Peb Jackson - Danger Calling: True Adventures of Risk and Faith

DANGER
CALLING

TRUE ADVENTURES OF RISK AND FAITH

PEB JACKSON
JAMES LUND

2010 by James L. Lund

Published by Revell
a division of Baker Publishing Group
P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www.revellbooks.com

E-book edition created 2010

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means for example, electronic, photocopy, recording without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

ISBN 978-1-4412-1312-9

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture is taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Scripture marked Message is taken from The Message by Eugene H. Peterson, copyright 1993, 1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. All rights reserved.

Scripture marked NASB is taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture marked NKJV is taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Published in association with William K. Jensen Literary Agency, 119 Bampton Court, Eugene, Oregon 97404.

To my longtime friend Tim Hansel and the gang at Summit Expedition, who fired me up in countless ways, especially in reference to mountains and great effort.

Peb

To Betty Jean (Leonard) Lund, who encouraged me to pursue my calling wherever it led. Thanks, Mom, for everything.

Jim

Contents

Most of my pursuits of adventure and opportunities in the wild were inspired by friends and by books. I vividly recall leafing through a coffee table book, The Earth and GreatWeather. I found a picture of a canyon with steep walls above the Arctic Circle that mesmerized me a dramatic vista indeed. I said, I am going there someday. Ten years later, I was tromping through that exact canyon in the Brooks Range in Alaska. All of my expectations were exceeded. That scenario has been repeated many times over the past decades and I am sure will be duplicated in years to come.

A bookmark that my friend Scott McOwen and I had made for Guttenbergs, a bookstore we built, had as its tagline, A man cant have too many books or too many friends. I have been powerfully motivated, inspired, and blessed by an abundance of both.

I want to acknowledge my partner in this venture, Jim Lund, and the indefatigable nature of this guys disciplined conscientiousness in his writing. What a gift he has been to me in the re-creation and telling of these marvelous stories. Thank you, Jim.

To my wife, Sharon, who still flinches when I talk about ice climbing or any such pursuits, but at least has not attached a tether to my ankle... yet. But in reality she is my consistent, joyful partner, adventuring through this life.

Peb

Some people are called not only to dangerous adventures in life and faith but also to generously share their time, stories, and insights with pesky writers. This book would not have been possible without the help and patience of, among others, Eric Alexander, B. J. Kramps, Leon Lamprecht, Melissa Neugebauer, Todd Pierce, Dick Savidge, Drew Wills, Jeanie Wills, and my partner in publishing, the incomparable Peb Jackson. My deep thanks to each of you.

Thanks also go to our agent, Bill Jensen, the man with a million great ideas; to our editor, Andrea Doering, who patiently steered us home; and to everyone at Baker Publishing Group who played a part in enabling us to present these stories.

To Jon Coulter and the Sisters Young Life study group, thanks for the test run. To Gil McCormick for your insights and encouragement and to Jodi Carroll for all that you do. I appreciate it.

A special word of gratitude goes to Tom Stoerzbach for invaluable research and writing assistance. Tom, you saved the day.

Last and certainly not least, I thank my family for their encouragement and support: my wife, Angela; my children, Erik, Sonja, and Peter; and my brother, Dave, who also contributed research and writing help. You guys are the best.

Jim

This isnt your typical Bible study. Were going to take you on a high-adrenaline ride to places few people dare to venture the rarified air at the peak of Mount Everest, the black waters at the bottom of the Atlantic, the steaming jungles of the Philippines, and the frozen floes of the Antarctic. Well also take you to a few other places just as dangerous and thrilling the depths of your heart, life, and faith.

You dont need a theology degree for Danger Calling. This is a book of true stories. It features people in extreme circumstances, often brought on by their own extreme choices. Some stories will be familiar. Some have never been told before. All will keep you in suspense, with lives hanging on every decision.

This is also a book of questions. Were going to challenge you to think about your response to each story and what it means to you. Youll find no pat answers. Well explore four primary themes sacrifice, perseverance, courage, and leadership with questions such as these: Would you stop tohelp a climber in the Death Zone on Everest? How much areyou willing to risk for fame and glory? What is your sourceof strength in a crisis? Could you lead men and women intobattle knowing some are likely to die?

Part of our goal is to help you discover who you are. But we also want you to find out who you were meant to be. We want you to know where you stand in your faith. Through this book, were asking: Do you have a relationship with God?Are you a little too comfortable in your faith? Is he callingyou to a life of greater risk and deeper meaning?

We are a couple of guys who are fascinated by the often-hidden benefits of risk and danger and how they connect to faith. Peb is the true adventurer. As a youth, he scaled the ten-story water tower in his hometown of Haviland, Kansas (unroped). Hes been testing his limits on mountains, bike trails, rapids, and jungle safaris ever since. Jim is the writer who cant decide which he loves more a great hike in the wilderness or a great story about one. We had a good time joining forces on our first book of adventure stories, A DangerousFaith. We wanted to go further, to reach into the hearts of men and women and lead them to their calling. Inspired by conversations with our agent, Bill Jensen, we began talking about a new project that would challenge readers with provocative questions about life and faith. We desire to invite todays men and women into an adventure thats as old as our existence: Seek me and live (Amos 5:4). The result is in your hands.

How you approach Danger Calling is up to you. The sixteen stories and accompanying questions are designed for talking over in a small group, but you can certainly tackle them in a larger group, with just one friend, or on your own. The idea is to read one story before you meet with your group and then go through the follow-up material for that story.