"Teachable Moments"

Discipleship & Relationship Building through Devotional "Teachable Moments"

DISCIPLESHIP BEGINS OUTDOORS.

Andrew and another disciple followed Jesus after a long hike with him.
James and John were fixing their fishing nets when Jesus picked them.
Matthew was sitting outside in his mobile office. He left it all behind & started walking.
Jesus saw Phillip outside and said something like, “Hey, let’s do something extraordinary.”
Jesus told Nathaniel He’d seen him sitting outside under a fig tree.
Peter was fishing when Jesus suggested catching a different kind of fish.

DISCIPLESHIP THRIVES OUTDOORS.

During their three years together, Jesus and His disciples camped, hiked, picnicked, and performed ministry outdoors. They prayed in gardens, mountaintops, and wilderness areas. They went boating regularly and ministered as they walked through fields, towns and villages. They held gatherings on beaches, hillsides, and under shady trees.

Disciples get picked and trained OUTSIDE.

How to Use the "Hook Look Book Took"
Method to Present a Devotional Teachable Moment

The “HOOK, LOOK, BOOK, TOOK” Method

1. HOOK – Provide an illustration, story, aspect of a sport, skill, etc. that will “hook” the attention of your reader or audience.

2. LOOK – The goal is to get your audience to think about their own lives and soften their hearts for learning something that could impact them on an emotional and spiritual level.

3. BOOK – Share a Scripture that will teach a practical aspect of the Christian life.

4. TOOK – Offer suggestions and questions to help your audience apply the lesson to their lives.

The Power of an Outdoor Adventure Devotional, by Greg Weisman

Why are spontaneous teachable moments in the outdoors or using adventure-related devotionals important to your Adventure Sports Ministry? Because the biggest questions we get are, “How is outdoor adventure a ministry?” and “How do you justify having fun and playing outdoors as a ministry?” And God’s creation is filled with biblical parallels and parables for everyday life.

We believe Adventure Sports Ministry should focus more on attracting and attaching people to Jesus and the Church and less on discipleship of the whole family, but it does provide a vehicle for discipleship through teachable moments.

One of the devotionals I often do with guys is the Principle of the Path, by Andy Stanley. The direction you travel (not your intentions or prayers) will always determine your destination. And it’s a principle you can’t break. You can’t ignore it; it’s going to work in your life. If you had always wanted to be financially secure at retirement but you always spend all your money every month and you’re in debt on a credit card, then you’re going in a direction that’s never going to end up at the destination you want. If you want to have a strong marriage, but you never spend time talking to your spouse, then you’re going in a direction that’s never going to end up at your desired destination.

One time I hired a guide for climbing the east face of Mt. Whitney. My friend Mark Stockwell and I were good buddies from college, but we hadn’t spent a lot of time together over the last 40 years. He was an outdoor guy, a financial investor in Pennsylvania, he made a lot of money and, while we were hiking up and talking over the four days we were together, we talked about the Principle of the Path as related to our finances, our spiritual life, our children, our family.

On about the second or third night, Mark came to the realization that he was going the wrong direction in relation to one of his most important core values. He had always wanted to spend his adult life close to his sister and parents. He’d always wanted to support his parents in their elderly years, but they all lived in Seattle, Washington, while he lived in Pennsylvania. When he got home from the trip, he told his wife Judy that they needed to uproot and move to Seattle. He quit his job and moved to Seattle and started looking for work. And, after he did, he called me and said (and this gets me emotional because, every once in a while I get to be a pastor to my friends), “Greg, now we live 30 and 40 minutes away from my parents and my sister and this was where we were supposed to be.”

Short Sample "Teachable Moment" Devotionals

The following are a few short, sport-based devotionals we’ve used on our BAS outings. Feel free to use them in your ASM and let them inspire you to create your own; then let them spark your own spontaneous ad lib teachable moments on your outdoor adventures!

HIKING

GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM. A James 1 Devotional on James 1 by Greg Weisman

I hate one aspect of my brain: My lack of any kind of a sense of direction. I am the worst of anyone I know. Really. And God designed me and called me to be an Adventure Sports Pastor? Really? Is that irony or is that just the worst cosmic prank ever?

When the GPS was invented it was designed for me. It’s what I call Greg's Positioning System. But, if I’m honest, it brings about two results: First, I’m humbled. Second, I look for help to get to where I need to go.

Can you be honest with me and humbly confess that you aren't exactly where you want to be in life right now and it sucks to ask for help? Fortunately, we have Jesus and the Bible as the ultimate God's Positioning System. God wants to guide you through this life! He says "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind." ~ James 1:2-6

Personal Reflection Questions

Can you be honest with me and humbly confess that you aren't exactly where you want to be in life right now and it sucks to ask for help?
What trials are you facing right now?
Is there any way you can consider your trials pure joy?

Group Reflection Questions

Why do you think faith, perseverance, maturity, and wisdom were so important to James?
What virtues represent your life’s GPS?

CAMPING

CAMPERS. We are campers here on Earth. We’re residents of Heaven, but just campers here. We don't put a concrete foundation under our tents because we know we’re just passing through. Jesus says we are in this world but not of this world. (John 17:16) We need to remember that this is not our permanent home.

Take a lesson from one who likes to camp and backpack. The less we bring with us on the trip, the easier it is to move. Don’t get so attached to your house, your car, your stuff! Get attached to those things that will go with you to heaven–the people around you!

Personal & Group Reflection Questions

Are you traveling light in this world or are you carrying a heavy burden?
What’s something you might need to give up or let go of to lighten your load?

STAND UP PADDLE BOARDING

IS THERE SUCH A THING AS A BALANCED LIFE? It’s much easier to keep your balance on a SUP when you’re on perfectly calm water. Add a wave, a ripple, a current, or a lot of wind that chops the water into an angry frenzy of turbulence, and finding your balance becomes much more difficult. If you practice balancing only in peaceful waters, you won’t develop the skill to remain stable and stand firmly in stormy seas.

So true of our lives! If we practice balance, peace, and patient trust in God in times of stress and pressure, we develop the skills we need to make us stronger in the stormy seasons that continuously pummel us. Trials are opportunities for growth. The Apostle James urged us to consider it “pure joy” when we face all sorts of trials, because it tests our faith and produces perseverance that matures and completes us. (James 1:2-4) In other words, we can choose to praise God in times of stress, knowing that we’re learning how to practice “adulting.”

So when you lose your balance on your standup paddle board, slipping and plunging into cold, choppy waters again and again, you can choose to be frustrated or your can rejoice that you’re developing faith and perseverance that are growing and maturing you into a more balanced person, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Personal Reflection Questions

Is your life in balance or out of balance?
What do you need to rebalance your life?

Group Reflection Questions

What trials have you endured that have matured you and given you more balance in life?
Are you willing and able to thank God for those hard times?

Contact me!

Let Greg Weisman know what needs to be added to this manual to get your questions answered!

gregw@g1outdoors.com

916-847-4734