Alive

Perhaps it’s not best to start an update on our current trip with, “Welllll…. They're Alive!” but, hey, it’s true (the worst was just some altitude headaches and blisters) and we call that success!* No worries, nothing concerning has happened, no close calls or near-deaths, just plain old fashioned adventure! Our three male Seekers, Grant and Veritas volunteer, David Wilder, are currently exploring mountains and rivers and valleys in New Mexico, and they are having a GRAND time. A Rio Grande time, that is! Yesterday they swam across the Rio Grande after hiking down into Box Canyon, and… They're alive! Okay, okay.. joking aside, they had a wonderful time and enjoyed it immensely, but I’m going to stop there and let them fill you in on the details themselves when they get back. For now I’ll just tell you a bit about today (Sunday, June 28)!

JathanRioGrande

The crew reach the top of the Beast!

Today was about conquering the beast, Wheeler Peak. Our guys mastered all 13,167 feet to the top and had a QUICK victory rest before having to immediately descend due to the sudden onset of a storm (not unusual in the mountains!). So this crew of five picked up their feet and raced the storm to the bottom of the mountain, barely making it to the tree line when the hail hit! Have you ever been pelted by hail? Hail hits hard, you know. :) Anyway, they made it down safely and… yep, they're alive! ;)

HailHike

Sometimes the fastest way down is sledding. When you don’t have a sled, you just.. you know, use your feet!

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Tomorrow they’re heading to Taos to take on the 17-mile whitewater adventure called “THE BOX.” They will raft down 60 rapids, 13 of which are class 3 or more, which means they will all have to work together in one accord to maneuver the river. Tuesday they will drive out to Great Sand Dunes National Park for an afternoon of sand boarding and sledding on the glorious mountains of sand in south Colorado.

Keep your eyes peeled for another blog from their perspective coming soon!!

* We take the safety of our crew/participants very seriously and have no intentions of putting anyone in harm’s way!  Nature just has a way of testing your limits, and your preparedness; so, yay for having the right gear, fitness, and will to get it done.

Why Mystery Is Necessary

By David Valentine, co-founder of Rethink and partner/practitioner of the Veritas Lifestyle and Veritas Life Adventures

A couple years back I was talking with a dear friend who claimed to be an agnostic for years. I asked him if he had come to any conclusions? He said, "I've actually come to the conclusion that I'm an atheist."

"Well...that must be comforting to have figured it out," I said.

His response was unnerving, "Actually it's quite depressing. There's nothing beyond this, and I've figured out how the universe works."

What was so interesting was…I, as a Christian, had come to the exact same spot. I believed in Jesus, God, the Holy Spirit, Church, the resurrection, and I was miserable. I believed I knew how the universe worked.

Life had lost its mystery. I was depressed, and slowly the pendulum began to swing the other direction—questioning everything I thought was for certain.

Mystery, it seems, is a necessary element for the human soul to thrive. When we fall prey to the idea that we have this world figured out our soul begins to shrivel and die. It doesn't matter if we come from a religious perspective or non-religious perspective—this belief system is toxic.

The philosopher from Ecclesiastes says of God, 'He has put eternity into mankind’s heart...

An infinitude of time and space are dwelling within the finite beings of men and women. So of course we become depressed when we believe we have it all figured out, because it goes against an intrinsic voice deep in our being that whispers, "There is more.

This is why my parents used to set a place at the table for my imaginary friend when I was 3. For a child there is most certainly something or someone more than meets the eye. The universe is a great mystery, and they are just scratching the surface.

The problem is we ‘grow up’, our creativity wanes, and awe for life shrivels.

The solution to my depression was subatomic particles.

The world had lost its wonder, until I began to further examine how the world works at its smallest levels. Growing up we are all indoctrinated with Newton's understanding of the universe functions. An object will stay at rest or remain in motion until an outside force acts it upon. A + B = C. The world is predictable and acts in a certain set of predefined ways.

Which generally works in our every day lives. However, at the subatomic level, Newton's laws don't apply. Electrons do not rotate around the nucleus in defined rings, but rather appear in one location and then appear in another location. They do this without passing through the distance in between the two locations where it was seen. Not to mention the location in which it appears has no predictability.

Atoms are made up of 99.9% empty space. So if all of the empty space in atoms were removed the entire universe (Every living thing, planets, solar systems, galaxies) would fit in a sugar cube.

If two subatomic particles are merged together and then torn apart they would maintain an awareness of the other after their separation. They would mimic—it's hypothesized—one another's movements.

The universe is more bizarre, out of whack, and crazy than our daily lives would like us to believe. When brilliant subatomic physicists say things like, "Yea....we don't know why it happens that way" it tells me something about God.

God is bigger than our conceptions of him. We can use very specific language about Him and yet, we need more poetry than specifics. Because we don't know everything about Him, the universe, or the subatomic world.

I found myself walking out of depression this Spring as I slowly began to embrace the overwhelmingly beautiful truth that I don't know everything.

