"Those who go down to the sea in ships, Who do business on great waters; They have seen the works of the LORD, And His wonders in the deep." - Psalm 107:23-24
My son seems like a wholly different person than some years ago when I caught him unawares, gazing at the power and enormity of the sea.
I can still see the awe in his eyes as he later remarked, "The ocean's angry today, Dad.". Josh had gotten a glimpse of His power.
Images like this mean more and more to me as I get older - for all the usual sentimental reasons.
But I think I'm drawn to this particular picture because - regardless of all the opportunities and experiences I've been blessed to have - I think I still feel like Josh did at the moment I took that picture.
It's as if I'm continually standing on the edge of something much larger and more mysterious than I can quite comprehend. The feeling is oppressive and foreboding and crisp and exhilarating - all at the same time. That's just how Adventure feels.
Life is truly an adventure for those who have eyes to see.
I was sitting on a mountainside at about 11,500 feet in Colorado late one afternoon, and this little kid and his mom showed up.
I find wildlife fascinating for all sorts of reasons, but this time, it was the grace and agility with which this mountain goat family ran up and down the mountain slopes.
I'm talking serious boulder chutes and tough 4th class terrain that I tend to poke through like a sloth. His momma just bolted down out of nowhere with him in tow, leaping and lunging, defying gravity like furry John Woo characters.
That blurry background is about 800 feet below the little fella, but he hopped right up on that stone, stuck like Spidey and took a peek over the edge.
I was impressed by these two. The momma teaching her son to survive in the mountain environment, to be constantly aware of his surroundings, to know his limitations and yet boldly approach the challenges that appear in his path. The kid, humbly learning and then testing his skills. Awesome.
Father, help me to be both child and parent - learning and modeling a wise and bold approach to the future.
These 3 verses fall at the end of chapter 10 in the book of Hebrews.
"For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.
FOR YET IN A VERY LITTLE WHILE, HE WHO IS COMING WILL COME, AND WILL NOT DELAY. BUT MY RIGHTEOUS ONE SHALL LIVE BY FAITH; AND IF HE SHRINKS BACK, MY SOUL HAS NO PLEASURE IN HIM.
But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul." - Hebrews 10:36-39
These verses set the stage for the magnificent Chapter 11 - perhaps the greatest words ever written about the lifestyle that we Christians are to pursue.
I've been spending a lot of time reading, meditating and teaching on the "lifestyle of faith".
I spent a day recently helping high school students understand the difference between faith and experimental knowledge. And last night, our house was packed full of bright college-age friends studying through this very topic.
I can't in one blog post repeat everything we covered last night.
The best thing to do is to read Hebrews 10:36 through 12:3 in a single push.
Think hard about what each person did, the decisions they made, the actions they took and THE HOPE they had for the future!
"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval." - Hebrews 11:1-2
Think about their lifestyle, how they blended a strong belief about what God was ultimately going to do (the resurrection and the kingdom to come) with their decisions in the present.
And then consider how you might live your life like Noah, Abraham, Moses, Rahab and the rest of the crew.
In a nutshell, we MUST pursue a lifestyle that involves risk-taking, positive decision making and sacrifice - just like those great men and women in chapter 11.
The thrust for this lifestyle is the belief that God exists and will reward those of us who seek him diligently with a resurrection body that will never die, and a real, physical Kingdom where Jesus rules the entire world in perfect Justice, with no more death, no more sorrow and no more pain.
I pursue adventures in the mountains for this very reason. I train myself and those I mentor to seek adventure in every area of their lives - to develop the capacity to take appropriate risks, to sacrifice and to make positive decisions in the midst of an uncertain world.
I believe this prepares us to live our lives like those great people of faith in chapter 11.
"Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. . ." - Hebrews 12:1
I spent a day last week teaching and challenging the high school students at a fine Christian school. We talked most about how to keep our faith in the midst of a contradictory world.
The seniors will soon blast off, and most of them are going to secular universities around the country - places that can be quite challenging and contradictory to keeping your faith in God.
In fact, we're hearing that about 3 out of 4 Christian students drop their faith by the end of their first year in college. That's an abrupt about-face on such an important subject, don't you think?
So I asked, as I often do, "How do you know that God exists? And if he exists, how do you know his name is Yahweh? How do you know that Jesus is who the Bible says he is?".
Really, how do you know?
I ask these questions because I know that these students will soon face a barrage of questions just like that from their college professors. All too often, the intent of the prof is to corrode the student's core beliefs.
And I think the best way to prepare these young men and women is to start the process BEFORE they're away from the influences of parents, church and Christian school. I'd rather start the discussion and the discovery process sooner rather than later - while there's still time to help make things clear.
I want the students to be comfortable in the uncertainty that will (certainly!) come their way, and to know why they believe what they believe.
