SAJIYH - Gospel What?

SAJIYH Part 2 - Gospel What?

Welcome to part two of the ‘Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart’ series. This post is intended to give a quick overview of the gospel before diving in deeper to the various components in later posts. 

The Need for a Two-Minute Gospel

I think it is important for believers to know the Gospel so well they can explain it in about 2 minutes. Because of busy schedules and short attention spans, you may only have a few minutes to share with someone. You also don’t want to have a one-sided monologue with a person where you talk forever while they inwardly wish you would just leave. I think it is important for the version you share to be one that stirs your affections for Jesus. If you share the Gospel but don’t get excited and feel like worshiping Jesus then it’s not good news to you and probably won’t be to your hearers either. I would also recommend not using formulas. No one wants to fall in surrender to the greatest truth of the world if it is presented in a pre-marketed way like a sketchy car salesman. People want authenticity. Share from how Jesus looks beautiful to you.  

My Two-Minute Version (An example)

God created the world and all things were only whole and good. Quickly into the story of humanity, Adam and Eve chose to believe the serpent rather than God and disobeyed their loving Creator. The result from their rebellion was that sin entered. The rest of the Old Testament shows humanity trying and failing to overcome their rebellion and find that place of wholeness again. God continued to love his creation in spite of their rebellion. Woven throughout the failings of the Old Testament was the hope of a Savior who would be able to rescue and redeem the broken humanity out of their rebellion. God loved you and I so much and wanted us to be a part of his family that he was willing to send the Savior, His Son Jesus, into enemy territory where we were kicking and screaming and fighting against Him to rescue us from that mess. The New Testament begins with the coming of Jesus. It explains how He lived the perfect life that humans had been unable to live since Genesis 3, making Him a valid rescuer for us after His death and resurrection. For those who choose to abandon all to follow Him and find forgiveness, he begins the slow process of restoring us back to our pre-Fall whole selves. Those who follow Him must count the cost of possibly abandoning all for Him. He may demand we give our lives, freedom, comfort, health, jobs, etc. This process of restoration will be finally finished when we either die or Jesus returns. At that point, we will be made completely perfect, sin will again be absent and we live in a place of only increasing joy worshiping God as He rightly deserves.    

(My two minute version is partially based on this video. My heart was so captured by the truths that as I tell this version over and over, I am humbled and in awe of our great God.) 

Another way to easily share the gospel is through story. I recently listened to a sermon about the prodigal son and thought how it drips with the gospel. Perhaps you could use the woman caught in adultery or the woman at the well. Many great books and movies, both classical and a few contemporary, have the themes of the gospel woven into them. Use them as a springboard to explain how these great stories echo a greater story. I highly recommend the book 'Epic' by John Eldredge to begin to see the gospel in movies and literature.

Here is an even simpler outline to keep in mind:

God is majestic, and you have sinned, but in Christ you can be reconciled to him.* 

In my next post, I will begin to go more in depth for each aspect of the gospel. While it is important to know a condensed version, it’s also important to know the foundations as well. Among these include how the gospel is for individuals and God wishes to save many people. Another foundation consists of the greater story of salvation history stretching from the creation in Genesis to the new creation in Revelations and how that story also fits within the gospel to all nations. I will use the following bullet points as a guide that touch on individual salvation as well as the greater story:

Creation/God

Fall/Man

Reconciliation/Christ

Response

Consummation/New Creation.**

Today's song is the mashup video mentioned above. The song is called 'How He Loves.'

As usual, if at any point in the series you have questions or comments you can either comment below or email me at lookingforgreenergrasses@gmail.com  Please correspond with me also if you have gospel related topics you would like me to address.

Table of Contents for Series
Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart

Gospel What?
In the Beginning God
All Hell Broke Loose
Beautiful Scandalous Love
So You Think You're a Christian
And They Loved Happily Ever After
How Can I Be Sure?
I Stopped Asking Jesus Into My Heart
Tips & Resources

Sources:

1. Matt Chandler, The Explicit Gospel, 81.

2. I got these categories from two main sources. The first is 'The Explicit Gospel' by Matt Chandler. The second came from Jeff Vanderstelt's 'Gospel Fluency -Part 4' talk.  

