Can you imagine a world where fears are confronted? Where traps of entitlement are exposed and plans for living in more spiritual freedom are offered? What would it look like if entanglements that hold you back from God’s purposes were severed? Imagine if you and people in your church overcame trivial emotional distractions and learned how to be a better decision maker. What if we all were at peace with who we are and functioned to our fullest in community? What if we all intimately abided in the love of Jesus and offered this world the fruit of the Spirit?
The implications can make your imagination run wild. This is not an unattainable dream. The outcomes of successful wilderness trips accomplish these dreams and literally transform lives!
RELATED POSTS: Wilderness for All – The Interruptive Space Where God Reacquaints us with Real Life | 5 Aspects of an Authentic Wilderness Experience
THE NEED FOR WILDERNESS RETREAT IS GREATER THAN EVER
As urbanization and digital connectivity are on the rise, people have less of a reason to escape the confines of city living. Access to productivity is literally in our pockets. Demands are higher than ever, and our schedules are probably the fullest they have ever been in history. Busy, active lifestyles can become a trap. Busyness deceptively drowns out God’s voice and it becomes easy to get lost in the noise, lost to ourselves, broken in our fellowship with God.
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash
RELATED POST: Real Effects of Urbanization & Why Churches Need Outdoor Ministries
OUTDOOR LEADERS HAVE THE TOOLS TO CHANGE THE TRAJECTORY OF OUR WORLD
In this day in age, Christian outdoor leaders carry a greater responsibility than ever. Many people’s lives are essentially urban and quite confined. The need for retreat is only increasing. There is good news, however. God seems to be alluring his people, as ecotourism is on the rise and concern for the natural world is causing people to long for a better work-life balance.
This is where the church has an opportunity! Christian Outdoor Leaders are CRUCIAL servants that the church desperately needs. As the next generation feels more and more lonely, wilderness ministries brilliantly connect people to Jesus through a small group and 1:1 approach.
“His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.” 2 Peter 1:3
“For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities–his eternal power and divine nature–have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” Rom 1:20
BATTLE CRY
“For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.”
The world we imagined at the beginning of this post needs your outdoor leadership skillset. People are yearning to be free from busyness, fear, entitlement, competition, and distractions. Young people have the opportunity to impact several generations. Imagine if 100 people in your church had a life-changing encounter with Christ in the wilderness. What change for good would they bring to families, to the work force, to government, to neighborhoods, and to injustices of the world? What impact can you imagine if every Gospel-oriented church in town was intentionally engaging the wilderness with 25-100 people throughout a year?
I believe we are talking about radical city renewal if this were to occur, given the natural results of every wilderness trip I’ve ever led. People get their hearts set aflame for intimacy with God which spills out into generous relational evangelism in schools, neighborhoods and the marketplace. Who wouldn’t want more of that?
If you follow outdoorleaders.com, then you very likely know the power of wilderness experiences. Please prayerfully commit to using your gifts and skills and keep taking people out so they can clearly see, hear, and know who God is. Imagine the world if we DO NOTHING. And if you need encouragement or help from us to assist your church in launching and sustaining an effective wilderness ministry please just let us know and we’ll see what we can do.
TAKE ACTION
If you want to take this commitment seriously, contact me about some opportunities to join in the work that WMI is doing around the world and for further connection with the local and global outdoor leader community. And stay tuned next week for an important invitation to join our global work to safely and effectively connect young people to Jesus Christ through guided wilderness experiences.
