So why “Dashing Disciple”?  Well, to tell you the truth all the other good titles I thought of were already being used.  Secondly, I have a penchant for alliteration.  But it is appropriate.  The apostle Paul alludes to running and racing in our Christian lives many times.  And Peter and James went dashing off to the tomb after Mary told them about her encounter with Jesus in the garden.

The Meriam-Webster Dictionary defines dashing as being “marked by vigorous action”.  Synonyms include words like adventurous, daring, and bold.

Dashing can certainly describe our athletic/fitness endeavors.  Whether you run, jump, cycle, or play tennis there are times that your activity is punctuated by vigorous activity.  Even your golf swing has a “vigorous” component to it.  When I started running mud obstacle races there was definitely an aspect of adventure.  Running 12 miles in and out of various mud pits, launching yourself into a tank of iced water, or slogging through a knee deep creek for miles in 40 degree weather could all be classified daring or bold (although my wife has another term for it).  I do like adventure; travel in a new strange place, new foods, camping out in a solo tent and bivey sack in the midst of a storm, riding my motorcycle across country on the backroads, or wading a new river in search of trout are all adventures I enjoy.  I’m sure you have your own version of adventures that to you are daring and bold too.

Mark Divine of SEALFIT talks about the 5 mountains:  physical, mental, emotional, situational, and spiritual.  Climbing these mountains requires a bold adventure.  Whether it’s pushing yourself to find your physical limits, building your mental toughness, or developing  emotional resilience we have to be vigorous and bold.  You certainly can’t develop physically without some type of vigorous activity.

How about spiritually?  Is our Christian walk marked by “vigorous action”?  Are we adventuresome in our faith, bold and daring in our witness?  Now I’ll admit it is easy to fall into the comfort zone.  When running I can easily let myself slip down into a pace that is comfortable and easy, especially if tired or not feeling 100%.  I have to consciously push myself into that higher zone of exertion, but without it I won’t improve; in fact, if it is a chronic habit, I actually will lose aerobic capacity and become slower.  Could it be that without some bold, adventuresome faith we miss out on really building spiritual fulfillment, being all that Jesus wants us to be?

Now, there is a difference between being comfortable and safe.  I would not suggest that you be unsafe just to be bold and daring in your physical endeavors.  One can be bold, and vigorous in climbing a mountain and follow safety principles.  Being safe means understanding the risk factors, mitigating them as much as possible, and paying attention to danger signs.  Being safe in our faith mean’s following the Master’s voice and instruction.  We get into danger spiritually when we strike out on our own, ignoring the Lord’s direction and implement our own plans.

So how do we set out to become “Dashing Disciples”?  I would suggest that following Jesus daily can lead to a pretty adventuresome life.  Be a real disciple of Jesus.  We do that by spending intimate time with Him.  Watch and follow Him and His direction.  Listen to him and wrestle with the difficult questions.  Love Him extravagantly and find yourself serving extravagantly.  Learn to really believe and trust in Him.  If we do that I doubt we will stay very long in our comfort zone.  We will find ourselves dashing after the Master, following Him into new and bold adventures of faith.