View of Delft ⛵️
And a sacred pace
Every guy in this photo lived to tell the tale.
That may not sound like a grand feat, but I can assure you—there were moments of doubt.
Two weeks ago, I went on a pheasant hunting trip with 13 friends—some old, some new—and 80% of us had little business picking up a shotgun and aiming them at birds popping out of the grass…while each of us stood feet away from each other.
But despite a few close calls, we survived to enjoy the true spoils of our trip from Kansas City to South Dakota: a fellowship adventure.
The trip was hosted by (aptly named) a nonprofit called Fellowship Adventures. The group was assembled by my good friend, Brad Ellis, and led by 1990’s contemporary Christian artist sensation, Geoff Moore. On our way to South Dakota, Brad played the song “Home Run” that was, indeed, unearthed from the recesses of my mind—something akin to Bing Bong from Inside Out.
For three days in November, 11 of us did our best hunting impressions. The other three were the ones who knew what they were doing, which began with them bringing their own guns. But on the first night, Geoff stated this was a “food trip disguised as a hunting trip,” and he wasn’t wrong. He went on to say, “When people ask me what Fellowship Adventures is, I tell them ‘It’s a fire and it’s a table.’”
That’s my lasting impression of the trip, and that’s a big theme of my 2024 and, what I hope, the years ahead—the importance of spending time around a table with those I love and a fire for sharing life’s celebration and struggle.
If you’re reading this, I hope, before long, I get to share either of those with you, too.
Maybe one of the more important books I’ve read in my thirties.
But no matter your age, I encourage you to consider Sacred Pace by Terry Looper. And if you have read it, I’d be curious about your main takeaways. (Click “Reply” below!).
A lot of Looper’s experience was shaped and molded by *striking out on his own* as the founder of Texon Trading, LLC., which he founded after experiencing burnout as a working professional—he then, through a series of life-altering experiences, stumbled into a rhythm to get neutral in his decision-making processes.
Have you experienced burnout? Are you burnt out? Or, as Geoff Moore mentioned on our pheasant-hunting trip, “Maybe you’re not quite burnt out but you’re overheated.” A Sacred Pace is a good cure.
In November, Alex and I interviewed one of our Streamline Authors, Dave Nemmers. In our industry, we work with a lot of first-time authors, and I’m thrilled that Dave’s book, Exit Well, is now available on Amazon.
Dave is an incredible human—he and his wife, Susan, live in Grand Rapids. One of the best guys I’ve met, and he sold his business, Midstate Security, in 2019. This interview is Dave’s reflections on the process of growing, sustaining, and selling in a responsible manner.
Branch is learning about Johannes Vermeer in his art class at school right now—been fun for Lauren and I to scoop up the bread crumbs.
I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.
Music: New Kendrick has been a pleasant fall/winter surprise. But also nobigdyl unplugged is brilliant. And someone played Phil Wickham at our pheasant trip and since have been listening to a lot of his (mostly) acoustic stuff. And a lot of William Augosto to wind down evening.
Food: Lauren learned over the past few weeks she is has a pretty bad wheat allergy :/ so gluten-free land here we come. Let us know if you have any ideas/tips/hacks/snacks/frustrations/revelations as we conquer this breadless mountain together.
Podcasts: Jake and Brad did a great Ghostrunners recap of our Hunting Trip to South Dakota.
Reading: A group I’m a part of is reading “The Wager”. Listening to “Eat This Word” by Eugene Peterson. And finally started “Unreasonable Hospitality”.