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.

Conversation #3 is up and running.  This time we hear from Sarah Conway, a college student at Kent State.  Sarah’s heart for those in need has lead her to her major as well as direction for the future.  Read and learn from Sarah!

Name: Sarah Conway
Age: 21
Location: Cleveland, OH
Professionally/Educationally: Human Development & Family Studies major / intern with Children’s Hope International
E-mail: sconway1@kent.edu

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)?
I am currently in my last year at Kent State University with an internship and a job that takes up a nice portion of my time and energy.  I have a lot of friends who are non-believers who I just try to spend time with and show them the love that Jesus has for them.  My goal is just to be genuine with the people I encounter and to care about the needs that they have in their life.  I think that one of the biggest challenges in living this way is just the ‘me first’ attitude of the culture that we live in.  Everyone has the things that they need to accomplish, and busy schedules and it takes away time to sit with someone who is hurting or to help someone out.  It takes extra time and energy to put someone else’s needs before your own.  I think that a lot of times life just seems easier if we are to focus on me and ignore some of the situations that we see others in.

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?
I think that this is the most fulfilling and beautiful way in which a person can live their life.  We are called to be obedient to Christ and to serve the ones that He loves.  Jesus is calling us to be His hands and feet, and to work our hardest to serve as He served.  Jesus is the ultimate first place, but he came to earth and intentionally put Himself in last place to serve the unworthy.  I think that today we need to evaluate what the goals we have made for ourselves are, and if they are pleasing to God.  Whatever possessions, recognition, or status we are working towards will not last forever.  Are our actions today displaying God’s love for His children?  We need to be aware that God loves all of His children; we should not be creating some sort of ranking system because we are all sinners who fall short of the glory of God.  We are called to be selfless and to put the needs of others in front of our own.

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?
Jesus demonstrated this kind of living His entire life.  He lived his whole life in last place and humbled himself and became obedient to death for the salvation of all.  Jesus loved the unlovely and sat with the hurting.  He wasn’t concerned with an image or any sort of personal gain from his actions.  This applies to the circumstances we find ourselves in today because I think we are all concerned with how others view us.  I think that it is really easy to talk yourself out of reaching out to someone that you feel drawn to because you might make a fool out of yourself.  I’ve felt this way too many times, and I just have to realize that it’s silly for me to be so concerned with how a stranger might view me.  I think that today it is so important just to be bold in our actions and unashamed in what we believe.

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, free time)
I would say that my journey towards living in last place really started a few years ago when I took my first trip to Mozambique.  At the time I was a college drop out with very little direction for my future.  I witnessed the pure joy and love in the people there despite the fact that they had almost no material possessions; all they had was their faith.  I realized that the things our culture tells us that we should be pursuing weren’t the things I wanted to be seeking for my life.  I felt that once I stopped searching so hard and just became obedient that the things in my life just fell into place.  Once I got over myself and doing things on my own and just humbled myself it felt like all the missing pieces were filled in.  After being in a place where people have nothing and witnessing a whole different way of living life, I was forced to look really closely at how I was living and was shocked at what I was making most important in my own life.  My heart was changed a lot and I really just wanted to start making other people my focus and to put them before myself.

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?
When I feel like I am failing at living in last place I just have to remind myself that no one is perfect and the truth is that we are all going to fail, a lot!  I am a sinner and I will inevitably fail.  I am going to be selfish at times and want to do things for myself.  However, all of us have been blessed to live in America where we have so many resources at our finger tips.  It is up to us to use the resources that we have been given.  We have the opportunity to make choices that so many people in the world don’t.  One of the things that I like to always keep in mind is that ‘when much is given, much will be required.’  Also, one of my favorite verses that I keep in mind is 1 John 3:18: ‘…let us not love with words or tongue, but with actions and in truth.’  It’s really easy to get discouraged, there are people around me who tell me that I can’t make a difference, that the only people who can are those with money.  Maybe my actions are not going to impact the world, but my actions can impact someone’s world.  God can change someone’s life through you.

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?
One of the things that really bothers me is when I hear people putting so much of their energy into arguing about how and why their church is better for one reason or another.  If more people started embracing this way of living the Church would become more cohesive.  The Church is not a whole bunch of different buildings consisting of the different members, but the followers of Jesus all throughout the world.  If you say you love Jesus, this is the way in which you should be striving to live.  We are one Body that shouldn’t be fighting against one another.  If more people embraced this way of living the Church would not only grow but strengthen, nothing but good can come from living this way.

Any last words to further the conversation?
FIND SOMETHING YOU’RE PASSIONATE ABOUT!!

