Steph's Journey...

After getting married and living in Chattanooga for three years, we moved back to SC in 2005.  It was not exactly a planned move on our part but Rob's job was changing and it opened up an opportunity to be closer to family.  There was plenty of uncertainty, but we were amazed as God worked out the details as we followed his leading.

These last nine years have brought lots of growth and change to our lives. We have learned a lot about ourselves and what it means to live in community with other believers.  We have seen job changes, children, and ministry opportunities (both in the US and internationally).

Looking back at these things I can see how God has grown us individually and as a couple.  What we didn't fully realize was just how much he was preparing us to take on our next adventure.

College was a big time of growth for me spiritually. I look back with fondness and remember two ladies in my church who took time to spend with college girls...to share the gospel and prepare them for the next season of life.  Even though I come from a great loving family, these ladies gave me another picture of what it can look like to be a faithful employee, wife, and mom.

I'm excited about following their example and being that for college students.  I am excited about spending time with college girls and walking with them in their everyday lives. Moving to Clemson will allow them to see our everyday lives too.  Have I had my "moments" when I think about leaving a house I love, great neighborhood, schools where we have so many friends, etc.?  Yep...I have.

But the excitement of being able to share the story of what God's been teaching me the last 14 years and the opportunity to be a part of what he is doing in Clemson far outweighs my fear or need for comfort.  

Like the two women I was able to watch and walk alongside, I pray that God would use me and our family to give these girls a vision for how God might choose to use them beyond college...what it means to be a woman created in God's image...and to live on mission with a savior who loves them more than they know.

Leadership Project

"Building Laborers on the campus for the world"

Just after dinner...several had headed to D-group (discipleship groups)

Campus Outreach (CO) is committed to building laborers on the campus for the world.  While life-on-life discipleship during the school year is the norm, summers present a unique opportunity to invest in students in a "greenhouse-like" environment.

Leadership Project (LP) is a key equipping opportunity where students commit to a two month intensive time of work, community, training, and leadership development.  Students learn to study scripture, contextualize the Gospel, lead their peers on different levels, and live alongside staff authentically as everyone "does life together."

One of the great strengths of LP is that the Greenville region is all together (and this year we get the benefit of partnering with the Charleston region as well).  This means students get the benefit of interacting with students and leaders from schools like Western Carolina, Presbyterian, The Citadel, Wofford, College of Charleston, and the like.  They also get poured into by the office staff and executive teams.

While most of the staff is at LP for the first four weeks, those who are raising support (like us) get to come for less time.  Being our first time, we wanted to stay long enough to get a good feel for LP but also had a little uneasiness about how we would do living in a "less than ideal" motel room with two small children...and close quarters with 120 college students.  So we chose to spend two weeks.

It was great to see so many students have significant revelations in a short time.  Some were having to question what they really believed.  Which means some came to faith for the first time and others realized an untested faith is an unstable faith.  Others were encouraged by living "in community" for the first time.  Others were coming to the realization that the who they once were is dead and that they have a new identity...which brings both grieving and celebration.

Leaders are realizing their inadequacy to lead out of their own strength and their need of Jesus for encouragement and identity.  Many students are beginning to explore their gifting and establish a missional view for life on the campus and for life after graduation.

In the end, it was very confirming and a huge win!  Once we adjusted to the schedule and pace, everyone had a great time. Zac and Olivia hated to leave and want to go back (like tomorrow).  Steph and I are looking forward to spending the full month next summer!

Why Campus Outreach???

Once we realized that college ministry seemed to be the direction God had for us...we wanted to "try it on" for awhile.  We started out with the organization mentioned in the last post and they have a great team and lots going for them.

However, a student who has tried out several campus ministries encouraged us to try Campus Outreach (often referred to as "CO").  When I met with the campus director, it was a "scary-good" fit.  And when we went to the campus meetings, it was very similar in language and philosophy to our home church (where we have learned so much)!

So we spent all year volunteering with CO.  Why Campus Outreach???

1) Synergy with Grace Church.  There is so much alignment within the two organizations, it felt like home almost immediately.

2) Leadership.  The leadership team within CO encompasses some of the most capable leaders around.  They love Jesus and have a unique balance of personal humility and professional will.  I have a lot to learn from them.

3) Intentional equipping.  While we have been involved in ministry in various forms for years, we still have a lot to learn.  In some ways, we are very much the "rookies."  CO takes staff training and equipping very seriously.

