When I made my first trip to the Sat Tal Estate in May 2015, I wanted to experience the fullness of the beauty and grandeur of the chapel, dining hall, and Panna Lake Chapel. On our first night at the estate, it was announced we would do our evening vesper service at the Panna Lake Chapel. They offered rides for people who could not walk down to the lake and for those who could make the walk, we were given a guide to lead our way from the Mid-Lakes Lodge to the lake. As we made our descent, the guide pointed out tricky places on the path and on one occasion, told us which of the paths would be better for our travels. As we approached the lake, I was appreciative for our guide who helped us safely arrive for the vesper service.
Guide is simply defined, “one that leads or directs another’s way.” A guide is someone who has already made the trip or performed the task; who can, through their knowledge and experience, assist another person in their experience and completing the task.
When I started this ministry, the word “adventure” played a primary role. In my experience of the church as a child and adolescent, I did not hear a lot about living for Jesus. I heard more about my eternity and heaven than I did about my life following Jesus as an experience of daily surrender. It seemed a “safe gospel” with the only guideline was follow the rules and be ready for Jesus’ return. As I came of age in my faith, I realized there was more to this life that would call me to take some risks and possibly fail. Yet, the adventure was knowing that a daily obedience to Jesus was the true way to experience life.
When we were considering our new mission statement, the word “guide” became a vitally important word to express in deeper ways some of the attributes of adventure: Living the Adventure Ministries guides the way to a growing relationship with Jesus through mission experiences.
An adventure guide is one who leads people into new experiences that will challenge their comfort and their way of living life. The guide prepares the people for the new experience by engaging their minds with knowledge and their bodies for difficult parts of the path. The guide then serves to walk alongside the adventurers as they climb the mountain, hike the path, or rappel down the cliff face. The guide points out potential obstacles and stops the adventurers along the way to lift their eyes to the beauty of creation around them. The guide then serves at the end of the adventure to debrief what they have seen and help them become guides themselves.
In Isaiah 30:21 we read, “Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, ‘This is the way you should go,’ whether to the right or to the left.” We serve a God who guides us along the way in our adventure of following Jesus. In God’s desire for relationship, God invites us to also be guides along life’s path for people who are younger in their faith. Jesus models for us how to be a guide who walks beside and uses questions and times of rest to teach, engage, and grow.
As Living the Adventure Ministries continues to live into our new mission statement, we want to invite people to live the adventure as we walk beside them on the mission field, through times of proclamation, and through times of coaching and encouraging. Not only do we feel called to guide, but to also raise up guides. Jesus’ Great Commission can be best translated, “As you are going…make disciples.” As we continue to grow as guides, we want to develop more guides. As we continue to live the adventure, we want to invite people to live the adventure with us.
How is God calling you to serve as a guide? How is God inviting you to live the adventure in your life?
Prayer: Lord, you guide our steps and invite us to serve as guides for other people. Give us wisdom to be guides who see and humility to be guides who give. Thank you for the way you invite us to live the adventure in our walk with Jesus each day. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
[As we live into this new mission statement, we have decided to rebrand the weekly devotion from The Riggings to The Guide. We will continue to use the same image. It is our desire that this devotion will serve each week as a Guide in your adventure of following Jesus.]