Latest Letter from the Director of OWLS

Click on the image below to read my letter about the Spring Paddle Marathon benefitting the Outdoor Wisdom Leadership School.




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Reflections and Campsites

It is during those times of rest, sitting around the campfire, taking a lunch break or a stop to catch our breath during a long active day that transformations really take place. When discussing, meditating, and reflecting upon what the Lord has let us observe during these OWLS courses, participants can search for the life lessons hidden in these experiences, determine applications for their lives, and then develop and refine "Living Parables" which will help them share the love of God and His plan that is continually being revealed through all of creation. Seeing how one OWLS participant can grab onto an idea or theme mentioned by someone else and clarify the truth revealed therein by relating it to the Scriptures and then how others will chime in with names of friends with which they intend to share the lesson is one of the greatest rewards I get from being the director of the Outdoor Wisdom Leadership School.


Sandy Springs Mission at the Etowah waterfall campsite just upstream from Amicalola Creek

Paddle GA gives lots of opportunities to camp with others and share with others.

Making new friends while relaxing in a group campsite.

A more peaceful campsite near the swinging bridge over the Toccoa River

When spending days in the swamp, you take breaks any way you can.

Here's a neighbor checking us out at one of our Okefenokee campsites.

Refreshing drink and restoring talk with David, one of the OWLS mentors, at a campsite

Prayer for "Paddling Mercies" at the start of a day on the Ocmulgee

A great place to be, especially since it was 102 in the shade that day

A view of one of our riverside campsites from the mountaintop trail above - way above

A beautiful view from one of the Buffalo River campsites

Bill's boys discuss how the "Living Water" can wash the nastiest, ugliest "dirt" away leaving a spotlessly clean result.

Throwing stones all the way from SC to GA along the Chattooga River trail

Time for rest and reflection near High Falls in Dupont State Forest

First opportunity to speak and be heard (listened to)

Reynoldstown had never known a Bible study like this before, seven of this group prayed to receive Christ as their Savior and Lord on this day.

Speak it out, Girl - or something like that

Listening and hearing is so effective in new surroundings

Reflection time as we discuss pattern recognition and the intended pattern for living our lives

C.O.P.E., Climbing, Rappelling, & Initiatives

These activities are great for building teamwork and camaraderie. Participants learn that everyone's input or skills can help the entire group achieve things that individually they could not. Encouraging one another, learning to trust their teammates, thinking outside the box, and finding new ways to communicate are all important aspects of C.O.P.E. Understanding that it is crucial to base decisions on (have faith in) facts and not feelings is another key life lesson that everyone takes away from trust elements and rope work.


Making cookies

Teamwork on the Mohawk Walk

Don't wake the giant

I know I can trust them to catch me

Artesian Beams - and blindfolded too

L.D. in the APS - not hardly

Working together to safely travel the islands

Artesian Beams in the woods

All tied up & not thinking outside the box

All smiles - the only hang-up he has is that rope.

Climbing the wall is a breeze for this long legged, long armed young man.

Even a game of tag can become a lesson in teamwork

The snake shedding his skin

Random Paddling Photos

Paddling and especially tandem canoeing expose us to a myriad of opportunities to discover why Jesus referred to Himself as the "Living Water." For many OWLS participants, it is a big step just to trust their life jacket and do anything in or on the water. When someone goes from being afraid of the water to running a Class II or Class III rapid only a couple of days later, they return home with the understanding that they can accomplish much more than they ever dreamed possible and, with God's help, they can do anything. Goal setting, problem solving, and effective communication are skills which must be mastered for a team of canoeists to successfully negotiate a whitewater stream. Combine that with the requirements of properly packing gear and food, setting up a riverside camp, and feeling comfortably relaxed far from home and these young paddlers are discovering how quickly they can learn new skills, teach each other, and multitask at a higher level. The river itself provides "Living Parables" for us to discuss and reflect upon as we round almost every bend.

It all starts with learning the basics of paddling dynamics.

Learning to help others with a canoe over canoe rescue

We can also learn lasting lessons from our mistakes

Looks like North GA to me

Part of our flotilla on the Etowah River

Paddling the panhandle of Florida

The upper Alapaha with water

Smiles on the Toccoa perhaps

Ben at the Cartecay's Clear Creek Falls

A new day on the New River

Random Biking Photos

Some of the life lessons learned by participants in the OWLS biking activities are that each of us is a key member of the team and we cannot accomplish our goals unless we all do our part, regardless of how trivial it may seem. Perseverance is something else that a long trail ride teaches in a very effective fashion since, if someone decides to quit, their only choice is to remain off the trail in a place that is likely unfamiliar and uncomfortable. Biking also gives the kids a chance to feel good about reaching goals and many opportunities to see facets of creation and the interaction of God's creatures as they make their way at a much slower pace than life in the city usually affords.

Tony with some of the kids from the Walton ministry.

"Just how far is it to ride around the block?" Answer - "About 7.5 miles."

Showing biking prowess at Brownwood Park.

Resting on the New River Trail

One of the spots where the New River Trail follows a tunnel through the mountain