Yesterday we were in Oslo, Norway. Next to touring Israel, this is one of the best places I’ve been able to see and experience. This is definitely in the top 10 places I would recommend visiting.

There is an amazing amount of history here. The first thing we did was tour a museum where they have the boats the vikings used. They are gorgeous, and the engravings on the ships are so interesting. The history here is even more profound to me than the ancient ruins in Greece.

There are a lot of interesting facts you learn when you travel around the world. For instance, did you know the vikings were in North America about 400 years before Christopher Columbus? They have found the boats and artifacts from that time. There are stories floating around out there, and there are artifacts to prove the stories are actually true in a lot of cases.

We went to another museum where we heard a story of a man 100 years ago who wanted to sail to the North and South Poles. He came up with the design for a ship that could actually be taken onto the ice with the current. It worked and he accomplished his goal. We got to watch a short film about this man and his journey to the North and South Poles.

There were 2 things I walked away with from these museums:

First, it is amazing what God has given mankind so we can do things that would otherwise be humanly impossible. As we were knitted in our mothers’ wombs, we were given certain gifts and talents. It is crazy what some people choose to do with that, and what others choose not to do with that.

Here in Norway, they are known for sailing and exploration. They have this crazy, adventurous spirit that says, "Nothing is impossible!" Come on, think about it! I think it’s kinda nuts to jump into a handmade boat and say, "Hey, let’s go west and see what’s over there!" They sailed for months at a time, and they found land nobody else had ever seen. They didn’t even know if they would come back alive.

The second thing that was brought to mind was this: We used to have this adventurous, conquering spirit that must explore, but it has been diminished to nothing more than taking the boat out on the weekends or trying a new dish at a restaurant.

There is a wild, crazy desire that was put in human beings to explore, to be adventurous, to conquer fears, to do something others have never done and even to risk their lives finding ways to make the world a better place.

This makes me wonder what has happened to the human race. What have we done with that adventurous spirit? How many people think, "I’m going to conquer my fears. I’m going to discover something that has never been seen." Where is that today?

It’s really mind-boggling to me. We’ve gone from the vikings who set off to explore and ended up in North America, to the man 900 years later who sailed to the North and South Poles, and then look where we are today. Today we sail for leisure, not for adventure.

Where is your adventurous spirit? What are you using it for? Watching an action movie at the movie theater? Playing video games? Are you using your adventurous spirit to flirt with addictions and things that can hurt you?

Or are you using your adventurous spirit to dare to do something nobody has ever done before? Are you using it to become successful without sacrificing your family, fun or health? Are you using your adventurous spirit to travel around the world and experience history and culture for yourself?

Maybe you’ve always had a desire to write a book, to build an orphanage or to start a successful business. There is so much that has been planted inside of you, and adventure is one of those things. It has been part of human life since the beginning of time. But the question is, what are you doing with yours?

Are you conquering fear by stepping out and doing something unusual and different? Or have you settled for a mundane, mediocre, boring lifestyle, just passing time here on earth? This is an important question we all need to ask ourselves.

This is a great conversation to have at the dinner table tonight. Print this out and read it to your family and take the time to really discuss this topic. Pass this along to your friends and co-workers, as well! (Just share the link on your social media sites.)

Watch for your next message tomorrow morning from somewhere else in the world! And mark your calendar now for The Dani Johnson Show this Sunday night! We are live on TV and the radio at 9 pm ET/8 pm CT, and I can’t wait to connect with you!

In great faith,

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