I wrote recently about the “subversive” nature of joining Jesus in advancing his Kingdom. My friend and Navigator encourager Bill Mowry, author of Ways of the Alongsider, a tool I recommend frequently, recently published an article on the occasion of his 50th anniversary of following Jesus. The story illustrates the step-by-step process that’s involved. Bill’s article is worth reading in its entirety. Here are a few snippets:

I entered college in 1968. My heroes were in the radical political left, my mission was social justice and an end to the Vietnam war, my values were shaped by the rock and roll culture, and I was in love with a girl named Peggy.

Sometime in my later high school years, I told God to “shove off.” He was irrelevant and unnecessary to my life. Little did I know that He was tracking me down.

When I moved into my freshman dorm at Bowling Green State University, I became friends with a guy who lived across the hall. We bonded over the shared dreams and frustrations of college life. However, there was a difference. Ed was a Christian.

He and Ed spent a lot of time together, including doing Bible study, which Bill participated in “just to harass his faith.” But Bill read the Gospels between his freshman and sophomore years “and was quickly impressed by Jesus. His teachings were captivating and consistent. What a surprise!“

Shortly after, he decided to commit his life to Christ:

[I] knelt beside my bed and prayed. I can’t remember what I said but I admitted my rebellion against God and welcomed His Son into my life. As one author calls it, “I was overcome by a great affection.” God tracked me down.

I soon informed Ed of my decision. After we talked, he asked a simple question that shaped my life. “Do you want to meet in the study lounge tomorrow and read the Bible together?” I said “yes” and we began meeting weekly to read the Bible together. Ed was discipling me even though I didn’t know what was happening.

That little question to read the Bible together set me on a new life course. Jesus became my hero, the Great Commission was my mission, the Bible shaped my values, and loving God became a new passion. All this started fifty years ago in October, 1969.

Bill lists five lessons that he’s reflecting on from a 50-year perspective. Here are two of them:

Lesson #2. Surrendering to God is a serendipitous journey. Serendipity means “happy surprise.” As a campus “radical,” I protested to get ROTC off campus. Then I got involved with a “para-military” Christian organization called The Navigators where most of my supervisors are ex-military! What a sense of irony our heavenly Father has. What’s another surprise? When I heard a tape recording of my voice in a high school speech class, I concluded that I would never speak in public again. I was embarrassed by my poor enunciation of words. In His grace, God gave me the gift of teaching and most of my life has been lived in front of people . . . talking! Surrendering to God is a serendipitous experience.

Lesson #3. Following Jesus is the ultimate adventure. My early life was like some of the twelve disciples — a boy from a rural community who hadn’t traveled much. Little did I know that I would be commissioned to go to the nations and to people unlike myself. Following Jesus has meant ministering to undergraduates, graduate students, professors, doctors, dentists, business leaders, and now pastors. I’ve been to places, and enjoyed friendships, that have stretched the imagination and comfort of this small-town boy. Following Jesus is the ultimate adventure.

Often we see people like Bill, effective in ministry, and we think, “I could never do that.” But Bill’s story reminds us that God is never finished with us, and we can actually experience growth and transformation, and more importantly, be part of God’s Great Adventure.

And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. (Mark 4.25 – 28, ESV)