Birthday Series - Happy Birthday Chris!

Continuing in my birthday series, my next post is in honor of my brother. 

When We First Met

Chris and I met when I was born. I don’t remember it for obvious reasons. He was almost 3 at the time.  

My Earliest Memories

My earliest memories mostly involve going to his school parties.    

Later Memories

I remember playing with my brother. He was my first friend. We played Cowboys & Indians, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Power Rangers, House, Smash Car Derby, Nintendo, and many other things. I remember the time we were playing basketball in our play room and he decided to slam dunk the ball. He smashed into the wall and crashed through the sheetrock making a rather large hole. Being the good little children we were, we scooted the toy box in front of the hole. Several years later when we converted the play room into his bedroom, my dad moved the toy box and found our hidden secret. He wasn’t too mad. I also remember all the times I tried to get him in trouble like when I wrote his name on the stairs thinking my parents would think he had done it. I remember him teaching me many things like the state capitals, spanish words, how to play basketball, baseball, tennis, and many other great things.

My Favorite Memories

I remember one time mentioning to my brother in passing that I would really like a Smash Mouth cd. He bought me one for Christmas and surprised me with it. Another memory was from a family trip to the Smokies. He and I decided to go out while my parents and sister winded down for bed. We went to Krispy Kreme to get donuts but decided to make it a covert operation and not tell the rest of the family. It was a neat brother bonding time. I also remember spending a lot of time with him during college. He and I played a lot of tennis together. I would also go to his house to have an actual meal as opposed to dorm or cafeteria food. I actually lived with him for 2 Christmas breaks. I also remember the night we sat at Steak-n-Shake and he told me he met the girl he was going to marry. I told him he was crazy but he married her and has been married over ten years now. It turns out he wasn't that crazy after all.  

Nicknames

Boss. (My granpa’s nickname for him.)

Chris Top Her. (My nickname for based on his full name Christopher.)  

Facts About Him

-He loves sports, watching and playing.

-While growing up, people thought we were twins. In fact in college, I had several strangers see me in public and start conversations with me about my brother because we looked so much alike.

-He’s really smart but many don’t know it because he doesn’t really apply himself. He’d rather do the bare minimum to get by. 

-In order to motivate him, my parents told him they would buy him a car if he graduated in the top ten from high school. He surprised us all (including himself I think) and graduated in the number 10 spot. 

-His first job was a bag boy for a local grocery store.

-He now works for the city mapping all of the utility lines.

-He surprised us with an artistic talent in making cornhole boards.

-He is a risk taker and impulsive. (Opposite of me!)

Characteristics I Love About Him

-He is competitive. It makes it fun to play games with him and try to best him.

-He works to provide for and spend time with his family.

-He took care of me while I was in college.

-He’s not afraid to try DIY projects.

-He’s still a big kid.

-It is rare for me to see him sad or depressed. He’s usually smiling and happy and ready to have a fun time.

-He smiles more than anyone I know. I describe him often that “his lips are smacking his ears.”

Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart

Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart (SAJIYH for short)

Several months ago I read the book ‘Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart’ by J.D. Greear.  Between reading it and various other conversations I have been having with friends lately I have realized there are problems within the American Christian culture. I am discovering that few people are familiar enough with the gospel to explain it with words. Because of this, few people ever share those truths with the outside world. Rather they adopt the mantra, “Preach the gospel, use words when necessary.” Few are captured by the gospel and bear little fruit of it in their life. 

The gospel, by nature, demands more than a half-hearted response and little or no change in one’s life. Jesus calls people to lay their lives down in total surrender not just to follow Him when convenient. Jesus calls His followers to make disciples of all nations. This involves sharing the Good News with others near and far. 

