It is a danger to the Church to adhere to cultural norms at the expense of Biblical pattern. The “make it alone” way of living in the United States is not the way Jesus modeled for us to follow, or raise our children in. The repeated stress that sixteen and seventeen year old kids face as everyone asks them what their plan for their life is and how they are going to singlehandedly accomplish it is damaging and wrong. None know what the plan of their whole life is, though, as I once boldly proclaimed to a large group of people, I know the calling of every person: that is to walk as a child of God. Luke and I are in that ripe stage of life where direction is what we seek and passion is full-throttle for what our purposes in the earth are. Past the years of expectation to be students, now in a young marriage and early parenthood, we’re classic explorers. True faith is accompanied by works, the work of going after what you have faith for. No one can accuse us of laziness, lack of faith, or of unfaithfulness. Many may be frustrated by our not seeming to put roots down in any one place for a long stretch of time, but there have to be people like us willing to pick up and go wherever there is a need God wants met and doesn’t yet have a willing servant for it.
Much like I was as a kid, when my parents asked me what I wanted I wasn’t very sure but I could describe clearly what I did not want. This exploration and direction seeking is a case of trial and error. We are still learning to clearly hear God’s voice but, as with gifts of the Spirit, we get sharpened by stepping out. What some may consider a failure or a clearly-closed door, from our perspective is often just a slight course-correction. Other times, we haven’t received more than one step to take and we are just curiously probing into ideas, trying things and seeing what might be learned from doing so. Case-in-point: IHOPU. Moving to Kansas City was a direction from God, a still small voice. We pursued it, tested it, tried it, and eventually it totally worked out. What the point of that move was, the only leading we had repeatedly was that it would be a time to strengthen and advance our music as the band Mid Air. The first thing Luke thought of that might have to do with that was IHOPU, studying audio production. We had just received a full studio’s worth of recording equipment and he wanted to learn to use it so we could do more recording. We also considered strongly investing in a few singles with a producer in Nebraska. We finally got the physical cds of our album released from last summer. These were all steps of exploration. We tried to play some shows that fell through, we tried to play some shows that came through. One went really well, one didn’t. We considered both a success for our career as musicians.
Some people know that a defining word on our life is, “Music is your ticket to the nations.” As two deeply missions-hearted people, Luke and I knew that we were designed to be missionaries. It also was clear that writing, recording and performing as Mid Air would play a key role in that calling. Being young as we are, creating and learning and exploring and sowing into life, we are working out the direction we are to take. For many this is something to be done in privacy and scary to share with the world, even your own parents at times. I told my siblings long before I told my parents that we were looking to move to Kansas City because I wanted them to see how we navigated that season of investigation and stepping out in faith, and I didn’t want my parents to be considering it with fear and other negative personal emotions if it wasn’t going to come together after all. Luke and I have been very open with the steps we have taken and where we have felt led, as well as where we have ended up — sometimes without choice. We have boldly invited people in to our journey, knowing we were inviting them to partner with us in what God was going to do, and was doing, through our lives.
In all our circumstances we have still held true to God, loved people, given generously, and continued to take risks of faith — going after what is intended for us. Unfortunately we have not received the kind of partnership in the Body that was required for us to go where we were led or do what we were called to do. A worker is worthy of his wages, the Word says. Each time we have attempted to raise financial partners, a core group, a support system, a community to do life with, in order to serve our city as missionaries through our everyday lives as well as our music and other creative outlets, it has failed. The first year and a half of our marriage I became deeply confused, disillusioned and depressed by, honestly, the lack of biblical care from the Body for us. Many times in my life I had stepped out in faith toward something God led me to do and had always been financially provided for by brothers and sisters who saw the vision and chose to partner with me in it with their resources. The testimony of Luke’s life is very similar. I could not understand why this changed so entirely when we got married. I thought it was my fault and dealt with crippling shame thinking I wasn’t being obedient, had no faith, wasn’t truly saved, was “living in the flesh”, etc even as we stepped out over and over in obedient faith to our God who we know as “Daddy” and in full surrender of our own desires. I doubted the goodness of God and wrestled so with the Lordship of God that Im still working that out in my own heart. I can see looking back we were robbed at many points but it wasn’t entirely the spiritual warfare of the Enemy, it was also a lack of partnership in the Gospel.
