the adventure potentially begins!

i love summer. as far back as i can remember, i have always loved summer. winter was fun - building snow forts, snowball fights, skiing & snowboarding - but it had nothing on summer.

i think it was the summer i was 4 turning 5 that i really became addicted. there is just something about the potential of summer. there is new adventures and experiences on any given day. do you remember what that was like? i remember begging my mom to let me to go the park with my friends. it was at the park, on the playground (that many times was transformed into a castle, wild-west fort, or even a space station) that most of our adventures started. all the way around this park there were huge hedges of lilac bushes. what was cool about these hedges was that there were small paths that we could sneak around the whole park. there were many war games that included sneaking through those bushes.

this summer could be packed with adventure for each of us. it's filled with the potential of being a great summer. the problem with potential is that potential means that nothing has happened... yet. the opportunities are available, the options of adventure will be everywhere and i could fill several pages with all the potential that God has stuffed into our current lives. but nothing has happened yet.

here is what i learned a long time ago about summer - i can dream all i want about adventure & opportunities but until i step out into the sunshine, i'm not going to find anything.

so it's great to talk about potential but the problem is that it's just talk. adventure and experiences require action. God has placed the potential and Jesus Christ has provided the avenue (connection) to that potential for each and every one of us.

so what am i going to do now? what are you going to do? are you going to dream about what could be? are you going to long for the promises that God has made for you? am i willing to step out, asking Jesus to guide my every step (notice: steps require action) from God-given potential into God-led experiences.

those boyhood adventures bring back some fond memories but they pale in comparison to the God-led adventures i have been on. whether it was sharing God's love with teens in the formerly Communist East Germany, or to the street kids in El Salvador, or in the projects of the south side of Chicago, or with students in northern new england, the mid-west, or now here in the phoenix metro area.

all i can do is smile with anticipation because i know there is potential this summer for some incredible experiences with God. i can't wait!

so will you step out of potential into the adventure?