Welcome back for our second conversation at Last Place People!  This time we hear from Emily Gallagher, a 25 year old social worker in Cleveland, OH and newlywed to John!  You’ll love Emily’s heart and fire as she shares her heart and challenges us to live in last place!

Name:: Emily Gallagher
Age:: 25
Location:: Cleveland, OH
What you do professionally:: social worker working with youth in foster care
e-mail address :: alotlessemily@yahoo.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?
I think this call of Jesus is especially applicable to youth in foster care. To understand what it means to truly be last, put yourself in the place of a kid in foster care.  Imagine your family did something or possibly several things that caused you to be removed from them.  These things could include sexual abuse, physical abuse, the use of drugs in the home and neglect of the one thing you desperately need…  LOVE.  You cry and cry as an infant desiring your basic needs of love and care; but no one comes.  Ok, so let’s stop for a moment and realize that Jesus never intended it to be like this.  So these youth begin to react to the situations they have been put through and because of the sexual abuse, they begin to sexually abuse, or they are clueless on how to deal with their sexual organs and therefore they begin to pee all over the house or smear poop all over the bathroom.  They want to be dirty and unattractive so that no one will come near them, so that no one will love them.
The calling for us is to care for these orphans.  We accomplish this by ensuring that they have safe places to live and people to LOVE them.  But they are seemingly so unlovable, so we segregate ourselves from them.  To be a servant of all would be to radically change how we see these orphans.

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?
Jesus demonstrates this kind of living by loving people who no one else would love.  He hung out with prostitutes, sick-sick people, and unreligious folk.  He set an example for us to spend time with these people.  This stands out to me because these youth in foster care are crying out for attention so they vandalize, steal, rape, and terrorize.
The way I apply that to the circumstances I find myself in is to challenge my own way of thinking and the thinking of those around me.  To change our views of these youth from outcasts (truly last place people), to treating them with the dignity and respect they deserve.  I truly love these “unruly” children.

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)?
I am a social worker at a treatment foster care agency.  The kids are hurting so terribly because they have been so hurt.  I do not expect to “put myself in there shoes” it is not possible, I have lived a different life than them. However, I do look for joy in each day, I focus on life now, I live by trust being essential, I know time is an ally, I believe that competence can be taught, and I encourage them to feel.  I model for the staff that I supervise to do these things as well, I pray with coworkers and other foster parents because if we want to see lives changed than we have to pray.

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, free time)
I knew that I wanted to work with those less fortunate than me since I was in high school and I first heard about how African Americans were being treated up until the 1950’s & 60’s. I remember watching a video and being so shocked that a majority of people believed separate but equal was okay.  I knew that this was not the call of God, and when people quoted Scriptures to justify their views it made my skin craw.  I was so shocked and embarrassed that I knew I was called to living for others in a different way.  I got into social work because it is a way to work with people and make a small impact. Again, relationships are paramount so with no relationship there is little change.  (this is modeled by Jesus through his discipleship).

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?
Loyalty- Sometimes kids are acting out there sexual abuse in public, and I am embarrassed, but I stand with them anyway.
Prayer- These kids are desperate and truly hopeless therefore prayer is essential.
Joy- We need to laugh, it may be a stretch to find humor but it really allows for freedom.

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?
OH wow- this is what we are called to do; I truly get so irked with the Church when we are not living this way.  We are ordered to embrace the least of these with LOVE and it would change our lives, it would also change the lives of these children.  If I could dream of how the Church could respond I would request they take the call seriously to care for the ORPHANS and become foster or adoptive parents.  There are a lot of orphans around the world but mainly I’m referring to the orphans right here, right now in Northeast Ohio.  They need homes, they need LOVE, and they need a true Savior.
This would impact communities because it could potentially eliminate foster care. I would love to be out of a job because the Church stepped up and took in all these children.  It would get kids off the streets, out of residential (lock down facilities) and into homes who model true living by living for a SAVIOR- what we all need.

Any last words to further the conversation?
There are so many other ways to get involved;
1)       Become an adoptive parent
2)       Become a foster parent
3)       Research the shady laws and write your legislators to change them
4)       Volunteer
5)       Pray for the orphans around the world but especially those right here in Northeastern Ohio

We want this website to serve as a place that people can exchange ideas about how they pursue last place in everyday life (at work, home, school, the gym, the grocery store, driving….). We believe that if you have a chance to hear from others it may spark something in you right where you live. Here’s a great story… Let the sparks fly!

