Discipleship and the art of kayaking

I grew up in the church. I went to Sunday school and was forced to sit through the sermons each week. Though I didn't really want to pay attention, somewhere along the lines I learned the basics of faith. For a long time I thought that was how you learned, everyone went to church growing up and everyone knew the basics. Starting in college and especially after college this word "discipleship" started appearing more and more. I didn't know what it was or how it worked. When I became a house church leader, suddenly it was my job to disciple people. I didn't know what it meant or how it worked, I'd never seen it before.

I've discovered a lot of different reasons why I got into kayaking. One of the reasons is because it put me in the place of being a student again. Not a student in the manner of sitting in a classroom, but a student in the manner of having to step into a real live situation that can be life or death, and having to navigate through it. It becomes more than a manner of learning intellectual facts, it is learning skills and a mental awareness to keep your head about you when things are not going like they should be. To learn how to survive mistakes and learn from them. To be a part of a group of people who each have to travel the path on their own, but they are traveling together to support and help and have fun. Each person has to paddle their own boat, run their own lines, and make their decisions about how they are going to run a rapid. But they have someone there to teach them how to read the path they should take, to give them encouragement and tips on how to do it, and to help them if they run into trouble. The experienced people take time to help out the new people, not in a condescending way but in the way of sharing their love for something. It is all about a group of people who have found something they love, and sharing their love of something with each other, so that they can all sharing in that joy together.

"What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the Word of Life— and the life was manifested, and we have seen and testify and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was manifested to us— what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete." 1 John 1:1-4

Tonight something cool happened that has encouraged me. One of the guys asked if I would be interested in helping do some instruction. This encourages me because this says that I'm not just a newbie, just the kid hanging out, but someone who is being accepted as part of the community. Not that I have much in the way of paddling skills, I'm still a beginner there, but that I've been given a measure of respect as someone who has something to offer to others. That's an encouraging thing. I try to do that in my house church also. Give people an opportunity to contribute to the group. So that they aren't just watching, but they are being given the opportunity to share their gifts with others.

I'm still trying to figure out why I decided to get involved with something as insane as whitewater kayaking, but I've seen God grow me in some important ways through that. I'm sure more lessons are coming soon, when spring comes I'll be getting out in the real world.