This should be the last entry of the “30” series, at least for now.  Though I am pondering doing a forward looking set, i.e., “30 places I’d like to visit”, “30 goals I’d like to achieve.”  But it may be getting a little too much.

Once again, I hesitated to post this one.  It is impossible to really quantify all the people who have had a formative impact on our lives.  And though this list is in some ways hierarchical, it is not meant to be a ranking system of significant people in my life, all of whom are invaluable and irreplaceable.

Furthermore, I have left any of my former students off this list, despite their inestimable influence on my life, for obvious reasons.

But I have written and posted this list as a practice in reflection and thanksgiving.  Whose influence has shaped me most significantly?

God

1-3 The Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit – might be cheesy to put all three, but there it is.  What can I say about my God?  The source of everything good in my life.

Family

4 Melissa – my wife has impacted my life more than any human being, period.

5-6 Ben and Sophie – kids are a game-changer in so many ways.  I didn’t know that it was possible to feel the kind of deep pleasure that I feel towards each of my kids.

7-8  My parents, Warren and Tanya Bailey – the older I get, the more I realize how indebted I am to them.  The longer I am a parent, the more I understand their hearts.

9-10 My sisters, Jennifer and Jacquelyn – I grew up with two sisters, one older, one younger.  They are both moms now and great ones at that.

Mentors

11 Cam South – my youth pastor.  Cam has taught me more about loving people and the heart of ministry than anyone I know.

12 Jim Capaldo – missionary to Siberia who hosted me for two summers in 2000 and 2002.  He taught me volumes about commitment, vision and discipline.  Jim’s life motto is “He is worthy!” and Jim lives it.

13-14 Mark and Steve Tremaine – two brothers who were counselors during my youth group days and friends beyond it.  They gave me the gift of believing in me more than I believed in myself. (They are pictured above)

15 David Rim – a professor from Moody who has shaped my theology more than anyone else, especially when it comes to the the doctrine of the Trinity and personhood. But what I admire most about him is his humility and honesty.  In an amazing turnabout, his daughters actually attend my youth group.

16 Cathy Smith – my high school forensics (speech and acting) coach.  I was super shy and introverted when I got into high school, yet she saw something in me that she helped me discover and develop.  After a horrible tournament my freshman year, I was ready to quit when I overheard her say, “Justin’s not doing well, but he’s going to be one of my stars next year.”  I stuck with it, grew in confidence and ability and won the state championship in Oratory my senior year, then placed 4th in the nation, and spoke at my high school graduation.  Now that I am a pastor one of my regular responsibilities is to speak publicly.  Every time I do, I am thankful to Ms. Smith.

Friends

17 James Lee – My best friend.  We hiked the Incan Trail together.  He probably knows me better than anyone other than Mel.

18-20 Ben Thullen, Ben Stapley and Ben Rowe – three roommates during and after college, who stood up at my wedding, and after whom my son is named.  They taught me so much about what it means to be genuine. I don’t get to see them often, but I continue to be marked by their influence on my life.

21 Justin Hoskins – like a brother to Melissa and I, we have maintained a strong friendship despite large geographical distances.  One of the coolest and most passionate people I know.

22 Jim Houck – almost falls into the “former student” category, but I was never his youth pastor.  I have known him for many years, but we grew tight when he lived and interned with us one summer.  He’s now a youth pastor in the Czech Republic.

Authors/Thinkers/Theologians/Speakers

23 C.S. Lewis – my favorite author and thinker

24 J.R.R. Tolkien – his work fuels so much of my imagination

25 Tim Keller – a pastor in NYC who has taught me what it means to be gospel-centered. It would be difficult to overstate how much Keller’s writing has shaped the way I think about ministry.

26 Peter Kreeft – Catholic philosopher who is almost like a living C.S. Lewis to me for the way that he fuses reason and imagination.

27 John Piper – another pastor and author.  Again, I’m not as excited about him now as years ago, but he has left his mark on me (and I suspect many young people my age).

28 Doug Kennard – a professor who was the first to really model what it was like to challenge my traditionally accepted views on the basis of Scripture rather than simply to use Scripture to support what I already believed.

29 Dennis Magary – a seminary professor who taught me Hebrew.  His Hebrew Exegesis class is the best class I’ve ever taken.

30 Frank Pardue – was a youth camp speaker I heard when I was 15 and 16.  His messages were the words that I needed to hear at that time in my life, and it was in that setting that I most clearly understood who Jesus was, what he had done for me, and what that meant for my life.  It’s amazing how someone you only know for a short time can have such an impact.

For these and all the people who have touched my life, I am so thankful.  I hope I can take the investments that others have made in my life and keep pouring into others.

If you made it to the end, thanks for reading!

The places on this section of the list are not exotic.  They are rather ordinary places where I have experienced extraordinary things.  Here’s the final ten spots of my top 30 list:

21. Olathe, KS, 1987-1999 - This is the town I spent most of my youth, where I grew up, made friends, went to school.  Close to my heart for sure.

