A Story Worth Living

This week on The Allender Podcast, Dan Allender shares about the upcoming film A Story Worth Living, which will be released on May 19 for a special, one-night event across the country. The film documents an adventure in which Dan participated last year with John Eldredge and others, setting out into the rugged backcountry of Colorado on BMW F 800 GS motorcycles.

“When we create adventures that open the door to danger and risk, to humility, we’re often not thinking about the fact that God wants to join us.”

Because A Story Worth Living is, in part, a showcase for the stunning wilderness of Colorado and the jaw-dropping suspense of a motorcycle adventure, it is a gorgeous and riveting experience. But, Dan says, the film is also so much more than that. The story of this trip is an invitation to explore how to craft adventures that create rich, meaningful stories and open the door to the pursuit of God.

“We love story. We believe the story of God is an ongoing revelation, an uncovering, of something of the goodness of God on our behalf.”

As Dan has talked about on a previous episode, he suffered a severe accident during the trip—think three broken ribs and a partially collapsed lung—that threw into question his ability to complete the journey. As in every meaningful story, this one is full of danger, risk, and uncertainty. It is in those places that we are humbled enough to receive honor from others and to join in the sweeping narrative God is unfolding.

“We’re letting the Spirit join us in an activity that puts us on the edge, to discover who we are, to discover who I am, and to discover who God is.”

Dan offers four categories for pursuing and participating in a story that invites us to something greater: danger, humility, risk, and the act of being met—by others and by God. This is about far more than adrenaline-fueled stunts or mindless vacations, but about joining others and stepping into something new and risky that exposes us and invites us into something deeper.

“The stories that are worth living are not just fun, not just trips to the Bahamas, not just fantastic, bucket list imaginations, but are trips with others where you discover something about the glory of God and your own glory in the midst of it.”

Check out the trailer for A Story Worth Living below, and you can search for participating theaters here. Next week, Dan plans to continue this conversation by unpacking the idea of a “mission trip,” and what it means to participate in a journey or adventure that is shaped by a unique and purposeful mission.