In a busy world, it’s often hard to cut through the noise and connect with others in a meaningful way. While meeting for coffee or a walk around the neighborhood is easy to arrange, I’ve found shared adventures to be the catalyst for real life change.
I would much rather go on a hike, back country skiing, or fly fishing with somebody than grab coffee. As president of the NCF Rocky Mountains team, I’ve seen God use these meaningful experiences to encourage generosity over and over again.
It’s nearly impossible not to see the need for generosity everywhere when you get out and interact with God’s creation, away from distractions like technology. And let’s face it, being located in Colorado doesn’t hurt.
Capital-building adventure
The lasting impact of adventure is something I use in my role as a dad too. I’ve heard David Wills talk about the three kinds of capital we pass to our heirs: financial capital, spiritual capital, and character capital. David argues that if spiritual and character capital aren’t tested and found to be strong, it’s inadvisable to pass down financial capital.
I would add that one of the wisest ways to use financial capital is on adventures and experiences that build spiritual and character capital. I’ve had the privilege of watching many people creatively use their financial capital to invest in the lives of others in a way that exponentially grows God’s kingdom, and I’ve incorporated their wisdom into my own family as well.
The Jaeger family
Take, for example, the Jaeger family. The Jaegers have gone deep with an orphanage in Nicaragua. They’ve taken many groups there over the years, investing in the children’s home. But one of the most important things they’ve experienced as a family is Christmas in Nicaragua.
Years ago, when the Jaegers’ children were middle-school age, they began spending Christmases in Nicaragua with the children at the children’s home. They continued this tradition through college, when the kids would fly directly from finals week to Nicaragua to meet their family for the holiday.
I’ve had the honor of walking with this family on their generosity journey for many years. When I threw around the idea of taking my family to spend a Christmas with these friends in Nicaragua, Ken Jaeger said to me, “Eric, we’d love to have you. But, just so you know, once you spend Christmas in Nicaragua with these kids, you’ll never want to do Christmas back in the States again.”
All you have to do is look at the adult Jaeger kids continuing to spend their Christmases in Nicaragua to recognize the impact this kind of adventure has had.
The Vanderman family
The Vanderman family comes to mind when I think about using financial capital to build spiritual and character capital in the next generation. The grandparents in this family did something really fun and unique. When each grandchild turned six, the grandparents sponsored a child – each in the same village or town.
They involved their grandchild in the sponsored child’s life more and more as they grew up. For the first six years, the grandchild would draw pictures for the child they were sponsoring and help with the correspondence. At age 12, they began paying half of the sponsorship cost from their allowance. At age 16, the entire cost of the sponsorship was turned over to the grandchild, and the grandparents took them on a trip to meet the child they had been communicating with for 10 years.
Once a grandchild made the trip, they were invited to go back with the next 16-year-old grandchild. The trips grew. At first, they brought two or three grandchildren, then five or six. Eventually, they were traveling with more than 10 grandchildren, and the village became like a second home; every grandchild had friends there. The children they were sponsoring knew one another; some were even siblings.
I’ve seen a version of this idea play out in multiple families. It’s a beautiful way to use your financial capital to build spiritual and character capital.
The Most family
In my family, we have a mantra: We don’t just watch things; we do things. There are endless ways to leverage adventure to build relationships, test spiritual and character capital, and encourage generosity. It doesn’t have to be an annual, multi-generational voyage to South America.
Each year, I take my boys (now 12 and 9) on a multi-day, father-son rafting trip. The conversations we have vary. We talk about generosity, faith, and what it means to be a leader. But I’ve found that just by getting out and adventuring together, we learn more about God’s plan for our lives than we ever could sitting at home on our devices.
There are also ways to grow spiritual and character capital in our children’s day-to-day lives. And sometimes, in trying to pass on spiritual and character capital to them, they end up growing yours.
Years ago, my wife and I decided we wanted our two boys to work diligently, live simply, and give generously. To that end, we have a monthly family budget meeting to break down the kids’ allowance into give, save, and spend buckets. We give them monthly “commission” opportunities – ways they can earn a little extra money that month. Then, we tell our boys we will match their generosity.
Recently, we were at our church’s missions dinner, and the boys had the opportunity to give. Thinking we would be matching their $10 – $20, my wife and I were blown away when our nine-year-old announced he wanted to give $80. Then, hearing his little brother’s generous offering, our 12-year-old bumped his offering from $30 to $40. Time and time again, our own kids’ generosity challenges us to give more freely.
Join the adventure
During my time working with generous givers at NCF, I’ve heard dozens of stories like these.
Families who’ve created value-shaping legacy funds to pay for their kids or grandkids to go to a Christian summer camp or on a mission trip, and bring a friend, because they knew friends often have a greater impact on their kids’ lives than they do.
Families who’ve taken trips to build homes in Mexico, moved their entire family to Kenya for a year, or simply spent intentional time on a weekend adventure teaching faith and character.
Adventure is one of God’s most powerful tools for building relationships, testing character, and encouraging generosity. So, let’s be present and open to the meaningful experiences God has in store for us. Let’s put down our phones, leave the technology behind for a day (or a week), and step into adventures that build spiritual and character capital.
Some names have been changed to protect the family’s privacy.
