It seems that my last blog post was emailed out as code. I don't really know what happened, and I'm sorry if it looked like I spammed you. I think it was because of all the pictures in the last blog entry. Anyways, please visit the website of my blog at chipcarnes.theworldrace.org to see the most recent entry. It's about the free stuff you can get if you are a monthly supporter.
Now that I have your attention, I have some news. As I make my way to Fundraising Deadline #2, the World Race has given us some incentive items if we want to use them. So here is my deal:
If you commit to donating $50 or more per month - Pick anything (we can talk about multiple items too)
If you commit to donating $25-$49 per month - Anything but shirts
If you commit to donating $10-$24 per month - Cups, water bottles, bracelets, stickers, etc.
I can only purchase these things AT TRAINING CAMP so I need to know soon if you are deciding what you want. If you don't know how to get in touch with me, click the contact link in the top left of the site. Current monthly supporters, contact me about what you want please. Even if you are planning to give in the future, tell me now so I can make sure I get what you want/get your size.
Remember to pray for me and my team next week at training camp! Love you all!
Today, I don't know why I am writing, but I feel the itch to share some message from the Lord. I wish I could say that I always hear His voice loud and clear, but even as a musician, I am pretty deaf. This week has given me encounters swith a yound woman who does not have a relationship with Christ, but is clearly being prompted by the Holy Spirit to engage in conversations of a spiritual nature. I hurt for this yound woman, because I know that no amount of reason or logic will move her into recognizing a need for Jesus to be a part of her life. She will only see that when she sees the joy and life found in a community of believers.
The early disciples knew it, because they saw the joy in others' lives who were healed by Jesus, who first acted in forgiving ther sins. The disciples weren't swayed by logic, reason, or knowledge, or they would have understood what Jesus meant by the temple being destroyed and raised on the third day.
So why is it that, when I am in the midst of conversations with Americans about my relationship with Christ, that I resort to justifying Christ logically? Clearly, it is the relationship that matters, and the joy of knowing Him. But I don't share that. Or at least I feel embarrassed to. I wonder often if it is a reflection of my own need to logically explain Christ, when honestly, I need to submit to the mysterious and glorious nature of Him, and realize that my relationship with Him should take priority.
The lesson is this:
In an American culture that is often skeptical, cynical, and believes only through empirical evidence, we must be bold in sharing our story of being wooed by God, in the story of our hearts being won over by Him. Because, in the end, people are really looking for their place in the world and are seeking security and comfort in relationships at some level. We must be in touch with and rely on the Holy Spirit to give us words with authority that will communicate the joy of the relationship with Jesus. That's what will turn people's hearts toward Him who reigns.
Join me this week in praying for this yound woman and for the other people in our lives who need the love, forgiveness, and salvation of our Lord Jesus.
I apologize that I haven't updated my blog in a while. I have been without a computer for a while. But I have good news! I was given an idea from a fellow teammate, Toni Groff about a matching campaign.
**The Dollar for Dollar Campaign is about matching every dollar in support for The World Race**
Yup, you read that right! From now until APRIL 30th, for every dollar I receive in support, I will match up to $2000. I'm hoping this is a fun and exciting way to keep everyone motivated. I want to reassure you that I, too, am working hard and have a invested in this as well. Thus far, from the amazing faith and support of you all, I have raised $1295.10! I can't begin to express the love I have felt from all of you. I am so blessed by your all's faith in me, your desire to see God's kingdom on Earth, and your overall support and words of support and encouragement.
So will you help me this month? I could potentially raise $4000 more for this trip, which helps meet the deadline of $3500 before training and that much closer to the amount needed for departure!! When you contribute, your are helping make this Kingdom a reality. A kingdom where:
the orphans are loved in Lithuania
the good news of Christ's sacrifice is spoken in the streets of Thailand
women trapped in prostitution in Cambodia are told that there's more to life and freedom found in Christ.
Nothing is more important than bringing the light of God's glory and holiness into the dark, forgotten places of this world. And you are a part of this! I am so blessed by what you all have done already.
Let's spread the word of this campaign! Share with your friends, your church, your colleagues and direct them to my blog please! Your work is fruitful and I can't wait to share with you how God is reaching the lost through your support and your work.
I love you all, and I cherish your presence in my life!
