So, I wrote down these final thoughts over the last couple months and I want to share them with and dedicate them to my beloved squad. I will never forget you and the life that we lived together this past year…
What exactly does one say at the end of such a crazy journey? Words alone cannot express how we feel, what we’ve seen, what we’ve learned, and how the Lord has stretched our faith and made us into the men and women that we are today. The moments we’ve shared are priceless and the life-long benefits of this world race are immeasurable. And it hasn’t been easy, but it’s been worth it. Even amid the frustrations, the tears, and the messiness, I can truthfully say that I wouldn’t have traded this past year for anything else in the entire world.
And for better or for worse, these are the people that we have lived with and ministered with for the past year of our lives. God has brought these people along your path for a reason. When you signed up for this squad, unbeknownst to you, God was up to something. He knew this was the very thing and these were the very people that you needed. There’s no doubt in my mind that God assembled this body of believers to carry out His mission and bring glory to His name. I’m sure I speak for most of you when I say that I could not have done this without you. I wouldn’t be the changed man I am today if it wasn’t for the encouragement, kindness, and grace given to me by this squad. I wrote in my journal a few months ago, “I set out to change the world, and I got a great big surprise when the ones I left with, changed me.”
To be completely honest with you, I wasn’t very happy at the beginning of the race. I probably did a good job hiding it, and pretending to be engaged and present. But the truth is, I wasn’t myself. I wasn’t willing to change, and I just plain ole didn’t have a good attitude. And I’ve told this to a few members of my first team and have apologized for it. I noticed a tremendous amount of excitement in so many of you as we kicked this thing off, and I just didn’t have it. So I just want to thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for pouring into me and challenging me to step out of the boat and give my all for the Father. Probably without even realizing it, many of you have been the coach and the mentor that I so desperately needed to help me make the most of this past year.
But now, sadly, our time together has come to a close and each of us will be going different directions now that we are finally home. And while God has different courses for each of us to chart from here on out, there is one thing that should hold true for every single member of B-squad: There’s no going back. After so much truth poured into each of our lives, so much refining, so much freedom in Christ lavished upon us, it would be foolish to go back to life as usual. You have been blessed to be able to be a part of such a unique year, hardly like any year experienced by your friends and family back home. In this short span of time, you’ve gained a perspective you couldn’t have gained any other way.
And now this chapter of your life is complete. Don’t try and go back and re-write previous chapters. Start a new one! Take what’s been poured out upon you and seize the day. There’s a great task before each of us now. We can’t simply just go home and reminisce and thank God for a wonderful year. No, we have a very very big responsibility now. Our job is to take what we’ve seen, what we’ve experienced, and what we’ve learned, and share it with the rest of the world. As we scatter across North America, and hopefully across the nations again in the future, we have to always remember that we have a love and a faith worth sharing. We have a message of hope worth fighting for. May I remind you that what you got out of this past year isn’t just for you. It’s for your neighbors across the street and those around the world that are still crying out for a savior, for a reason to live. I hope you wake up every day and have a fierce desire deep inside you to bring the Kingdom to the darkest corners of the world.
You know, we’ve learned a lot about only listening to truth, and casting off all the lies that the devil throws our way. And we’re going to have to keep doing that for the rest of our lives. As we continue to give more of ourselves for the cause of Christ, the devil is going to want to stop us all the more. So don’t listen to the fears and the lies that will surely come at you from all directions. I love the words of that Casting Crowns’ song that say, “Oh what I would do to have the kind of strength it takes to stand before a giant with just a sling and a stone. Surrounded by the sound of a thousand warriors, shaking in their armor, wishing they’d have had the strength to stand. But the giant’s calling out my name and he laughs at me, reminding me of all the times I’ve tried before and failed. The giant keeps on tellin’ me, time and time again, ‘Boy, you’ll never win, you’ll never win.’ But the Voice of Truth tells me a different story; the voice of truth says do not be afraid. And the Voice of Truth says this is for my glory. So out of all the voices calling out to me, I will choose to listen and believe the Voice of Truth.”
One day at our ministry site in Tanzania I was talking with Thomas about my wildest hopes and dreams for the future. I was listing a whole host of things I wanted to do for my career and for service to the Kingdom. But as I tried to piece them all together in my head, I began to say how unrealistic and far-fetched my desires were. I was giving Thomas a million excuses as to why my goals were impractical and why things just wouldn’t work out. And after I explained all my silly excuses, Thomas said, “Dan, those all sound like fears man.” And in an instance it hit me. Thomas’ honest truth reminded me that I can’t let my past or my small mind limit what I try to do for the Kingdom. I’m often too much of a realist, and I forget that if I would just center all my dreams around the Lord, faithfully seek Him with all my requests, then anything, ANYTHING is possible. So don’t settle for realistic, or safe, or practical goals. Don’t let fear get in the way. Dream big, think big, pray big. Remember that God has promised to give you the desires of your heart. So take it all to Him, and you’ll continue to be surprised by what He does.
As Wade reminded us around that campfire at the beginning of August, when we have a rough day, or week, or even year, and we wonder if our labor is worth it, and we just need some encouragement to motivate us and give us a fresh perspective, let us never forget that we do it all, “So that they may know Jesus.” All the suffering, all the toil, all the time, and all the battles, it’s all worth it if our end goal is to point others to Christ and the awesome God we serve. We can’t be afraid of failure or rejection. In fact, failure should not be what scares us the most in this life; it’s succeeding at things that don’t matter that should scare us the most. We don’t have time on this earth to simply muddle through in the comforts of this temporary home. Life is too short for that. And when you think about it, we don’t really live down here as home do we. This world is a campsite and we’re backpacking through here. And when you go camping you don’t set up a big, comfortable, fancy foundation underneath your little tent do you? No! Because you’re not going to be here for that long.
As John Piper would say, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit must remain “the blazing center” of your life if you are to truly embrace the full life that you were meant to live. If you want to make your life count, if you want to leave a legacy, then be sure to make the Almighty God your alpha and your omega. If you take only one thing away from this past year, let it be that God wants ALL of you. He doesn’t just want a piece of your life. He wants every ounce of who you are. He wants to be everything that you are living for.
There will be a lot of things calling your name now that you are home. So make sure that in every decision you make and every path you take, you make every effort to carry the name of Jesus wherever you go. Remember that where you go isn’t what makes you a missionary; the mission you are on is what makes you a missionary. So whether you end up in Atlanta or Antigua, or Houston or Ho Chi Minh City, God has demanded that you proclaim His Kingdom as best you can, with everything you’ve got. Statistics tell us that we’ve got seventy to eighty years on this earth, so let’s make it count for eternity.
B-squad, you guys are amazing. You are bold, courageous, and Spirit-filled Kingdom builders. Each and every one of you are fearfully and wonderfully made. Don’t let anyone or anything in this world hold you back or stand in your way. Keep pressing on, keep fighting, and keep holding tight to the one who holds it all together. Embrace the future with a spring in your step and a smile on your face. And when you wake up each new morning, always remember that love that you have been graciously and mercifully given by our awesome God. This love, it’s so amazing, it’s so divine. It demands your life, your soul, your all.
Thank you. And may God bless the best squad there ever was – “B” squad!
