"YOUR OLD MEN WILL DREAM DREAMS" ... MID 60's AND HE IS DID THE SWAMP HIKE!!

   

One of our participants on the swamp hike is in his mid 60's. To all of us, that's inspiring! Something inside of him wanted to do this hike. Life is often made up of little and big dreams. I've found that the more God-given dreams you can pursue over a lifetime only enriches the quality of your life even if some of those dreams fail. He had a God-awesome experience, and he had so much Godly wisdom & encouragement to share. We were so blessed to have him on this trip! I'm so blessed to be part of a ministry that cherishes kids, honors older adventurers, and cares about every age in-between. Thank you to all our encouragers, volunteers, and supporters that help make even older men's dreams a reality =) 

 

“And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions." Joel 2:28

 

 

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SUNRISE IN THE EVERGLADES! ...AND GTD!

  

"From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is to be praised!"  - Psalm 113:3

 

It's a new day in the Everglades, and it's a new day in GTD! Each sunrise is a reminder of Thomas Fuller's famous 1650 writing, "It is always darkest just before the Day dawneth". That saying encourages us and reminds us that the most difficult or hopeless situations often occur right before a positive turning point or breakthrough. All I can say is God is up to something very special!

 

 

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THE ADVENTURE IS SECONDARY! ... SEEKING GOD IS FIRST =)

  
Adventure is what draws us together, but Jesus is what binds us together. If all GTD offered was adventurous activities we would be like a cup of sugar - empty calories with no sustenance. We would be sweet & give you an instantaneous boost, but leave you with a quick crash and a mouth full of cavities. One of the things I love most about GTD is that healthy relationships are the main objective... with God, others, & even ourselves. A lot of that happens around the campfire. On our swamp hike with Calvary this past weekend we all connected and bonded at a deeper level with God & each other (and even learned more about ourselves) as we read through Colosians 3, prayed, and had meaningful discussions & conversations. A supreme aspect of hiking is that you get to have so many meaningful conversations. Deep lifelong friendships are offened birthed. We came as friends, acquaintances, & strangers, but we left as brothers. That's the power of God working through outdoor adventures in His amazing playground called creation! That's what transforms a great adventure into a God-awesome adventure!

 

 

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OUR FIRST EVER PRIVATE SWAMP HIKE WAS AN OVERWHELMING SUCCESS!!

  
Carson, Stacy, and myself (Doug) lead up our first PRIVATE swamp hike over the weekend, and it was a big hit! We were blessed to outfit 20 men (including ourselves) from one of our favorite churches - Calvary Church of Clearwater - for this unique adventure to one of the rarest terrains in the world. God blessed us immensely in several ways (which we will share more about in upcoming posts). One of those blessings was the fact that on this trip Carson was the pilot, Stacy was the co-pilot, and I was the "flight instructor" which is part of our "passing of the torch" "building the plane as we fly it" 2-year plan. Carson & Stacy did a fantastic job! I couldn't be more pleased. (And this trip showed that for a 55 year old guy that God is reviving I still have many years of involvement remaining in this ministry in a variety of capacities as God allows... so for all our old school GTD'ers I'm not leaving... just passing on some key positions to the next generation of leaders as God expands GTD).

Special thanks to Kirsten (our Volunteer Coordinator), Andrew (our Equipment & Asset Coordinator), Laurie (our Missions & Prosperity Director), & Traci (our s'mores maker!) for all their help and hard work prepping for this event!! We could not have done it without you!!

Aaaaaaaaand, of course, a HUGE THANK YOU to all of our supporters, encouragers, & pray'ers for all that you do to help us to do what we do! We love you!!

 

 

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PREPPING FOR A BACKPACKING TRIP WITH 20 MEN!

  
What better way to kick off 30 years of adventures than a backpacking adventure with the Men's group from Calvary Church of Clearwater!! Special thanks to Carson, Andrew, Kirsten, Traci, & Laurie for all the help & hard work that has gone into preparing for this adventure!! It takes a lot of prep work & volunteers to put together events like this... thank you so much God-awesome people!!

 

 

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GTD IS "GETTING STURDY" AS WE TURN THIRTY!

  

2025 became the worst year of my life, but praise God for our Heavenly Father's character of grace, mercy, and long suffering. As Jonah 4:2 says: "...I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity". I believe that the devil didn't want GTD to turn 30... he wanted this ministry to die at the age of 29. I believe he was on a 5+ year campaign to dismantle me so that he could ultimately destroy this ministry. It almost worked. Almost. I was so exhausted, grieved, angry, & depressed that I had many moments when I didn't think I had anything left in the tank to run this ministry. I became a train wreck. But I serve a God that fixes train wrecks! God opened my eyes and woke me up. Like the Prodigal Son I "came to my senses". And from that point God started turning my survival into my revival! I'm thrilled to share that on January 1, 2026 GTD not only turned 30, but we are now actively working on the next 30 years of ministry. God is turning the devil's plans to decrease into God's plans to increase! Happy 30th Birthday GTD!! I can't wait to see what the enemy was trying to stop!!!

 

 

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