A Long Obedience In The Same Direction.


Although we did not read Eugene Peterson's book by the same title, it's one of the lessons students learned on LDW this summer while we paddled 170 miles on the Georgian Bay.


Sometimes it's not easy to explain to folks how transformation happens in the wilderness. Students often need time to process the intensity of the experience and its application back on campus. Other times it cristalizes in a way that inspires. Here's what one participant said at the end of the trip:

"We learned a lot about many different aspects of leadership during this trip - how to communicate effectively, different leadership styles and when they're appropriate based on the needs of the group, and tons about group dynamics. At first I thought I was collecting a grab bag of skills and knowlegde having to do with leadership or a list of areas I would have to consider in any leadership roles I take on, but I realize now that we were learning a lifestyle - a new level of Christlikeness that I had never seen before. On one of the last nights, Francois introduced us to the idea of 'yada' - to know. He told us it involves identifying what is true and responding to that truth, and the truth is that God loves each and every one of us, that He designed us all fearfully and wonderfully unique, and that He designed us to be known by one another and be in relationships with one another. It is in these relationships that we may image Him, both as a community and in all of our individual relationships. We learn to communicate effectively first and foremost so that we might understand one another, so that we have a more finely-tuned means of knowing one another and also allowing others to know us. We practice different leadership styles so that we might discover how to lead out of our own characters and in a way that best responds to and develops the characters of those we are leading. We study group dynamics because studying a community that strives to follow Christ is studying Christ himself. It's learning how Christ can work through any and every interaction and then just watching him do that. The next time I take on a leadership role, I will see it as the chance to work with a group of people, learn who they truly are, and love them with a Christlike love so they can grow more into who they are in Christ - as his beloved, all while they are revealing to me more of who I am as well. I've seen that leadership isn't about having a certain type of personality or a certain amount of knowledge, it's about relationships and discovering Christ with and through other people, and that's something God created all of us to do.
-Kelly Royer, LDW 2007 participant

Leadership and discipleship in the Wilderness 2007

June 2-July 3—Georgian Bay—Ontario, Canada

We are going on a journey—a pilgrimage of sorts—a sea kayaking adventure with 11 college students this summer. LDW has traditionally been held in the Wyoming mountains, but this year while CCO is training new mountaineering instructors, we will pilot a new destination for this summer program. Nate Tiefenbach, Charity Haulbrich and Emily Bean will join Joy and I in leading this 32-day voyage. During the trip, students will focus on 5 areas of discovery– Spiritual Disciplines, Leadership, Community, Knowing, and Servanthood.

In the story of Israel, God tells his people that he led them to the wilderness for an attitude check and a time of discovery (“to humble you and test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands." Deut 8:2). Over the years we have found that this is still true. On LDW, in the quiet of the wilderness, students have a chance to reflect on their lives on campus and to hear in a new way the still small voice of God calling them: “Since you are precious and honored in my sight and because I love you…” (Isaiah 43:4).

Unlike the powerful mountaintop moments that mountaineering offers, a

150 mile sea kayaking journey gives a chance to experience what Eugene

Peterson calls “the long obedience in the same direction”- the perseverance

and discipline that are needed for a life-long journey of faith. Please pray for

us and the students as we engage on this pilgrimage.

Moving and Packing
We have spent the last few days packing and moving our belongings to our new house. We have a few days of preparation now before we leave for the Georgian Bay in Ontario to lead the LDW trip for a month. Please pray for our safety and that we may teach and learn all that God has in store for this time.

Bomber Biscuits and Lattes
Last week we spent our mornings making breakfast and espresso drinks for the CCO staff at our annual Spring Institute training week. It was a successful fund raiser for our renovations at the new Equipment Room (see that blog). Francois learned the art of making great lattes and cappuccinos from a man on staff whose been in the business for years. Joy adapted great breakfast recipes from camping to the regular kitchen. "Bomber Biscuits" are garlic and cheese biscuits with sausage, egg, and cheese. Here are a few pictures of our fun.


