Because our culture lacks fluency in the gospel, there are ‘Christians’ who are constantly condemned and trying to earn God’s favor. There are others who have been fed a watered down version of the Gospel and thus are Christian in name only. Still there are others who have been captured by the gospel, preach it regularly to themselves and others, and are laying their lives down for Jesus in light of this beautiful Good News.

I have recognized for years that evangelism is not an area I am gifted in but a while back I was challenged in such a way to be motivated to actively work on this weakness.  I have interviewed others to find how they share since it’s not my forte. In my conversations with others, 90% of my friends seem to tell me they rarely share the gospel with words. They serve and love and practice compassion but rarely share the full gospel. Even fewer have invested time with a friend and seen that person eventually follow Christ. If I’m not doing it and 90% of my Christian friends are not doing it, then how are people coming to Christ? Are we really banking on our friends, family, and neighbors finding their way to a church to hear about hope for this life and the next or to miraculously just get it one day? Also are only 10% of the people hard wired to share the gospel? Could there be a fundamental problem with our Christian culture where we believe evangelism is optional?

Because of these things, I want to do a series of blog posts on the gospel called ‘Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart’ or ‘SAJIYH’ for short. Perhaps this series will help others begin to branch out and speak the gospel with words. Perhaps it will be a good resource for people who want to share the gospel but are unsure where to start or how to speak it well. Perhaps this whole series is merely for my own benefit to wrestle around with the gospel truths until they find deep roots in my own soul and naturally begin to bear fruit in conversations. If nothing else, this will be a great resource for myself to look back at and remind myself of these beautiful truths.

Next will be a post called ‘SAJIYH - Gospel What?’ It will contain an intro to the elements of the gospel as well as other condensed forms. 

After that I will begin to go a little deeper with each element of the gospel. Those posts will respectively be called:

In the Beginning God

All Hell Broke Loose

Beautiful Scandalous Love

So You Think You're a Christian

And They Lived Happily Ever After

Following those posts, I will do a post called ‘How Can I Be Sure?’ discussing if assurance of salvation is attainable.

I will end the series with two posts covering my experiences and giving some resources.  Those posts will respectively be called, ‘I Stopped Asking Jesus Into My Heart’ and 'Tips & Resources.'

I want to end each post with a gospel-centered song representing the post's content. Today's song, 'Hallelujah! What a Savior,' is a great one covering all aspects of the gospel. Enjoy.

If at any point in the series you have questions or comments you can either comment below or email me at lookingforgreenergrasses@gmail.com  Please correspond with me also if you have gospel related topics you would like me to address.

Click here for the next post in this series or see Table of Contents below.

Table of Contents for Series

Stop Asking Jesus Into Your Heart 

Gospel What?

In the Beginning God

All Hell Broke Loose
Beautiful Scandalous Love

So You Think You’re a Christian

And They Lived Happily Ever After 

How Can I Be Sure? 

I Stopped Asking Jesus Into My Heart 
Tips & Resources

Single and Loving It

Dear Single Friend,

I know the single life can be rough. I know those days of loneliness and feeling like you have been forgotten. All too familiar are the whispered lies that declare that something is wrong with you. I know the inner murmurs that say you’re too ugly or tall or awkward or fat or skinny or shy or loud. I know how weddings and baby showers can be bittersweet. Sweet, because you want to rejoice with friends and bitter because you long to be a spouse and a parent and these events highlight your lack. I am knowledgeable about the well-meaning folks who say these empty words to you, “You’re next” or “When are you going to settle down?” or “How is your love life?” or “Have you tried online dating?“ or “If you just reach a point of contentment, then he’ll come along.” I likewise am familiar with the sorrow that marriage series at church can bring. I know that this, like weddings, is an easy way to highlight your loneliness and lack making you want to hibernate for 6 weeks.

