned that our sons are not ours. We love them deeply and wholly yet truly know they belong to the Father first. He loves them greater than we ever could. We are finite, He is infinite. We are weak and imperfect, He is completely perfect. Yet He chooses to trust us with His precious little ones, for a season "on loan". Our Father has no grandchildren, only children.

You know you're a racer when...

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Young people grow up in America not understanding the value of things. Life comes too easy. The WR addresses this issue in a hundred different ways every day. Carly Farver wrote the following blog about it:

You Know you're a World Race when...

The five second rule has been extended to the 5...10...maybe 15 minute rule... (Steph Conners)
You've mastered acrobatics to balance on a chair, one foot in the air, to get the internet.
You take a bucket bath in a bucket when you've run out of baby wipes.
You carry a worm with you for six months (Steph Conners) and he's invited his friends to the party.
You get really excited about bed frames...no mattress...just the frames (Steph Conners)
You wear panties on your head for warmth (Katie)

When you've slept in 65 different "beds" in 11 months (Philippines: 3, China: 10, Kenya: 8, Uganda: 2, Tanzania: 6, India: 1, Ukraine:3, Romania: 3, Germany: 3, Guatemala: 3, El Salvador:1, Nicaragua: 3- Overnight train rides:7, Overnight Flights: 5)
When it is normal to shard in your pants (Neil Bruinsma)

When your shower schedule is defined by recent bug and sun screen applications (Angi Squam)

You shamelessly pick your nose, burp and fart around strangers (Sara Choe) (and we think we go to primitive people??)

You find your dry cracked feet to be useful for scratching misquito bytes while you sleep (Cara Wallace)

You go clubbing in Chacos (Cara Wallace)

When you're too poor to buy bread

You can mutli-use a conga/surong for a towel, blanket, evening dress, shawl, skirt, head wrap, privacy curtain, purse, pillow hot pot holders or turnakit if you are in desperate need (Cara Wallace)

You don't blink at the news of an 11 hour bus ride (Cara Wallace)

When your first introduction to a countries cusine is their airline food.

PTSD means Preaching, Testimony, Singing and Drimes instead of Post Tramatic Stress Disorder but the first still leads to the latter (Cara Wallace)

Your cell phone holder actually contains you TP ration

You've wracked your brain to come up with another name for feedback that won't lead you into a panic attack (Cara Wallace)

When ants come out of your laptop's keyboard (Cara Wallace)

When you stand in the bathroom debating for 5minutes wether your in the country where you can flush the TP (Cara Wallace)

When you steal the free vegetable bags from the produce section in the grocery store. They make great ziplock bags. (Marissa Banes)

When you dress up by wearing earrings with your under armour shirt and ripped up shorts. (Marissa Banes)

When you walk up to an ATM and look at your teammate and say "whats the exchange rate again?" (Abby Barnett)

When instead of referring to a month, you refer to the country you were in. (Melissa Gibson)
When you stop wearing makeup and realize the last time you looked into a mirror was 3 months ago. (Melissa Gibson)
When bug spray smells like perfume. (Melissa Gibson)
When hand santizer smells like perfume. (Melissa Gibson)
When cochroaches in the toliet are a nice alternative to mice in the bed.
When you're not surprised to find worms in your brand new bag of granola. (Melissa Gibson)
When your five food groups are rice, beans, ugali, pasta and soda.
When your unusually hungry or have lost weight and first assumption is, "it has to be a worm." (Melissa Gibson)
When A/C turns you into a popsical because you've lived in 100 degree heat for 9 out of 11 months. (Melissa Gibson)
When you learn trades or random skills like... (Melissa Gibson)
    how to build a squatty potty.
    how to do the water crawl
    how to pack in 8 people in a 3 asian person tuc tuc.
    discovering the many ways to enjoy Indian Chipati

When Shadow Puppets over your bedmates sleeping knee become the night time entertainment.

Awakening conference shook us up!

Sat, 26 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Mark Newland was on my son Seth's squad that finished last year. He came to the Awakening Conference and just filed the following report.

To be honest I have NO IDEA how to capture this in words. First off, getting to be physically with the World Race community again is beyond awesome, with people from every squad that's gone out since before they even gave them letters to tell them apart.

