car·pet·bag n. A traveling bag made of carpet fabric that was used chiefly in the United States during the 19th century.

A lot of people have asked me why I named my website after a piece of luggage known for being carried by unsavory people in the 19th century (see "carpetbaggers.") I had several reasons, one of the most basic being that www.thecarpetbag.com was more interesting and memorable than www.jasonmcfarland.com.

But I had another reason. Carpetbags were not just used by manipulative itinerant salesmen. All kinds of people who explored the roads of the United States carried carpetbags. And sometimes all of a person's worldly possessions might have been held in a single piece of luggage. That's not far from how I'm living at the moment.

Most of all a carpetbag meant freedom to me. Hopefully I'll always live my life in freedom. Freedom to live life fully, freedom to grow as a child of God. Check out my website to learn more about who I am and in what I believe.

news, updates, and
prayer requests

Over the next few weeks I want to set up a support-raising schedule and strategy, redesign my website, and find a flexible, part-time job. I’d also like to find a church in Memphis as soon as possible. Please pray for me as I look for a job. Pray that I find a community quickly. Pray that God sends ministry partners and that I’m not afraid to look.

I'm excited and a little nervous, because I feel a huge sense of responsibility to the calling that God has given me. I want to relax and play, not be disciplined. Pray that I blow on those sparks, that they be turned into flames. Pray that people come into my life who want to see a bonfire grow in and from my calling!

Click here for more detailed updates and prayer requests!