Adventure is NOT Out There

The title of this post is something I've been contemplating a lot over the past four months or so. I've also contemplated writing about it multiple times and each time I've been distracted by something else. This weekend I sat in silence and tried to hone in on what God had to say to me (rather than tell him everything that's on my mind). I wasn't expecting it, but (of course) He said "Write a blog post. Write the one I've been asking you about for the last four months..."

So here I am.

Have you ever seen the Disney Pixar movie UP? If you have, then you're probably familiar with the popular theme/saying from the movie, "Adventure is Out There!" Like most popular Disney phrases, this saying is plastered all over the internet. But it's not just the saying-- the word ADVENTURE seems to be everywhere now adays. Seriously, look around and I promise you'll start noticing it. The concept of adventure is somewhat a trend in our current culture-- especially for the millenial generation.

Photo  by Emma Bailey

In many ways, that's pretty amazing. It's great to think that so many people are in love with the idea of doing something exciting with the lives they've been given. However, I think the concept of adventure has been terribly distorted in the process. One of my friends and I had a conversation once about how people often watch movies or read books and say "I wish that would happen to me! I wish I was that character! I wish I had that life," or "I wish I could go on an adventure like that." But we don't really want their life, we want the benefits of their life. In each of those movies or books, the main characters usually encounter major problems like near-death experiences, heartbreak, persecution, or other dramatic circumstances. And when people are faced with similar trials in their own life, they definitely don't see it as "an adventure," or at least not the one they wanted...

So knowing this, it would seem that people don't actually want adventure at all. They want mountaintop moments with laughter and smiles without any valleys or even speedbumps. Of course we can all understand this perspective because who doesn't wish that they could live a life that never involved pain? (It's called Heaven.) But most of the adventurous moments I've had in my life always include something going terribly wrong. I think it's important to recognize the "Adventure" that is right before us everyday and learn why it's important to appreciate our moments in the valleys.

Photo by Emma Bailey

If we never experienced tough circumstances ("valley moments") then we would never be able to appreciate it when we are going through great times in life. The reality is that no matter where you are in life, there will always be problems and you can choose to see those problems as the headline of your life, or you can choose to see them on the sidelines as you stand in the middle of the field with your victory trophy. As a Christians, we must remember that the battle has already been won. If we are living on the winning team, then let's act like it! How would your life look differently, if you lived like the battle has already been won?

Many people of this generation seem as though they're always waiting for a big adventure to sweep them off their feet, and then their life will begin. Whether the big adventure is marriage, a "real" job, their dream job, a visit to a foreign country, a certain relationship, or their next big idea coming to life, so many people are waiting for the perfect conditions in order for their life to set sail.

Don't let me squash your dreams. Dreams are important and I believe you should always have them, but don't wait for your dreams to come true in order for your life to have value. And here's why-- no matter what you have, you will never be satisfied with anything but Christ. No matter how much time you spend "getting your life together," it will never be "together" enough. No matter how much stuff you have, you will always want more stuff. And no matter how many adventures you have, there will always be a new or better adventure to be had (and chances are, one of your Facebook friends has already experienced it before you'll get to).

Photo by Emma Bailey

The truth is, every day is a chance for an adventure. If it's raining, dance in it. If you see someone at school that looks like they've had a bad day, talk to them. When you overhear someone talking about their recent divorce, pray for them. If you want to get really adventurous, you might even ask if you could pray WITH them. If the weather is nice and you see a mountain, hike it. When you're given an assignment, accomplish it with gusto. When your $20 bill flys away in the wind, chase it (I've never experienced that, but that's what I'd do if it did happen ;). And when the Lord calls you to do something, do it.

If you spend more and more time listening to Him, however you listen best, then He WILL show up. He will tell you what He wants you to do, and you WILL experience the adventure of living life with Him. Some of the smallest moments that I've mentioned above, can become your biggest adventures when we have God in the midst of it all. And suddenly you'll see that we aren't just waiting for adventure, but living it.

All of this being said, I think it's important that we change our perspective to see that adventure isn't something that's "out there," instead adventure is something that's right here, right now. Adventure is every day, in our most mundane moments, we have the opportunity to live the adventure of a life with Christ. So don't wait for adventure to find you-- just live it.

I find all of this perfectly summarized in one of my favorite Bible verses, Dueteronomy 30:11-14:

This commandement that I'm commanding you today isn't too much for you: it's not out of your reach. It's not on a high mountain-- you don't have to get mountaineers to climb the peak and explain it before you can live it. And it's not across the ocean--you don't have to send sailors out to get it, bring it back, and then explain it before you can live it. NO. The word of God is right here and now-- as near as the tongue in your mouth, as near as the heart in your chest. Just do it!


Live Loved,
        Emma

Seasons change, as do we all.

Well the crazy, wedding-packed season of my life has come to an end! FINALLY! (Love you Shawn, Katie, Hannah, and Andrew...but I am glad to be done with your weddings!)

