“Drop a log, take a log.”

It was a crude way of ensuring that we would have plenty of firewood. Simply put , the rule was that if you went to the bathroom, you were to come back with dead, dry wood. And Rob didn’t mess around. He was nearby walking around picking up sticks and limbs to feed the fire. The rest of us were hanging out around camp when we heard the yell, and then the exclamation- “Guys, come here! I found a rattlesnake!”

Just about two weeks ago I was guiding the Journey backpacking trip in North Carolina. While collecting firewood, Rob had almost literally stepped on a Timber Rattlesnake. As we carefully gathered around to check it out, it sat there, coiled, maybe 100 feet from our campsite.

He hadn’t known it was there until he stepped right over it, happened to look down, and then instantly jumped 10 feet straight sideways over a fallen tree. It’s amazing what the body can do in moments like that.

We debated on what to do. But Rob didn’t. He knew it couldn’t stay there, a constant threat. So he grabbed a long heavy stick and… the rest is legend.

That wasn’t the only snake discovered on the trip. No, there were others, hidden in these men’s stories. They had been there all along. While we facilitated content and discussions that led them bushwhacking through their lives, we helped them discover the ways the evil one’s venom had been eating away at their souls for decades.

And appropriately, many jumped, shocked by the revelation, sideways, their path permanently altered. It’s amazing what the spirit can do in moments like that. In the uncovering of long-hidden pain, fresh awareness led to bold action.

On that trip, generations were transformed. The beginnings of healing shifted the trajectory of these men, and the impact of their restorative presence will be part of their legacies. I could see it happening in front of me. The slithering evil had to be discovered and exposed so that the gospel of healing and truth could go to work.

Getting do to this work is one of the highlights of my life. I’m proud of those men for their boldness to put themselves in the risky position to find what they found.

How might you position yourself to discover how evil has worked its way into your story, and find healing?

How might you hold space for other men to do the same?

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Cody Buriff, Chief of Resources and Experiences