I know those terrible days of lifting heavy furniture or dealing with mice or trying to figure out a tool and just wishing there was a man to handle it for you. I know the times when it would be nice to bounce ideas off of someone vested in your future about major decisions. I know there are days you just need a hug and to know someone is thinking of you and for you. I know the heartache that comes with months and years without someone interested in you or asking you out on a date and that inner voice that keeps track like a ticking time bomb. I also know the unpleasantness when a man twice your age tries to hit on you and you can’t flash a ring at him to quickly stop his advances. I also know the feeling of finally finding someone that you could actually see yourself with and watch painfully as he chooses someone else. 

I know the pain of losing a close friend to a husband and the grief of a friendship forever changed. To be sure, you remain friends but even the healthiest relationships still change. No more slumber parties with your friend, she doesn’t want to be away from him. And then kids enter the picture and conversations revolve around the kids. Somehow, the kids think that you are actually their friend and not their parent’s friend which means your best friend is now a 3 year old. Okay, so that part is actually quite sweet and cute.  

I still remember those bleakest days of crawling into the darkest and most remote place I could find (usually my closet) and weeping out all my grief and frustration of my prison of singleness cause a prison is what it felt like. I remember reading 1 Corinthians 7 and thinking Paul was out of his mind when he said that it is better to never marry. Obviously he had never spent time in my weeping closet. My goodness, the six months before I turned 30 were the worst. I spent more time in my closet than ever before. There was something about that number that made me feel like my time was running out.

And then I woke up one day. I snapped out of my weep fest and as the chains of despair fell, I walked out of my prison of singleness. I will never forget that perfect evening of licking ice cream cones and hearing my married friends discuss their frustrated lives. On the heels of this conversation were my 3 other married friends telling me they envied my life of singleness. Someone was envious of MY LIFE, the SINGLE life? 

That did it for me. The light bulb moment could not have been brighter to lead me out of my self-imposed prison. I began to think of all the blessings I have as a single that married people don’t have nor will ever have again. I realized that yes, singleness has many struggles but marriage has a whole new level of struggles. Yes, it has blessings that are different than the ones we singles have but it has different struggles as well. I think there is this predominant thought (mostly pushed by idyllic romantic movies) that once a person gets married, life is bliss and the struggle goes away. We think that if we can just be married we will be complete. As Matt Chandler frequently says, men and women make crummy gods. If we’re seeking from a spouse to fill the places only God can fill, we place on them an unrealistic expectation and unbearable weight. Not only that, unfortunately we live in a fallen world and as such, we will never have a life of only bliss in this world. We struggle. We wrestle. Life is HARD. If you get married, you are marrying a sinner. You are a sinner and you’re marrying a sinner and you’re going to have sinning children and yet you think that life will be bliss? 

Marriage and singleness are BOTH gifts. They’re just different. Different, but good and hard. Different like sunshine and rain. Different like walking and riding a bike. Different like being a doctor or a school teacher. Different like Godiva or Lindt chocolates. All of these things have their own blessings and struggles. The more I search out the gifts of singleness, the more I agree with Paul that singleness is really the better gift. 

I recently had a young married friend ask me how I had grown in sanctification and maturity since I didn’t have a husband to help sanctify me. I responded that first off I am a decade older than her so I have had more time to be sanctified by the Holy Spirit and allow Him to work on areas. The second reason I told her was that in that decade, I have had limited distractions. I haven’t had a husband who needed my time. I haven’t had to double up on my cooking and laundry. Without a husband, I haven’t had children either which triples or quadruples the amount of time I would spend doing simple survival things like cooking and cleaning. I don't have all these tiny people vying for my attention. With this extra time, I have been able to spend excess time with the Lord and in His Word. I have had time to read widely and listen to many sermons deeply. I have time to sit and ponder the words I read and hear and let them take root in my life. I have ample quiet in my home to allow me to think deeply and clearly. From conversations with my married friends with kids, time in the Word is sparse and sporadic. Many wives end up depending on their husbands for spiritual nourishment rather than taking the time to feed themselves truth. This excess time to know God is indeed a grand gift of singleness.