4) Teams built around gifting.  Yes, we all have general things we are all called to, but CO takes it a step further with their staff teams.  They honor how God has gifted team members and structure teams around those gifts.  There are regular trainings (some seminary-level) and evaluations to help staff develop their gifts and discover their individual contribution to the redemptive work of the Gospel.

5) Open-handedness.  CO's mission is to "Glorify God by building laborers on the campus for the world."  They want to help students discover their gifting and interests, identify developmental needs, and give them confidence around both their general call as well as their individual contributions.  The same is true of their staff...most of their staff serve an intense tenure of 3 or 4 years before they are launched into the business world (or some other context) to continue to engage culture and impact the world.  They want students to "wear the staff out" while they are in college, get everything out of them they can, and then launch into the world to find new mentors and new opportunities to have impact.

6) We have come to love their team.  They embody Matthew 22:36-40...Love God and love others.  They love Jesus, love students, love their calling, and love each other well!

So we are moving toward being on staff with Campus Outreach and (essentially) full-time missionaries at Clemson!  I will still have "a foot" in insurance because I do think I still have a role there for awhile...and hopefully so I can support some other guys.  But when I wake up in the morning, I want to be thinking about the best way to help students.

Why College Students???

This is where the "lightbulb" went on!

In the previous post, we talked about the journey.  During that 5 years, God began placing college students in our path.

Originally we were helping a couple of times per year with a campus ministry and we had a few students in our Community Group.  Our church experimented with having a formal college ministry...which we REALLY enjoyed.  Then I taught about 10 students to kayak one summer...which was great as well.  But what we noticed was that they seemed to enjoy having a home to visit...and we really enjoyed having them in our lives.

Meanwhile, with the advent of the biggest part of the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare), there was real uncertainty with my health insurance business.  If the answers to one or two key questions came back wrong, then the company would fold.

As I considered what I might do if the worst came to pass, I remembered a question my former boss and mentor in Chattanooga would ask every young interviewee..."If money were no object, what would you like to do for the rest of your life?"  Their answers varied widely...and as I asked myself the same question, mine did too.  After some thought, I realized I had four very different possibilities:

1) I could stay in insurance.  But it was not the insurance that is exciting to me.  It is the relationships with my clients (many are friends) and being able to take something complicated and make it simple...give clear direction and not be manipulative in my interactions.  I could truly help people and not care whether I sold anything or not (but that will be a different post).  I also like the teaching aspect of employee meetings where I walked employees through how their benefits worked, how much everything costs, and how to best use their plans.

2) I asked some of the college students that know us well, "pretend you did not know I worked in insurance...what could you see me doing?"  Almost all of the answers involved teaching...either kayaking or rock climbing, or the like.  Which led to inquiring with one of my old Clemson professors about teaching a "Leisure Skills" class at Clemson.  He explained most of those slots are reserved for grad students.  Well if my company folds, getting a doctorate in Parks and Recreation (same as my undergrad degree) might be a great fit...which led to:

3) College professor.  I would get to teach and have access to college students.  I could even do research on work-life balance and a Biblical view of work...which I had been pondering since starting my own company and working from home.  The only challenge was it would require at least 5 years of school and I would probably have to teach somewhere else before applying to work at Clemson.  And lastly...

4) We could be international missionaries.  We looked seriously at Eleuthera about two years earlier.  The time we have spent outside of the US has given us a great appreciation for what God is doing in other parts of the world.  We see great value in our time with believers in other countries and partnering with them for mutual growth and encouragement.

Which led to "the comment."  Sometimes it is the smallest things (the whisper)...that God uses to shift our direction to where He wants us.  I had a long meeting with one of our pastors and I was bouncing ideas off of him when the topic (ever so briefly) turned to college students.  He commented "If you want to do that, you need to go talk to ____" (and he named a large campus ministry).  Then the topic changed and we considered several other things.

Well, a couple of months passed and that comment popped back in my head.  I did not even know who ran that ministry at Clemson...and it was a complete long shot, but I figured I would see if I could buy him breakfast and run some thoughts by him.  At breakfast, I walked him through each option in detail.  I then said "now that I talked way too much, but I would love to hear your thoughts and I am going to eat my biscuit" (which was cold by then).

He simply sat back in his chair and said "You realize we do all of that..."  I think I gave him a puzzled look.  He continued, "Everything you like about each of those options is present in campus ministry."

