Adventure and the Way of Jesus: An Experiential Approach to Spiritual Formation Paperback – Special Edition, November 1, 2009

The book contains many typos and other mistakes that made my initial reading unimpressive. The style was often hard to follow and I wondered whether it had ever been edited. His use of story was convincing, but he should have stuck with that rather than attempting to link experiential education to what Christ taught. If you are planning on purchasing this book, please consider reading a secular book on experiential education before delving into this one.I wanted to review this book because the author was struggling. He could tell that there was something wrong with what his church was teaching, but he couldn't put his finger on it. It led Robinson to misunderstand and confuse law and gospel. I think this premise was good, the way to God is not through morality. Yet, his conclusion is wrong, we need to become the people God wants by experiencing him. Consequently, the author leaves out mentions of sin and faith and tries to set out on his own. Such a thing may be good for adventures, but it isn't good when straying from the Word of God. My caution with this book is simply that you know he doesn't understand how to divide law and gospel. So, he comes to some strange conclusions.

The book is only 128 pages, offering a solid foundation for how to go about experiential learning using the same kinds of everyday activities that Jesus used in the Gospels. This book is a springboard or platform for transforming the way we do church which is plainly more Biblical and perpetually more culturally-sensitive in immediately reaching people via their OWN experiences without the constant barrage of emotional-driven worship techniques and performative testimonials. The reader is simply invited on a journey that turns out to be a transformative experience following the very Son of God. If I were planting a church and wanted the most authentic, Jesus-driven approach possible for reaching people with the Gospel, I would start with this book. P.S. Contrary to a previous reviewer I do not see any confusion here concerning law and gospel. In fact, there are tips here on learning how to follow Jesus in dealing with modern-day Pharisees. They prefer to SIT in judgment while Jesus invites us to take up our beds and walk--with Him.

this is a good read for people who have been or now in the experiential field.

If you are involved in any way with facilitating adventure activities, ropes courses, wilderness trips, etc., this book is a definite great tool for you.

This book is not merely a good resource for those involved in experiential education but also is an enriching read about how the gospel of Jesus Christ should affect our outlook on life, relationships and community. My relationship with God was significantly strengthened though this. The first several chapters were especially helpful in this regard, but I skimmed the last few chapters because they apply more directly to facilitation of growth experiences that aren't very applicable to me at this time in my life.

I had been searching diligently for a resource to help me bring experiential education into the realm of Christian discipleship, especially in outdoor ministry. Greg Robinson does an amazing job of this, with the greatest contribution being: prepare yourself first in order to serve the needs of others unselfishly. In addition, Robinson gets away from cliche Christianity, and helps the reader/facilitator get to the heart of spiritual formation. I am getting copies for everyone I know who are interested in outdoor ministry and leading people to a greater relationship with Christ Jesus. Also, for more practical tools and activities, the companion application book to this is very helpful.

This book reads as though it were written by a decent writer who did not use an editor. The structure is confusing, the paragraphs often do not follow the subject of the headings, and the word choice is often poor.For example, on the front cover is the tagline "I found that the fear I had a bout questioning what I thought was more perceived fear than real fear..." Real risk vs. perceived risk is a familiar concept in experiential education - Robinson either mistakes the meaning of the word "fear" or mistakenly uses fear in the tagline, for fear is always perceived, it is always subjective. That is to say, real fear vs perceived fear is a false dichotomy.I think Robinson has some good ideas, but his writing does not help the reader to understand those ideas. I do not recommend this book for anything more than a quick browse.

This book asks the reader to stop and take stock of him or herself before offering anything to students. It requires some honest self-reflection, but rewards the seeker with renewed energy to teach and live more fully. A great read!