Another beautiful gift of singleness is that as singles, we have the opportunity to tangibly know the truth that only Jesus can fill us. As a single, it is easier to recognize this truth than for our married counterparts. We don’t have a spouse on whom we can mistakenly place all of our hope and satisfaction. We are complete regardless of marital status and we have the opportunity to display this to the world.* And we get to figure this truth out on this side of marriage rather than learning it through many frustrations with our mate, or in their death or departure 5 years, 25 years, or 50 years into a marriage. 

In my decade of pondering, I have thought about why sex is such a big deal in our culture. I have discovered that it is the closest that two human beings can know and be known. It is a beautiful mystery and yet it is still lacking. There are still thoughts and feelings that are unknown to the couple. And yet we long deeply to know and be known. This union is an earthly shadow of a more mysteriously beautiful eternal union with God. In our death, we will finally be united to our Maker and we will know Him fully. There will be no more lack. So all of our longing is ultimately to be united to Him fully and completely. Death is thus a beautiful fulfillment of all our gropings on this earth. I wear a silver wedding band on my right index finger to remind myself that only God can fully and finally fulfill me. And Jesus is the husband that no man on this earth can ever be. No man can be the perfect Groom that He is, nor can a man say the vows He has already said. 

Here are some other gifts I have found:

-In marriage, major life decisions must be agreed on by two hearts. In singleness, I only have to argue with myself. In order to follow God’s agenda, I only have to get my heart on board not my husband’s as well.

-I get to be a fun aunt to my niecphews. I don’t have kids of my own so it makes me want to lavish ALL my love on those cute little kids that belong to my brother.

-Because I don’t have a husband or children nor family living in my city, I have the neat opportunity to have surrogate families and be a surrogate aunt to their kids. Because I don’t have a husband and children to distract me, I get to spend time with my adopted families and learn from them and be loved by them. I also get to be adored by their children. I also often get free home cooked meals out of the deal.

-I have the privilege of having deep and treasured friendships with some awesome single ladies. Female friendships allow me to be fully myself with little concern about my appearance or my personality or trying to control the fiber-induced gaseous explosions that may or may not happen frequently.

-I’m not married to a jerk. I’m not stuck in an unhappy marriage. I’m not overwhelmed by the busyness of having a family. I’m not living with regrets about poor marriage decisions.

-Even though I haven’t dated in so many years that I have lost count, I’m also not heaving through all kinds of emotional baggage from relationships. 

-I can create special times to have dates with God. I have done this in the past by having candlelit dinners and emotive music, having picnics in the park, etc.

-As Rhena Taylor says, ”Being single has meant that I am free to take risks that I might not take were I a mother of a family dependent on me. Being single has given me freedom to move around the world without having to pack up a household first. And this freedom has brought to me moments that I would not trade for anything else this side of eternity.” I can take risks.* When I lost my job last year, I didn’t freak. Ok, so I did have a little freak out moment but then I realized, I just have to take care of me and I am low maintenance. Had I been working to support my family, the job loss would have been much more stressful. Additionally, I can move to the other side of the world if I choose. I can move to a somewhat dangerous place if God should lead. I don’t have a family that depends on me to feed and mother them. 

-Additionally, I don’t have to fit ministry around a family schedule* or feel guilty about spending more time in ministry than I do with my own spouse and children. 

-Perhaps I am single for a reason. Perhaps my greatest impact will come not in spite of singleness but because of it.*

So, single friend, I leave you with some admonitions. Take daily advantage of the times you’re in. Don’t squander your singleness. Maximize your daily opportunities to travel, to give most of your income to the poor, to take risks, to read widely and be sanctified deeply, to know to your core that Jesus is enough. Guard against competing affections and a tendency to use this season for selfishness but rather use this season to make God look glorious. Guard against future relationship fantasies and unholy sexual desires whereby you exchange the glory of God for fake imitations.* Dig your heels deeply into the gift of today letting God fill you like none other. Tomorrow has enough troubles of it’s own.

