JAY OAKES
turning ideas into words.
Thankful for What Might Seem Mundane.2/19/2018 It’s Monday morning, February 19, 2018, President’s Day, so it’s a holiday. I’ve been up for a while as I start my work day to get some videos edited, do some research for upcoming projects, schedule some social media posts and prepare for an exciting week. As I got up and started moving around, I started a fire in the wood stove. It’s around 25 degrees outside with snow and ice covering the ground so the idea of a crackling fire seemed welcome.
But as I sit here working, I can’t help but be thankful. I have a home, a roof over my head and warmth inside. And beyond that, my home is filled with 3 beautiful girls, an adorable pup and a strong little boy on the way. I am working a job that allows me incredible flexibility to choose my hours, work hard, spend time with my family and stretch my creative muscles. These things may seem mundane at first glance, but my life is nothing short of extraordinary. But, I don’t believe it’s because I’m so unique or special, or because I was given opportunities specific to me; I believe it’s because I have taken the opportunities that have come my way. I’ve surrounded myself with people who believe in me and encourage me. I’ve recognized that God has been in control of everything and Jesus has given me the opportunity to live and breath. When things seem impossible or too far to be grasped, I’ve dreamed. When God asks me to take a seemingly crazy step of faith to do something or give something, I’ve tried to be obedient as I can, as often as possible. Sometimes I get overwhelmed thinking about how thankful I am, because I’ve always been taken care of. But I also believe that I’ve intentionally chosen to embrace a perspective of gratitude.
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Uncovering the Dream2/10/2018 Dreaming seems to be a dying art form, but it doesn’t have to stay that way.
Over the last few years, my wife and I have noticed a trend among people. What we started noticing in our time working with students between their middle and high school years is a lack of desire, interest or understanding of what it means to dream. We have watched that trend progressively bleed into the lives of so many adults that we have spent time with and have talked to. The reason I believe, is simply because culturally we’re encouraged to focus on something more attainable and realistic. dream - an aspiration; goal; aim Dreaming isn’t something that only happens when you sleep, but it’s something that changes the way we think, live and act on a regular basis. The art, if you will, of having a dream is something that permeates your mind and your being and challenges you to work harder, move forward when things get tough and look towards the end goal. When Indya and I started dating, we were attending Skagit Valley College. In between classes as we would have breaks, we would go on a date to home improvement stores like Home Depot and Lowe’s. What started as a way to spend time together in the moments we had available, turned into the beginning moments of learning to dream about the future. As we would walk down the aisles, we would talk about visions and hopes for our future homes - at the time, we were planning individually, but it became a vision and a dream of our future home together. Fast forward 7+ years to signing papers on our dream property, but logically, we shouldn’t have gotten it. By all calculations and worldly standards, it wasn’t going to work out. The house and the lot were far from perfect as we moved in. There have been countless hours invested already and the end goal and picture of perfection is much too distant to see at this point, but I do see the dream! It’s coming into focus; we are slowly uncovering the future of what our home and property will become. But the dream challenges me to take steps forward, to invest time into my family, to go work out in the rain when I feel like relaxing, to listen to words of insight and wisdom from mentors and coaches, to take constructive criticism and apply it and to work hard. Dreaming is an art. It takes practice. It takes patience. There are moments when your dream will shift. There will be moments when your dream will be completely different because your previous dream isn’t where you want to go anymore. Time will keep moving and days will keep ending, but the dream will keep that passion, fire and energy alive to drive you to move forward each day as you get out of bed, invest into yourself and look ahead to where you want to be. Your dream isn’t impossible to accomplish, it just takes time, effort and dedication. You just have to keep working at it, taking steps to get there and growing continuously so that you know you’re doing what you need to do. Talk to someone who is or has been where you want to go, seek advice, don’t be afraid to fail and dream big. Ultimately, my dream wasn’t just about me. It’s about a home for my family. This home represents a future of connectedness and love surrounding our home. The property represents the countless moments and memories shared with one another whether from stacking firewood or roasting marshmallows around a fire. We’ve achieved one dream of acquiring property we love… And it's far from perfect. This picture isn't the view that I want to show people because it's not tied up in it's package of precision and elegance, but it's real. The dream doesn't happen overnight. It's a process... so now we’re dreaming about what the property will become! What is your dream? My guess is that it’s more obtainable than the majority of people in your life have led you to believe. So go for it. A Change of Vocation2/2/2018 I’m not one to make important decisions hastily. I take my time and I think through the ripple that will form due to the decisions I make. Over the course of my life, I was consistently told, “think before you speak.” In the same way, I take very seriously the choices that I make and consider the way that it will affect myself, my family, my friends and those who are just in my sphere of influence.
As of January 31, 2018, my employment with Citipoint Church ended and I stepped into a new season of life. After a solid 7 years of serving as the Youth Pastor, 5 of those years on paid staff, I felt as though my assignment had come to an end and God was calling me to take a step of faith elsewhere. My journey has been a fun one, full of ups and downs as I grew in my leadership, speaking abilities, knowledge of the Bible and understanding of people. As I mentioned earlier, this decision wasn’t made flippantly, as I knew I was closely tied into the lives of many individuals and families. Back in August of 2016, I really began feeling like my time in vocational ministry was going to be making a shift. Not knowing what that looked like or what that feeling meant, I continued to plug along in the place that I was at, learning and developing my skills as I patiently yet eagerly awaited God’s direction. It was late March to early April of 2017 that I was confidently able to tell Indya, “I believe that my assignment is over.” Amidst the transition of a new Lead Pastor stepping into his role at Citipoint Church, I decided to hold my course and aim to be as useful as I could be to our new leader. As he was learning about the culture of the church and developing his plans for the future, we were having conversations about what my future and next steps looked like, whether on staff or not. His willingness to allow me to be completely honest and transparent about my understandings and thoughts for the next season were so refreshing and encouraging to me. December of 2017, Indya, our daughter and I took a trip to Mexico with some close friends to relax and play on the beach. In doing so, I began reading a book. As I was sitting on the beach in the cabana and reading, I got 27 pages in, closed the book, looked at Indya and said, “I think I’m done and our assignment is over.” Although we had many conversations about this decision, that was the definitive point in our story. I had peace, I knew that God was challenging me to take a seemingly illogical step and completely trust Him to provide. To step away from a paycheck and health insurance with a baby due in the next few months to start my own business doesn’t make sense, but we have full faith that God is taking care of us and leading us to a new adventure. So what is the new adventure? More can be read on our website, but in 2013, Indya and I started a business called Washington Concept. Over the course of almost 5 years, our vision and our overall goal has shifted dramatically and we are going to be focusing on marketing in 3 key areas — graphic design, website design and videography. I’m looking forward to challenging my creativity, learning what it means to be a self-employed business owner and completely trust God to provide for what I need. Our plan is to stay at Citipoint Church. We love the family we’ve come to know and trust, the community that has been created and the friendships that have taken place over the last 8 years that we’ve been apart of the church and the team. Both Indya and I still have a passion for helping students work their way toward Jesus and learn about the opportunities that He has given them. We still have a desire to work with people and spend time developing relationships and community with those around us. We are still passionate about being in ministry, but we are just taking a step out of full-time vocational ministry into full-time non-vocational ministry role within our day-to-day lives. As we take this step, it’s exciting to watch as God challenges me to grow personally and professionally. We don’t always know why God does the things He does or why He asks us to do the things He does, but I can say that it’s very exciting to be in a place in life where I have nothing to do but trust that He will take care of me and my family. Archives
February 2018
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