1) Taking the complicated and making it simple, applicable, and helping people with their problems...that's life-on-life discipleship.  2) We have a program that uses adventure recreation as a shared experience to begin to build relationships.  We would love for you to take students rock climbing, kayaking, etc. 3) You obviously have all the access to college students you want and we could start you out teaching a freshman Bible study in the Fall.  And 4) we will send you anywhere in the world you want to go for two months every summer.

I could barely contain my enthusiasm...and I left that breakfast secretly hoping the ACA would sink my company and make the decision really easy.

So Steph and I started to take small steps and pray through what The Lord would have for us, each step was confirmed...and often in a way that was really encouraging.

While I am slow to use the word "calling" and put a "God stamp" on something...this feels more like calling than anything we have experienced before.

Small steps...

It has been almost a 5 year process...

...of feeling God pulling us in a direction, then we would take a small step (sometimes quickly and sometime not so quickly), then He would show us our need for Him (and our lack of trust), followed by a deeper understanding of His faithfulness, and amazement at His provision.  Sometimes our perception of an opportunity was overly romantic.   Sometimes it was not as good a fit as we originally thought.  However taking the step often brought new perspective or led to a different opportunity that we had not considered.  Matt speaks to it really well at 19:20 here...

All the while The Lord continued (and continues) to refine us and clarify direction.

As I look back at where small steps have led in the last 5 years, I am still getting my arms around it.

• I left a great paying job and started a small business with the goal of having more time for volunteering and ministry (which was really scary but really incredible).  
• Steph and I both worked on a church staff for awhile.  
• We even looked seriously at being missionaries in Eleuthera and flew the whole family down to "try it on".

There were seasons of great blessing, great uncertainty, great joy, and great pain...all of which God in His sovereignty used/is using for His glory.  For example, I can give three or four tangible examples of God's financial provision at exactly the right moment in the midst of great uncertainty.

So here's the conclusion...after 5 years of starting and stopping...of taking small steps...of being crushed and uplifted, we finally have some real clarity around direction in our next season (which will be in the next post).

But here is a question for you...what small step is God calling you toward?  Is there an area where He is asking you to trust Him and to take that first small step of faithfulness...not knowing where it will lead?

If there is one thing He continues to teach us, it is "I have you!"  "I created this universe...with all of its complexity and diversity and beauty...and I can provide for you."  Luke 12:22-32

Even when we are faithless, he is faithful.

Adventure...

The term "adventure" has a connotations of high-risk and adrenaline.

Climbing mountains, jumping off of tall things, exploring the unknown, running long distances, and the like certainly qualify as adventure...and yes...I do enjoy those recreational activities.  However for our family, "adventure" also has a much more encompassing definition...thus the blog title.

It is funny, when I asked Steph to marry me (on top of a mountain...in the freezing cold...light rain...with about a 20mph wind blowing), I told her "I cannot make you any promises about where we are going to be or what we will be doing...in fact, I have this nagging feeling that one day we will be completely broke.  But I can guarantee one thing...life with me will not be boring."

We were telling that story to some friends recently and she added, "and he has lived up to that promise!"

But it is not because our family hikes big mountains, or jumps out of airplanes (which is still on my list), or some other adrenaline-based adventure.  We have just been taking small steps, learning to die to our own selfish desires (which is an ongoing process), while trying to be faithful with what God is doing in and around us.  I have heard it called a long obedience in the same direction.

So by that definition, we are all called in a general sense to our own "adventures."

It looks a lot more like moving out of our areas of comfort and (generally) toward what we as humanity were created for...as well as (specifically) to be "on mission" with God is doing around us.  This can look different for everyone.  For some it means running a company where employees are respected and excess revenues go toward various ministries.  For others it means seeing their job as a repairman as reflecting God's glory as a Restorer of things that are broken and by being a part of His redemptive work by treating customers exceptionally well and fixing things that are broken (understanding that brokenness is a general effect of The Fall).  For our family it means trying to hold possessions loosely.  It means jobs are an opportunity to help solve problems, lead through chaos, invest in the next generation, and try to create shade for others.  It means relationships are valued. All while we work through what it looks like to be authentic followers of Jesus wherever He has us.

As I write that...it sounds both idealistic and impossible...and it is impossible without God breaking our hearts and showing us where we fail to trust him.  And that challenge...is a great adventure.

And our adventure is entering a new season!  Which we will explain over the next few days...