In preparing to leave Indiana, many questions have come my way about what comes next, and my least favorite question (so far) has been something along the lines of, “So what exactly is this ministry thing you are doing?” Additionally, it’s, “How is that going to work?” or “Why are you doing this?”... These variations of the “what next” question are my least favorite because they remind me of the many questions I have received throughout my life. The ones aimed at me when I have done something considered counterintuitive or countercultural; when people have a really hard time grasping the what and, more especially, the why. Some examples of these times include when I stopped going to school for engineering to pursue ministry, or when I decided to give my wife (at the time my on-again-off-again girlfriend) another chance, or even moving to Indiana to help build a youth program. Why would I leave my family and friends, the home I’ve made? Why do I want to make less money? Why don’t I just take a minute and pause? Why don’t I do something a little more stable and maybe less stressful? Why? Why?? WHY!!!!!!!
When these “why” questions come up, they bother me because I think the answer is obvious… because it’s what I need to do. As a One on the Enneagram, for me, there is a right way and a wrong way of doing things and the right way is what needs to happen. This can be a struggle, especially because I’ve learned that this is not how everyone thinks. I never make decisions based on money or comfort, because those things don’t make me happy, and so considered “wrong” in the way my thinking works. Connection, motivation, innovation, inspiration – those are the things that really matter to me; they are “right.” And, though I absolutely recognize I am not what “the right” type of person is – there is no such thing, by the way! – these things I find to matter the most are at the core of what I want for Branching Roads. I don’t want to make a ton of money; just enough to let me travel and help youth leaders. I do want to help connect, motivate, innovate, and hopefully inspire one youth leader somewhere in the world to not take the road most traveled, the one where people easily accept you and your actions, your lifestyle, the one where people don’t question you, the one that may just be ‘easier’ because it’s the most well-worn, but to take the branching road to a life perhaps more fulfilling; a life of generous orthodoxy, passionate leading, and joyful living.
Now, although my least favorite questions, that’s for me to process through, and they really are reasonable questions worth asking! But, as for, “What is it?” and “How is it going to work?”… they come with a long answer. Simply, I am not sure. I know I want to connect with progressive youth leaders living out a generous orthodoxy. I want to help them navigate the world that all youth leaders are in. I want to help cultivate and create curricula that facilitate leadership from a place of passion and use leaders’ giftings to connect scripture and faith with the lives the youth are living. I also want to help make some of the stuff that biblical scholars, historians, and other professionals are finding more accessible to youth. I want to create and provide a hub of support and resources available for free, for the small and medium churches that can barely get by. They deserve curriculum and training, too. I hope that, through crowdfunding, I can make Branching Roads my primary focus. That may be several more years away, or it may never happen, but I know it’s what I need to do.
So, I’ve talked about the how, the what, and the why. Now, I want to invite you to be a part of the who, the when, and the where. As we plan to leave Indiana in the late Summer to hit the wide open road, please message me, leave a comment with questions, or share anything of value from my posting with a friend, coworker, or your goofy Aunt Lisa. As we travel the country, I would love to make time to come and connect in person, to see where the greatest needs are and what amazing work is being done.
Comments