I love being where we can go to people we've never met before and start a conversation about the deepest stuff possible without any preface. Beyond that though, I spent every day this week seeking time with whoever God would put in my path, just doing my best to listen to what God had for each of them and then delivering those words to them. Getting to be a part of God opening someone up to new giftings, freedoms, and understandings is just....mind blowingly stupifyingly bodaciously awesome, to put it simply (and mostly not in English as far as my spell checker is concerned).

And He let me do it all week, whether when sitting in on teaching sessions or during worship or getting to share a vision God had for all 220 of us sitting there or just having lunch with some one person. I think my favorite part though is watching people take what words or gifting they're given by God and go give it away to someone else. They don't wait till they have all their stuff figured out, they just step forward in complete trust that what they have been told to share desperately needs to be said or done.

When I do this at home, it's always like the message is getting tangled up in people's doubts, like they're not quite ready to trust God's word about them, so they kind of absorb it and dwell on it. Which is good, that's what they need at that time.

But I love being here where such a large group of people are ready to just trust in Him, ready to be completely broken by God in really hard ways knowing that His plan is best.

So when they are told that they are a child of the king and that they need to let go of the belief that they don't know enough to teach on the bible because they are only the voice and God is the Word, they are willing to step away from the fear they have and walk across the room in complete humility to teach something to someone that they have been mentored by and led by and that they view as having all the answers and could never need a word from the likes of them. Or they go share their testimony with a table of guys at the pub we're hanging out at, or they go unlock someone's prayer language when they only just spoke theirs for the first time a moment ago. It doesn't stop.

I love it, seeing it, being in it, living it, and I love speaking God's words to people. It's been a good week.

Update on the Awakening

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I just wrote an update on the Awakening - 200 racers plus 20 or so coaches and staff - here in Romania. You can find it on my blog:

http://www.sethbarnes.com/?filename=update-on-the-awakening

It's been an amazing time. God is doing wonderful things in and through your sons and daughters!

6 Stages of growth on the World Race

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

As I was starting to develop the race, the Lord showed me that there would be six stages in the race. Here they are. I included an example from a racer's life under each. It's important to understand what your racer is likely to go through (though many do not make it all the way through to the fifth and sixth stages).

Abandon

"I've got to leave it all behind"

Something must be sacrificed in order to gain something meaningful. The first step is abandonment an act which opens our minds and spirits to a new awareness.

The story of Jennifer Smith: I'd already lost everything that was important to me, so I knew what it felt like to abandon everything and I know why it's so important to go through that stage. What they've taught us is that this year is like a rite of passage or initiation. When you initiate a person, something has to die. During our year, we're expecting to go through specific stages of initiation to the Kingdom and the first three are about emptying or dying. We naturally clutch to ourselves the familiar and the comfortable. Before God can fill our hands with His riches, we have to empty them - we have to let go of the familiar. For me, this inevitably has led to a feeling of emptiness that for some people spirals into depression.

I've experienced victory, but that doesn't mean that I don't struggle with wanting to be comfortable and that doesn't mean that it was comfortable leaving behind family and friends. To conquer my natural fear of abandonment, I've had to drop what for me were crutches - the protective mechanisms I'd erected. And I, like the others had to scrunch all my worldly belongings into a 50 pound backpack.

What a contrast between my life in the states and life here in Nicaragua. The road outside is full of ruts and garbage is scattered everywhere. Cars stop working and people just push them to the side and leave them. People just are not as concerned with looks as we are in the States. Mothers are not perpetually thinking, "My home is so messy, I could never have guests here." Expectations are lower - people come and go much more freely without having as much stuff to take care of.

Brokenness

"I'm wrecked for the ordinary"

The world is broken. If we are to be world-changers, then we must break with the broken. This can only be done experientially, by walking through the pain of an individual side-by-side.

The story of Mallory Miller: I was a mess. I did stuff of which I'm ashamed and it was far too private, even for whispers. My deep spiritual wounds needed to be dealt with or I was going to stay a mess. Coming to grips with my brokenness was the best thing I've ever done. As a result, I'm able to minister to others out of it.

Along the way this year, I met Steve. Steve has a secret. Because he was abused as a child, he became gay. A few years ago, he contracted AIDS. He rejected God and hated God. My preaching would only push Steve further away. His secret is killing him. He needed my tears, my weakness was a passageway to help him make peace with God. And he did. Most people keep their pain locked away from view. All they experience is a numbness that shuts them off from the possibility of life.