*This information was taken from a snippet of this talk.

Stomp on the Snake

Sometimes you just have to stomp on the head of the serpent*, at least I have had to a couple times over the last two weeks. Sometimes that old mean devil gets in my head and he whispers so loud and constant that his words take root and begin to poison me. 

Last week he kept whispering that I needed to have a backup plan for finances in case God didn’t provide for me. And I believed him. I bought groceries and it made things get a little tight. I ran with his words and started trying to come up with quick fixes of what I would do in the event I got in a bind. After each swipe of my card, I tried to find a secondary way. My blood pressure would rise a bit and my heart rate would increase. And each time I would have to snap out of the dark reverie in my head and say out loud, “Stop it, just STOP!” And I would stomp on his old head just like that. Of course he came back after the next store and I would do it again. I would yell to myself to stop and then start recounting all the ways that God has been my provider. I haven’t missed a meal in 32 years. Do I think God will stop providing now all of a sudden? Not only that, He has abundantly and faithfully provided for me over this last year while working and living and paying rent by faith. And wouldn’t you know that the next day I was given 4-5 airport shifts and two of those shifts have already earned me enough money to pay rent? And I picked up some architecture work this week as well. None of this even mentions that I STILL have money in my 6-month emergency savings account after I started utilizing it over a year ago. You mess with me and I’ll show you a grand a glorious God, you mean old snake.

And then there was the fatigue and frustration at the airport on Sunday of having to wait so long on what seemed like a fruitless endeavor. That mean old snake kept trying to get me to complain, to wallow in self-pity, to miss out on God’s divine purpose for me there. I did complain and wallow for a span of time. The Spirit reminded me that if I’m stuck at an airport for 6 hours waiting, there is probably someone I’m supposed to meet. Stomp stomp on the serpent’s head! And then wonder of wonders, my student shows up from Houston while I am waiting for the 4th and final Chicago flight. Yes, there was a purpose for me being there. Take that you old snake.

Then today, I realized I was having some awkward and downcast feelings about a situation. I couldn’t pin my finger on the issue but I knew it was yielding the opposite of joy. After thinking about it for less than a minute, I realized that mean old devil had been lying to me again and I had listened. Well, once I realized the situation, I stomped on that nasty’s serpent’s head again. Snake, fool me again and I will stomp on your head as many times as it takes. You are no longer my master and I will not live enslaved to you. 

*I got this idea of stomping on the head of the snake from Ann Voskamp’s Life Manifesto post. She is resolved to “Step on the snake before breakfast. Before breakfast, crush one hard thing that is tempting you to think there are impossible things. Before breakfast, crush that one thing and prove that all things are possible with God.” This idea is also based on Genesis 3:15 where God tells Eve her offspring will bruise the head of the serpent. This of course is referring to Jesus but His Spirit dwells in me and sometimes I need a visual reminder for stopping the evil one's lies in my life.

Adventures as a Chauffeur Edition 3

I know all you readers (or at least 2 of you) are on the edge of your seat, waiting in anticipation for more airport adventures. Well in keeping with the supply and demand chain, I must supply.

This past weekend, I had a total of 4 students to pick up from the airport. I almost had to drop 3 students off on Saturday morning which would have started that day around 2:30 am. Luckily that itinerary was changed because Saturday proved to be a very long day. 

For my first flight on Saturday, I checked the status before leaving to make sure it hadn’t been delayed. After checking, I discovered the flight had actually left early and would arrive fifteen minutes early. Uh-oh. I’m already behind schedule. I made good timing and figured by the time the plane landed and everyone made their way to the baggage claim area, I would be there just in time to catch my student. Upon entering the airport, I checked the arrivals board. The flight was not listed. I proceeded to the info desk and was informed the flight had landed 30 minutes early! Talk about an uncommon problem in the world of airports. I went to the baggage claim carousel and only saw a handful of people. I pointed to my sign and asked an Asian guy, “Is this you?” He shook his head no. I saw one other guy, who didn’t appear to be Asian from the back. I repeated my question and yes, it was him! Wow. That was too easy. We headed back to Cookeville and I dropped him off with no problems. Why can’t they all be that easy?

