Mulling It Over

I’m not sure I’ll ever forget July 2015. It was easily one of the longest months of my life. Good? Absolutely. Crazy? You bet. Exhausting? Like you wouldn’t believe. July is basically the apex of busy season around Adventures. We’re doing training camps for the squads that launch in September during that time. This September we’ll be sending 8 squads of around 30-50 (mostly 50) out to the nations. That means we had two training tamps in July. For me these were two very different training camps. Each training camp I was a trainer, which essentially is the leadership team that leads the new Racers through the training camp process. Prayer, listening to what they have to say, putting them in teams. We do it all.  I’ll remember each for different reasons. Reasons that I shall share now. Snapshot of training camp worship. The first one was a great time. I got to work with X squad, and they’re a fantastic bunch of people. What was truly special about this training camp w...

We all know and love the stories. The evil villain has taken control of this, that, or the other. He or she is hell-bent on destroying the world. Or taking it over. Or getting rich. Or simply being evil. We always enter the scene at the 11 th hour. When times seem bleakest. When it seems darkness will win. When we’re not sure what the outcome will be. It’s at this time that the heroes come in. They’re strong and powerful. Bold and courageous. Willing to risk their lives for the cause. Willing to put it all on the line just to fight for what’s worth fighting for. The hero comes in and takes the villain to task. Annihilating their plans. Sending them to jail. Saving the day. Even though it'd be awesome Why do you think these stories are so important to us? Why do you think they’re so appealing? Why are we drawn to them? It’s because we all silently recognize that the world needs heroes. It’s because we realize that if not for these all-powerful beings that can de...

Lately I’ve thought a lot about the theme of redemption. Especially how God can redeem ridiculously bad situation. It’s easy to say, and I hear myself saying it a lot. And usually believing it! But.. Just how? How can He redeem the life of an alcoholic who is 6 bottles deep of some horrible, throat burning alcohol and reaching for a 7 th ? How can He redeem the woman who sells herself every night to make enough money to survive? Or the one who is there against her will? How can He redeem the kid who looks at porn night after night, thinking somehow that this is how life is supposed to look? Fed this lie by a broken culture. How can He redeem the family who’s abusive husband/father comes home ready to fight every night? How can He redeem all of this? How can He take this and make it new? Make into something beautiful? Something whole? I don’t get it. I don’t get how He can be in every situation. In every moment. Moments where the alcoholic goes for t...