The following is the story of Ashley Denton's first journey in faith. Ashley is the director of the Wilderness Ministry Institute and is the Vice President of Nexus International. He also is a professor of Outdoor Leadership at Denver Theological Seminary.
---
Ashley's first true immersion into Christ came into being through his trip to
Beyond Malibu. Before his wilderness ministry experience, Ashley was a kid who
seemed like he had his life together. From the outside. But on the inside, he
was a lost child. Caught up in insecurities he regularly turned to partying,
vandalism to get attention from his friends, disrespecting authority, etc...
Ashley was seeking for significance in all of the wrong places. Ashley had come
to realize that there was a gaping hole in his life, swallowing up everything
that he loved as it expanded, and that he needed to find something to fill it.
But so far, nothing had worked.
His
first introduction to a relationship with Jesus was playing some pickup
basketball with two adults that spent some time at his high school. He would
later find out that these two individuals were YoungLife leaders. They would
remain in his life throughout his high school years, even going as far as to
attend his baseball games in hopes of fostering a Christ-centric relationship. Eventually
this led to Ashley and his group of friends being invited to take a plunge of
faith and enroll in a Beyond Malibu trip. Ashley came in to the experience not
sure what to expect, and came out a forever changed man. He was dropped off in
the wild, and would have no contact with society for the next week, save the
few other wilderness explorers in his group. They hiked all day, pausing only
for light meals and brief respites. At the end of the second day, Mark, one of
Ashley’s YoungLife leaders, got extremely sick and exhausted. Mark had been the
backbone of the group, the energy and life of the posse, motivating and
encouraging everyone.
As
Ashley saw his friend that he had grown to love dearly suffer for his sake, a
passage of scripture that Ashley had heard once before rose fully into his
mind. Ashley heard God speak those words to him, saying “There is no greater
love than this, than he who lays down his life for a friend.” Suddenly a switch
flipped in Ashley, and the need for salvation became a reality to him. As is
traditional at the end of YoungLife trips, each camper tosses a stick into the
campfire and states something that is no longer a part of their life as the
smoke and ash rise from the fire. Ashley renounced his old lifestyle and
committed his life to Jesus Christ, a new creation.
Ever
since that day, the wilderness has become a special place for Ashley. The
transformation he experienced in the context of the wilderness, that week at
Beyond was the beginning of a journey that Ashley has been on in ministry ever
since. Ashley eventually went on staff with Young Life and served for 15 years
in Arizona, Colorado, and New Zealand. He has helped start various wilderness
ministries around the world, and published a book on the theology and practice
of wilderness ministry in 2011 entitled: Christian Outdoor Leadership:
Theology, Theory and Practice. LINK: http://www.amazon.com/Ashley-Denton/e/B004IG6U0Q/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
Ashley
asserts that, "The wilderness has been a special place for transformation
that God has used throughout history, and there is no reason to believe that he
will stop using it as an anvil for bending people's souls in humility and
repentance today. The quiet and grandeur of God's creation is often the place
God uses to capture the attention of those he is calling to himself... out in
Creation young people become acquainted with the character of their Creator,
and they stand in awe of Jesus; by whom whom and for whom the Creation was made
(Colossians 1:15-20)." Beyond Malibu has a long history of facilitating
wilderness experiences for young people to have a meaningful encounter with
Jesus Christ. Ashley's story is just one of hundreds of other kids who have
been radically impacted by this intentional outdoor ministry we call
"Beyond Malibu".