I work for an auto dealer in the area. I was asked by an older gentleman if I could help him with some questions he had with his new vehicle. In my head I thought to myself
“oh great.. another older technology challenged person. I’ll get someone else to help him.” But I didn’t and I agreed to help him out and try to answer his questions. I started by informing him that I was no expert. After about 30 minutes in a hot car with this gentleman I had never met before in my life he finally figured out how to use his new navigation system and DVD entertainment center. A process that takes most people 5-10 minutes. upon our exit of his car he said
“Thank you… Hey you’re a Christian aren’t you?” I stop in my tracks and turned around… I looked at this kind man and could only manage to stammer out a quick and quiet
“why… ye-ss… yes I am. Why do you ask?” He simply replied
“Although you didn’t say anything about Jesus I just knew you were. I could tell by the way you treated me. have a good day.”
I suppose I didn’t deserve that sort of recognition. I was just doing my job. Some how I was able to give praise to God without really thinking about it.. Just in the way I gave of myself to help someone else. It was beautiful and extremely encouraging. Live in last place and you will come out on top! I pray that we all continue to gain the strenght to live in last place for Jesus our Savior. By God’s grace may we acquire that strength!
Your Brother In Christ,
Greg

E-mail us your story at lastplacepeople@gmail.com!

The first conversation is here! Matt Kitchen is a 7th Grade math teacher in Maple Heights, Ohio and a newlywed who’s been married to Shannon for 1 year. You won’t want to miss Matt’s honest look at what it means for him to live in Last Place and how he thinks you could too.

Name:: Matt Kitchen
Age:: 24
Location:: Cuyahoga Falls, OH
Occupation:: 7th Grade Math Teacher
Contact Info:: mskitchen@gmail.com

Q:: 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:: I don’t think it can get more relevant than these words from Jesus. Jesus is calling us to be a servant of others and to put everyone you meet before yourself. Whatever needs they have become a priority over yours – acts of complete selflessness. Jesus is telling us that we are on this earth to serve others and it is the essence of what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. These are powerful words and should change the social structure of his people – Christ should be seen through our servant-hood.

Q:: 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:: Thank God for the gospels so we can see Jesus live and do things. It gives us a great precedent to follow after a resource we can continually look back at and set our standards to. If you haven’t read through a gospel recently – do it, I like John. When I think of an example of Jesus putting himself last I think of the story of Zacheus and when Jesus called him down from the tree to go have dinner with him. The story that I sung as a child but only now fully grasp the depth of what Jesus did. Zacheus was a tax collector that pretty much everyone hated. If your not familiar with the history – the Jews were taxed a ridiculous amount of their income that Zacheus would collect and he would then collect another portion above this for his own income, yes, he was cheating the people that he lived nearby. So what Jesus does is quite remarkable, he singles out the one person in the crowd who is hated by everyone else – a sinner who takes hard earned money from God fearing people – and invites himself over to his house. I’m sure Zacheus could count the number of friends he had on one hand even if he had no fingers available to use. I am sure he is lonely, hurt, hardened, weary, full of shame, etc, etc. And Jesus picks this go to go sit down with and talk and INVEST in. What boggles my mind with this is the level of servant-hood Jesus is at in this story. We aren’t talking baking a pie for a family that has experienced a death, telling somebody that you are praying for them in a quick passing, holding the door open for a stranger, helping a stranger carry their groceries – which are all nice and great ways to serve in the name of Christ. We are talking about finding the person that nobody else cares about and investing time in their lives and restoring them to a place they deserve to be. Wow – scary. It’s me calling my brother after not having talked to him in many many months to see how he is doing and what I can do to serve him. It is going to the person at work that gets dumped on, paying them a compliment and then asking if you can take them out to lunch. It is showing Christ’s love in ways that you may not feel comfortable doing, but that needs to be done. P.S. I wish I had a better grasp of this in High School, there were kids at certain lunch tables that needed the love of Christ.

Q:: 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:: I’m a teacher and I am blessed to be in a job where I can show Christ’s love and put others first many many times a day. It comes more natural to show it with the students, sacrificing your time before or after to school to help them with work or just to talk. Telling them and showing them how important they are. Staying up late to plan good lessons or going to the store to buy some treats for them. As a teacher our focus is on the students and it is easier to serve them and put them first – it is our job. However, it is equally important to me to serve my coworkers. A teachers time w/o students during the day is very valuable as we always have a million things to prepare for, but I try to sacrifice my time to help other teachers with their technology woes, or help to encourage them when they are having a tough day, make extra copies for them, or just sit and chat for 5 minutes so they can enjoy some adult conversation. These steps hopefully open the door for greater conversations and greater avenues for me to serve them. The challenges in serving others and putting them first are usually the same (for me) – selfishness. I could be doing something for myself right now, why would i be doing something for somebody else. If you grew up a loner (read lonely) like me these things are often more difficult, Initiating relationships are not easy for me cause I am not great at them. Probably because they require a lot of continual work and eventually I want to flake out – Jesus never flaked out. He hasn’t flaked out on me yet even though I have tried a couple times. I continually look to his example and strive to make myself more like him.