And now it seems that we have swung fully into yet another crazy season of life, just as I was ready to relax!  I suppose I got to do all my relaxing last semester, when I was sitting at home doing nothing and waiting for my knee to heal.  What is that about "the grass is always greener on the other side?"  I distinctly remember saying to myself that life was too boring back then!  And now, it's too busy?  Such is life, I suppose.

School is in full-swing, I'm working part-time at various jobs, and Emma and I are trying to get our business up and working.  So much to do!  Things are even changing in my church life--I am at a crossroads and have to decide whether to continue as the youth worship leader and try to figure out how to fit it into my schedule, or step down from that and basically not be around the amazing church family I love so much.

Decisions, decisions. 

Amidst it all, I am realizing how much I am NOT in control of my own life.  If it were up to me, I'd be done with school forever (because who needs a college degree? Heh...), I would have a job at a publishing company already part-time, I'd be working at my church and would have many hours to devote to that, and would still have a plethora of time for friends.  Basically, I want to be Superwoman.  Or, Batman.  Yeah, I want to be Batman. 

Even superheroes have their limits, though.  And we can't always get what we want.  I am so prevalently learning that in life right now!  I don't always get what I want!  Wow, that makes me sound like a whiny little kid...but I digress.  What I'm getting at is, it's so cool how God knows what I need and gives me just that, even when I want something else.  I'm constantly reminded of how little I know about what's best, and how much He does.  And oh my goodness, do you guys realize how patient He is with us?  Serious props for being so patient and loving, even though we mess up every single day of our lives.

Anyway!  All around me I can feel a season of change--not just the leaves turning gold and the temperatures dropping, but also change in myself and in my life.  Just a few months ago I was living in a house with my amigos--my two older siblings.  Now I'm in a different house, and it's just me and my parents.  I am practically an only child!  So weird! 

I have no idea what's in store for me in the next season of my life.  Every time I think I know, I find out I'm wrong.  I think I should just stop trying to figure it all out, and let it play out.  Though I am not a person who enjoys immense amounts of change at one time, I am finding that sometimes that will just happen and I have to learn to go with it. 

So that's me right now, learning to adapt to changes and go with the flow wherever God takes me. 

The Underground Battleground: A Prayer Ministry

For anyone who may still be checking up on this blog, first of all let me say thank you.  It's a weird thought to me that these posts go out into the void known as the internet and anyone could read them at any time...mostly, I assume that no one has read, or will read, our posts.  Knowing that some people do is very encouraging to us, especially being that Emma and I are both writers!  Secondly, let me say that we are not intentionally dropping off the face of the [virtual] planet.  It may be some time in between our posts, but we are still planning on keeping this blog going.  For me, at least, it's a great outlet when I want to tell a story or just dump random thoughts somewhere.

So, what is this thing called "The Underground Battleground?"

Being that Emma and I are both very creative people with lots of ideas, and given the title, it should be easy to figure it out.  We are off on a new adventure!  The Underground Battleground is a ministry devoted to (yep, you guessed it) prayer.  The act of prayer is such a unique, beautiful way to communicate with God.  We can do it in the privacy of our own bedrooms when we're all alone, and we can also gather in groups of two's, three's, even thousands, to pray together.  The topic of prayer is very important to both me and Emma, and we felt like there is no really sufficient place that we know of where people can gather for the specific purpose of prayer.

Also, in the Christian culture, there seems to be a sort of unspoken rule when praying...make sure you say things in a certain procession, and for the love of all things good, do NOT make your prayers run too long!  People may fall asleep, or lose interest.  For goodness' sake, we have other things to be doing--we can't just pray for so long.

Well, Emma and I went for a hike/walk with another friend over the summer and at the end, though our friend had to leave early, we decided to stay for a little while and just pray.  We both had things on our hearts, we have been going through some health complications, and in general just felt the need to be filled up and dive into fellowship with each other.  About 45 minutes later, we finally wrapped up and made our way back to the car.  We simply sat under the shade of a tree, talking to God for as long as we felt like, talking about whatever was on our heart and mind.  Neither of us was in a hurry.  It was great.  After that day, we decided that it would be great to d something similar on a regular basis--a long period of time devoted to prayer.  Nothing to distract us, nothing to rush off and do, just sit down and pray for and with one another.

Perhaps an hour isn't exactly a long time, but it is a lot longer than traditional American prayers go for nowadays, I can guarantee that.  We started meeting every Monday evening, from 7 to 8, simply to pray.  Each week we choose a different location, post about it on facebook (and will perhaps post the location here too, just in case anyone who is interested doesn't check facebook), and then get together to pray.  Simple enough!

This prayer group is open to anyone of any age--doesn't matter if you're in kindergarten or a nursing home, all we want to do is get together as the body of Christ and pray alongside one another!  So entire families are welcome; bring your friends, your husband/wife, your kids, your grandparents, your significant other...any and everyone who is interested is welcome.  If you have any further questions, feel free to check out the facebook page here.  Emma and I would love to answer any questions you might have pertaining to this ministry.

Have a great day in the Lord, and we hope to be able to pray with you one day soon!