ORDINARY
or·di·nar·y
As an adjective, "With no special or distinctive features; what is normal, uninteresting, and commonplace.
Such as our usual, unexceptional, habitual, conventional, run-of-the-mill, everyday, routine, day-to-day choices.
Those plain-vanilla, garden-variety, nothing to write home about choices of ours that never lead to change.
Interestingly one might say quotidian, though nonetheless pedestrian.
Far from what is abnormal, unusual, or exceptional.
As a noun, "What is commonplace or standard."
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Do I want my life to be commonplace, uninteresting, unexceptional, and conventional?
What about you?
Well, don't get me wrong. The question here isn't, "Do you/I want to be a very special snowflake?"
The point of this question isn't to ask, "Do you want to be different from everyone else?"
To those caught up in that, I'm sorry, but you've missed the point.
That one-in-a-million talent, speaking literally, could be matched or exceeded by +7000 people. That means not only everyone in your high school, but probably the whole district. Yes, that means there are a bunch of genius elementary students who can totally blow you out of the water.
And that's speaking of something really unique.
Yes, you, meaning the entirety of your person, are a unique and special individual. However, that is you in your entirety. It is very unlikely that either you, me, or your little brother Johnny are likely to have any singularly uniquely defining features, whether that be a skill, a talent, our appearance, our knowledge or any other trait that might be considered.
And you know what? That isn't a bad thing.
The reality is that each of us have our own "ordinary", what matters is just what kind of ordinary we make it. Do I want my ordinary day to be the ordinary of Kelly Clark, the four time olympian and two time medalist, who trains her heart out doing the things she loves, or a guy who follows a billion TV shows and comic series but waits around for a month and a half before sitting down to write a blog post?
Will my ordinary be like that of Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu or a guy who rarely leaves the house without need?
A disciple of Christ or a laggard just floating by in the world?
There are thousands of olypmians each year, tens of thousands who change the world everyday, and hundreds of millions who give their love and their life to and for Christ.
There are amazing, gifted, hard working athletes who never hold a medal. There are Pauls and Peters and Billy Grahams and a great many Pastor Johnnys who faithfully Sheppard little churches in the countryside and visit the local hospital to pray with the sick and dying.
There's a day to day routine when climbing Mount Everest; one sees quite a few rocks and a great deal of snow. A mountain climber will see stunning view after stunning view, but the summit still only comes once a climb. Climbing a mountain and looking down upon trees like the grass of a field and lakes like puddles may never be boring; but after a hundred climbs and many years those views will still become something like the usual.
Occasionally a new harness, a new rope, a new pack or replaced gear. . . but always the same knots tied time and time again.
What most will never do, never know, never see. . . becomes the ordinary, day to day routine.
It is stunning, spectacular, inspiring and makes your heart burn. . . but it is not strange, and it is no longer unique.
That is life, and that is fine. What is old may no less be beautiful, and sometimes the well used need not grown worn; or, perhaps, will be the more beautiful still for it.
So, will my life be ordinary?
Not that no two days must ever be the same, but will I choose extraordinary?
If everyone always and quite naturally chose to try hard, to fight hard, to run hard, and love with a heart that burns for a stranger's soul. . . now that would be a wonderful commonplace and quite the beautiful everyday normal.
But being like that, always striving for the best, that's each person's choice.
It's your choice.
It's my choice.
I guess I'm asking it wrong. Not, "Do I want my life to be ordinary?"
I'll always have my own day-to-day; no matter how changing life becomes it's always the same sun that rises.
But. . . Will I make like a child with paints upon the canvas of my life? With little effort will I poorly copy someone else' style and designs while calling it my own?
Or will I truly give myself to God and become His masterpiece according to His vision and glorious design?
Either way the paint will be dipped a hundred times, but to which end?
I want my life to be God's chosen beautiful ordinary.
I was chosen by God and I will choose God.
*cue theme music*
I want to imagine boldly, ask boldly, choose boldly, live boldly, risk boldly, and speak boldly in response to the love that was shown with arms held boldly open in life and freely stretched wide in death.
I want to boldly dance no matter who is watching and sing praise to my Love even when others think me strange, contemptible or insane. (2 Samuel 6:12-21)
I want to follow my Creator's wisdom even while friends and strangers thinks me a fool. (1 Corinthians 1:17-31, 1 Corinthians 3:18-20)
I want to do those crazy things the Lord puts on my heart even when others say it just isn't done. (Luke 18:27-30, Joshua, Gideon, Esther, David again, and more)
I want to offer mercy to the murderer and love the liar, showing kindness as did my Christ.
I will sacrifice in worship what could otherwise be an easy, careless life and give my all even while suffering great loss.
By God's grace and in His Spirit I will keep changing, keep growing, keep falling deeper and deeper in love with Him who chose me and saved me and adopted me and holds me, and I will not settle for what I have done nor even what I am now doing. My God will not leave me to stagnate in the things that have always worked; I will not falter when the path He sets turns.
And I trust that should I misstep, when I misstep, when I become distracted and wander or lose sight of Him for the brambles and thorns. . . He will be my light, He will call my name and bring me back and someday He will bring me to the end of this journey and welcome me home.
I will continue to escape the ordinary and transcend This Present Moment.
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---- NEWS
As of Sunday I have officially joined the Mexico mission team at Crossroads Community Church for this year's annual trip to Heromosillo, Mexico and surrounding areas.