In the past, the biggest things I have seen come from putting others first is that they start a relationship with Jesus Christ. After all, that’s why you started a relationship with them – not just because you want them to know Christ, but because Christ lead you to invest in someone. And Christ should naturally pour out of that relationship and they should want what you have and hopefully they will repeat the process.

Q:: 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 alluded before that I wish I would have done this more in High School as there was so much good I could have done, but i really didn’t start living the sacrificial life until college. I think as a child of faith you live sort of like a Child and it is difficult to grasp these more complicated concepts until you internalize your faith. Or it could just be that I never took the time to concentrate on the life of Jesus and what that meant to live out. I was still living for myself. I live this way now because I call myself a Christ follower and I choose to follow Jesus. You can’t be a follower of Jesus and not put others first, it is essential to who he is. When you finally grasp the concept you put on a some new lenses and you see life differently. Your patience increases because angrily honking your horn or giving people a disapproving stair does not make the line go faster and does nothing for their self esteem. Your love for people increases as you begin to see more smiles when you hold the door open and pick up something somebody dropped. And most of all your willingness to serve increases with each day you serve others, it becomes a lifestyle. You stop thinking about yourself and look at the needs of other people way before you consider your own – talk about mind blowing.

Q:: 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?

A:: First off, you are going to fail at this. If you choose to live this way you have introduced a dichotomy to your American life. American society tells you that you worry about yourself and everything is about making you feel better. Spend your money on yourself, drink because it is fun for you, go out and have a good time for you, don’t worry about others. Every show you see, every commercial you watch, and many of the people you talk to on a daily basis are going to believe that you watch out for #1 and worry about others only when necessary to your pleasured existence. SO, when I lose track of serving and focus on what American life is telling me to do, I have a quick conversation with God. He realigns my thinking. It is about living in constant communication with God so he can tell if you something is wack or right on. And I know I am going to fail sometimes, it is just a matter that I do not concentrate on the fact that I am going to fail – i just keep plugging away, but when I slip, God picks me up, i find out what I slipped on and strive to avoid that patch next time I walk that way. Pretty soon you get into a rhythm of ducking and dodging and you cruise.

Q:: 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:: I think the new word in Christian conversation should be Viral. Because this and many other concepts in Christianity are meant to be viral or spread quickly. If you seek someone out to serve and invest in, take the time and do it right, then they should want to seek someone else to serve and invest in and it should spread. It doesn’t always work this well because too often we aren’t doing what we wish we would be doing. We need to do buck up and do it. The church would not only increase but deepen as there would be many people in deeper relationships experiencing God than the Hi-Bye relationships you often see on Sunday mornings. Out of it you grow, they grow, people are strengthened, the Church is strengthened, neighbors are strengthened, communities are strengthened, and this country is strengthened under the bonds of love, support, encouragement, servant-hood, and Jesus.

Q:: Any last words to further the conversation?

A:: My last words to further the conversation are just to have a conversation about this with someone. Even if you don’t think there is anyone you can invest in right now, pray about it with God, find another Christian to talk to and engage in conversation about what it looks like to be a world changer – a man or woman of God, someone who is going to put all others before themselves. I think the conversation and prayer will turn you into someone who is ready to invest when the time arises. Always be ready, you never know when you will be needed – that’s what is so exciting about being a Christian.

We’ll have our first additions to The Conversation on Sunday by 12pm.

Check back soon!

Welcome to LastPlacePeople.com! We’re glad you’ve stopped by.

Here’s what you need to know. This is not really a webpage, it’s a movement.

It’s a movement of people who believe that when Jesus said “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.” He was talking to us.

This is a call for all Christ Followers to learn how to intentionally Live in Last Place in every aspect of their life.

Consider this your invitation to join us.

There’s a lot of info here, and more will be added soon. Take some time and check it out.

The Concept:: This will give you a little bit more info about Last Place People

The Conversation:: Overtime we will add interviews with people who live in Last Place 24/7.

The Movement:: This will be a place to exchange ideas about how you can live in Last Place in your everyday life.