revkevjr Adventure, Bucket List, Christianity, Contemplation, Discipleship, Faith, Fun, Journey, Life, Nature, Transformation, Travel

Canadian Wilderness Trip Lesson #5: Mystery

I do it all of the time to my daughters. It’s something I incorporate into a lot of our youth ministry events and activities.

Luke 6:31 says, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

How would I handle having it done to me?

That was the question I was confronted with when Heath and Greg told us: “We will not be telling you where we are going, how far we are going, what we will be doing, or letting you see the map ahead of time. Each day will be a mystery.”

And each day was a mystery. We didn’t know if around the next bend we were going to have to get out and climb over a series of beaver dams, see a 1,400 lb. moose, find a dead end and have to turn around, find a 2,300 meter portage, or if we were going to hear those beautiful words, “that is our campsite for the night.”

I think mystery and adventure are what makes life, well, life. Of course I wish I knew more about God’s future plans for our lives, but I also know that that would negate the need for faith, and God calls us to a journey of faith. And so, many times I withhold information to cause my daughters and students to wrestle with the tension. Sometimes I don’t tell them things because I know that if I tell them ahead of time they’ll never go because it will be a tough challenge and I don’t want them to miss out on the growth they will experience from doing something difficult. Sometimes I don’t tell them because I want them to have the thrill of surprise as they get to do something really fun and amazing. Sometimes I don’t tell them because I don’t want them to get their expectations up only to be disappointed when things don’t go according to plan.

I think creating experiences in which my daughters and students have to live with mystery is really important because they are microcosms of life. In spite of our best planning, sometimes things don’t go according to plan. Sometimes we encounter things that are difficult that we need to wrestle through to strengthen us and give us the experience necessary for something down the road, and if we knew about the challenge ahead of time we would chicken out. And sometimes we encounter things that pleasantly surprise us, blow our socks off, and leave us in awe – things we might not have experienced if we didn’t round the bend because we didn’t know what was there. Mystery is what makes life life, and what makes life worth living.

I love the tag line on one of my new favorite shows “Mountain Men”: “Live for a living.” And if you watch the show, you know that every day is a mysterious adventure.

One of my favorite quotes from The Fellowship of the Rings: “It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.” – Bilbo.

I was really curious how I would respond to not knowing the specifics of the plan for our trip, but I was pleasantly surprised that I handled it well and simply resigned myself to living fully in each moment and not getting consumed with timelines and directions. It was a real heart-check for me as someone who finds myself, more often than not, in the position of leadership on many of the trips and experiences I participate in.

Embracing mystery is a tough thing for us because we like to feel like we are in control, but that is the essence of surrendering one’s life to the Lordship of Christ. You are essentially saying, “God, You are the Leader of my life. I surrender myself to your will, your plans, for my life. I will embrace my position as a follower, choosing to trust that You know what you are doing and where we are going.”

Some days you will find yourself in canals getting out and carrying your canoe over beaver dams every 100 yards. Some days you will be huffing and puffing and sweating and wanting to quit as you carry your 50 lb. backpack and your 50 lb. canoe on your back. Somedays you will be paddling on a calm glassy lake. Somedays you will be paddling against huge waves. Somedays you will find yourself filled with wonder as you are sitting staring at a 1,400 lb. moose just a few meters from you. Not every day will be easy. Not every day will be exciting. Not every day will be hard. But every day will be a mystery. Every day will be an adventure. Embrace each one as a gift from God.

Proverbs 19:22 – “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”

James 4:13-15 – “Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. 15 Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’”

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revkevjr Adventure, Bucket List, Christianity, Contemplation, Discipleship, Faith, Fun, Health, Journey, Nature, Transformation

Canadian Wilderness Trip Lesson #4: Endurance

“The plan is to put in the water on Sunday and get out on Friday.” With those words I realized we were not just going on a camping trip. This trip was going to be work. I thought we were just going be going to be sitting around the camp fire and doing some hiking. It wasn’t until I had my airline ticket that I received trip details from Heath. It was then that I found out that in fact we were going to be canoeing 50 miles. My arms got sore and my back went into spasms just thinking about it. He also added a word that I don’t think I had ever heard before: Portaging.

