I must admit from the
start I have been intimidated by the prospect of writing this first entry. Knowing that I must start somewhere, and that
my entry isn’t likely to inspire anyone to any act of greatness, or tilt the
balance of any blogospheres in any way – I will begin.
I am Jeremiah. Need
you know more? If so, I guess I can
elaborate a bit. I was born in Chattanooga,
Tennessee and currently live in Chattanooga. Sounds like a pretty simple and dull life,
but only by the long way around did I end back up in Chattanooga
a few years ago. My family has moved
about every 5 years almost down to the month since I was two. My parents were first home missionaries in Indiana
doing church planting, and from there we made a slow but steady march south
through Kentucky and then Georgia
back to their home town of Chattanooga.
After high school I went to Berry
College in Rome,
GA where I spent four magnificent years
with some wonderful people in one of the most beautiful settings on Earth. Unfortunately four years later in 2006 they
told me I had finished my degree and had to leave. I migrated back to Chattanooga,
found a job, a house, and all the lovely things that go along with the easy
life. From all appearances I was set
up. Things were going well and I was set
to sit back, enjoy the easy life and start collecting the luxuries of
life. There was only one problem – this
was all completely the opposite direction of all the desires of my heart!
Since I could ever remember I have thrived on exploring the
world around me. Whether it be the woods
behind my house, a giant cornfield, an eccentric capital city on a Pacific
Island, or the mysterious winding streets of the city of my birth; I have
always been curious and now growing increasingly restless. Since at least 2005 (probably earlier) I have
had a massive desire to go and expand the boundaries of my exploring. No matter how hard I attempted to quash or
satisfy this desire with short term jaunts around the world I knew there was
something greater I was missing. Although
I didn’t know why this desire was in me, or how it could actually be realized,
I did know it was very real and I could no longer ignore it.
In October a friend and I took a week to undertake cycling
the Blue Ridge Parkway. Despite the excitement and beauty of this
epic adventure I was quite distraught about the aching desire to go, but having
no direction on how. One night in my
tent I was journaling and praying and I admitted there that I had no idea why,
how or when this desire would be fulfilled, but I wanted it and I asked God to
take over and show me the way. Less than
two weeks later (through what I thought at the time was pure chance) I was
having lunch with a guy who was telling me about his experience with a program
called the World Race. To make a VERY
long and intricate story short, about a month later God confirmed and
substantiated for me, in only the way He can that this was no accident, but Him
providing and showing me the fulfillment of my desires. However He wasn’t giving me what I asked for,
it was instead the realization of my desires used for something far greater and
exceedingly more significant that what I asked.
I am more and more amazed by this goodness everyday!
So here I find myself, writing a blog, feeling ecstatic in
knowing I have been led down this wild but amazing path, astounded at the epic
adventure lying before me, but also apprehensive about the giants that stand in
the way. However, I know that I am
light-years ahead of where I stood just a year ago.
In fact my entire outlook and life has changed in just a four month
period. Given this I find it comforting
that I can keep moving, living solely on faith that God has led me and changed
me in amazing ways in just four months, and He can do the same all over again
in the coming four months. This time
however I have a much greater advantage – I actually believe whole heartedly
that it can be done and I am excited about the journey in itself. I like to think this is just a prerequisite
course to the kind of faith required to survive and then thrive in the
following 11 months.
To wrap up this rapidly expanding first entry, I want to end
with some of my hopes for the World Race.
Simply put I am praying for growth.
Growth within myself, growth within the group of team members I am
looking forward to meeting and working with, and from that bringing growth and
hope to those people we go to minister to.
My hope is that neither I, nor we, nor the people we encounter will go
back home the same, unchanged and unchallenged to contemplate and share the
things experienced.
Lastly I look forward to meeting all of you soon, and setting
out on this amazing journey! I am
gearing up for an all out adventure to explore some of the lesser treaded
corners of God’s creation and living with and getting to know the people groups
who live unlike what most of us have ever experienced!
Who’s with me? I’m
ready, I’m pumped… Let’s Go!!
