A few weeks ago I sent out a cryptic invitation to some of my friends.  It read something like this:

Hi this is Jenifer your adventure guide.  

I would like to invite you to an unknown adventure for a day with me in May.  

Secure shoes, a swimsuit and about $100 is al you will need.  

We will leave at 8:00am and return by 10pm.

Please let me know if you are willing to accept this mission.

God has brought some really amazing friends into my life and they eagerly accepted.  As the month went on the "unknown" caused both excitement and trepidation.  Most of these fine ladies are leaders, organizers and family hub operators.  A few weeks prior to the adventure I gave them the option of knowing where we were going or not.  A solid week of discussion and one of them said she HAD to know!  Totally cool with me.  So I told her and you could see the excitement building as the day approached.  One of my other friends didn't want to know...I mean how often can you trust someone with a day completely unplanned by yourself?  This was an adventure in itself!  The third couldn't decide (she had a million things going on in her life and honestly shouldn't have accepted the mission but couldn't resist...and she loves and trusts me).  Then something happened that changed everything!  EVERYTHING!  They had a sale on the tickets!  I had to tell my friends!  If I withheld this information it could have had catastrophic results!  The reveal went fine.  Everyone thought the idea was a cool one.  (Insert verbal validation here).   Not everything went exactly as planned but we had a great time and didn't have to attend to anyone under 10 having a meltdown due to heat and flexible eating times.  

I have always wanted to go White Water Rafting but somehow all our family vacations end up at the beach.  I live in OKLAHOMA so we have NOTHING nearby that would resemble rapids.  When I saw this man made rapid in Oklahoma City I thought it would be better than nothing.  So this is what prompted the invitation.  As we were heading down the channel I was so very thankful I went in a controlled environment for my first white water rafting experience.  They had all sorts of safety measures in place.  I had the thrill of adventure but not the concern that my friends and I might be hurt by something unexpected.   Rushing through water, laughing and trying to maintain control was a blast! We got dumped once which ended up being one of the funnest moments of the trip. 

In college I took a class called Hermeneutics.  It was one of my favorite classes.  Basically it talked about certain things we can see in the bible if we look at it as a book.  For example if one word is used multiple times in a passage..then that word is significant.  If a topic is broached in every book thought out the entire Bible...it is important.  If the same story is written by multiple authors...you should pay attention.

her·me·neu·tics

ˌhərməˈn(y)o͞odiks/

noun

1. the branch of knowledge that deals with interpretation, especially of the Bible or literary texts.

   
   

   
   

   
   

   So what in the world does hermeneutics and white water rafting have in common?  I stopped and looked at the patterns and repeating words that were said when I was telling this story.  The word control, trust, organized, and excitement stuck out to me.  I like to know what is going on.   I would guess I am not alone and that most people like to have things organized or at least have an idea of what is happening.  Are you ready to be challenged a little bit? Are you up for an adventure?

   
   

   Hi this is God your adventure guide.  

   I would like to invite you to an unknown adventure for a life with me. 

   Secure relationships, an open heart and really no money is needed. 

   We will leave at 8:00am and return by 10pm perhaps?

   Please let me know if you are willing to accept this mission.

   
   

   
   

   Will you accept HIS adventure for you?  You can't always be in control or even in the "know".  But God WILL take care of you and you WILL have a blast!  Everything may not turn out exactly how you expect but the ride will be worth it!  You may even get dumped out of the boat sometimes...but it will become a story!  Do you accept?  

   
   

   What are you trying to control today?  I challenge you to hand that over to God and see what happens.  No take backs either!