Over our short time being married, we have rarely known where we would live, what we would eat or how we would get where we needed to go, let alone how we would pay our bills. Work-for-hire jobs, selling possessions, family hosting us, a couple of friends blessing us for short periods of time, a few months of two full-time jobs, and selling an asset have been the way we have seen provision thus far. Contrary to the opinion of some, Luke is not an irresponsible provider or lazy man. Ive never seen anyone work as hard, long and without any complaining — I mean, literally, no complaining or bad-mouthing or frustration — as he has, regardless of the job. The conflict for us has come when we have heard God, we have stepped out obediently, we’ve invited the Body in and then been left hanging. Partly our fault as we haven’t been able to clearly define what our ministry is and how we do it until just recently, nevertheless people at least had bore witness to our lives, heard the testimonies of our everyday walk, and knew us. As a friend once said to me, “People don’t partner so much with what you do as they do with who you are.”
Our faith walk is convicting. I know this so well. Im married to Luke Osicka. If you have spent time with him and you’re a believer I am assured you have been deeply encouraged, inspired, convicted, and frustrated by him. Dear Lord, dont let us break from those we are convicted by, let us embrace them and the refinement of their presence in our own lives that we all might grow to full maturity in You!
Every minister of God throughout the Bible was provided for in full. And, in fact, knew where that provision would come from. In the Old Testament it was from offerings and the opened homes of children of God. In the New Testament it is through the Church. The stress and anxiety of our financial situation as we have stepped out over and over again has been entirely avoidable. Ive have wept in heartbreak not knowing whether the Church was rejecting Luke and my testimony, didn’t believe our lives, didn’t see our love for God and others, or just had no desire to partner in spreading the Gospel.
It was spoken over our marriage that everywhere we went, whoever we encountered, that they would be released from condemnation. This letter is not a condemning word, it is a humble and loving plea to reconsider the opportunity you have in the Body. Whether the recent natural disasters speak to you of the end times or simply remind you that life is fleeting, I pray we are all taking a good hard look at the testimony of our lives and whether or not we have lived ashamed of the Gospel and our Jesus — ashamed to open our mouths before dying men and women and offer them what we have, life and hope eternal.
So in answer to the question we have so often tried to answer adequately before to our loving brothers and sisters, “What would your ministry be about?”, I will say: Luke and I together make up the band Mid Air which is an alternative folk duo. Our music is saturated with good news that is hidden in parables. We love to play for secular venues and unbelieving audiences. During our shows we share testimonies of God’s work in our lives and others lives and we boldly preach the Gospel. We believe we are to continue to pour our time and energy into this music — into writing, recording and performing it — and that we will go all over the world with it, offering abundant life to countless individuals and taking time for the one in front of us; in line at the coffee shop, behind the counter, across the aisle, next door and on the other side of the world.
We need a support system of people who buy into Christ in us, and our answer to the call God has put out for harvesters to work in the ripe fields of the World. We need your love, your prayers, your resources, to continue to make and play our music and call many to repentance and faith in Christ alone — not in themselves or anything else. At this time we are seeking one hundred people to give $30 a month, to be in partnership with us.
I long so deeply for unity in the Body and I pray so much more for unity and reconciliation than other things — Ive pled with God to provide for us plenty, but mainly Ive still just leaned on trusting that as He knows we have need and we are continuing to be obedient, it is supposed to come. Friends, no believer is called to be self-sufficient but always interdependent on each other. Let’s be the Body.
With more love than you can fathom,
Chelsea + Luke
Comments
Post a Comment