Baby steps.......

Baby steps…….


“They say to climb Everest successfully, you actually climb the Mountain five times over-in the process of going up and down. It is a giant game of snakes and ladders, and like the game, the higher you go, the further you have to fall” (Bear Grylls, The kid who climbed Everest)

The harder the journey has become and the more things stripped away Jesus’ grace continues to meet me in new ways. Since the last communication, the summer has brought many adventures from a skateboard mission trip with the kids, leading a trip with Global Expeditions to the San Blaas islands off the coast of Panama and a trip to a friend’s church, “Jacobs Well” in Spokane, Washington.

While in Panama I was on an island with one of our teams who were ministering there to the Kuna tribe through vacation Bible schools and service to the islanders. A guy named Mattias docked his small boat and we had a conversation which led to hanging out for a few hours and just sharing our stories. Mattias had quit his job in Brazil as the President of a bank which he had taken him all over the world. We were on the same page and he had two kids…we had many similar stories. He had began his trip around the world with his whole family and two young kids but it ended up too much for his wife and kids so they decided to go back home to Brazil. The rest of the journey around the globe would be on his own: he talked of his loneliness and I talked of my unexpected time in my life and being away from my kids. It blew me away how God uses our stories and brings people into our paths for a reason. I gave Mattias one of my favorite books and we prayed together for his journey around the globe and the search for Christ.


I am continuing my studies in Adventure education as I plan to write my thesis in the spring. I also am plugging into my church working with the youth group as well on next step in my journey. The internship timing has changed, beginning in January 2010, at that time all funding will be changed to Sojourn Community Church. 930 Mary Street, Louisville, KY 40204 In this internship I will need to raise monthly support as part of my internship needs which will cover basic living needs and education. I am a deacon in training and playing a leadership/vision development role in the youth ministry. I also will have a space to create a non-profit focused on building healthy community in public schools through the medium of adventure education. More vision and information to come in the new year.

The pastors at sojourn community church have been very supportive and embracing me in this difficult journey of navigating this painful time. This internship is a space to fully embrace Gods vision for the future. The vision for the year would be a incubator and a time to retool in the midst of people who love me and believe in me. Please continue to pray for my family during this transition. My journey is really about obedience: simple. Am I willing to follow God’s plan and His word vs. my own emotions?


Isaiah 40:29-31
“He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youth grow tired and weary and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not faint.”

A word from Hud McWilliams, Sr. Resource Pastor Christian Associates International “On behalf of Christian Associates, I would like to thank you for your support of the Isom family during this time of difficulty and transition in their lives. While none of us would have hoped for this outcome, we know that God has continued to be at work in many ways, and we're grateful for your partnership in that process. We are in support of the direction that Jeremy is taking, as outlined in this letter, and we hope that you, too, will continue to walk alongside him and his family as they go forward from here. If you should have any questions, please feel free to contact me."


Embracing,


Jeremy Isom
http://www.sojournchurch.com/
isomjeremy@gmail.com
Facebook: Jeremy Isom
http://thedownwardmobility.blogspot.com
615 483-1818

The Naked Truth

The naked truth

I am writing this letter to all of you, to let you know what’s going on in my family’s life and my vision for the future. We relocated to Louisville, Kentucky, two years ago, largely due to marital issues that existed between Candice and me. Unfortunately, nothing was resolved or changed, and against my deepest desires and hopes, we divorced. This has been the hardest time in my life. I have been stretched beyond what I thought I could bear. And, I have put off writing this difficult letter for several reasons: 1) I felt a deep sense of shame and embarrassment…I felt like a failure, 2) I know how divorce is viewed in the Christian world, and my belief is that marriage is a covenant, meant for life, and 3) I feared that I had let you down; that I had nullified your support throughout the years. I never thought I would ever be a divorced man. I never thought that I would have to write these words to anyone. So, I write this letter with great humility and vulnerability, letting you know the truth of my life as it is and my hopes and dreams that I pray for. This process has opened up my life to God in ways I did not know were possible. I have been striving for Paul’s statement, “I have learned to be content in all circumstances”, to be the reality of my life. I have so much to be thankful for, even in this unexpected place of pain I have faced. I have had the privilege to do a plethora of jobs in this transition, ranging from After School Director with the YMCA, motivational speaker with Making it Count, a Starbucks barista and a substitute teacher in the local public school system. This has been a dynamic and transformative time for me.

“God where you in all this pain, God where are you, I am hurting. Then, in a still small voice I hear…. I AM HERE, IN THE PAIN. This is a portion of a song I wrote last year.

I had this perception in my life; all I wanted was to get to the other side of the pain. But, I have realized that life is about soaking up what is in front of you…not trying to look past what is, in order to get beyond it. Embracing what is in front of you, is the lesson that I have been learning in the depths of who I am. God is a redeeming God. He is redeeming my story and family. In this season, I have enrolled in a masters program at Prescott College, studying Adventure Education. I will graduate in the spring of 2010. True Life Adventures is on hold while I am pursuing my masters. However, I am praying for practical direction in morphing its mission stateside. My thesis is centered on creating eye opening and transformative experiences for students (specifically in middle and high-school). In this transition I have connected with a great church called Sojourn Community Church. This church understands and sees value in the mission behind True Life Adventures. They are eager to have this be incorporated into their church body as they set out to reach young people in their local urban communities, in real and transformative ways. I have just been offered a year long internship starting in July with Sojourn Community Church to assist them in their efforts.

Please pray for me and my family and as I focus on this step of my journey. Zayne is 6 and Ezekiel is 4 years old now. Please keep them specifically in your prayers as they too learn to traverse this shaky ground. Do not hesitate to contact me at anytime; I would love to hear from you.

“I welcome the chance to take my share in the church’s part of that suffering. When I became a servant in this church, I experienced this suffering as a sheer gift, God’s way of helping me serve you, laying out the whole truth” Colossians 1:25(The Message)

A word from Hud McWilliams, Sr. Resource Pastor Christian Associates International “On behalf of Christian Associates, I would like to thank you for your support of the Isom family during this time of difficulty and transition in their lives. While none of us would have hoped for this outcome, we know that God has continued to be at work in many ways, and we're grateful for your partnership in that process. We are in support of the direction that Jeremy is taking, as outlined in this letter, and we hope that you, too, will continue to walk alongside him and his family as they go forward from here. If you should have any questions, please feel free to contact me."

Jeremy Isom 615 483-1818 isomjeremy@gmail.com