I love adventure! I have been parachuting, bungee jumping, bare foot skiing, caving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, high speed snow skiing, backpacking in Alaska, on safari in Africa, extreme mountain biking, white water rafting, back country cross-country skiing in avalanche country, cliff diving and a host of other extreme adventures. I love a challenge. I love getting my adrenalin going!
But, for all the amazing experiences that I have had in my life, following God with total trust and abandon has been my greatest adventure. God has always had great surprises and adventures for me.
I remember the summer that God opened up the opportunity for me to travel around the world. My first stop was with my band in Uganda and Kenya. We had an awesome time. We did numerous great concerts in Kampala, Uganda and then headed to Nairobi, Kenya to work with a large African choir. I remember one great evening where there were over five thousand people packed into a church. We had two hours of dancing, singing and praising God. A room full of Africans praising God is the best crowd in the world to do music for! The place rocked!
After that, we went on safari to the Masai Mara game reserve in Kenya. Masai Mara is probably the premier game reserve in all of Africa. My young family joined me at this point. Together we saw elephants, lion, cheetah, leopards, rhino, hippo and a host of other great African wildlife in their natural habitat. It was a trip of a life time. But, it did not end there.
My next stop on this God adventure was India. I was named after a famous missionary, Mark Buntain from Calcutta, India. By this time, Mark had passed away but his widow, Huldah, was still carrying on his work there. I contacted her and told her I would love to visit their work. She replied, “your grandmother used to teach me Sunday School. Please come as my guest and stay in my home.” Wow!
I got to spend two glorious days visiting and working with Calcutta Mercy Ministries‘ five thousand employees. They run schools, churches, feeding programs and a hospital there in northern India. What an inspiring visit. To this day, I marvel at the impact that one couple, totally dedicated to God, can have!
When I finished my short stay in India, I headed off to Taiwan to work on three worship CD’s that I was producing in Mandarin Chinese. For a solid week, I recorded all the Chinese vocals to add to the instrumental tracks that I had already recorded in Canada. The recordings would later be smuggled into Red China for distribution to the underground church. What a totally cool and amazing experience! God adventures are the best! Here is a link to some of the maps from my adventures.
I do not know what God has planned for your life. But frankly, I can not think of anyone better to trust! I have trusted God to direct my paths since I was a teenager and it has been an amazing adventure!
Let me share my life’s verse with you: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and don’t lean on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths!“…. Frankly, God is the best adventure guide that I know!
Question: What adventures have you been on with God? Can you trust God to direct your paths?
Check out my new book: “Leading Worship ~ Notes from a Grand Adventure’. It is now available in Kindle or Soft Cover Editions. This is a great gift for the musician or worshipper in your life.
