The Beauty of Sacrifice "If you're not doing something worth dying for, then you're not really living." There is a plethora of adventure out there for fathers and sons to participate in. And while each seems to offer up an exciting or daring component, many are missing a vital component: meaning. For adventure to be truly rewarding, it should be a meaningful adventure. That's what fuels what I call the "missions experience". So many people go on a missions trip for the first time and come home overflowing with passion and energy. And while I highly recommend missions trips, I think one reason while these trips are so powerful is because people have never experienced anything so meaningful. We live our lives at hyper speed with so much abundance that we hardly have a chance to find deeper meaning in the chaos of it all. The key ingredient, the special spice that makes this all so rewarding is: sacrifice. There's something so magical about being part of something bigger than yourself, about giving yourself away to a cause that is rich with purpose and meaning. In our comfortable daily lives, we live a life that is full of stuff and hectic schedules. This "life of abundance" is actually a life of poverty in many ways. We rob ourselves of the joy of giving of ourselves. In light of this thinking, my son and I have been taking part in some disaster relief training with the Texas Baptist Men Yellow Cap program. This is a great way to give your son the experience of missions without spending $10,000 in airfare and traveling to some remote village in Africa. Here's our pictures from the "chain saw" training program. Take note of the awesome sport bikes in the background. That's an adventure story for another day.
Getting
Intentional about Your Adventures Congratulations to My Lovely Daughter! Government Canyon Adventure Chad and I rode about ten miles on mountain bikes. The trails we rode were well marked and fun to ride. We tried the Back Country first, thinking it would be more exciting but later explored the Front Country which we actually preferred.
Let's Not Forget Our
Wonderful Daughters!
MS 150 - Bike to the Beach What an incredible time and season of adventure. We rode more than 1,300 miles training for the annual, two-day MS 150. We rode this event along with two other father/son pairs. The first day of the event was a 96 mile ride from San Antonio to Beeville. The second day was a shorter mileage but much more difficult as we battled the dominant southern wind that blows in from the Gulf Coast. What an incredible sight as we finished the ride and crossed the beautiful Harbor Bridge in Corpus Christi.
Christ in the Rockies - 2008 June 13, 2008 This is our second year to attend this event. Last year was a blast so we're doing a repeat to volunteer. Christ in the Rockies is a non-profit Christian ministry founded by a group of serious outdoorsmen who live in and near Ft. Collins, Colorado. These guys know adventure and they share their love for outdoors with a bunch of tourists (like us). Along the way, they also share some powerful secrets to being Godly fathers and sons! Much of the curriculum taught at Christ in the Rockies is based on the best selling book, "Raising a Modern Day Knight". The author, Robert Lewis, shares some powerful secrets to raising boys in a turbulent culture. And so, what's so different about "Raising a Modern Day Knight?" There is a fundamental difference that sets this material apart from almost every other book on fathering. Most instruction for dads is based around a "management" or "micromanagement" approach. Raising a Modern Day Knight focuses more on LEADERSHIP. Many of the principles lead a dad to become a visionary leader, a coach, and a cheerleader for his son. Rather than "managing" his son, a dad spends more time INSPIRING his son, pointing him and challenging him to shoot for a higher standard. That's why this book never seems to drop off the bestseller list. Christ in the Rockies is a great blend of adventure and teaching. Adventures include hiking a challenging mountain (for amateurs). We take a couple of exhilarating rides down another mountain on bikes. A third day we wrap up the adventures with a day of war... with potato cannons. But we're also here to learn. Dads have a chance to learn about family leadership. We take some time to bless our sons in public. Sons learn to appreciate the challenges of being a father in our culture. It's a great time of growing closer as father and son... all while having some great fun along the way. Beyond adventures, there's the pleasure of spending some time in God's country. The event is held at the beautiful St. Malo Retreat Center located outside of Estes Park, Colorado. St. Malo's has an interesting history in this area. Many people know it as the site of the "Church on the Rock". Built almost a hundred years ago, this exquisite structure sits upon a granite dome.
Are Windmills Creating Climate Change?
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