The rocks began to fall without warning.  I was just able to clear myself from being crushed by a boulder, my legs taking a glancing impact, causing cuts and bruises.  The hike was turning into something none of us had anticipated. 

Earlier that day we had set out to find the Donut Hole, a waterfall that fell into a donut shaped geological formation. We had climbed a while, and found ourselves above the falls, and so my friend decided to descend a very steep, wet path.  I followed like a lamb to slaughter. The others had turned back where we had come.  That’s when my backpack brushed against a rock and started an avalanche.  My friend had already used a rope to descend to about 30 feet below me.  When the rocks began to fall, I screamed “watch out” as a loose boulder cascaded right for him. It came within a foot of a direct hit.  In that moment we looked at one another, saw imminent danger had passed, and started to whoop it up.  “Oh, wow that was amazing!”  I’m sure if one of us had gotten badly injured or worse, we wouldn’t have celebrated. But the adrenaline of surviving the avalanche intact washed over us with a partying spirit.  We kept on our descent and enjoyed the Donut Hole. 

When we got back to the group, the air was electric. My legs were oozing blood, and I couldn’t stop talking about the avalanche that nearly took us with it. The others starred, taking in our exuberance.  Shaking their heads in disbelief, laughing, and celebrating what we described as a miraculous intervention by God. 

This reminds me of a moment in the life of Jesus and his disciples.  He had sent out the seventy to minister in His Name, and now on their return, they blurted out, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your Name!”  Exuberance! Jubilation, joy in seeing God’s power at work at just the mention of His name!  This feeling, this overwhelmed, gut reeling and heart racing celebratory emotion is what I think the church needs most today. 

Do you remember Jesus’ response to his men’s account?  He said, “Don’t marvel that the demon’s obey you, but celebrate that your names are recorded in heaven.”  Jesus is reminding them, and by proxy all of us, what is most important in our relationship with Him.  But as important as that is, it’s only half of the story, half of what God has given us to enjoy and fill up our lives.  The other half encompasses being on the alert for chances to tell the story of Jesus.  Every time we do, it completes the package God has granted us to carry in this life. 

When my friend and I were recounting our avalanche escapade, we felt alive in a way that is hard to describe.  We had taken a risk, willed our wobbling legs down into a dangerous ravine, and stood there in the donut, feeling the mist from the water walls hit us full force, smiling with a kind of joy that only comes after a daring feat, and a miraculous sense of God’s intervention.  What an apt description of the residual of sharing the good news. 

For me, each time I share my faith, I untie a knot of indecision; I have to loosen inertia, because the outcome is never known.  However, the reward when I do take that leap of faith, is always a similar exuberance as when my friend and I returned and told our story of a close call in finding the Donut Hole.  It’s the feeling I have after every time I tell someone the greatest story ever told.