The students' answers and the resulting discussions were invigorating as always.
And so, I thought I'd ask you, "How do YOU know?".
Susan and I have been tricked a few times lately at the box office. You know what I mean - movies that are hyped to be one thing, and then turn out to be something totally different.
Well, we just watched Denzel's The Book of Eli. This thing is an apocalyptic action movie that ends up delivering as strong a message as most moviegoers can probably handle.
*** Disclaimer: Please be advised - this is an action movie made in traditional Hollywood style. The brutality and the language in this movie give it an "R" rating - so my boys won't see it until I can rent it and play it at home on ClearPlay. If you're uncomfortable with knife fights, gun battles and realistic depictions of death, then apocalyptic films like this are not for you. ***
Denzel appears as Eli, the stereotypical Mad Max character. Sure, Max is in there somewhere. But Eli's older, humbler and has a curious singleness of purpose about him. He's all that, of course, mixed with echoes of Clint Eastwood and Bruce Lee.
He's traveling west across a post-nuclear-war America with a particular book - one he reads from every night. This book holds, in his mind, the key to the recreation and restoration of mankind after the near annihilation of civilization.
Gary Oldman plays Carnegie - the antagonist - the power figure in a small western town who's bent on finding the book. Carnegie sends his gang of thugs on regular but unsuccessful reconnaissance missions to find a copy, killing and pillaging as they go.
Whether it's serendipity, fate or Providence - Eli and Carnegie meet. And in the tension between these two, the message of Eli is unveiled.
Maybe I didn't dig hard enough for reviews before I went and saw Eli. Maybe I didn't pay enough attention before we walked through the door tonight. OK, I admit it - I didn't do my customary homework before we watched.
So I found myself at first thinking "Nah, he can't be going there...". Then a bit later, "Not possible. No way is this thing moving in that direction...". Then, when it really began to unfold, I'm mentally shouting "NO STINKIN' WAY THIS MOVIE'S GOING THERE!"
And then, sure enough, it did.
It did, in a way I've never seen done by any movie before. There was no way out - straight up and in our faces - BOOM. Crystal clear - no one's gonna miss the message of this film.
But it's not just Eli's message itself - the story line spins interestingly as well. You get a one-two punch consisting of an unexpected plot twist, along with a hidden element of Eli's character you're hit with near the end.
WOW.
I'm often in the minority on movie opinions. So my guess is that the average moviegoer will not like this movie. I'll go one step more and predict that you'll either love it or hate it - there's no middle ground.
And frankly the ol' Hollywood switch-a-roo marketing trick is usually a real turn off to me as well. But this time the surprise was not only pleasant, but because of my worldview and because of what I'm living my life towards - it was downright invigorating.
Some folks close to me have wondered why a mild-mannered midwestern guy like me would pursue things that aren't Typical for people with my background.
Stuff like mountaineering - like climbing rock and ice - like skiing not just downhill, but uphill as well - like shooting things at unimaginable distances - like doing all this in the truly wild places of our land, and like a bunch of other odd things I pursue. Mind you, I'm not saying I'm a pro at all of this. But I continue to practice, practice, practice.
The question is, "Why?".
Well, I've studied a few people that have made a big difference in the world. Each of them have had the capacity to critically evaluate themselves and their surroundings. They seem to be keenly aware of what they likely can do, and what they likely cannot do.
And when they're not sure - more often than not they decide in favor of the more adventurous route.
They can take risks. They choose adventure over safety-at-any-cost. They're not afraid.
This puts them in a class almost by themselves and they become our heroes. When we see their exploits, we ask ourselves, "How can they do stuff like that?" or "Why didn't I think of that?".
So over the last several years I've been in training. In business, in ministry and in life - I've been training myself to be more like these "difference-makers" and less like my old self. It's a conscious effort to learn to make better decisions, to take appropriate risks and to live free from fear.
Some days and some decisions are better than others - but I'm gonna keep at it. Not because I want to be cool (I quit worrying about that a long time ago). Not because I want to climb better and faster than anyone else (I'm too old for that). Not because I want to satisfy some extreme urge to dance on the edge and defy death (that's just silly).
I just want to live free - free from the limitations of my own preconceptions and free from the limitations others might enjoy placing on me. And most of all I want to complete that part of the Great Project that I've been uniquely created for.
"Come on, can’t I dream for one day
There’s nothing that can’t be done
But how long should it take somebody
Before they can be someone?
‘Cause I know there’s got to be another level
Somewhere closer to the other side
And I’m feeling like it’s now or never
Can I break the spell of the typical?"
So this new year - why not consider joining me on this road? You've got a significant chunk to complete of that same Great Project. You've got a unique set of gifts and passions. The Kingdom just won't be the same if you don't do and become what God has made you to do and to be.
It's noon on Christmas here in the suburban midwest. You know how that feels, right?
