It has been said that a poet is someone who is astonished by everything. I wish this were how we described youth workers. Unfortunately, too often and way too early in adulthood, we quit learning, growing, seeking, pursuing, discovering, experimenting and loving. How truly tragic it is that we would spend these few years that go by so quickly in such a careless manner. Poet Henry David Thoreau wrote, “Do not lose hold of your dreams or aspirations. For if you do, you may still exist but you have ceased to live.”

Life itself is an adventure. Two years ago, I was speaking at a youth ministry conference in New Zealand, and I was given a tour of Peter Jackson’s Weta Studio in Wellington. While there, I had the chance to buy a print by Gus Hunter, a conceptual designer, who worked on The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit film series. The print features that moment when Bilbo Baggins steps through the round front door of his hobbit home and looks to the horizon. Little did he know at that time what an adventurous journey awaited him. I had to have this print because it is an iconic reminder that we have a choice either to play it safe and secure or step out by faith into the unknown, where we discover what it means to be the person we truly were created to be.

I don’t know how that might look for you, but I can share how it looks for me. This is not about a journey to a particular destination but a posture toward life, a way of being along the way. Human beings are created in the image of God (Gen. 1:26) and we are wonderfully designed (Ps. 139:14). Each of us is divinely unique, and we have specific ways of seeing and interacting with the world around us. We each have different ways of learning and growing. What fascinates me may be of no interest to one of my friends or my wife. We all have very distinct gifts and passions. These unique characteristics are what make us who we are and are a part of our spirituality. While these differences about who we are as individuals are personal, they are not meant for us alone, but also for the wellbeing of those around us.

Spiritual formation involves the discovery of who God created us to be by following Jesus Christ and learning what it means to be fully human and how to bring all of who we are into the faith community in which we find ourselves.

We live in a broken world. We are broken. The image of God in us has been damaged by sinfulness. However, the birth, incarnation, life, teaching, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ has made the way for us to become the fully alive, fully human beings we were created to be. To be on this journey involves the way of the cross along with the hope of resurrection and restoration. For me, becoming fully human encompasses learning, growing, seeking, pursuing, discovering, experiencing and loving. To flesh out the dynamics of all these aspects in the pursuit of becoming fully human requires too many words for this article. Instead, I turn my attention to critical characteristics we need on this adventure. I use the word adventure because I agree with Helen Keller’s sentiment, “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.”

Two critical characteristics of an adventurous life well lived are curiosity and openness. Curiosity is vital to learning, growing, seeking and discovering. We cannot be truly curious if we are not open to changing our minds, our opinions, our ways and potentially our lives. J.R.R. Tolkien wrote, “Remember what Bilbo used to say: ‘It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.'” While it might seem dangerous, we must be willing to go out our doors and be swept off our feet if we are to discover the adventure of being fully alive. Curiosity is the door to learning and discovery.

Recently, Neuron¹, a journal on neuroscience, published an article on the role of curiosity in learning.  The article suggests that curiosity actually changes the brain’s chemistry and enhances learning and memory. So, how can we fuel our curiosity to learn? Some curiosity undoubtedly comes naturally to us because of our areas of interest. However, I believe we can nurture a posture of curiosity of life overall. Similar to Bilbo speaking of Frodo’s willingness to go out his door, we can step into an adventurous journey fueled by curiosity of life’s mysteries.

Albert Einstein reminds us, “There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” Everything is a miracle.

This reminds me of my friend, mentor and youth ministry legend, Mike Yaconelli, who often enthusiastically declared about life, “WOW, what a ride!”

Always Open, Receptive and Willing to Change

When we nurture within ourselves a spirit of curiosity, we will begin to be more open to hear the other, to glimpse into different ways of understanding the world, and to learn from other people, cultures and ideas. I’m not suggesting that we become undisciplined eclectics. I am suggesting that it is human nature to see everything from our perspective and to our benefit. We tend to read Scripture in the way that affirms our beliefs and supports our ideologies. This can bury us in ruts and close us off to learning, adapting and growing. Dietrich Bonhoeffer reminded us that one of the most important hermeneutical moves is to read Scripture over and against ourselves. This allows us always to be open to the Holy Spirit speaking afresh into our lives. This openness keeps us flexible to go where the Spirit leads and where Christ is at work. If we are not open to change, we love ourselves more than we love truth.

We pray in the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi that we may seek first to understand before we seek to be understood. In the wisdom literature of the Bible we are told, “Fools find no pleasure in understanding but delight in airing their own opinions” (Prov. 18:2). Too often, we are afraid to follow this way of being open, but we shouldn’t be fearful.