After that, my boss asked if I could take some things to the apartment to get it ready for student #2. He also informed that student #2 was expecting to stay with a host family, not an apartment. He gave me instructions on how to deliver this news with grace. Oh the joys of being the bearer of bad news. I later found out that student #2 had moved his itinerary up two weeks and thus it was his own fault that a place was not ready.

By this point, I had a terrible headache. I had about a 2 hour reprieve before setting out for run #2. I found student #2 over by his baggage carousel. I tried to ask how his flight went and he explained that he has poor English and did not understand me. We waited for his bag only to discover it did not come. The airline desk explained that the bag was on the next flight and asked if we wanted to wait for it or have them deliver. Again, he did not understand. After lots of simple phrases, hand gestures, and two phone calls from Arabic/English speakers, we decided to go get some food and come back in an hour for his bag. While sharing a meal together, we discovered that it was much easier to have a conversation. 

After we grabbed his bag, we got on the interstate to head to Cookeville. He immediately took out his iPhone and started taking pictures. I asked why he was taking pictures and he said he was sending pictures of all the greenery to his family because greenery is nonexistent in his desert country. We continued our car ride with much pleasant, albeit broken, conversation.

I explained the apartment situation and he didn’t seem thrilled about the idea but what other choice did he have? I showed him the apartment and explained that there was no food or toiletries so we would go to the store to buy essentials. Oh my. Shopping in American stores is overwhelming. So many shampoo choices, so many body wash choices, can’t find my normal cheese, etc. We survived shopping and I returned him to his apartment along with a list of phone numbers to call if he got in a bind. He expressed his gratitude to me multiple times before I left.

It was a taxing day. I ended up working 11 hours total and spent about 8 hours trying to communicate in broken English all the while with a massive headache that was compounded by the stress and fatigue of the day. I ended by dropping off a guy in an apartment all by himself, with little language, no friends, and no knowledge of this city. It was all the more difficult realizing that his situation could very well be a reality for me in the coming year. I was exhausted.

On Sunday, my airport runs started later. I was able to spend the morning at church and with friends. I even had an hour break in my quiet apartment before all the crazy started. As departure time approached, I checked the flight info. Student #3’s flight had already left and was scheduled to land 20 minutes early. Uh-oh. Day 2 of early flights. I quickly checked student #4’s flight. Nashville Westchester County was listed as the arrival city. I left a message with my boss to see if he understood this new confusion. When I arrived at the airport, I discovered that student #3’s flight had just landed and that student #4’s flight number had been changed. The airline desk gave me the new flight number but after some perplexing typing she suggested strongly that I contact the student if possible because she isn’t allowed to give me full information. I interpreted this vagueness to mean student #4 wasn’t on that flight. Problem. 

I focused my immediate attention on finding student #3. My boss returned my call and told me to stay for the flight to see if student #4 arrived. Student #3 and I used the hour to get to know one another. He was quite amiable and we discussed jobs, cultures, media lies, religion, Christian fiction, and the Amish. We shared “candies” from his country that were quite yummy. I was even able to answer a question that had bugged him for many years. Wow, I felt accomplished.

I went to check on student #4’s flight to see if it was still scheduled to land at 5:30. The info desk guy told me the arrival time was now 7:45 and then upon seeing my look of horror he quickly told me he was just messing with me and it should land at 5:46. Yes, I am now so familiar with info desk guy that he feels he can mess with me. As I walked away, my boss called and said my guy was at the airport and I should look for the Arabic guy wandering around in confusion. He wasn’t the only one confused. How was my guy here if his flight had not yet landed? I found the guy and pointed to my sign asking if that was him. He said yes except the name wasn’t right but he was looking for me. So strange. As we reached his baggage carousel, I found another driver from my company. It turns out that he was her student and not mine. Enter sunken feeling in my gut. I explained the situation to my boss and that my coworker and myself now each had one student and was each waiting on one that should be arriving shortly. He told me that whoever gets their student first should return to Cookeville with the 3 arrived students. 

