Man Up Adventures – Apostolic Backpacking for Apostolic Men
Conquer fear, foster faith, develop confidence, and build character through experiential learning in an adventurous, rugged, wilderness environment. Driven by a deep passion to minister to men in a revolutionary way, Bro. Nathan Thompson and his father, Galen, launched Man Up Adventures in 2013.
Man Up Adventures was birthed from a weeklong outdoor experience Bro. Nathan Thompson had with his father that took place during a very rocky time in his life. “Through the experience of time spent outdoors in tandem with the guiding influence of an older, Godly man, God shifted the trajectory of my life that week,” he said. “On the way home, while I was spiritually reflecting on what had taken place in my life, I remember God asking me if I thought He could use a similar experience to change the life of other men. I knew in that moment that He was challenging me to do something beyond answering. My answer was unequivocally yes, and the Man Up Adventures experience was born five years later with our ‘beta’ trip in 2012. We’re now in our seventh year of conducting Adventures, and we’ve grown from one location to six trips in five regional locations.”
When a man decides to participate in a Man Up Adventure, they can expect to be spiritually and physically challenged. They can expect to make great memories, new friendships, and conquer rugged wilderness terrain. They can expect times of laughter and moments of reverential silence. They can expect plenty of food, campfires, and maybe some snoring. But most of all, they should expect to leave changed. “Adventures entail 3-day, 4-night excursions into the wild where an emphasis is placed on key Biblical principles that are taught trailside, and reinforced later during fireside small group sessions,” said Bro. Nathan Thompson.
“During the trip we use team-building techniques, experiential learning, powerful devotions, and times of heartfelt worship to drive home the principles that are being delivered. We cap this off with a ceremony where men are required to recite the principles they’ve learned in front of their peers, and then are validated for having successfully navigated the Man Up Adventure.
“This rite of passage ceremony has proven to be a spiritually powerful evening each time we’ve facilitated it. Since our initial Adventure in the spring of 2012, these trips have triggered a tremendous response from those who have participated, confirming what we all already knew: men are desperate for a chance to be empowered to spiritually lead their families in a society that is determined to tear down the Biblical family unit and its leader – the man.”
The future is bright for Man Up Adventures, and its mission is clear: reinfusing authentic Biblical manhood into this modern culture. “In a sense, we are missionaries to men,” said Bro. Nathan Thompson. “Strong families cease to exist when Godly, male leadership is absent. This is why, now more than ever, we need to MAN UP and invest in the creation of strong Godly men.
You may contact us via email at manupadventures@gmail.com or by phone at 651-307-3972 or via our website at many-adventures.com.