Our team is now at 42 people, including 10-ish (by my precisely astute reckoning) doctors and nurses forming a mobile clinic team that will head out to surrounding villages. Other areas of service on the trip include: support for the mobile clinic such as setup, organizing patients, and assisting the pharmacy staff; child care for families attending the mobile clinic; door-to-door outreach; teen ministry; and a prison outreach.
What group I will be in has not yet been decided. There is a high possibility I will take part in the children's ministry group, helping with games, and lessons, face painting, making balloon animals and other fun stuff. However, I am interested in stepping out of my comfort zone for service on this trip; we'll what happens and where the Lord has me.
Perhaps worth noting, because of the changing needs of each day, regardless of which group I or the others are assigned to, we may be shuffled from one group to another to fill holes or special needs or just give someone a chance to try serving in a way they never have before. (:D YAY! / yaaaay? D: breaking out o' dem comfort zones)
The cost of this trip is $1200/person, including airfare; some of this goes towards the transport of medical supplies and other equipment to Heromosillo, separate from our flight. (Yeah. . . the boxes of vaccines don't really fit in our luggage.)
I have already put forth $300 towards the trip. This covers the initial deposit of $200 as well as part of the first payment. Each payment is $250, the due dates are listed below. Payments are spaced out so that our entire team's airline tickets may be purchased all at once, ensuring we fly together and arrive together.
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Deposit due July 17th - PAID
1st payment due August 7th - OWED ($150 owed. Yes, I joined the team a bit late.)
2nd payment due August 28th - 2 DAYS
3rd payment due September 18th
Final payment due October 4th
Our team will leave for Hermosillo Saturday morning, October 17th
We will return Sunday night, October 25th
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Frankly speaking, I could pay for this trip out of my savings. . . however, that would be more than half my savings and put purchasing a car on pause. Again.
And at the age of 23 I'd really like to finally start driving.
So, that said, I'd like to ask for your support on this trip; if you think this sounds like a totally awesome thing then please take part with your prayers and donation! :D
(prayer suggestions below)
Support can be sent electronically at http://www.gofundme.com/TPMoment (For those unfamiliar, GoFundMe is a crowdfunding site. This site will never add additional charges to your donations. The amount you choose to donate will be the one and only charge to your account.)
by mail to:
406 NE 122nd Avenue
Vancouver, WA 98684
or in person (contact me via e-mail at dylan.wilkinson@hotmail.com if you'd like to get in touch)
Donations can be tax deductible IF:
1. Checks are written to Crossroads Community Church.
2. My name (Dylan Wilkinson) is on an attached piece of paper or post-it note so that the church knows to who's account the donation should be credited. DO NOT write my name ON the check. (This is a Very Important Point)
3. Donations are mailed to me (see above) so that I am fully aware of my payment status and who all I have to thank. ;)
4. (optional but super cool) Include your e-mail address so I can keep you updated about what's happening and tell you directly about the trip afterwards.
Unfortunately donations made through the GoFundMe campaign will not be tax deductible, though they will still be very much appreciated.
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Things to pray for
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e-mail me at dylan.wilkinson@hotmail.com if you would like to be kept up-to-date on continual prayer needs
- That God will be glorified by this trip
- That we would be filled and walking with the Holy Spirit
- For God to show Himself in a mighty way
- That God would raise up laborers
- Boldness and courage as we communicate the truth
- For the believers of Hermosillo and for their pastors and leaders
- For the people of Hermosillo
- For unity among team members and our brothers and sisters in Hermosillo
- Spiritual, emotional, and physical health
- Spiritual growth for all members of the team
- Effective translators
- Protection for our loved ones at home
- That God lead us to people who are "ripe" for the harvest
- Many opportunities to share the Gospel
- That God will open the hearts of many
- Understanding of God's grace and assurance
- Effective follow-up of new believers, that they would grow deepen their relationship with God and Christ
- That they and us would be filled with and heed the leading of the Holy Spirit
- Traveling mercies
- Victory over Satan
- Protection from governmental interference
- Financial support, both for me and the other team members
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---- CLOSING THE CURTAIN
There is one issue that brings me up short and has forced me to hesitate about taking part in this mission trip; that being my remaining balance to Potter's Field Ministries for my time in the IGNITE365 mission and discipleship program back in 2011. It is more than half paid off with a remaining balance of $2,360.
Being run over by a truck set my finances back a ways, though I am now finally approaching a point where I may again make regular payments. However, while Potter's Field Ministries has been very gracious in leaving me to pay back my portion of the mission trip in my own time, as I am able, I still feel uncomfortable raising support for another mission trip while this is still owed.
Therefore, although it feels awkward doing so after the mission trip is already over, I am also beginning a second GoFundMe campaign to support the closing of this debt from my previous mission trip.
For every dollar raised in support of the Mexico mission trip I will also put a dollar towards paying down my balance with PFM, either by way of additional donations or my car savings. Funds raised in excess of the Mexico mission trip will also be put towards paying this balance.
Should by some miracle the funds raised exceed both the trip to Hermosillo and my PFM balance (Praise my Adonai for He is capable of all things!) than I will use the funds to support any member(s) of our team who are having difficulty raising funds.
Should all other team members be paid for I will go up the list of donors, starting with the most recent, and provide the offer of either refunding their donation or putting the donation towards living expenses while studying at the Moody Bible Institute in Fall of 2016.
If you are interested, my previous blog A Verse from the Woods was begun while studying with Potter's Field Ministries and contains a number of personal Bible study series.
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