The kids have hours ago shredded the last vestiges of wrapping paper. They're now buried in piles of plastic or immersed in vast video games - quietly pursuing mastery over their newfound treasures.
Of course that leaves us parents padding softly through the house, packing trash and wandering amid the opened boxes and half-assembled amusements.
It's over way too soon, isn't it? I mean, for all the fuss and for all the energy spent procuring piles of plastic so adamantly petitioned and pined for by our petite progeny - it ends so abruptly as to be absurd.
I overheard one mom say to her impatient and unruly child, "Just sit still and imagine what you've got under the tree. Focus on that, Johnny, an' git yer mind offa yer problems."
Of course that mother's words came back to me a moment ago as the silence crept back into the house. All that hustle and energy and focus and wind and fire and attention - now spent, now over, now done.
I think we model the abridged version of Christmas for our kids - a truncated, frail, materialistic and emotional skeleton now abbreviated "Xmas".
But then just a moment ago, as I installed a wireless network card in Josh's new computer - I remembered something.
I remembered (and then thought to remind you) that Christmas is really all about something so revolutionary, so radical, so subversive - so long lasting - that it couldn't be further from what the plastic amusement industry, and we their willing accomplices, have made it into.
Truth is, endings have no part of Christmas. Christmas is all about beginnings. In fact, it's all about The Beginning.
In theology, we call it "inaugurated eschatology". In everyday life, we call it "the coolest thing ever."
Messiah Jesus came a few millenia ago to kick off a New Kingdom that would grow and touch every nook and cranny of the planet - a Kingdom that will one day make everything (and I mean Everything) brand-spankin' New.
Yep, it's been a few thousand years. The human race is somewhere in the middle now - perhaps one might say it's noontime. But unlike today's Christmas Noon at my house - not all the presents have yet been opened.
Like Susan and I did today - Messiah's saved the best for last. He's got the good stuff comin' for those that are looking for it.
A good friend of mine is leaving a long-held job and finds a certain sadness in it. Another has just returned to the familiar only to plot a new course toward the unknown. And yet another is in waiting, hoping to be discovered by those he holds in high esteem.
I look at all these. And then I think of all the people over the years I've been privileged to encourage and to minister to. And in them I see pieces of myself.
What is it that drives us? What is it that churns our emotions and motivates us to take action, or in some cases merely stand by in muted desire?
Psychologists have long discussed the need buried in each of us for significance. The need to be validated by others. The need for our lives to mean something.
In some of us, this struggle for significance has erupted into full-blown narcissism. We simply must have more and more accolades and ever more fawning fans. We see, and we wish others to see, only ourselves.
On the other end of the spectrum, some of us have become so tentative that we have nearly become invisible. We cannot imagine that our lives will ever amount to anything, and this sense of inadequacy has brought paralysis.
And then of course, most of us are somewhere in between. We're neither self-centered egoists nor immobilized underdogs. We just bump along somewhere in the middle.
You know, I realize every day the truth of something my mom told me many years ago. She said that everyone - the narcissist, the underdog and everyone in between - is stricken with a sense of inadequacy and self-doubt. They all feel, to one degree or another, "less than". Yep, I think she was right.
So let me take this opportunity to encourage you to take your eyes off other people and simply be what God made you to be.
You have been uniquely made to do and to be something significant! You have a special set of gifts and passions that, when discovered and fanned into flame, will bring you into that place of significance and satisfaction you've longed for.
I've seen this so many times over the years. The depressed student that saw something new, perhaps in class or on one of my adventure trips. They took the new, made it a part of themselves and in the process a world of possibilities opened up.
I've witnessed many a fearful young man - more able to say what he couldn't do than what he could - realize his unique potential and then blast off into the future with the resolve that he could achieve his goals after all.
And I've seen this principle at work in myself. As I learned that my real boundaries were far more distant than what I thought - as I learned that I could make a difference and that I could overcome - I found a comfort in my own skin that I never had before.
Remember this during the Christmas season - God has placed in you gifts and talents and energies and abilities and desires and dreams and strengths and weaknesses - all for the purpose of having a significant part in building his Kingdom. And that's no small thing!
I dunno who needs to hear this - I dunno who this is for. But according to Mom, there's probably more than one! :)
I spent over 24 years in information technology and business process consulting.
Now I'm investing myself in a new Kanakuk spinoff called Camp Kivu, the awesome summer camping experience for teenagers - and we'll be expanding into several new areas soon.
It's been one adventure after the next and it doesn't appear to be slowing down one bit.
"Those who go down to the sea in ships, Who do business on great waters; They have seen the works of the LORD, And His wonders in the deep." - Psalm 107:23-24
I was sitting on a mountainside at about 11,500 feet in Colorado late one afternoon, and this little kid and his mom showed up.
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