Explorience – Explorience by Ryan George

2 Mar 2023

Finding My Purpose While Lost in the Woods

by Ryan George | posted in: Explorience, Ponderlust | 0

Sometimes, Jesus does multiply loaves and fishes. Sometimes, he puts booming voices in front of large crowds. Sometimes, lives are changed by words said on bright stages. My life has. I’ve learned over the past few years, though, that Jesus does a lot of work outside of the spotlight. That has proven especially true on my journey with him. Some of the most fulfilling conversations of my years in ministry have happened when hikers’ headlamps have lit up my J7 reflector or R9 sign.

22 Sep 2020

A Series of Serendipities

by Ryan George | posted in: Explorience | 0

My friend, Logan, and I went to Estes Park to record a unique podcast episode—hanging 90± feet off the ground on a portaledge (where we spent the night). We had no plans for the rest of the weekend. So, we followed whims and whimsies and got more out of northern Colorado than I could’ve hoped.

22 Apr 2020

50th Earth Day

by Ryan George | posted in: Explorience, Ponderlust | 0

In contrast, our planet only gives. It’s The Giving Tree times a gazillion. While it groans, it also offers us immutable demonstrations of hope, resilience, and symbiotic relationships. It pushes life literally through cracks of resistance—whether its own rocks or our concrete. Flora covers its scars. Fauna return by instinct. New life constantly arrives as does new adaptation. Somewhere on the planet is already tomorrow, already pulling us forward.

29 Mar 2018

The American Dream® Now Looks Different Than You Remember

by Ryan George | posted in: Explorience, Ponderlust | 0

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

25 Mar 2018

A Weird Way You Can Make Your World a Better Place

by Ryan George | posted in: Explorience, Ponderlust | 0

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.

17 Mar 2018

The Critical First Step to Accomplishing Your Dreams

by Ryan George | posted in: Explorience, Ponderlust | 1

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.

4 Mar 2018

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

by Ryan George | 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.

1 Mar 2018

Top 10 Songs to Kick Off Your Next Adventure

by Ryan George | 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.

24 Feb 2018

How Adventure Got Redefined for Me at Cracker Barrel

by Ryan George | 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.

6 Feb 2018

What a Black Market Shopkeeper Taught Me About Authenticity

by Ryan George | 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.

19 Jan 2018

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

by Ryan George | 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.

18 Dec 2017

What Made Me Sweat Uncomfortably on My Antarctica Trip

by Ryan George | 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.

7 Dec 2017

I Found My Insecurities Written on the Back of Trucks in Argentina

by Ryan George | posted in: Explorience, Ponderlust | 1

At both my stops in Argentina on my way to Antarctica, I noticed these big white stickers on the back of vehicles in surrounding traffic. The numbers varied from one vehicle to the next, ranging from 80 to 110. I asked my taxi driver what they meant.

25 Nov 2017

The View from the End of the World

by Ryan George | 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.

26 Aug 2017

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

by Ryan George | 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.

22 Aug 2017

I'm the Second-Bravest Person in My House

by Ryan George | 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.

17 Aug 2017

My Passport Holds the Secret of Dead Kings

by Ryan George | 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.

19 Jul 2017

How My CAT Scan Was Predicted By a King from the Bronze Age

by Ryan George | posted in: Explorience | 3

For the past week, laughter has hurt. Coughing has been torture. Hiccups have not been their usual funny selves. I’ve held my nose to avoid sneezing. Multiple times, I’ve heard Israel’s King Solomon from three millennia ago: “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”

2 May 2017

6 Ways to Prevent a Midlife Crisis

by Ryan George | posted in: Explorience, Ponderlust, Random Acts of Ryan | 1

I’ve been diving into the books, articles, and even YouTube videos that have made significant blips on my cultural radar. I’m learning a lot about how to reduce stress, avoid a midlife crisis, and build a legacy—how not to waste my life.

7 Mar 2017

Digital Courage and the 4 Other Reasons I GoPro

by Ryan George | posted in: Explorience | 1

Someday, I might not need courage or affirmation. Someday, I might be able to keep indelible memories only in my head. Some day, people might trust what I say. Until then, I’ll supplement my deficiencies with wearable cameras.

9 Jan 2017

Serotonin Gives Me Hat Hair

by Ryan George | posted in: Explorience, Ponderlust | 0

I’ll never forget that moment in my life: the sense of accomplishment, the impression of awe. Scientists have found that reflecting on life’s wins like these refuels our serotonin levels in our bodies, which helps us manage stress. Triggering those memories and what goes with them immunizes us to burnout. So, I wear these hats regularly to take me back to January 2008.

30 Dec 2016

How to Find Unique Vacations on a Budget

by Ryan George | posted in: Explorience | 0

I regularly get asked how I find the unique places where I vacation. My trademark response: “Give me five hours and Google, and I can find a vacation you’ve never seen.”
Everybody has the Internet, though; and everybody has five hours. Here’s my process, in case you’re looking to break your status quo.

29 Dec 2016

Finding My Inner Beach

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

What I don’t know is whether or not I fell in love with the exception to the rule. I’ve been to seasides on four continents and to beaches in at least eight countries. This is the first time I’ve felt this comfortable with my feet in the sand and nothing to do. I guess I’ll have to give another beach a try to know for sure.

7 Dec 2016

I Met a Deceitful Beauty in Paradise

by Ryan George | posted in: Explorience, Ponderlust | 1

At times in my life, my life looks active and alive. Tourists visiting my life would see life and maybe even evidence of growth but no significant fruit. There are moments of beauty, of put-togetherness. With social media assumptions, the motion blur of my life can look green.

12 Nov 2016

A Year From Today

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

I don’t need a midlife crisis, because I have a decent handle on who I am, who I want to be, and how much the distance between those two points is shrinking. I just want a big journey to celebrate a big milestone.