Spending time in the outdoors is an incredibly eye-opening experience in that God’s Creation is full of illustrations that can teach us about deep spiritual realities. This reflection highlights two very common outdoor illustrations: 1) dried-up intermittent streams, and 2) dead branches.
My intent as a leader was to show the group through the analogy of a starry night how to get away from the light pollution of the city by going out into the wilderness where it is brilliantly dark, so that the stars will shine brighter.
Abandonment is Critical to Spiritual Formation & the Wilderness Provides Tremendous Space to Embrace It In my earlier post, It's not "If", but "When" to Abandon Ship | A Reflection on Abandonment, we took an honest look at the irony of abandonment. It can be good...
When things get tough, we are tempted to abandon. But Jesus gives us his Word, Prayer, and Community to help us endure through trials. In the same way that a group encourages its members to make it through a tough climb, or a sleepless night of wind and rain, connecting to a church and plugging into community will give you the ability to avoid the temptation to abandon the path of discipleship and persevere through life’s storms.
All wilderness leaders need to have some training in in first aid. Knowing how to assess and treat minor injuries and keep serious casualties stable can make a difference. Similarly wilderness ministry leaders can assess the spiritual wellness of their participants and begin to treat the cause of each symptom.