The universe, and God, is bigger than that.

Hey High School Students!

Have you ever experienced the feeling of immense satisfaction and pride in something you worked hard to accomplish?  Ever pushed past all the feelings of doubt and fear to grasp a far-reaching goal?  If you have, you know how glorious that moment can be!  If you haven’t, I’m here to tell you you CAN.  We want to invite you into a year with us that will give you the opportunities to experience this wonder again and again.  Welcome to Veritas Life Adventures. What does it look like to be a part of our program?  We’re going to let you know throughout the next couple months, so stay tuned for future blogs.  For now, I’m just going to share a bit of what this year’s group is going to experience in a couple weeks to give you a taste of what’s to come if you join us for the 2015-16 season.

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Check out the info page from our trip itinerary for the upcoming trip this month: Kayaking, hiking, climbing to the highest point in New Mexico, canyoning, swimming the Rio Grande, sledding and boarding down giant sand dunes… These are just some of the adventures we have planned for the final trip of this year!  The students who participated in this year’s program put in months of hard work and their determination is being rewarded with this incredible adventure trip, ABSOLUTELY FREE FOR THEM!!

Trips like these will be offered to YOU if you decide to join us on the Veritas journey beginning in September.  If you are interested in a challenging adventure that will grow you in ways you never imagined, check out our website for more information, have a talk with your folks, and head over to our online application to get this process started.  Applications are due August 1, but we only have 10 spots available, so don’t delay!  We look forward to hearing from you!

***PARENTS: Check out our program page and this blog for more information!***

Every step, intentional

A 30 Days of Veritas Tale

By Grant Boatwright, ED Veritas Life Adventures

One thing I have always told the Seekers in the program is, “I will never ask you to do something I am not willing to do myself.” The same goes for my buddy David when he started this #30daysofveritas initiative. So in conjunction with his lifestyle transformation I am challenging myself right alongside him to push myself further than I have before, trying to outdo one another in honor, and keeping each other accountable in what to American’s seems an eternity of time: 30 days straight of the Veritas Lifestyle, no matter the circumstances. Like David pointed out, this would not be easy; no simple pill or instant gratification will see this accomplished, so the only thing to do to make it to day 30 is begin with…

Every step, intentional

My #30daysofveritas fell just before a long 2-week road trip my wife and I had planned for two years: journeying across southern US states from Texas, up the southeast coast, cutting across the Smokey Mountains, visiting her graduate school and family in the northern heartland of Indiana and Illinois, and finally circling back to Texas where we began. How in the world was I going to keep the Veritas lifestyle going on the road, driving for multiple hours a day, no home gym to work out in, and having to miss our church home group multiple weeks? Unable to feed my body what it needs, work it out, or feed my soul in the usual, easy, and routine ways I had formed around my house, I was going to have to get inventive.

Every step, intentional

So I packed an extra bag of small workout gear: bands, push-up stands, my new suspension TRX toy, and my body weight (plenty of resistance there) for my workouts. We got easy snacks full of nutrition and light on calories for the long car rides: dried seaweed (like potato chips but better), kind bars (for that sweet tooth), kombucha (for digestion), and superfood bars (for extra nutrition). And of course to feed our souls we got a inspirational yet hard audio book (Unbroken) to realign our perspective and see how a man in TRULY overwhelming circumstances found and kept his faith, soul, and will alive!

Every step, intentional

The first part of the trip went swimmingly. Woke up at 4 am to work out with Jashley and start the road trip off right. Didn’t buy any extra snacks at gas stations (really wanted those powdered donuts). Then the storm broke… literally. The setting was our 7-mile hike to LeConte lodge in the Smokey Mountains National Park, Tennessee; this is where we really had to remember

Every step, intentional

Just like the 30 days of Veritas, we had an end goal when we started the trail: the lodge.  At the end of the 7-mile trek, the lodge promised both a comfortable bed and equally comforting dinner. Along the steady incline, lined with beautiful ferns, towering pines and oaks, and even boasting a rainbow waterfall; the thunder rolled in, and on came the pouring rain.

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Every step intentional

Although we knew how long the trail was, and were fairly sure we were on the right one, the trail did not have any progress markers. To further compound our anxiety, we got a late start, 3:45 pm, and needed to be at the lodge no later than 6:45 pm or we would miss the very much-desired meal.

Every step, intentional

So with the thunder rolling around us, the rain blinding us, the slate rocks on the trial growing increasingly slippery, no indicators of how far we had hiked or how much we had left, Jashley accurately described our predicament as, “not being able to see the forest from the trees.” We had an end goal, but no way of knowing when, or if, we would reach it. Every bend in the trail looked the same, every tree looked like the next, and next, and next. Tired, moving slow, the incline of the trail only increasing, our wills started fraying. But this is why I train and why Jashley and I live the Veritas lifestyle. So, with my mind and will steeled, I encouraged Jashley (and myself really) to take it one step at a time, and make

Every step, intentional

At 6:30 we finally reached the trail fork I knew was near the end, just .6 miles of steep slippery slate rock trail to go (what the lodge staff called the hellish .6); and 15 minutes to do it. At 6:45 exactly we stumbled into the dinning hall, soaking, physically spent, and mentally haggard; but there, still waiting for us, was an abundant, steaming, mouth-watering meal. After dinner, the clouds broke, a beautiful sunset was arrayed before a breathtaking view of the valley below and we found a roof and soft bed inviting us in.