As much as I would like to preserve some exterior notion of a rock solid relationship with God, this simply isn't true. So long have I tried to maintain an image of unshakable faith and trust in God, but truthfully, I have doubts. Lots of them. But this morning, God disciplined me with a firm hand, and I am so thankful for that.
You see, ever since committing to the World Race, I have had this idea that I will magically have a supernatural faith as soon as I head out into each country. I have read stories on other Racer's blogs of very real workings of faith that meet people's needs, and of spiritual gifts in Racer's lives. Hearing God's voice clearly, encountering spiritual warfare and delivering people from suffering with incomprehensible belief in the authority and will of Jesus Christ. And I began to wish for those things to come to fruition in my life on the World Race.
But I had my doubts.
That the money wouldn't come in
That I wouldn't be able to sell all that I needed to
That all the little miscellaneous preparations wouldn't fall in line
That I, Chip Carnes, spiritually ungifted as I often feel, wouldn't be able to offer any real contribution to the World Race or connect with people in a Kingdom focused way.
Thus God awakened me this morning, that if I don't begin to trust Him with the little things, all of my hopes to serve and glorify Him cannot come to be. If I don't have faith that He will provide for me, how can I expect to hear His voice or know His heart.
And so, I came to a crossroads. I could choose to live in my worries, fears, and doubts. A perpetual state of limited faith and limiting God.
OR
I could believe that "God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everthing you need and plenty left over to share with others." (2 Corinthians 9:8). So no more noncomittal, lukewarm, wishy-washy faith. I choose to believe that God will provide for all my needs, that He wants this World Race to happen, and that even though events haven't transpired yet, or that I'm not yet fully funded, that God. Will. Provide.
I must urge this, that as we spend time with God, that we cast our worries aside. That we lay down the doubts that the secular world propegates in our lives, and that we allow the Holy Spirit to grow a heart of courageous faith in us. Because then, God can begin to show us His will, and His glory, and His kingdom.
If you feel called, please join me in this faith journey by finacially supporting me. By your faithful support, God will surely continue to reveal more of His beautiful nature to you and to the people that I come into contact with on the World Race.
For 9 years, I practiced many hours each week to become the best violinist that I could. I was working hard, advancing, and the future of college options seemed to be bright. Then, my musical life changed. The abridged version of the story is that I switched over to playing the viola, and have ever since without looking back. Why is this story important? Because of how my identity had to change.
For the first few transitional years, I saw myself as a violinist who happened to be playing the viola. And I think that stunted my growth. I wasn't seeing myself in the new light of playing a different instrument, and what that meant in regards to my musicianship. It wasn't until I truly thought of myself as a violist, that I learned to embody the wonderfulness of the rich, complex sound of that instrument.
Identity.
We define ourselves through social media, through our careers, our networking connections, our accomplishment, our friends, and our possessions. On a Twitter account, you are asked to summarize your identity in 160 characters.
So why is it, that after being redeemed by Christ, being made pure in the Father's sight through Jesus's sacrifice, do we continue to maintain our worldly identity? Why do we see ourselves as citizens of this Earth, that just HAPPEN to be saved by Christ?
Our identity is in Christ, in God's kingdom. We are citizens of that kingdom!
And it is not until we view ourselves through that lens, through how Christ sees us, that we can truly embody all that it means to be redeemed by His sacrifice. Only then will we begin to see the wonder of God's kingdom, of the power that comes in His authority and is available to us. I urge you. Draw CLOSE to Him and allow God to resculpt your identity that reflects His glory. Then you will know the blessing of His kingdom, the community found therein, the beauty of serving others, and the joy of taking up your cross daily.
"And you were dead in your trespasses and sin in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler who exercises authority over the lower heavens, the spirit now working in the disobedient. We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love that He had for us made us alive with the Messiah even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace! Together with Christ Jesus He also raised us up and seated us in the heavens," Eph. 2: 1-6
LIVE as a citizen of God's kingdom on Earth, and know that, in Him, you are coming HOME!
Well. It's my last semester of college, and it feels like it has taken forever to be here. That also means that people are frequently asking me about what my life will look like upon closing this chapter in May. And so I tell them about the World Race.
In recent, I have become somewhat timid in sharing about this missions experience, because, honestly it's pretty awesome.
It's the nitty-gritty, often dirty work that was modeled by Jesus and His early disciples.
