Carmen Sandiego (And Bagged Concrete) Helped Me Find My True Self
4 Mar 2018

Carmen Sandiego (And Bagged Concrete) Helped Me Find My True Self

by | posted in: Explorience, Ponderlust | 0

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.

Top 10 Songs to Kick Off Your Next Adventure
1 Mar 2018

Top 10 Songs to Kick Off Your Next Adventure

by | posted in: Explorience | 2

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.

How Adventure Got Redefined for Me at Cracker Barrel
24 Feb 2018

How Adventure Got Redefined for Me at Cracker Barrel

by | posted in: Explorience | 0

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.

I Love It When God Pulls Out the Overkill
18 Feb 2018

I Love It When God Pulls Out the Overkill

by | posted in: Ponderlust | 0

Being aware of God’s promises and his provision helps us understand the narrative he’s writing, even if we don’t know the next chapter. When he reveals his character, he overpowers our insecurities and confronts our doubt. When he supernaturally interjects sovereign moments into our lives, he’s doing it for our good and his glory.

What a Black Market Shopkeeper Taught Me About Authenticity
6 Feb 2018

What a Black Market Shopkeeper Taught Me About Authenticity

by | posted in: Explorience, Ponderlust | 0

We are surrounded by fakeness, by post-production. We recognize the camera angles that make our butts look rounder, our thighs stand gappier, and our double chins pull taut. “That’s a composite image,” my professional-photographer wife warned, when I showed her a cool outdoors photo on Instagram.

What the NFL Won't Do About Domestic Violence
4 Feb 2018

What the NFL Won't Do About Domestic Violence

by | posted in: Ponderlust, Random Acts of Ryan | 0

Until NFL owners and the NFL Players Association are willing to put less money in their pockets, don’t expect their influence to go much farther than celebrity players recording public service announcements. In the meantime, use the awkward courage the NFL refuses to show. Intervene when you see a friend or family member on the verge of abusing alcohol. You might just be saving another precious someone from a different kind of abuse.

That Time Ron Burgandy Confirmed My Wife Could See Into My Soul
19 Jan 2018

That Time Ron Burgandy Confirmed My Wife Could See Into My Soul

by | posted in: Explorience, Ponderlust | 0

Thankfully, this time, that’s all I want out of the trip. I don’t expect God to change my life. I don’t assume I will find a part of me that was missing. I’m not expecting to uncover an Instagram goldmine or a viral Facebook video. It’s just my version of your trip to Disney World or the Outer Banks or New York City. I’m not trying to compete with my past vacations. I’m just doing me.

What Made Me Sweat Uncomfortably on My Antarctica Trip
18 Dec 2017

What Made Me Sweat Uncomfortably on My Antarctica Trip

by | posted in: Explorience, Ponderlust | 0

Despite the outlandish expense, I don’t regret going to Antarctica. (I know that doesn’t sound like a ringing endorsement.) It left indelible marks on me—visually, relationally, and even spiritually. Most importantly, though, it made me aware of the opportunities I have, the options available to me, the choices I can make. It increased the value I place on the free moments I have back home in garages, at tables, in carpools, and around prayer circles. It reminded me how much I love driving in the mountains, paddling in their rivers, and watching the sun set over their silhouettes.

The View from the End of the World
25 Nov 2017

The View from the End of the World

by | posted in: Explorience, Ponderlust | 0

I’m writing from the end of the world to tell you it’s not what you or I think it is. First, wherever you and I find ourselves is not the end. Second, it’s the gateway to beautiful progress. I anticipate that it’s also the preface to some incredible stories—or at least inspiring chapters in the story God’s writing for us and for the world.

"I’m a Man. I’m Forty!"
12 Nov 2017

"I’m a Man. I’m Forty!"

by | posted in: Ponderlust | 2

If you’ve read this far, you’re one of those people. I’m going to keep writing for you, because I’m going to keep fishing for stories in the pond of my soul. If all goes to plan, maybe we’ll both learn something along the way.

