a few days ago, our nation was obsessed with one thing…
the oscars. 

i’m pretty sure my facebook newsfeed accurately reflects what’s *hip and *happening in society…
at least, i hope so.

i don’t know about the rest of you, but i certainly logged onto facebook november 7th, 2012 to find out which wonderful person would hold the wonderful office of white house president.
yup. i found out who would be runnin’ this nation as president for the next four years thru facebook.
isn’t that sad? doesn’t that say a lot about me?
it saaaaays – i have no patience to stay awake watching the polls and drama of the newscasters – instead i will just ‘find out on facebook tomorrow’.

instead of the oscars on sunday night, or downton abbey [tho we are big fans of pbs, we’ve never seen this show] we rejected the notion of ‘fitting in’ and opted to watch an obsession of our own ~ the amazing race.

while many people dream of walking on the red carpet, dressed in fine gowns and sharp tuxedos, linked arm and arm with {who society deems as} ‘beautiful people’, we dream of running all over the world in a race for 1 million dollars. or rather, 1 million lives. sure. we would love to win a million dollars, but even more we would love to run around the world {Matthew 28:18-20} impacting millions of lives for one purpose. Love.

a love that changes people. a selfless love which is patient, kind, always protects, trusts, hopes and perseveres, a love which does not boast, endures all things and never fails. a love likened to a consuming fire which can not be quenched.
and this love is unlike any other love, this love is a person. His name is Jesus.

like the amazing race ~ our life in the ministry is an adventure ~ based around people we love and serve in our church and community. people in relationship who experience both struggles and joy. people who face challenges, detours and roadblocks. there are pit stops and twelve hour rest periods along the way… but this journey never ends. rather than winning a million dollars, there is an eternal focus ~ eyes fixed on knowing and following hard after Jesus. a desire to see His Kingdom come. His will be done. throughout the nations.  one day, all the nations will bow before Him… until then, it is all about pursuing Jesus… and along the journey some will choose to take a step back, or even walk away.

although we would love to one day go on the amazing race, we already live an adventure in ministry that is incomparable. we serve the King of Kings, the most glorious royalty, the most famous man ever known. Jesus. 
He never walked the red carpet… instead He rode on an ass over broken branches and worn out clothes down a dusty road.
He never slipped on a tuxedo or donned shoes that cost more than my house… instead He wore a simple tunic and walked this earth in worn out sandals.
He never had a team of stylists and fashion assistants… instead He humbly served and washed His disciples feet.
He was never accepted by mainstream society… instead He was rejected, betrayed and denied.
He never gave an acceptance speech for winning ‘best actor’… instead He taught in parables about the coming Kingdom and spoke the Truth in love.
He never received any academy awards… instead He received a scarlet robe, a twisted crown of thorns, and a severe beating from a mocking mob.
He was never quoted in the newspapers in defense of what ‘should have been’ or what ‘he should have won’… instead He loved His enemies and accepted His call unto death on a cross.

so, i really don’t give a shit who won which oscar. 
we may not ever have the chance to go on the amazing race and win a million dollars… what we do have is the amazing ‘life in ministry’ adventure God has called us to. the awesome journey we walk, run and sometimes fall on. we have served in churches across the united states. we have served in missions across the nations. we have humbly been a part of many lives and a part of making disciples for His glory. for over eight years our adventure has continued in central ohio… and what an amazing race it has been. we are so grateful! we hope you will follow this blog and join us for all our future ministry adventures. to be continued…

after all, the record is only half written… In Him, Leslie