Aristotle said, “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.”

Recently, our country has engaged in intense debate about how to respond to what happened in Ferguson, Mo., to Michael Brown and the protests that ensued. The dialogue escalated when Eric Garner died from the effects of a chokehold by a New York Police officer while crying out repeatedly, “I can’t breathe.” To try to put myself in the place of the other and seek to understand how the African-American community was feeling, I read James Cone’s classic A Black Theology of Liberation. While many African-American Christians I know are uncomfortable with some of the radical elements of Cone’s work, it gave me a profound glimpse into the reality of what it means to be African American in North America. This ultimately led to me joining a cohort of clergy and other leaders working for racial healing in our city. This adventure shapes the evolution of the youth worker I’m becoming.

A Pilgrimage of Learning and Becoming

I made the decision as a young man that I would root myself deeply in Kansas City and minister here for the rest of my life. Because I knew that my commitment to a theology of place meant that I never would live anywhere else in the world, I made the decision that pilgrimage and travel would be vital to me not becoming shortsighted. I knew that if I never went outside Kansas City, I would lose so many opportunities to learn from other people, communities and cultures. Forty years after making that commitment, I have been to 60 countries and received an amazing education along the way. I remember wandering through Israel and meeting a reformed Jewish family preparing for their son’s bar mitzvah. They invited me to attend the ceremony with their extended family. The bar mitzvah was held on top of Masada, near the Dead Sea. Masada is located on the top of a mountain plateau and was fortified by Herod the Great as a palace retreat. After the destruction of Jerusalem by Rome in 70 A.D., Masada was occupied by a remnant of Jews who held off a Roman Legion for many months. The synagogue at this historic site is one of the oldest synagogues ever excavated. Experiencing the bar mitzvah provided a smorgasbord of metaphors and reflections not only into the Old Testament, but also the New Testament, along with a plethora of rich theological insights.

I have visited Rome many times. The last time I was there, I wanted to experience it differently, so I decided to restrict my words to 25 per day. This was primarily for ordering food and other essential needs. Everyday, I left my hotel on foot and walked from cathedral to cathedral where I explored the architectural wonders and the magnificent art. In a few cathedrals, I only spent a few minutes; but most resulted in exploration, prayer, solitude and contemplation that could range from 30 minutes to hours. I sat in front of one piece of art for more than two hours. During that week, I visited more than 75 cathedrals and churches. I learned so much. I was inspired. I felt exuberance and a sense of being fully alive. I felt that Christ accompanied me every step of the way.

When I attend a conference or speak at a place where I’ve never been, I try to schedule extra time to explore. Boston was one of the last big U.S. cities I hadn’t been to before. I scheduled two days to experience Boston. I was told that I would need a half a day to walk the Freedom Trail, so I cleared the whole day. (Hey, I know myself.) What an amazing day of learning and discovery it was. You don’t have to travel around the world to satisfy your curiosity and enhance your learning. You might be surprised at how many wonderful opportunities there are right in your own city and surrounding region to explore something fascinating: museums, historic sites, libraries, art galleries, unique factories and much more. Embarking on these types of adventures for discovery, learning and growing will make an impact on your life.

Developing curiosity for learning, zeal for adventure, astonishment of beauty, and passion for life will make you a better youth worker. Though it sounds crazy, I believe it.

Mark Twain, an extraordinary, curious and amazing human being, referred to by William Faulkner as “the father of American literature,” wrote, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

How tragic it would be to grow older while becoming increasingly aware that you didn’t embrace life and the pursuit of becoming human as fully as you could have.

I have experienced so much in my lifetime. I love that I have been in youth ministry for 40 years. I’m grateful to have ministered to generations of young people and their families. I love the places I’ve visited. I love the people and friends with whom I’m growing old. I have been blessed with the many incredible opportunities I’ve had in my life. I love Vicki, my high school sweetheart, wife of 40 years and my best friend. I love my family. I love my life. There is so much more I want to experience, learn and do before I take my last breath. The older I get, the more I’m in touch with the reality of my own mortality. I love life so much I don’t want it to end. Jesus Christ crucified brings ultimate significance into what it means for me to wrestle with mortality. Jesus Christ resurrected fills me with hope that there will be life after life. Life after life, astonishing, mysterious, beautiful…WOW, what a ride!

¹ States of Curiosity Modulate Hippocampus-Dependent Learning via the Dopaminergic Circuit, Neuron Journal, Vol. 84, Issue 2, p486-496, Oct. 22, 2014.