God of the Dramatic Pause
10 Nov 2017

God of the Dramatic Pause

by | posted in: Ponderlust | 0

For me, though, it comes back to the prompting. That idea didn’t blossom beyond pity until after it could surpass a common courtesy. The voice in my head was mute until it came with Jesus’ name. It became a holy caper, a fun assignment only after God could turn the episode into something greater. When I joined God’s narrative, I got a story; and he got a little extra glory.

No Wolf Dare Hunt Her Alone
14 Sep 2017

No Wolf Dare Hunt Her Alone

by | posted in: Ponderlust, Random Acts of Ryan | 6

Though Death took her there, it didn’t win because it had to come to her. It had to play by her rules. It had to waste multiple arrows. It had to face the “rage against the dying of the night.” She wore Death out a little bit, enough to give the rest of us more time. I can’t speak for the rest of my family, but I’m going to use that time to make sure I’ll be missed as much as she will be.

Is Heli Hiking with CMH North America’s Most Epic Vacation?
26 Aug 2017

Is Heli Hiking with CMH North America’s Most Epic Vacation?

by | posted in: Explorience | 0

I usually leave the country when I want a grand adventure. I’m closing in on having all seven continents under my belt, and most of my travel to-do list remains across an ocean, the equator, or both. So, I was surprised to find one of the most incredible experiences of my life to be just over the U.S./Canadian border.

I'm the Second-Bravest Person in My House
22 Aug 2017

I'm the Second-Bravest Person in My House

by | posted in: Explorience, Random Acts of Ryan | 0

While Crystal will never jump out of an airplane or off a bungee platform with me, she will jump into messes. Though she may never run off a mountain in a paraglider, she will run to someone’s aide. While I’m chasing adrenaline, she’s chasing social justice. So, the next time you think I’m the brave one of the two of us, think again.

My Passport Holds the Secret of Dead Kings
17 Aug 2017

My Passport Holds the Secret of Dead Kings

by | posted in: Explorience, Ponderlust | 1

God makes beautiful things for himself, whether we will ever find it. He paints and sculpts because he can, because he enjoys it. He creates just to store beauty. He curates gardens and fountains where we can’t take credit for them. He has done this for millennia, knowing that we would take centuries to find his masterpieces—that we might never find them.

No, Your Church is Not The Church
26 Jul 2017

No, Your Church is Not The Church

by | posted in: Ponderlust | 0

One thing we can all be a part of, though, is the remedy for whatever we feel ails our local church or even the global Church. Few of us will impact multiple churches. None of us will change the American church as we know it. We can, however, follow Mother Teresa’s call to “help one person at a time, and always start with the person nearest you.”

Caught Between a Song and a Hard Place
22 Jul 2017

Caught Between a Song and a Hard Place

by | posted in: Ponderlust | 0

I don’t know what challenge you’re facing, what God is asking you to relinquish, what painful reality you know you need to accept. I don’t know what style of music reaches your heart or touches your soul. But I hope you find a mile marker song, an undeniable moment, a portion of Scripture to guide your next step. And I hope you find the courage to lean into it.

A Memorial Day Prayer
29 May 2017

A Memorial Day Prayer

by | posted in: Ponderlust | 0

My prayer today is that God would give all of these souls a respite from their grief. Oh, there’s freedom to rightfully mourn; but today it comes with proud tears, with happy memories, with a renewed hope for a reunion someday. I pray that God redeems their pain and leverages their loss. I plead for peace. I ask that no more brave soldiers will need posthumous plaques, that no more civilians would need victim memorials.

Why I Don't Pray for Revival
16 May 2017

Why I Don't Pray for Revival

by | posted in: Ponderlust | 0

The word revival isn’t in the Bible. Neither is rededication. The idea of a jump start to a dead battery that once was alive rarely makes the Bible’s pages. You’re far more likely to read tales of dead things coming to life. Resurrection. Jesus even disclosed that the reason he left heaven was to bring life and life more abundant.

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