Which way?

Believe it or not I was a boy scout once. Recently, I had some flashbacks to my scouting days. Later this month Nick is going on a hike with our Identity Ministry (4-6th graders) at Cades Cove. When I was about the same age as Nick I went on a hike at Cades Cove. It didn't really turn out as expected. First of all, "we" took a wrong turn on the trail and a 7 mile hike turned into an 11 mile hike. I would love to tell you that my scout troop was filled with ambitious and positive minded youngsters and leaders that didn't complain...well you get the picture. It was ugly. Instead of shouts of joy and discovery, "I'm tired", "I'm thirsty". "How much farther?" were the rallying cheers of the day. Well, all's well that end's well? Not quite. We arrived back at the bus to head home - only to discover that our battery was dead in the bus. So a long day got a little longer as we waited for help. Ahh, but memories were made. Thirty years later, I still remember the sights, sounds and smells of the day. A reminder as I think about what it means to "follow" this week: Make sure the person you follow knows the way.