“We’ll also be portaging 5 miles,” he said. Pretending I knew what he was talking about, I quickly Googled it while still on the phone with him. Definition? “The act of carrying.”

“Each day we have challenges,” he said. “Different length portages varying from 100 meters to 2,300 meters (almost 2 miles). We ask for volunteers to portage, carrying the [50 lb.] canoe (along with their 50 lb. pack), while their canoe partners carry the paddles and encourage them.”

I volunteered for my share of the portages during the trip, and all I can say is this:

Carrying 100 lbs. on your back is tough!

Carrying 100 lbs. on your back on uneven ground with wet, slippery shoes is tougher.

Carrying 100 lbs. on uneven ground with wet, slippery shoes, virtually all uphill for 1/2 a mile is really, really tough.

Carrying 100 lbs. on uneven ground with wet, slippery shoes, virtually all uphill for 1/2 a mile with a bad back is downright grueling. (No, seriously, I do have back issues. I even had surgery a few years ago.)

Of course, I didn’t know it was almost all uphill when I volunteered for that particular portage, which turned out to be the toughest of the trip – even tougher than the almost-2-mile one because of the incline (according to Jonathan who did both of them).

O, and one more thing. The deal with the portage challenges was this: You pick the canoe up out of the water, and you don’t set it down again until it’s in the water at the other end. In other words, no stopping to rest or stretch or get a drink or cry or ….

It took everything in me and more to not stop, to not dump the canoe, to not quit. I was sweating. I was breathing heavily. I was in pain. I thought I was going to die. But I was not going to quit. I was absolutely determined to finish the challenge. And I did. There was no greater sight than coming around the final bend and seeing the water, and there was no greater feeling than getting that canoe off of my shoulders and into the water.

Endurance, more than anything else, has kept me in youth ministry so long. It is fundamental to a successful marriage, parenting kids, working with people, physical exercise, … life! Knowing that there is water at the end of the trail – having a vision – is what gives us the strength and determination and hope we need to keep going when everything in us wants to quit.

I spent some time meditating on the words of the Apostle Paul to Timothy in 2 Timothy chapter 2, and also his assessment of his own life as it was nearing its conclusion: “As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful” (2 Timothy 4:6-7). That has become my prayer. Paul didn’t say he won all of the battles. He said he fought the good fight. He didn’t say he won the race. He said he finished the race.

God, keep your vision ever fresh in my mind and give me the endurance to keep on keepin’ on for you. Amen.

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revkevjr Adventure, Bucket List, Contemplation, Discipleship, Fun, Health, Journey, Nature, Transformation

Canadian Wilderness Trip Lesson #3: Rest

My terrible sleeping habits started in college. and only got worse from there. I worked second shift in a factory and didn’t get off until 11pm. I worked close at McDonald’s and would get home at 4am. Of course, when one gets off of work, it’s not simply go home and go to bed. It’s go home and unwind for a while before going to bed. I went back to work second sift at the factory again. Then we had our first child, so when I would get home and take my turns up in the night (my wife might argue me on this one). Then I went to graduate school … while working full time … so … more late nights. Of course, being a youth pastor, many of our events and activities are in the evenings, so … I have been a night owl for a good 20 years now. But, honestly, I feel the drain. I know I don’t get enough sleep. The third lesson I was reminded of on this trip was the importance of rest.

While going on a canoe and camping trip isn’t necessarily a recipe for comfort and sleep (paddling all day definitely makes one tired, but sleeping in a tiny tent on nothing more than a 1/4″ pad while trying not to bump one’s big ole 6′ 4″ tent mate doesn’t lead to the best night’s sleep), it did prove to be restful in a much deeper sense of the word. Indeed, I did find myself going to bed earlier and waking earlier, but the rest I received was more holistic. I experienced the shalom – the peace – of God. The trip provided me with a week of stress relief, quiet from the noises of daily life and responsibilities, and most of all, a time to rest emotionally and re-center myself in God.

Psalm 62:1, 5 – “Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him … Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.”

