Conversation #4 is up with Josh Longbrake. Josh is a 24 year old graduate student, but he’s more than that. He’s an artist, author, photographer, explorer and learner. Not to mention that he’s a pretty darn good friend. Read. Enjoy. Learn.
Name:: Joshua Longbrake
Age:: 24
Location:: Seattle, WA
What you do professionally/educationally:: Mars Hill Graduate School student
Blog/website:: http://www.thelongbrake.com
e-mail address (if you want to be available to people who may want to ask more ?’s) thelongbrake@gmail.com
Jesus says “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.” When you read these words do you see them as relevant for today? What do you think Jesus is calling us to here and how does it work out today?
A:When I read these words I feel humbled. My friend Tony is always saying that Jesus is calling us to a Low Place Revolution, to be last in everything so as to value everyone as more important than ourselves. A call to live like this transcends time. I believe Jesus has called me to be as generous as I am able. There is an ebb and flow to that statement, but it is becoming clearer as to how that is to be lived out.
Talk about one way that you see Jesus demonstrating this kind of living? Why does that stand out to you? How does it apply to the circumstances you find yourself in today?
A: Seattle, where I live and go to school, has a large population of homeless and needy. I am confronted with them every day. They are very much in your face about their needs, but I’m ok with that. I think Jesus asks me to give continually. Everyone may not feel this, but I do, and so I am learning to practice it.
Talk about your current circumstances and how you try and intentionally put yourself in last place? What have been some of the biggest challenges? How have you seen Life come through these attempts (both personally and with others)?
A: The biggest challenge has been balance. One cannot always be “on”. There is a need for rest and for sabbath. I can easily burn myself out with effort, but there is a season to sit and reflect. There is a time to watch and observe and wait. It is easier for me to always go, but it is difficult to rest, probably because I put so much weight on my own shoulders.
Tell us a little bit about your journey towards living in last place in your everyday life. (have you always lived this way, what caused you to live this way, how did you start applying this concept to your job, neighborhood, family, freetime)
A: I think that once one is confronted with the generosity and ways of Jesus, truly come face to face with the reality of it, it is impossible to go back. There are times when you sway and stumble, but the truth of God, the way we are created to be, is so deep within that person’s soul that it always draws them back to a last place mentality. I have been on this slow journey, one day at a time. It was not a one-time revelation, but a continual process, even to into today.
Living this way is not easy and very often we choose not to live in last place. What are some key truths that you hold onto when you feel like you are failing at living this way?
There is no arrival in life. There are moments of arrival. The process must be embraced. Learning to be something takes time and effort and patience. If I feel like one day I will arrive then I am setting myself up for failure. My hope is that tomorrow I will be a little bit more in last place than I am today.
Dream a little bit with us. What do you think would happen if more people embraced this way of living? How would that affect the Church? How would impact communities?
A: If a local body really took this low place revolution to heart, it would change their entire community. Racial barriers would slowly break down. Gender issues, economic issues, age issues, all of them would be worn away little by little. Treat others as you yourself wish to be treated, and you’ll change everything.
No Comments Yet
No comments yet.
Comments RSS TrackBack Identifier URI
Leave a comment