It means loving people that have been forgotten and cast out by the rest of society.
It means confronting evil in the world, and throwing God's life changing love into the mix.
It means living on what seems like nothing, with no place to rest my head and no place to call home - just like Jesus.
It involves realizing how powerless we are without God sitting on the throne in our lives and it involves stepping out in seemingly absurd faith to trust that God will provide in the times that He asks us to love others and to obey Him in tasks that are humanly IMPOSSIBLE.
The World Race doesn't seem easy and certainly not convenient. I must be weird though, because I think these things are awesome. This is the stuff of the Bible. These are the challenges that so many other disciples of Christ have gone through, and I am excited to be connected to history and to God's kingdom because of that. So, I feel timid in sharing because I know that such an undertaking wreaks of the power, awesomeness, and mystery of God, and putting that into words for others feels so small in comparison to the actual magnitude of it. It feels like a dream.
ANYWAY, upon sharing about the World Race with others, here are some of the frequently asked questions I have received:
What is the World Race?
The World Race is an 11 month missionary journey to 11 countries to serve the poor while living amongst real and raw community. It requires stepping out of your comfort zone and being exposed to what God is doing in the world.
Who are you going with?
I am going with an organization called Adventures in Missions, and I will be on a team of around 60 people who are all around my age (21-35). Our team will move to each country together but we will be broken into squads of around 6-10 people. Each squad will be deployed in different areas in partnership with local ministries and long term missionaries.
Where will you travel?
I will travel across 3 continents and spend one month living in each of the following nations: India, Thailand, Cambodia, Nepal, Vietnam, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and one other Asian country that my team will prayerfully select once we’re on the field.
What will you do there?
My team will volunteer with local ministries and with long term missionaries in each location doing everything from sharing the gospel to loving on AIDS orphans to helping those trapped in human trafficking to meeting with and encouraging believers in their faith. However, work isn't the be-all, end-all. We are part of the kingdom, and part of that means deeping in our relationship with Christ, learning what acting as a community means as a part of the body of Christ, and in worshiping God and giving Him glory in all situations.
What will you bring with you?
I will be carrying all of by belongings for the year in a hiking backpack. This will likely include my tent, sleeping bag, pad, limited clothes, Bible, journal, iPod (gotta have MUSE with me!), water bottle, headlamp, ereader, and my most basic necessities. Being a musican, I will also be bringing along a viola, hoping to use that to share the joy of God in worship.
What happens when you come home?
I have no idea honestly. There are ghostly outlines of plans that I have in the back of my mind. Likely, I will be looking into attending seminary for a degree in Missiology and Intercultural studies. I've often found, that my plans aren't necessarily God's plans, and His are always better. So I will follow Him.
Can you receive letters and packages while overseas?
I cannot receive packages for any reason other than emergencies. An emergency package contains only one of two things: a debit card to replace a missing one, or medication. The locations I will be living in are very remote. It just isn’t practical to send or receive packages. Communication will always be best through email, though with pending internet, I hope to be in contact with you through things like Skype.
How can I stay updated on your travels?
To the left of this post you will see a place to type in your email address to receive email alerts each time that I post. Please sign up, as you are a critical part of this journey and I want you to feel up to date with what God is doing in His kingdom through my team.
How much does the trip cost?
The actual trip costs $15,500, but this amount does not cover a handful of things. It does not cover the cost of travel to and from training, the flight to the start of the Race, the flight back from the end of the Race, medical insurance, the cost of equipment, and some of the visas I will need. I’m guesstimating I will need to raise around $18,000.
When do you need to have your support raised by?
There are several financial deadlines that I have to meet prior to departure, but I believe that I will be fully-funded. Fundraising has proven to be a difficult test of faith for me, but I am learning each day to trust in God's provision.
Support Deadlines:
$3,500 Due 5/5/2012 (2 weeks before training camp)
$6,500 Due 6/17/2012 (2 weeks prior to the trip)
$11,000 Due 10/1/2012 (End of 3 months on the field)
$15,500 Total Due 1/1/2013 (End of 6 months on the field)
How can I help?
Most importantly, I really need your prayers during this time and also while I travel. I am learning more and more how vital this is for God's kingdom work. Pray for my team’s fundraising efforts and that God would be preparing our hearts in big ways for this God-adventure. Pray for our safety as we travel and that we might bring love and hope wherever we go. Read over the list of the nations we will travel to. Pray for these broken and hurting nations! Pray that those we encounter and develop relationships with will be open to hearing the truth of God’s word.
