If you’re looking for a theme to connect a lot of these titles, it would be self discovery. Many of these books describe personal journeys that led the authors to a better grasp of who they are and/or who God is, and how all of that intersects with cultural realities. That’s been indicative of my year, too.
Colin McRae (the youngest to win the World Rally Championship Drivers’ title) said, “Straight roads are for fast cars. Turns are for fast drivers.” For one gloriously-rainy Saturday in Snoqualmie, Washington, I got a chance to be humbled in the dirt, mud, and gravel of some slippery turns.
I walk in this darkness with “a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief.” I have access to the source of all light, the genesis of all triumph, the fountain of all good things. His rivers flow in the dark. His waterfalls pound boulders whether tourists watch or not. His tides rise and fall without intervention. His purview surpasses my imagination.
Thankfully, all of us also hold enough of the antidote to heal both ourselves and the people in our lives. We can neuter the algorithm by not running it on our hard drives. We can ask questions instead of making assumptions. We can trade arrogance out for humility. We can make room for options like both and neither and somewhere-in-between. We can walk right up to nuance instead of staring at it through rifle scopes.
I was groomed to be a misogynist. Through private school, summer camps, college, and four church services per week for 15 years, I sat under more than 4,000 sermons and Bible lessons from leaders of the Independent Baptist Fundamentalist movement. … Continued
I’m glad I had these guys around me as I learned how to fly fish. They showed me a lot of patience. They answered a preschooler’s worth of “Why is that?” and “What does [that term] mean?” questions. They treated me as an equal and welcomed me with open arms into the fly fishing brotherhood.
One of my New Years Resolutions for 2019 was to learn how to wing walk. My favorite podcasters told the world that was a bit of a flex. Maybe it was. But I did it, and I’m more alive now than ever.
I don’t know if it’s a blessing or a curse, but I’ve been given faces for the anonymous stories of sexual assault, abuse, and harassment I’ve read online. One by one over the past few years, I’ve learned that people I love, wives of my friends, and women who worship at my church share those stories.
I got to introduce my wife to the Norway I love and complete the set: exploring in both the Arctic and Antarctic circles. We came during the midnight sun, whose light never left during our four nights in Northern Norway—north of Alaska.
Growing in our faith is a symbiotic process, an experiential education. We all mature when we lean authentically on each other and lean together into both the truth and the mystery of Scripture. When we do all of that, we create a community that people from all walks of life will crave and something no app could ever duplicate.
I’m thankful Patrick didn’t let that buzz get drowned out by commotion or by fatal news. I’m inspired by his hope and challenged by his example. For years to come, there will be a buzz in my ears, a vibration in my chest. When I’m tempted to let circumstances shroud my faith, I’ll remember Patrick. When I want to wallow in pity, I’ll think about his unselfishness. When life is hard, when it’s a battle, I’ll remind myself of the warrior we celebrate today.
On the way back to Abbotsford from glacier kayaking, the helicopters set down on this sand bar in a remote alpine lake. We explored the surroundings, while our pilot and guide set out tables and chairs and an amazing spread from Lepp Farm Market. The scrumptiousness of the food was accentuated by jaw-dropping surroundings.
This adventure had been more than a year in the making. It felt surreal when it came time to buckle into our helicopter seats. We had high expectations, which were blown out of the water with the incredible reality. We. Kayaked. On. A. Glacier!
Today, I’m on that same drive. It’s bittersweet—regret swirled with gratitude, remorse silver lined with affirmation. The difference is that this time, the road isn’t familiar. I don’t know what’s up ahead or how many miles it is to the next scenic overlook. I just know I’ll get there on time—probably with an unopened bottle of Aleve
After the 2016 elections, pundits everywhere called for all Americans to listen to voices different than our own. So last year, that’s exactly what I did with many of the books I read and the podcasts I downloaded. Many of … Continued
A year ago today, I saw the night sky for the first time in more than a week. My temporary home had been an ice-rated expedition ship, grunting to Antarctica and back during the frozen continent’s summer. It was wild … Continued
Sunday night, an EF2 tornado touched down about 2 miles from my house. 20.4 miles later, after growing into an EF3 tornado, it finally left my community alone. Somehow, only 146 homes sustained substantial damage; and “only” 22 homes were total losses. The storm was was fierce. An artifact from one house was found six miles from its flattened home.
I was instantly embarrassed that this thought hadn’t occurred to me instinctively. Right after that, I was struck by the notion that a massive, diverse, beautiful—breathtaking—place would be named for what it is not. A place where scientists constantly discover new realities is known for where it isn’t.
Over the past several years, The Atlantic, CNBC, CNN, Entrepreneur, Fast Company, Forbes, Fortune, The Guardian, The Los Angeles Times, NBC, Psychology Today, The Telegraph, and Time have all reported on a growing trend in personal finance. Those of us … Continued
I’m sorry: I’m going to mess up a lot of the unscripted media you consume. No podcast or interview will ever be the same for you. I’m going to ruin some of your conversations with friends. It’s only fair. They’ve been hijacked for me.
The danger comes in the hesitation, the indecision. Analysis paralysis can keep you from getting any of them—like when you spend so much time flipping through the movie options that you end up not watching anything.
Rather than keep scrolling, we must choose a dream or two and jump in. We can always pause or stop later, when we’ve spent more time on the path; but we’ve got to move past the trailhead parking lot.
It’s absolutely a victory for the kingdom when someone gets baptized, when someone invites a friend into our circle, when a parishioner tells us we influenced their spiritual journey, when a parent tells us their child wants to be on the parking team someday, or when a teammate feels loved in their pain. It’s just that those are outcomes, not achievements. They’re fruit but not produce.
When earthquakes or even just tremors rumble, evil offers us distractions as solutions. When hopes tumble and dreams crash, the secular system rushes in a bevy of shoddy options for propping them back up. When life creates a vacuum, our souls seek to fill it with something temporary. Fame and followers. Money and comfort. Control and autonomy. Unquestioned affirmation. If you don’t believe me, you’ve never scrolled through the Search & Explore results on Instagram.
I don’t know about you, but most of my adventures have a soundtrack. Whether it’s blaring from my car speakers or filling my headphones, music prepares me for both exploration and adrenaline rushes. Like an athlete during pre-game warmups, I’ve got go-to songs. In case they might enhance your travels and hijinks, here are songs all but guaranteed to do the trick.
I regularly get asked how I got into adventuring, how I find such exciting experiences all over the planet. My go-to answer is that I’ve surrounded myself with adventurers. These people call out the adventure in me and invite me along on their bold and crazy journeys. They know my legs might tremble, that my stomach might be in my throat; yet they don’t let my fears keep me from missing out on incredible moments.