But Wait, There's More 🛫

My Mid-life Crisis, Part 4

In this series, I've been sharing a bit of my journey over the last few years, including my five-month health scare, some crazy mid-life crisis-style projects, and a change in how I view American Christianity. All those lead up to this entry, which is helpfully hinted at with the airplane emoji in the title. Since I suppose this is a public announcement, I won’t “But Wait, There’s More” you any longer and I'll just say it and then explain.

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I'll be moving to Istanbul, Turkey for much of the coming year.

Yeah. It's wild, I know.

I explained in the last volume of this series that I've made a conscious decision to align with Global Christianity over the American version. Some of that decision is my intent to transcend the distractions that currently embroil us state-side, and to focus on the things that truly matter most.

So speaking of what matters most: our family has become more cross-culturally connected we have become more awakened to the needs of the 4 in 10 people worldwide that do not have access to the good news of Jesus Christ. This is why I work as the Activator for Global Marketplace Multipliers (GMM), who are Christians serving in the marketplace intentionally engaging in global disciple-making. I work to equip and encourage people who know God wants their faith and their work worldwide.

With this move, I'll be dialing up my efforts to connect with the global marketplace from Istanbul. It’s one of the most important global cities in the world (16 million in that metro area, which puts it size-wise somewhere between New York City or Karachi and Buenos Aires or Manila.)

Confessing I've Become a Cliché

The Crazy-Eyed Wild Ambitions Phase

New Wineskins for the American Church

I will continue working as hard as ever to get people to consider moving to another country and be intentional about their faith and work. As I coach and consult others in their work, it gives me some platform to do so. I can do my job from anywhere--but perhaps in some ways better from a global city like Istanbul, and to be honest, being on "Turkey Time" (TRT) might help when some of my Zoom meetings around the world need to take place.

I'm sure you have some questions, so I'll now switch to a handy format I just invented called a "Q & A" where I generate questions I imagine a trusty reader may have and then answer them as if I were having a high falutin press conference:

Q: So when is this going to happen, Your Honor?

A: Ahem, just call me Dave. To answer your question, I hope to spend up to 3 months in the Fall of 2023 and up to another 3 months in the Winter/Spring of 2024 there in Istanbul. 

Q: What about the family, sir?

A: Kathy and our youngest daughter Lauren hope to be with me for part of the time while I am there. Our other two are already adults (and of course, Lauren turns 18 before I go there this Fall.) Kathy will continue in her role with Immigrant Connection in the United States remotely during those visits. Oh and seriously, just call me Dave.

Q: Have you been there before?

A: I was in Istanbul almost two decades ago, but a lot has changed (for instance, the population nearly doubled, yikes!) Kathy and I already plan an exploratory trip in July to get our bearings.

Q: What will change for your job?

A: No dramatic change, only hoping to do more of it from there and model what it's like to move to another country and be intentional about your faith and work. Our GMM team is situated all around the world on four different continents, so for the global marketplace types this isn't a big deal… it's how they live.

Q: What else will change?

A: I have let go of some other commitments and responsibilities. Some of those were already winding down. Others I've had to regretfully dial back on. There's only so much time in the day.

Q: Will you come back?

A: Do I have to? Just kidding! The plan is for this to be the next nine months or so. Not long-term. (Oh, and my oldest daughter is getting married late next Spring, so I think I should try to be back for that!)

Q: What are you most looking forward to about Istanbul?

A: Oh man, the list is long... maybe that needs to be a separate entry! Good idea. Stay tuned.

Q: Will we continue to hear from you?

A: Yes. I'm toying around with some new ways to communicate with people in the coming years. Look here for those, or just email or private message me to stay in the loop or get the inside scoop on what I mean. If you’re subscribed you already get an email from me every time there’s a post here and you can always reply to that for a private exchange.

This concludes this series, thanks for reading it! What do you think I should write about next?