As I found rest in the Lord, He assured me of His intense love for me as His child, and in light of that love He helped me reflect on areas of my life that were out of alignment with His best and need of my attention, including my sleep patterns.

I know that my physical condition affects my mental, emotional, relational, and spiritual conditions (See post: The Life of the Body).  So, ever since I have returned home, I have been more intentional about getting to bed earlier, and I have definitely felt the affects in my body. I have felt less tired, less stressed and  that has allowed me to be more alive and present during the day. S1160035

revkevjr Church, Discipleship, Fellowship, Small Groups, Student Ministry, Youth Ministry

A Celebration of Small Groups

Shelter Rock Student Ministries Delta Small Groups End of Year Party!

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revkevjr Adventure, Bucket List, Discipleship, Faith, Fun, Leadership, Missions, Team

Flying on the Trapeze!

Last weekend we took our Bahamas Mission Team to iFly Trapeze for a team-building experience to learn about faith. Our team did a great job and we had a lot of fun. Here’s the video of two of my flights. Super fun and highly recommended.

revkevjr Discipleship, Evangelism, Leadership, Ministry, Outreach, Student Ministry, Youth Ministry

Too Old for Youth Ministry?

revkevjr Christianity, Discipleship, Fellowship, Jesus, Music, Small Groups, Student Ministry, Youth Ministry

Keith Green … Still Influencing the World 32 Years After His Death

I remember hearing about his untimely death when I was a young boy just 6 years old. I remember listening to his vinyl records in our home as I was growing up. I remember listening to certain songs over and over again, allowing the words to penetrate my heart. Keith Green had a profound impact on my young life. Later, as an adult, I read his life story in the book No Compromise by his wife Melody. Just a couple of weeks ago, we sang one of his songs in church, and I turned to my wife and said, “Keith Green’s songs are as powerful today as they were when he sang them live.” Tonight we watched the DVD version of his story with our small group of senior high students, and had a conversation afterward. Almost 32 years after his death, Keith Green continues to have an impact in the world.

revkevjr Bible, Discipleship, Prayer

The Connection Between Reading the Bible and Prayer

On Sunday I preached about praying BIG prayers. As I was pondering the topic last week, I began thinking about the connection between reading the Bible and prayer. How does reading the Bible relate to our prayer lives? I would suggest that spending time in God’s Word profoundly impacts how we pray. As we read the Bible we get to know God and His redemptive story more deeply, and we learn more and more that we have a role to play in that ongoing story. When we read the Bible, God doesn’t get bigger, but our understanding of Him does. As our understanding grows, so does our faith, and faith is what motivates our prayers. So I ask you today, how big are your prayers? Your prayers will only be as big as the size of your faith. The question is not how big is God, but how big is your faith in God. Reading the Bible helps you grow in your understanding of the BIGNESS of God, and increases your faith to pray BIG prayers! It all begins with relationship, and our relationship with God grows the more we spend time getting to know Him through His Word, the Bible.Prayer_over_Bible

revkevjr Discipleship, Journey, Life, Uncategorized

The Higher I Climb, The Less I Know

The quote below, in my opinion, accurately describes my life in God. The more I get to know Him, the less I realize I know – about Him, myself, and life. The more I know, the less I know, and the more faith I need. Selah.

“After a big route in the Alps, I always think I know myself, know exactly who I am. It is only above 8000 meters that I realize again and again just how little I really do know about myself and my body, myself and the mountain.”

Excerpt From:
Ed Viesturs & David Roberts. “The Will to Climb.” Crown Publishers, 2011-10-04. iBooks.
This material may be protected by copyright.

revkevjr Christianity, Discipleship, Evangelism, Jesus, Journey, Life, Missions, Serving, Worship

Dying for Christ vs. Living for Christ

“It’s easy to die for Christ. (My Insert: And, as my friend Duffy Robbins adds, You can only do that once, and it usually occurs right before the end of your life.) It’s hard to live for Him. Dying takes only an hour or two, but to live for Christ means to die daily. Only during the few years of this life are we given the privilege of serving each other and Christ … therefore we must not waste the opportunity.” – Sadhu Sundar Singh