Leconteview

Every step, intentional

I want to tell you it was smooth sailing from there, but as I have always found in life, obstacles keep coming, trying to bring you down. However, I would not let my 30 days of Veritas falter.

When one of our friends could no longer host us, and as I was stuck in a 4X4 hotel “fitness center” I still got a good Insanity Max workout in. When, at a local park near my cousin’s house I tried to get some sprints in (via David’s inspiration) I misstepped, rolled my foot to the outside, and heard an old injury return in the form of two quick pops. My high intensity plyometric and run training on the trip was finished. For every step forward, it seemed like I was doomed to take four back; but I was determined to push forward, nurse my foot back to health, and make

Every step, intentional

I am now reduced to yoga and Tabata style controlled movement interval workouts. The foot is healing. Despite the temptation to eat out since we are technically on “vacation,” I kept up with my Shakeology meals and healthy eating. Then we get a phone text. My mother-in-law took a bad fall at work and fractured her femur; the news is still coming in. Needless to say it was a kick in the gut, especially after such a great day of work and presentations the day before at Jashley’s grad school. However, with consistent prayer and pulling together I know this will work out in the end, as long as we continue with

Every step, intentional

And so, my 30 days of Veritas tale continues. It has its valleys, and its peaks; and through it all I know I have Him with me. He tells me to take courage, that He will never forsake me (Joshua 1:5-7), that He has plans for me; which He promises to see to fruition, to benefit me, and give me a life of abundance (John 10:10, and Jeremiah 29:11). I am confident now that the good work I am doing during my 30 days of Veritas and beyond will not return void; that whether in my body, my mind, or my soul, through Christ I will see His work in me accomplished (Philippians 1:6).

In summation, I am seeing my body tested, but growing stronger. I am seeing that you CAN eat healthy on the road. And in all this I continue to see my faith and spirit awakened more each day. All I need do is continue with what I started, one foot in front of the other, keeping…

Every step, Intentional 

Now I ask you, what will your #30daysofveritas tale be?

Introducing "30 Days of Veritas"

By David Valentine, co-founder of Rethinkand partner/practitioner of the Veritas Lifestyle and Veritas Life Adventures

Lose 30 pounds in 30 days! No working out required just take this pill and…

Who doesn’t want the quick fix? Would you really try to accomplish any goal if some omnipotent narrator said, “You can have what you want, but…it’s going to require 7 years of extremely hard work, and not a day less. You’re going to have to get up every day and it will be grueling. There will be moments when you feel like you can’t get out of bed, but if you stick with it, you’ll have what you want.”

Veritas is centered around discovering and living out truth in every area of our lives. Grant often breaks it down into three smaller pieces or our lives: physical, emotional, and spiritual. Any time you speak with Grant Boatwright, you walk away with a keen awareness of his acute intentionality in each of these areas.

One thing we’ve discussed on a regular basis is how Veritas is for everyone. The Veritas lifestyle is not just for high school students, but also for everyone everywhere who longs for a deeper, more fulfilling life. The question is how do we invite people to join us?

What is 30 Days Of Veritas?

There are a healthy number of sources that agree it takes 21 days to create or break a habit. Grant observed, oftentimes we’re trying to change our habits first and foremost to create the life we long for. 30 Days Of Veritas is a program Grant and I co-created to help people [read: you] form new habits and begin a new life.

We believe 30 difficult, intense days can be the catalyst to change your life in profound, long-lasting ways. Grant and I believe you can do anything for 30 days.

Of course, as with anything, a good guinea pig helps work out the kinks of the program before we launch it to you. This is where I, David, have the opportunity to shine. On Monday, May 26, I started sharing my first 30 Days Of Veritas. I’m focusing on the physical aspects of my life, because I’m in desperate need of some change.

I’m an entrepreneur who works 60+ hours a week, a dad to an 18-month-old, and a husband. My life is so jam-packed, I’ve found it difficult to take care of my body the way I want to. So I’ve been enduring two-a-day workouts during the first week of my 30 days to jump-start my metabolism.

You can watch my progress over the next 30 days on all of the Veritas social media channels.

I’ll be honest…doing all of this publicly is more than a little intimidating to me. There are really few things more private than your weight, because it’s often tied to deep emotional and spiritual wounds. I hope you’ll follow my progress, and on July 1st I hope you’ll join a growing number of people who want to partake in #30daysofveritas.