Reclaim is a gospel focused ministry for reclaiming the hearts of men. Over the past couple of years we’ve seen God go before us in many ways…Jesus is literally stirring in the hearts of men and raising up a remnant to proclaim his name to the next generation. So, in the coming weeks, you’ll be hearing their stories! Below, you’ll find a story from Erik. Erik is passionate about seeing men turn to Jesus and live! In fact, he and I will be leading a wilderness intensive to the U.P of Michigan this fall. Enjoy! -Todd
Go
by Erik Jensen
Adventure is something all men crave. The thrill of a hunt, the excitement of risk or danger, testing our limits and pushing ourselves to areas unknown. Adventure is a beautiful and wild thing.
As I get older, I find that adventure is harder to find. Everything seems manageable to me. Now, my blood pressure only rises when I think about 401k’s and insurance policies…my adrenaline rises when my kids put a hole in my wall…but the thrill of life, the thrill of adventure is something that is rare…and treasured. Adventure is something we have to fight for (and plan for).
Fighting for adventure is something that our ancestors probably didn’t struggle with quite as bad as we do today. Two hundred years ago, crossing the ocean took months and there were no certainties that you’d make it at all! Now, we can hop on a plane and arrive in Europe in a few hours. The greatest sense of adventure on that trip is the in-flight meal! Today, we make our adventures.
Two years ago, I was talking with a good friend about this idea and we had a collective epiphany. “So…uh..Let’s just go do something!” It was the biggest DUH moment I can remember! We just need to GO find this adventure. We were excited, we were committed, we were anticipating this amazing backpacking trip that we had planned and it was going to be awesome.
Funny thing though…we never went. We talked and dreamed and looked at all kinds of backpacking trails and even bought gear to head out into the wild but we never got around to putting it on the calendar. May turned to June…then August..and before we knew it, it was December and we missed out! I remember talking with the same friend later and realizing how busy we get and how easy it is to miss out on taking time to adventure. We stopped talking and put it on the calendar.
Our journey with God is an adventure of it’s own. Many men I know (myself included) often find their journey with God to be…well BORING. Just like life, our life with God is boring because we don’t take time to test the limits. We don’t take time to discover something new or challenging, we never take a risk and tell our coworker about Jesus…we never invite the neighbor over for steaks and a bonfire because it might be uncomfortable. Well, just like life, all adventure is uncomfortable. God never called us to a comfortable life. He called us to a journey full of adventure, risk and uncertainty. That sounds pretty good to me! So the question is… what’s holding you back?
So take the trip you’re talking about. Put some dates on your calendar. Grab some buddies and, for the love of God, GO. While you’re out there, take a look around. I’d bet you’d find God standing right there with you.