Financially, there are several ways to help. You can donate to my trip as a one-time gift or as monthly donations, allowing you to choose the amount and beginning and end date. If you would like to do this, please make checks payable to Adventures in Missions, PO Box 534470, Atlanta GA, 30353-4470. Make sure to specify that you would like the donation to go to Chip Carnes or your donation will not be sent to my account. If you would prefer to make a donation online, you may do so by clicking the “Support Me” link in the upper left side of the page and complete your donation as instructed. Keep in mind, though, that a 5% credit card fee will be taken out of the donation for credit card processing.
I am also in the process of planning some benefit concerts/recitals. That being said, if you need some awesome viola ridiculousness for an occassion, it would be a wonderful contribution in my fundraising
Your support so far has overwhelmed me. May God shower blessings upon you.
Have you ever felt like you spend the majority of your time in front of a computer screen?
If you're anything like me, then there is a decent chance this is the case. With a plethora of social media sources, entertainment sites like Netflix and Hulu, and all the news and shopping a person could ever want online, it becomes easy to get lost in a sea of screen-fed information, dulling out what's happening in the rest of the world.
I share this with you for two reasons:
1. Confession: I don't like directing my time in these ways much anymore; I am worn down by social media sources and the variety of ways I manage to waste my time in front of a computer screen. This is why, back in September-November of this year that I deactivated my Facebook and put my computer into storage. And guess what: the fully EXPECTED happened. My ears, and eyes, and heart were opened up to spending time investing in a relationship with my beautiful Creator.
What happened during this technolgy haitus? Simply put, God wakened me to new insights, as He is so often wonderful at doing. I had been planning on thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail in the summer/fall, but I felt at times a nagging question: "Chip. Why do you want to hike the AT? You could be using that time so much more effectively by serving abroad in a missions capacity." And so God called me to the World Race. And it was beautiful. And I was excited. I felt that my life had a direction again, a clear purpose, instead of wandering aimlessly for whatever life would bring me next.
But once I was accepted to the World Race, I realized that I would need to blog and to reactivate my Facebook and be involved in that social sphere again. EEK. I really didn't want to, but I knew that it would be important.
2. Challenge: What could God say to you if you took these distractions away? I am sure that faithfully sacrificing that time for Him would be of benefit, 10-fold. Imagine, if you will, the LIFE that He might breathe into you, the PLANS He might share with you, the JOY EVERLASTING that the Holy Spirit might grow in you if you invested this time in a relationship with Him.
I'm not saying that you should be like me and hermit yourself away from these often beneficial media sources. It is for each of us to decide what is appropriate in making room for God's love to invade into our lives. So what I AM asking is for you to consider taking some of the time in front of a computer and put that time in with God, sharing your heart with Him and seeking His in turn. You might be amazed in the freedom you would find by this.
Now I know this next part will contradict what I just said, but meh, i contradict myself sometimes....whoops.
Even though it is a struggle for me to return to these sources, I commit to being more involved in them. And thus I want to ask you to keep in touch with me by email, through Facebook, and through this blog. Because I want to share my heart with you, to be in this journey with you, my supporters. Because you are as much an integral part of the World Race as my physical presence abroad will be.
Yes, it will be my feet on the ground, but I hope that you will pray for me, because your spirit will be with me and I will take the lessons you have taught me and the time you spent investing in me, and share them with those that God puts in my path on this venture. And God wants to use you as an instrument in His kingdom out in the world, even where you are now.
So please, pray about supporting me financially and in prayer (redundant, I know) so that you can be a part of this amazing journey with me. I have $15,500 to raise for this, and though it is often a scary number to me, I would be grateful for any donations. No donation is too small. I am sure that God will do great things through this mission venture, and that He can use you as part of it, to change the world, to give unreached people a chance of knowing God and having an INDESCRIBABLY BEAUTIFUL relationship with Him.
If you feel called to support me, you can donate by clicking the "Support Me" link on the left side of this page, or by writing a check to:
Adventures In Missions,
P.O. Box 534470
Atlanta, GA 30353-4470
(on the check memo line, include "The World Race-Chip Carnes")
As always, I am grateful for your time and prayers.
