Clay Carson
My Journey into the Mission Field
Last summer while working at Kanakuk Kamps, I felt a strong call on my heart that God wanted me to take a radical leap of faith for Him, to do more than just show up every week for church. I felt God tugging at me, asking me to trust Him deeper and to get out of my comfort zone for the sake of His kingdom and His call on my life. I was reading a book during this time last summer called “Starving Jesus” and in one of the last couple chapters (I can’t recall exactly which one) this missions program was mentioned called Mission Year. The book briefly described that the program was an inner city missions outreach that one could serve as part of for one year. After feeling this tug on my heart from God all summer long, I knew that coming across this program was no coincidence, but rather God presenting an opportunity for me to take this leap of faith He had been calling me toward. After researching the program more I decided to pray and seek council on whether or not to apply. During the fall semester last year I felt like Moses when God called him to set His people free. I tried to find every excuse in the book not to do the program; I needed to stay in school, I wouldn’t see my family, I needed to be near my brother when he started college, I needed to make money, etcetera etcetera etcetera. And just like when Moses made the excuses, God seemed to shoot each of them down one by one, removing anything that could cause me to doubt that this program was what I needed to do. With each excuse voided by God, His call on my heart to do this became stronger than ever. So after a fall semester spent in prayer and wrestling with this idea, I decided to apply in January of this year. I told God that if I was accepted to the program, I would commit my life to His service in Mission Year for the upcoming year (the “mission year” is september through the next august). After waiting what seemed like an eternity to find out, I received an email requesting that I join the Mission Year team and thus confirming that this indeed was God’s call for my life during the next year. I accepted the invitation and will be serving with Mission Year in Chicago for a year starting this September. Please join with me in prayer as I embark on this new stage of service to further make known the name of Jesus during this next year.
In Him,
Clay Carson
About Mission Year
Mission Year is a year long urban ministry program focused on Christian service and discipleship. We take teams of young people, place them in an area of need, and help them to serve people and create community. We are committed to the command of Jesus to “love God and love people,” by placing the needs of our neighbors first and developing committed disciples of Christ with a heart for the poor. Learn more about our first year program…
Clay Carson's Blog
The Glorious Invitation / May 14, 01:08 PM
“16 A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17 At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’
18 “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’ 19 “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.’ 20 “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can’t come.’ 21 “The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.’ 22 “ ‘Sir,’ the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.’ 23 “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full.” -Luke 14:16-23I have been questioning what role I would play in this story. Would I be the servant, inviting all to the man’s banquet. Would I be the one making excuses? What part would I be in this story? I’m not sure, but I know what part I believe we are called to be. I believe God is calling us to go out, out to the highways and byways, to the streets and alleys, and invite all who we see to come and share in the goodness of the Lord. God is calling us, the church, the body of Christ, to go out to the poor, the homeless, the handicapped, and all of the least of these. He wants us to be messengers of His love and acceptance of these.
And I wonder, what will our response be? What is our response now? Are we quick to make excuses (regardless if they’re good excuses or not, for the excuses in this passage seemed valid) or will we take up the call of the Lord to reach out, to be His hands and feet, and demonstrate His love to the least of these.
I know what my response is, as Isaiah said, “Here I am Lord, send me.”
The question remains, what will the church’s response be? What will your response be?