22. Overland Park Baptist, KS, 1987-1999 – The church where Jesus became real to me.

23. Moody Bible Institute, Chicago, 1999-2002 – The college where my theology began to take shape, as well as where I began dating the woman who is now my wife.  I sometimes wonder if I still would have gone here if I had it to do over again, but can’t imagine what my life would have been like if I hadn’t.

24. Christ Our Savior Church, Chicago, 2000-2005 – The church where I cut my teeth on ministry.  I learned so much there.

25. Antioch Bible Church, 2006-2011 – My church and ministry for the last 5.5. years.  So many memories and testaments to God’s goodness.

26. Canaan Church, Dominican Republic, 2008 & 2009 – the most passionate church I have ever experienced.  I’d go just to sit in one of their worship services.

27. International House of Prayer in KC, 2008-2011 - a church where prayer services have been going on 24-7 since 1999.  I don’t agree with everything they do and teach, but admire the heart of prayer so much that I take personal retreats there several times a year.

28. Northwestern Hospital Labor and Delivery, 2009 & 2010 – the place where I welcomed my kids into the world with tears of joy.

29. CrossFit Arlington Heights, 2010-2011 - the place where I began drinking and enjoying the CrossFit Kool-Aid.

30. My house in Wheeling, IL, 2007-2011 - Our first actual house, with more room than we need and plenty of friends to fill the space. So blessed that we get to live here.

In my thirty years, I’ve been to something like 33 of the 50 states.  I need to hit the Northeast, Alaska and Hawaii to make 50 states by age 50.  But these are my favorite places so far.

11. Chicago, 1999-2005 - This is the magical city where I was able to live for six years before having to move to the suburbs.  My wife and I fell in love here.  How can you not love Chicago?

12. San Francisco, 2010 - San Francisco gets my vote for the coolest city in America not named Chicago.

13. The Pacific Northwest  1998 & 1999 - Seattle was my favorite city before I went to San Fran last year.  But forget the city, the Pacific Northwest rules. Probably the most beautiful place in America I’ve seen.

14. Coronado Beach, San Diego, 1993 - Best beach I’ve been to in the States, in the place with the best weather anywhere in the world.

15. Sequoia National Park, 1990 - I went here as a kid and was absolutely astounded at what I saw.  That’s what happens when you grow up in Kansas.  But I think these trees will astound anyone. My favorite national park.

16. Zion National Park, 2007 – Melissa and I went here for an anniversary vacation before we had kids.  If you go, you must hike “The Narrows”.

17. Yellowstone National Park, 2002 – I was only able to visit Yellowstone for a few hours, but it was long enough to see Old Faithful erupt.

18. The Grand Canyon, 1999 & 2007 – The south rim has the best views, but too many people.  The western rim is where it’s at.  We even got to take a helicopter ride into the canyon.

19. Blue Ridge Mountains, 2003 – This is where Melissa and I honeymooned back in 2003.

20. Hoover Dam & Lake Mead, 2007 – It would have been even more impressive if I had known that the government had secretly hidden the leader of the Decepticons there.

I almost hesitated to do this one, because it felt like showing off: “look where I’ve been”.  But I decided to post it anyway, because exploring and serving the world that God has made is a priority  for me.  I post these places reflectively: thankful for what I’ve been able to experience, and hopeful that the next 30 years have even greater adventures in store.

The first 10 are foreign, the second 10 are domestic, the third 10 are “other”.

1. Machu Picchu, Peru, 2010 – one of the seven wonders of the world.  The four day hike made the destination all the more amazing.

2. Karen Villages, Northern Thailand, 2008 – I led a group of 8 guys on a trip to Thailand.  We spent a whole day winding through mountain passes in the back of a truck to finally arrive these villages just under the border of Myanmar.

3. Mae Lah Refugee Camp, Northern Thailand, 2008 – I remember this for the beauty of the people who lived in the camp, as well as the thought, “I can’t believe I am here!”  But it was the worst night of sleep I’ve ever had.  Dreams of snakes and bugs crawling into my mosquito net haunted me all night.

4. Lake Teletskaya, Altai Republic, Siberia, 2000 – To this day the single most memorable outdoorsy trip I’ve ever taken was one to this lake in 2000.  We rowed these massive rowboats the length of the lake, unsure of where exactly we were going.  I could tell stories about this trip for hours. It was epic.

5. Lake Baykal, Siberia, 2000 – The deepest lake in the world.  Also the most beautiful place in Russia that I’ve seen.

6. Republic of  Tuva, Siberia, 2000 & 2002  - once ranked by Outdoor Magazine as one of the most remote places on the planet. Got to go whitewater on the Little Yenisey River back in 2000.  In 2002, Melissa and I had an adventure here that included Tuvan throat-singing, live animal remains, a rickety bridge and a black lake.