Group Games and Instructor Training
During the Spring Institute week, Joy taught CCO staff two sessions on games and group initiatives to use in their work with students and other groups. Francois taught up and coming wilderness leaders valuable experiential education teaching techniques and how to grow people in their judgment and decision making. Here is the group in an activity that facilitated good communication and teamwork called "Toxic Waste".

A Pat on the Back

It's not always well looked upon to toot your own horn, but we thought you would like to hear this bit of news. I hope you know how much we appreciate your support of our work with the CCO. Transforming college students to transform the world is Kingdom-building work. As a mission it is a living out of and sharing in the message and person of Jesus in today's North American culture. Along with its core values (1. All things belong to God, 2. Jesus changes people's lives, 3. We love college students, 4. Faithfulness is pursued together, 5. We celebrate life.), it is also a reflection of this organization of which we are a part. Please celebrate with us as the CCO wins for the fifth year in row the Best Christian Place to Work Award in the large missions/parachurch category. Thanks for making possible our participation in this great adventure possible.

Check out the CCO news room for more on the award.

NEW CCO WEBSITE

Did we mention that CCO has a new website?

Check it out! at www.ccojubilee.org

If you want jump straight to the Outdoor Leadership Team page, click here

MICHAEL POLLAN LECTURE

Last week we went to see Michael Pollan speak about his recent book, The Omnivore's Dilemma. As "nature writer who doesn't like camping", Michael Pollan researched the origins of the foods we eat. Taking a sometimes humorous, sometimes disburting look at four meals, he traces the ingredients back to their origins. The question that emerges through the book's uncovering of the environmental, economic and political dimensions of our meals is not the usual "what should eat?" but rather " How should we eat?"

For example, Michael Pollan's account of the use of corn in our diet (way beyond the high fructose corn syrup believe me!) leads him to quip that we are the corniest people on the planet. But beyond our unconscious love for everything corn, our new passion for ethanol is having global impact and not the kind advertised by car companies.

Needless to say, I was a little spooked when the next morning after the lecture, the Washington Post ran a story on the implications of rising cost of corn on the diet and businesses of Mexico (click here for article)

On the heels of Jubilee and our presentation on Wisdom at the Wilderness Education Association Conference, Joy and I have been thinking about how the stewardship we teach in the wilderness works itself out when we are back in the city. How does the "universal flourishing" of Shalom we seek to offer our students through adventure education, come to be lived out in the way we buy our food, cook our meals, and eat together?

Michael Pollan talked about a visit he made to Joel Salatin's farm in Virginia. Joel and his family have built a thriving farm on the model that God created the world and its creature to be in symbiotic relationships. His story is a facinating challenge to our individualistic culture where the environmental chickens may be coming home to roost (see Dead Zone in Gulf of Mexico or for NOAA's report on another cost of our "love" of corn)

The CCO's annual event called JUBILEE took place in Pittsburgh recently. Over 2,000 college students gathered to engage the topic of God's vision for His Kingdom in the here and now. Jubilee is a weekend to for students to be challenged to listen and be open to how they could join in God's redemptive work in this world - especially in the profession they are studying towards.

The Saturday night keynote speaker was Gary Haugen, President and CEO of International Justice Mission. He spoke to students about slavery in the world today. In coordination with Amazing Change Weekend, a special screening was arranged for students to see the Amazing Grace movie about William Wilberforce's fight to end slavery in the British Empire of the 18th century. To see more pictures from the weekend, click here.


Francois and I spent the bulk of the weekend talking to students who were interested in spending a month this summer on our Leadership and Discipleship in the Wilderness trip (LDW). Our design for the trip is to pour into the leadership and spiritual development of future CEO's, pastors, parents, and citizens. Our desire is that students will come away with a fuller knowledge and practice of servant-leadership based in their commitment to love and follow Jesus Christ. We believe that will help change the world.