The road ahead...

Well, my time in India has come to an end. Just a 15 hour plane ride, a 4 hour layover in Chicago and a last little 1 hour hop, and I'll be back in Indy!

As promised, I want to share with you all what my plans are for the near future. Two months ago I didn't have a clue what was next, but now I'm pursuing a vision so huge that it keeps me up at night! It's exciting, it's unique and it's just a little bit crazy.

Here it is: I am going to start a journalism ministry focused on social justice issues! For the next few years I plan on being an "Ernie Pyle" for the kingdom.

Basically I, and a team of other writers and photographers, will travel around the U.S. and the world, "embedding" ourselves like news correspondents in different ministries and locations, and then capturing the things we learn and experience on a central website.

We'll use many different mediums such as written articles, photographs, videos, podcasts, books and more to get people in suburban Indianapolis plugged in to issues around the world.

We'll travel to Kenya to capture slum life. We'll travel to downtown Indy to capture homelessness. We'll travel to Ukraine to capture the stories of orphans. The possibilities are endless!

Essentially, we will be taking the success of my India blog and multiplying its depth and scale. Just like I did for Truthseekers, this ministry will allow us to give readers an inside look at these ministries they've heard so much about.

One of the comments I've received a lot from my blog is that many people would love to travel around the world and immerse themselves in these issues, but they just don't have the flexibility (Um, yeah. It is sort of hard to run off to third world slums when you've got kids to take care of...).

Well, I want to provide these folks with the opportunity to expand their worldview, get engaged in kingdom issues and get "wrecked" without having to quit their jobs and move halfway around the world.

Of course, there are several other really awesome possibilities that might come from this too. First, I want to take groups of young writers overseas for 2-3 month full immersion experiences. It will be a chance for them to be developed as writers, but also a chance for people back home to journey along with them as they get "wrecked."

Second, I want to take groups of high school students into the city to spend a weekend with homeless people. They'll spend their days walking the streets and hearing the stories of men and women who live there. Then, they'll write what they learned or experienced, and I'll publish their work and photographs in a book for their families to keep.

Third, I want to develop a team of "free-lance" writers who can contribute even without having to leave their everyday lives. I know of a whole lot of great writers who could capture their experiences at Third Phase or Shepherd.

And of course, there could be a lot of other really great stuff like storytelling nights, live video webcasts, etc.

All in all, I think it has the potential to become a really fantastic ministry. Now, I don't know if or when it will go full-time and I don't know if or when it will become a non-profit. But I do know that I'm going to start writing for it as soon as I get home. Within a few weeks, I expect to be posting about the realities of inner-city Indy.

So buckle in, my fellow adventurers. I may be on my way home, but this journey has only just begun!