The Storybook Walk provides a new outdoor adventure that champions family connection, early childhood development. My two grandsons and I were strolling down one recently.
In this picture see the signs with the storybook posted on stakes. We were strolling and the story of boy who finds a friend and from the experience with the friend his life is changed. His senses, creativity and purpose are awakened within him.
The book is a secular book but it really swept all three of us.
This picture is where the boy and his friend sat listened to the waves, felt the breeze on their faces, and felt connected to everything.
It was then that something stirred in me.
How do we feel connected to Jesus?
I took this story and said to my grandkids this boy encountered a friend and had an adventure, but when when we encounter Jesus we have a true encounter, a true adventure.
Being in nature, taking the time to listen, read God's word brings us life. It is an adventure!
It hit me like a lightening bolt!
With all of the Holy Spirit energy we all agreed we need to go to the library get the book (one of the stakes with the story was missing) then go home and draw this picture above. It awakened all three of us. As we laughed and walked to the car I thought of the song THE GREAT ADVENTURE by Steven Curtis Chapman. When my kids were little I played THE GREAT ADVENTURE on repeat.
The song conveys the message of the greatest adventure, where being saddled like on a horse and we go off on a trail with Jesus.
We start a day chasing are TO DO LIST. Trying to make a day our best. But when we open the bible and read it hits you like a lightening bolt that if you blaze a trail with God and His amazing grace and follow His lead, it becomes a life like no other.
I played the song on repeat to my grandkids. We talked about what we were created for. His purposes!
Taking the time to discovery Jesus like the boy discovered nature and his new found friend, he found life, purpose. (Of course the boy needed the encounter of Jesus, but I added that truth to the time with my grandsons.)
Our soul, our human heart craves this! Get ready to ride!
You can start off your day, stirred from your TO DO LIST, worries of worldly politics and spread of a virus or spend time with Jesus. Jesus is where the true adventure grips your soul, creates a vision, dream, desire, purpose...it's a God directed path!
It's what we were created for.
We know the way, the truth, the life can only come from Jesus. We follow our need, and our need is Jesus.
Wow! I went down memory lane with the songs Steven wrote. The song DIVING IN conveys the message of diving off a cliff and plunge into the river. We are challenged to be all in with Jesus and the experience has been compared to the leap of faith! Dive In!
I could not resist another favorite THE KING OF THE JUNGLE. When we have too much on our plate, could we find a key and stop this rough world. He created the world and everything is under His command. the world is out of control but we remember, Jesus is the Lord of rough and tumble, the jungle. What we know, the truth, Jesus, king, ruler, in control, king of kings, sitting on the throne
What I see is crazy, but what is real is God is still on His throne. He is Lord, King of the Jungle. Yes he is!
A prayer:
Lord help me to have encounters with Jesus! Lord can the adventure help me love others, forgive, be thankful, and live the purpose out that you have for me. Amen.
Use this experience in my life and my grandkids! May we go forth remembering the lightening bolt that hit (not a real lightening bolt, but a metaphor) us in the forest, your creation, Lord.
Upon completing this article my friend sent me this verse, not knowing that I wrote this!
Ps. 90:16-17
May your deeds be shown to your servants, your splendor to their children.
May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us-yes, establish the work of our hands.
God bless our school year. Protect the Children. Bring to light anything in the dark in our schools.