Let the race begin. 

She returned with her other student in less than 5 minutes and left with her two students and my student #3. She had only been at the airport a few minutes! Enter even greater sunken feeling. Well, it actually wasn’t so bad because I waited for my student beside a driver with a sign for Max Lucado and got to see Max and his wife. Coolness.

I continued to wait. It seemed like the masses were unleashed at BNA. The quiet, Sunday afternoon airport was suddenly transformed into a circus of people. There were two flights worth of bags being dumped on the Chicago baggage carousel. It was insane trying to determine if an Arabic guy was in the mix. When I was certain all the Arabic guys had disbanded. I called my boss again and he instructed me to see if there was another flight from Chicago. Perhaps my student was on the next flight. When I explained there were THREE more flights from Chicago, he requested I hang around for all 3 or until I found my student. He also told me to take a break and leave the airport in between two flights. 

Chicago flights B&C came and went and still no student. I took a moment in the waiting to realize that obviously God had a purpose for me being there at that hour and would He please show me so the time would not be wasted. The last flight was scheduled to land at 9:30 but was delayed until 10:15 and had still not left Chicago which meant it could be further delayed. My boss’s sarcastic response: “Wonderful.” Wonderful is not the word I would have chosen. Five minutes before the last flight landed, I stood post by the escalator half-heartedly holding my now-haggard sign. I was done. I secretly prayed that the student would not show and I could return home quickly in peace and quiet. 

After 15 minutes, the Chicago flight had not descended the escalator. When will this be OVER? I knew the student was not coming and I was ready to GO HOME! A minute later a guy points to my sign excitedly. “Is this you?” I ask. He said, “No, but let me get him and bring him to you.” I thought he was crazy. A minute later he comes back with a student. This was our exchange:

Me: Is this your name? 

Him: Yes.

Me: [WHAT INSANITY!?!?] Are you sure? 

(I was in a state of exhaustion and shock.)

Him: Yes.

Me: Are you looking for my company?

Him: Yes.

Me: Are you sure?

(After finding the wrong student earlier, I was also a bit paranoid.)

Him: Yes. 

Me: What city did you come from?

Him: International city, then international city, then Houston.

Me: Houston? Not Chicago?

Him: No, they would not let me go to Chicago.

I could not believe it. I wait for 6 hours through 4 Chicago flights and stand at the escalator in time for a friend to recognize the name of my paper and connect me to my student #4 arriving from Houston. I think God revealed my purpose for being there so late. 

We drove back and conversed with him in quiet, broken English. Mind you this was in the dark with my eyes on the road so I could not read his lips or watch for body language. Enter even more exhaustion. We had a pleasant time. I stopped off at Walmart for him to pick up a few essentials for his barren apartment. He was quite overwhelmed and exhausted from 24 hours of travel. I dropped him off at the apartment and was able to see student #2 again. 

I made it home by 1am exhausted. This was my second 11 hour day of driving and broken English. Like usual, I have gifts and lessons learned from the trip. I’m thankful that:

-Saturday morning 2:30am departure was cancelled

-Student #1 and #3 pickups were so easy they’re almost deceitful 

-I should appreciate the greenery around me 

-Sunset and greenery were visible in my rearview mirror on day 1

-I didn’t have to drive in a downpour of rain

-My dinner was provided by my company on day 1

-I had sweet conversations with students

-I got to see Max Lucado

-How I am awed that I actually met up with student #4

-I had a chance to practice small talk with non-English speakers and strangers, a skill that will help me in the future

-This job stretches me to be flexible and let plans fly out the window.

-I am learning how to communicate with a language barriers.
-I got paid enough to cover my rent by hanging out with internationals and learning about their culture.