Embodied discipleship and weather. That’s what I want to write about. I’ve noticed a growing impatience bubble up inside me. It’s an impatience that I’m not sure what to do about. It often leaves me disappointed and worn out as I sense myself and see others lack purpose in so much of our lives. Chores are a thing to get past, work is just what you have to do, school is for advancement, relationships are a way to feel secure, social media is for winding down. And boy, time flies by too fast. But are we even having fun?

I recently graduated from Western Washington University. I learned about maps, God, social justice, discipleship, urban planning, environmental justice, weather, civil discourse, world religions, climatology, communications, and more. During college, your routine is always changing, the world is your oyster, and you are the hope for change.
College has the power to facilitate immense formation in individuals. I have never felt so vulnerable as I did when I was in college. I suppose it’s to be expected when you’re around other people who are continually changing, facing the same challenges and revelations.

Well, then, I graduated. I entered the “real world.” I realized that the same cultural waters that flow toward vulnerability and rapid transformation during college all of a sudden reverse direction. Many of the joys and revelations I experienced in college became distant memories, reminders of a bold Jack. Now I have to find a full-time job and meal plan and budget. And remember, the only reason I didn’t have to do this stuff sooner is because of your middle-class white privilege (thanks WWU education for that fun little reminder). What happened to spontaneous walks in the middle of the day and playing ping-pong shirtless and getting eggnog at midnight because it sounded good? What happened to people asking hard questions about my life and worship feeling so good and re-imagining everything? I feel like I’ve entered a vulnerability desert as I also enter the most vulnerable time of my life. This brings me to some scary questions. What’s my life all about? What is the “real world”?

I have developed a growing discontent with the common Christian answer I hear to these questions. To preface, I want to navigate what I am about to say carefully because I love the Church deeply. I’m trying to speak to what I have observed in myself and other post-college young adults who are wrestling with who they are, why they’re here, and what to do about it. So, here we go…

I often get the sense in post-college Christian circles that if your next step isn’t entering ministry, becoming a missionary, or joining a non-profit, then it’s challenging to create meaning and purpose in life- it’s challenging to fulfill your vocation. How often do we pray for missionaries and non-profits in Church as opposed to private-sector managers and retail workers and fast-food employees? The message I sense is that the whole Christian life boils down to how many people you directly share about Jesus with. At the very least, that’s the pinnacle of the Christian life. And missionaries and pastors seem to have a better chance at this than anyone else.

With increasing fervent, I want to re-imagine the power of the Kingdom in all sectors of life. Let’s see the beauty of the gospel in the duty of doing taxes and buying groceries, in the gift of waking up, in the lightness of play, in the genius of telling jokes, in the freedom of laughter, in the giftings we see in ourselves and others. Let’s celebrate others’ faithfulness to their circumstances where faithfulness may simply look like showing up to a new day in a tough time or making sure your family has food on the table. Let’s see Jesus in others and draw that out. I believe everyone preaches the gospel because we are all made in God’s image. We just usually need someone else to truly receive us and affirm goodness in us. I sure do. Finally, let’s recognize how we can participate in God’s restoration plan for the whole earth.

Certianly, urban planners, waiters, steelworkers, politicians, engineers, environmental activists, janitors, salesmen, and others have a chance to participate!

So, that’s what this blog is intended to explore with you. I’ll probably write about my own struggles along the way. I’ll also try to be open about my wrestlings with my own beliefs around embodied discipleship because I’m still in the early stages of forming a theology around this. That’s why I want to explore with you and try not to write at you. Therefore, if this topic interests you, consider following along and providing your own insights, comments, pushback, and encouragement along the way!

Lastly, I include weather writings on this blog because, for me, it is a way that I get to embody discipleship. God made me to love weather because he loves weather. Weather is amazing. God is amazing. Why not share about weather? We might just find God.