Mark The God-Send / Mar 20, 02:43 PM
A couple of days ago, I had just posted a blog concerning God’s heart for the poor and destitute and how we as Christians should respond to that. As I stated in that blog, recently God has burdened my heart with a desire to reach out to those in need and to stand up for the rights of the poor and to learn to love them as He loves them. A few hours after I posted that blog I believe God confronted me upfront with that burden. That evening (March 17th) my roommates and I went to the Bulls game, and as we got off the train to walk home after the game, a homeless man approached us and began quoting scripture, specifically verses dealing with God’s treatment of the poor such as Proverbs 28:27 as well as others. As he did this he calmly and very politely asked for some change to get a bite to eat. Still feeling the burden on my heart I reached into my pocket and was able to give him some money. After that happened, I felt this sudden compelling to pray for him, so I asked him if that was ok, he said yes. So Joey, Emily, and I stood with him and prayed, and after we said amen, he did something I never expected….he asked if we could continue in prayer. And then he just started praying. And what was amazing was that he didn’t pray for himself, but he was praying for us. He prayed for our blessing and protection, for God to reveal more of His love to us, for us to continue to seek God. After that he said amen, and we kind of stood there stunned, humbled at the sincerity and earnest heart of this homeless man. Joey then asked him his name and he said it was Mark “like the 2nd book of the New Testament” as he put it. We chatted for a few seconds and started to make our way home and he asked if we wanted his company. We were thrilled with this and enthusiastically accepted his offer to walk with us. As we walked I asked if he would mind sharing his story with us. He told how he had been an electrician and had lost his job last year due to the economy and increasing layoffs. He shared how he had been divorced due to his own sinful nature. His honesty and humility was astounding. The entire time he was calm, sincere, (not the characteristics of your stereotypical homeless person). And over and over he would quote the Bible. He shared with us how the Bible was what got him through each and every day, how if he didn’t read it, didn’t speak it, didn’t commit it to memory, then life on the street would be too much for him. He dependence on God was incredible, and convicting. The verse that says “Man does not live on bread alone, but by every word from the mouth of God” continually came to mind as Mark shared his story. I began to think of all the other things I rely on to get through my day: food, sleep, shelter, friends, family, business, etc. And the realization crept over me that God and His word wasn’t what was carrying me through each day. This man, Mark, was living without anything material, without so much as a place to rest, and yet was seeking a life of dependence on God far more than I am. After we got to our street, we gave him some contact info about a shelter we knew of, prayed again, and then parted ways. I’ll never forget Mark and the lessons he taught me that night. I sometimes wonder if Mark was an angel…there was just something, different about him. He had such a calming, peaceful presence about him, we all felt safe with him for some reason. I’m not sure if he was an angel or not, and I’m sure I’ll never know. But one thing I do know, he was a God-send, he was a blessing, and God used him to teach me so much about who God is and who God wants me to be: a man living in the humble reliance on God throughout each and every day.
God, teach us to rely and depend on you. Teach us to constantly seek you out, and give us a passion for your Word. Teach us to be like Mark, to be content in Your love despite the lack of material possessions. Thank you for Mark, and for the example he was to me. Amen.
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How did we miss it? / Mar 18, 03:50 PM
I grew up all my life in the church, studying the Bible, singing the songs, and every week hearing a sermon that just made me feel good about myself when I left. I’m sure you have had many experiences like this too. I would attend church on Sundays, stay out of trouble during the week, and felt like I was a “good Christian”. Looking back now, it amazes me how ignorant I was, how ignorant the church was, of what God wanted of us. I can hardly recall a sermon or a sunday school lesson that challenged me to sacrifice, to go out of my way for a stranger. And i definitely don’t remember ever learning how important the poor are to God. I didn’t even know the poor existed in God’s world, and I sometimes doubt if my church ever did either. But recently I’ve been delving into the issues of poverty, homelessness, racism, and social justice and my eyes have been opened to the darkness of the world around me. Confronted by the hopelessness that surrounds the issues, my heart was burdened. I didn’t understand how we got to this point, how our country could still have the issues, how our church could be so blind to it. My heart was heavy, and so I sought to find out what God had to say about it, about poverty, about the minority groups, about immigrants, about the homeless, and about justice. In searching I’ve found hundreds of verses in which God talks about taking care of the poor, loving the foreigner and treating every human being, regardless of race or class, with respect. But I believe I’ve found one that really hits the nail on the head, that expresses God’s desire for us as Christians to show His love to the poor, to fight for justice.
In Proverbs 31:8-9 NIV it says “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.”
or in the Message it so simply puts it “Speak up for the people who have no voice, for the rights of all the down-and-outers. Speak out for justice! Stand up for the poor and the destitute!”
How did we miss it? I believe it is time that we as Christians, as members of the church, begin to really examine what this verse means for us, not only as a group, but as individuals. I pray that God would bring justice, that He would open our eyes to the needs of those all around us, and the He would fill our hearts with a passion for justice, for equality, and for the love of all His people. Amen.
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