In my previous blog “A New Season”, I shared a dream of mine. Please read if you haven’t already. Many people have asked WHY I’m so passionate about this dream. Below answers that question. Enjoy!
Looking back on my life, I have always sought out adventure. When I was a kid, I would go visit the cedar and pines of my back yard for hours; all the aromas and acoustics would captivate me. Loosing track of time until my mothers voice reached my ear. I love the wilderness. That’s where I feel the closest to God. All the distractions are gone and I marvel at His beautiful artwork.
When I became older it was harder for me to find time to get back in the wild. I was consumed by schoolwork, girl and sports. Something in me was restless. My spirit needed something more.
In college I still found myself seeking to be free and wanting to live a wild, whimsical life. I couldn’t see how college was going to make me happy like everyone promised. Feeling the need to escape and think, I got in a suv and drove North to Canada. Wow! On the road I felt a sense of relief. I was free. My friends, music, God’s wonderful nature and the open road. What else did I need?
After the first road trip, I was hooked for life. Every chance I got to take an expedition with my friends, I went. “Jake you want to go on…” my friends would say, before they could even finish the sentence I would say “yes”. “Don’t you want to know where we are going”? One friend asked. I replied, “Nope, Just as long as we have music and adventure, I’m down.”
My worldview has changed dramatically along with my walk with Christ by road tripping. You have a lot of time to think . You know how it goes. Everyone gets tired of talking small talk and listening to the same 20 songs. Then you begin to reflect on your life. How you got to this place? How God has blessed you? Wait, is there a God of course there is you dummy. Then all of a sudden either one of your friends or yourself pops a question. What are you thinking about? Inside your head you are like shit. Why did he have to ask that question? See all of us were thinking about those deep questions, but we didn’t really want to talk about them. After several minutes of awkward silence, someone would finally let their pride down and answer the question. That one guy that opened up set the environment in that stinky McDonalds car smell to open up their heart.
After many more trips and growing older, I started to notice something. My main focus in life was the next adventure. Road tripping, camping, good friends, skiing, mountain biking, music, nature and delicious food were my passions. I mean these things were what brought me alive. I would work every weekend in my college years to save as much money as I could for the next high. In class, I would gaze at the Google map, adventure blogs and articles about the 10 best roads to travel in the US. I was consumed by the mystery of the road and unknown.
One day, while watching the beautiful pinks and reds of the sun rising over the Pacific, I realized something. My adventures became my idol. See that morning, I was supposed to go surfing, but my body had different plans. I was aching all over and was pissed. I began to ask God why is this happening? While listening to the waves crash on the sand, I heard God ask me “Why don’t you love me as much as you love adventure?” I immediately wept. Instead of running to God, I was running to adventure. Right then I knew it was time to stop running from my past, my emotions and my heart.
Little did I know God was using all those adventures to mold me into the man I am today. Every random trail or road I traveled down I could see God’s beautiful work. The mountains, sunsets, oceans, wild flowers, blue skies, and my friends were created by the Master Artist. They are all so lovely, but I couldn’t see how beautiful I am. Thank God for giving me new eyes. I knew God loved me and thought I was wonderfully made but I didn’t BELIEVE it until that morning on the beach. All the messy, ugly stuff from my past had a hold on me.
Now I was set free and now I believe God sees me as “good” just like every other creation. My identity changed and was now rooted in Christ not the adventure. Through all this I found the greatest adventure of all, knowing Christ more and more every day.
This is why I’m so passionate about helping young college men. I know they are running, no sprinting to escape the core issues of their heart. Instead of sprinting to God they are doing what I did, escaping for the next high. I want to help along with the Holy Spirit to realize that these escapes are a façade. I want to use the environment of road tripping and outdoor adventure to get to those deep rooted issues. They will see how lovely God’s creation is on the road and in nature because all the distractions are gone. They are alone with a few other men on the same journey. That journey begins with questions like: Who am I ? What does it mean to be a man? Or how can I climb this mountain? They begin to realize they can’ t do life on their own strength. They begin to see life in a different lens. They realize there is something bigger in life and start finding the truths about themselves. The truth that God loves them for who they are and their past doesn’t define them but shapes them into the man God wants them to be.
Every man needs a journey to find themselves. A place where they can get away and ask these questions in the back of their minds. This is the journey for those men.
If you are interested in going or just wanting to help out financially please email me at [email protected]. Thank you so much for your prayers and support.
bhg