7. Akademgorodok, Siberia 2000 & 2002 - I spent a month studying Russian at Novosibirsk State University in this little town in 2000 and again in 2002.  The university was built in the middle of a forest.  Every morning I would wake up and take a 30 minute walk through the woods to class.

8. The Hermitage, St. Petersburg, 2002 – Easily the coolest museum I’ve ever visited.  Seeing the actual Rembrandt painting of the prodigal son was worth the price of admission (which was steep for foreigners!)

9. The Peterhof Palace, 2002 – I’m not usually impressed with people’s houses.  But this house, built by Peter the Great, gave meaning to the word palatial.

10. Trinidad, 2007 – was an eclectic mix of cultures with some of the most giving people I’ve ever met.  I will always remember eating a shark sandwich on the beach and body surfing on the waves.

20. Life is about relationships, and loving well is the goal.

21. Love in action is very different than love in dreams. Love is commitment, self-giving and sacrifice, not “warm fuzzes”.

22. Real life is found not in taking but in giving it away.  The more willing you are to give yourself, the more you will find real life.  There is a real cost, a real sacrifice, but the joy far surpasses the suffering.

23. Everyone is fighting a battle.  Everyone is insecure; everyone is trying to justify themselves some way or another.  It won’t work, and that’s why everyone needs the gospel.  Knowing this makes people less intimidating, no matter how put together they might seem.  It also leads to a response of compassion.

24. Character formation and transformation is the point of almost everything that happens to me.  This is true in every story worth telling, including the story of my life. If the character doesn’t change, what is the point of the story? It also means that if I want to change my character, I have to change the story.

25. The small choices in life matter because they shape my character. Thoughts become words become actions become habits become character becomes destiny.  This means that intentionality is key in every area of life.

26. You can’t live a life that is safe and a life that is brave at the same time.

27. Prayer is one of the hardest things for me to do, but the most satisfying thing when I do it.

28. The best gift I can give to my kids is a great marriage. This means I focus on loving my wife well first and taking care of my kids second.

29. Taking care of my body is essential.  Being healthy increases my capacity to enjoy life and to serve others.

30. It’s not how much you know but what you do with what you know that matters.

13. Spiritual leadership flows out of knowing and following Jesus.  This means that I must care for my own soul first before I can care for others.

14. As a pastor, I am called to equip and empower others for ministry.

15. Discipleship is not just teaching content but the sharing and impartation of life. It also means modeling and teaching people how to think, not merely telling them what to think.

16. Success is more than results: it is faithfulness, stewardship, servanthood and character formation.

17. The best motivation is grace, not guilt. Guilt alone has no value in creating life change.  Rather than making people feel guilty about what they haven’t done, cast a vision of Christ and the joy of participating in his mission.

18. As a leader, my job is to shape the culture of the group I’m leading, not just to teach them important things.

19. The church is supposed to be a taste of God’s kingdom, a movement of healing and hope where the world can see what it looks like to live under the reign of God.  This means that public justice is not optional, but rather the natural result of caring about what God cares about.

These are the truths that shape my life most deeply. I have divided the 30 truths into three parts: 1) truths about God, 2) truths about leadership, 3) truths about life.

1. There is a deeper layer of reality than what can be observed by science or the senses.  This is why we need art, literature, music, poetry and theology.

2. There is a God who we can know. At the deepest level of this deeper layer is a personal God, who we can know, because God speaks – God reaches over the gap and communicates to us in ways we can understand.

3. God speaks most clearly through Jesus Christ.  This is who God is.  When I think about God, I must start and stay with Jesus.  This means that I interpret everything in the Word and in the world through the filter of the rabbi from Nazareth, the crucified-and-risen Jesus Christ.

4. Jesus loves me, this I know.  He showed his love by dying for me, and rising again.

5. God is love. For God to be love, God must be triune. If God is triune, then relationship is at the very heart of the universe.

6. Authentic faith is relational. It’s not primarily about believing the right things or performing the right rituals but right relationships with God and others.

7. Religion is an enemy of the gospel. It makes me believe that I am accepted because of what I do, how good I am, or how I compare to those around me.  This invariably leads either to arrogance (if I succeed) or despair (if I fail).

8. The gospel is not a one-time vaccination but lifelong therapy.  It is constantly rediscovering the truth that though I am more flawed than I could possibly imagine, I am more loved by God than I could possibly dream. This is simultaneously humbling and empowering.

9. Idolatry is inevitable apart from God. When I turn away from God, I inevitably try to find someone or something else to give me what only God can give me: meaning, significance, purpose, joy, hope.  Idolizing anything else destroys that thing, no matter how good it is in and of itself.

10. There’s a bigger story than my story. The world is not about me, and I am not the main character.

11. There is a difference between loving God and loving the idea of God. Loving God means accepting and submitting to God as he is, not as I imagine him to be.

12. Jesus is worth trusting. There is so much in this world that is mysterious and difficult to understand.  There is much that I do not know.  But Jesus has won my trust.  And in the areas I don’t understand, I trust him.