The Movie Guy

...and like many times before, we all waited anxiously around the carousel for our bags to drop, but this time it was different... This time something was different... There was something in the faces...

Pushing through the crowd, we clutched our bags and look to the exit....

Some go right to make their connecting flights while the rest of us go to the left into the lobby and for the next thirty minutes, through all the tears, laughs and hugs, we say goodbye...

I watched as, one by one, my year long companions disappear into the sea of strangers crowding around us. Our numbers dwindled and the two left with me became one, and after the next flight, I'm alone...

AirTran flight to Pittsburgh... I take one step onto the plane and am overwhelmed with the quickly approaching reality....

I'm going home...

One Year Later...

As I sit here in Louisville, Kentucky thinking back to it, I find it hard to believe that it’s already been a year since we all parted that night in LA. So much has happened, not just in my life but in everyone’s. Marriages. New jobs. New homes. New babies (Scott & Linnea, not us. Sorry Jimmy.) Life has been moving so quickly and today we reach the one year mark of being back...

For a while I thought about how to respond to the massive email that went around to everyone giving the latest updates on everyone’s life. It was hard for me to put something down on paper because there was so much going on at the time with getting married and moving to Kentucky and find a job and school and all that fun stuff. Now that things have kind of settled down, I’m able to look back, a year later and finally put something down, and I’ve come to the point where I can boldly say, it’s time to be moving on…

Moving On:

I first want to clarify, moving on does not mean forgetting. There’s probably a good chance, as there is with just about everything I write, for people to take this the wrong way. I am, in no way, trying to address anyone in particular, or have any hidden agenda in posting this. I actually wrote a lot of this down a few months ago for myself. In talking with a lot of different people, I just thought I would share some of the stuff that was on my mind. That being said…

I know last year was a mixed bag for so many of us. There were those who absolutely loved and then there were those who had a rough time and wanted to get as far away from it as soon as they hit American soil. Both had valid reasons for feeling the way they did. I fell into the category in the middle. There were so many things about last year that I loved and I hold onto those memories and think about them often (not to mention I got a wife out of it all). At the same time, there were a lot of things that I had a hard time with and I came away with hard feelings towards people and ideas that left me feeling bitter for many months to follow….

Moving on from the bad…

I’ll be honest, it took me a long time to move on from the bad… and what it ultimately came down to was realizing the simple fact that regardless of what happened, God is God, and He is sovereign over His creation just as much today as He always has been, and always will be. I didn’t agree with a lot of what was said but I can’t let those bad experiences define God for me or shape my view of who He is. I know there are others who had the same thing and as a result have had difficulty returning to ministry or getting plugged into a church or even continuing a personal walk with the Lord. If there are any of you that still struggle as result of things that happened last year, I strongly encourage you to let go and move on… Don’t allow the experiences of last year to be continually twisted and poked by the enemy, bringing you to the point of wanting to turn away from God or giving you a false picture of who He really is and what He wants for your life.

Moving on from the good…

Just as the disciples did when they were on the mountain with Jesus, everybody wants to stay where it’s comfortable, refreshing and exciting. For the other portion of us last year was a mountain top experience, and rightfully so. To travel the world and see the Lord move in so many different places and in so many different lives is something that not many people ever get to experiences as we did. We made so many strong friendships with amazing people and did so many exciting things. It’s very easy to say, “This is it. This is the top of the mountain.” But what did Jesus do when the disciples wanted to stay? He said they couldn’t stay and that they had to go back down. That’s tough and I think what a lot of people have been struggling with. We think, “How can it get any better than this?” and we came home feeling discouraged because we didn’t think anything could top this trip. I’m here to tell you that I believe that is a lie.

I think this is the key point that I had in mind when writing this and so I’ll say it here and reference it again later: Don’t let the World Race be the best thing to happen in your life. Yes, it was an awesome experience and we’ll all have memories that will last for a life time, but I believe the Lord has better and greater things for all of us. If we stay on the mountain, and continually live in the past, we’ll end up like Uncle Ricco on Napolean Dynamite watching old video tapes of the glory days wishing we could go back and live it all over again.

I think it’s another way that the enemy is able to suppress us and keep us from moving onto other things. We just need to overcome the fear of moving on…

Moving on from fear…

Accept the challenges in front of us now. One of the things that was stressed last year was not getting comfortable in life. Usually it was in regards to falling into the “American” culture and the pattern one can easily fall into while being in this country. However, I think it was just as easy for people to become “comfortable” on the race. Being around friends all the time, living in a tight Christian community and having that support all the time can become the same thing.

When we left the race, a lot of us left all of that behind and we felt “alone.” It was hard and challenging to go back out on our own. We don’t have the support of people always building us up or knowing that we don’t have to go out and witness to people by ourselves or have other people plan out our ministry for us. I like to look at this challenge as just a continuation of what the Race challenged us to do, and ultimately what the Christian walk pushes us to do and that’s to lean on Christ to help us through every trail we face.

I think maybe I got my point across... I had originally thought I would write something in between every picture to make the blog seem cool and flow well, but now as I see it all, there's no way I can fill all the spaces... I just picked out a bunch of the pictures that I didn't really see make it online yet so I'll just leave the rest on there....

I hope this came across the right way and hasn't conveyed any message that isn't really there. I just want you all to know that I do think about you guys a lot and I pray for all of you often. I've heard people struggling at times and I want you to know that you're not alone in your struggles and there are people praying for you. And I hear people rejoicing and I want you to know that we rejoice along with you.

All in all, I can look back at last year with fondness and I look forward to hearing of future events in the lives of you World Racers and hear the great things the Lord is doing.

I'll hit the point one more time, just because I said I would. Please, my friends, don't let the World Race be the best thing that happens in your life.