This week’s shoutout goes to my old college friends, Kirby and Len Holland, and Jake and Annie Miller. So sorry I couldn’t make it to your weddings, but I wish you all the best of luck and pray that God will use your marriages for the greatest of things in His kingdom.
So at this point in the Race, some of us are having a hard time coming up with new topics to blog about. So this one is a bit less original, but I want to give some tips to anyone out there who might be thinking about doing the World Race. These are just a few, so if you are really thinking about it and want some more information, message me on Facebook or contact me personally and I can give you a more in-depth briefing. These are but a few that come to mind as I hasten to finish this post.
1. You must have a flannel. If you don’t have a flannel, don’t even bother to apply. It is absolutely crucial that you have a flannel to keep warm in the chilly mornings on travel days. Regular sweaters, coats and pull-overs are completely unacceptable.
2. You must carry a journal, and write in it religiously. The Holy Spirit will never move in your life if you are unwilling to write it down for all the world to read one day.
3. You must know every Hillsong United Song. If you don’t know every verse to “So Will I” by Hillsong United, the World Race simply isn’t for you.
4. You must have a working knowledge of soccer, or futbol, as it is called in every country but the United States. If you don’t know the difference between a keeper and a goalie, or who Michael Jordan is, then find something else to do for 11 months.
5. You must own at least one pair of Chacos, Birkenstocks, Tevas, or flip-flops. If your feet chafe simply at the thought of not wearing close-toed shoes, then there’s really no point in fantasizing about something so open-toed as The World Race.
6. If you worship with your hands in your pockets, stop filling out that application right now. Just stop. You must throw up your arms in reckless abandonment or risk being labeled a sinner.
7. If you are unwilling to grow out your hair to a ridiculous length, or get a tattoo for what boils down to no reason at all, you will not fit in. You can’t win hearts to Jesus if you look presentable.
8. Never picked up a Francis Chan book? Leave now, and you shall not be judged unworthy.
9. If you think the lyrics are actually “Heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss,” you will never make any friends on the World Race.
10. Never purchased an ENO hammock or a Nalgene Water bottle? Oh boy what a time waster you are.
11. Don’t like hugs? Forget about it.
12. Wish that people would refer to you by your preferred name or nickname? What a weenie.
13. Can’t recite at least a dozen bible verses from memory? Who are you trying to kid, pal? Obviously you’ve never even read the Bible.
14. Find it difficult to have the same conversations with the same people over and over and over and over and over again? You need to rethink your stance on community and missions.
Now I know what you are all thinking: “Hey Matt, didn’t your last two blogs both contain lists, each with a number of entries that was some multiple of seven?” Why yes! Yes they did! That was an astute observation you made.
Now obviously this list is not concrete. Some of you may have noticed that even I do not possess all of the aforementioned qualities. You may wonder why that is. BECAUSE I AM MATT TURNER, AND I AM AWESOME.
Hope you got a good grin out of this. Prayers for my team next month in Uganda.
Peace and Love Everybody,
-Matt