Dependence

"I need God's help"

This journey forces men and women to depend on God in ways that a comfortable culture doesn't require. This dependence is what grows our faith, and the author will use powerful, real-life examples to enforce this point. It will also show that needing God is how we commune with him.

The story of Kelly Ramsey: God wanted to partner with me in life, but I didn't want anything like a partnership. This year, I've learned that He doesn't want me to have any doubts about His key role in the partnership. He doesn't want half a loaf from me, and he wouldn't allow me to quietly hedge my bets. In the Bible, repeatedly He tells us "test me in this." Why? Because He wants to show Himself trustworthy. Repeatedly He seeks Gideon-sized odds. Why?

Impossible odds prove that He did it. God likes the 11th hour, He wants the piggy bank emptied - He doesn't want a fair fight; that's why He takes Gideon's forces from 30,000 to 10,000 to 300. That's why David took on Goliath. That's why the 12 disciples were given the assignment of turning the world upside down.

I've learned that when we compromise or seek the easy way out, God doesn't get to participate in His partnership with us to the extent that He'd like. He wants us to depend on Him and His resources. To make disciples, we need to ensure that they have a chance to trust God completely and exclusively.

Empowerment

"God did what I couldn't do"

God wants to empower us. Paradoxically, what qualifies us for his empowerment is our weakness. As we acknowledge our human limitations, we posture ourselves to be used by him in sometimes miraculous ways.

Erin Mast: Too often I was trying to do life without the Lord's power. But I've learned that it's like driving a one horsepower car that was meant to go at 400 horsepower. It's sad and funny at the same time - it's not what we were designed for. We've bought he lie that, "My own power is adequate to confront the world's issues." The truth is, in our own strength, we'll fall woefully short. Impact and legacy start with listening - listening to God, listening to those whom we serve and listening to those to whom we're accountable. Some of us have buried our talents because we've failed to listen. We need the patience to wait on God for vision and then the fortitude to live out that vision one day at a time.

God empowers us based on our availability, not on our strengths. In fact, He often empowers us in our area of weakness. Bill Johnson said, "Our hearts know there is much more to life than we perceive with our senses; we are spiritually agitated by our lack of connection with the realm of the supernatural. Life should be much more supernatural. The normal Christian life should be filled with miracles and a connection with the abundant life Jesus promised. We all have an appetite for the impossible that cannot be ignored or wished away."

Calling

"I could give my life to this"

All humans have a core desire for purpose and the great disappointment of many who are not realizing their destiny. It touches the common feeling in America of discontent and purposelessness.

The story of Jessica Friske: I went to Central America, Asia, and Europe, but it wasn't until I got to Bosnia that my heart found a home. I'd held orphans in India that broke my heart and made me want to do something, I'd been moved by innumerable situations, but in Bosnia I felt God saying, "Stay here and continue ministering." But when I brought this to my team, their perspective brought me up short: "You need to finish out the race with us," they said. And, after praying about it, I realized they were right. My teammates confirmed my heart's passion and call to rebuild the broken walls of Bosnia, but they also put that call in the perspective of the life I was living.

For a long time I had wondered if the world has been rigged to keep your better self caged. I found that notion confirmed over and over again in the course of living. We're told that God made us for a purpose, a concept we call destiny. But the tragedy of an unrealized destiny is a perpetual human phenomenon. Millions of people regularly die falling far short of God's design for their lives.

Confirmation

"People say amen!' to my call"

Our callings are confirmed by others, and a communal experience with peers is essential to hearing that confirmation. It will show that success in life and in one's purpose is enjoyed in relation to others and not in solitude.

Chad Mast: Even before I had met Jesus, I always had passion and was unabashed in the way I sought to suck the marrow out of every moment. I'd always been a leader, but Jesus used my experience with the World Race to wake me up. I knew what was going on in me early in the process, but when others like my parents began to see that I'm more fulfilled doing this than I could ever be in commercial real estate, it made a big difference.

Too many people have bought the lie that "The body doesn't need me." Once we've heard God's call, we need to here it echo in our souls. That happens as the body of Christ comes around us and says, "Yes!" to what God has already said. This is the process of confirmation that only the body of Christ can perform. Too many of us are content to be lone rangers. I love working with a team and I love hearing their confirmation.