Outdoor Education: Learning to Live into the Riches
of Creation
Sean Purcell
February 20, 2010 - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Jubilee 2010
Psalm 19 (translated by Calvin Seerveld)
The heavens are telling the glory of God
the very shape of starry space makes news of his handiwork.
One day is brimming over with talk for the next day, and
each night passes on intimate knowledge to the next night
—there is no speaking, no words at all,
you can’t hear their voice, (but)—
their glossolalia travels throughout the whole earth!
their uttered noises carry to the end of inhabited land!
God set up a tent for the sun at the ends of the earth—
have you seen the sun?! beaming forth like a bridegroom from his
marriage-bed!
The sun laughs joyfully like a strong man glad to run a race:
it always rises from the edge of the heavens, and
it circles over and around to the (other) ends of the sky—
nothing is able to hide from its burning heat.
The leading of the Lord God Yahweh is utterly reliable,
bringing people back to life again!
The magnificent testimonies of Yahweh prove themselves to be
everlastingly true,
making inexperienced young people wise.
The commanding words of Yahweh are truly straightening,
causing one’s heart to laugh and be glad!
A task imposed by Yahweh is cleansing:
it stands up for ever and ever.
The ordering judgments of Yahweh are firmly true—Amen!
The Lord’s fiats all together are thoroughly just
—more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold,
sweeter than honey, yes,than natural honey of the honeycomb.
Let me, your sevant, also be warned by these (ordinances, Lord),
for in keeping them much good results—
who can discern (all one’s) errant missteps?!
O (Lord!) set me free from the spoilsome sins
kept hidden from my notice!
And please hold me back from every overweening presumption
I am your servant, (Lord!)—
Do not ever let self-confidence push me around:
then I will (finally) be able to be unpretentiously blameless,
rid of all the guilt-making rebelliousness...
Seminar Description: If you
long to live more attentively in God’s
world and if you want to explore how
outdoor experiences orient us to see the
world as God’s, this seminar is for you.
Our discussion, although emphasizing
outdoor education, will include other
non-extreme activities like making
bread, knitting and fixing motorcycles.
Come prepared to talk and think about
the exciting opportunities to learn more
about God and ourselves in the field of
outdoor education.
Sean Purcell is a graduate student in
philosophy with the Paideia Centre for
Public Theology in Hamilton, Ontario.
He is married to Krista and they have
a very playful and adventurous four
year old daughter. He loves climbing,
skiing and kayaking but is always open
to learn new ways to play in God’s
world. He has been involved with
CCO’s Outdoor Leadership team off
and on for over ten years. Sean loves
the outdoors, and philosophy. Standing
on the contributions of Christian
philosophers like Calvin Seerveld, Sean
attempts to provide new lenses for
understanding the place and practice of
outdoor education.
contact me at sdpurcell@gmail.com; on
Twitter follow me at: sdpurcell
What are the moments or activities
that allow you to hear God’s "cre-
ational glossolalia?"
 outdoor education: learning to live into the riches of
creation 2

Let the sayings of my mouth and the inarticulate groanings of my heart

1
This translation can be found in
be something acceptable in front of your face,
Rainbows for the Fallen World, and
O Lord God, my rock! the One who who always comes through to set me Voicing God’s Psalms. Both are by Calvin
free from my bondage! 1 Seerveld and available from Hearts and
Minds.

Are there cultural forces that influence our interactions with the
world, our work, in such a way that it leads us away from an ori-
entation where we might be primed to hear God speak in his cre-
ation?

Figure 1: Certain cultural trends often

push us into a dualism where certain
kinds of work are seen as "truly free"
which is opposed to other kinds of
work which are viewed as bound and
limiting.

“knowledge
Freedom Matthew Crawford: Craftsmanship en-
work”
tails learning to do one thing really well,
craft while the ideal of the new economy is to
Limits be able to learn new things, celebrating
potential rather than achievement. Some-
how, every worker in the cutting-edge
workplace is now supposed to act like an
"intrapreneur," that is, to be actively in-
volved in the continous redefinition of his
own job. Shop class presents [or Outdoor
ed.] presents an image of stasis that runs
directly counter to what Sennett identifies
as ’a key element in the new economy’s ide-
alized self: the capacity to surrender, to give
up possession of an established reality.’ This
Is there a connection between our agency and ability to inter- stance toward "established reality," is best
not indulged around a table saw. Matthew
act with God’s world in an attentive way? What is the connection Crawford, Shop Class as Soulcraft: An
between "fear of the Lord" and the recognition that God’s world is Inquiry into the Value of Workpage 19.
ordered? Crawford: "His [the practitioner’s]
will is educated—both chastened and
Notes: focused—so it no longer resembles
that of a raging baby who knows
only what he wants...With electronic
equipment, the facts of physics operate
on such a scale that they do not present
themselves to immediate experience
for the user. The computer "interface"
adds another layer of abstraction, as it
screens the user also from the human-
generated logic of the program running
the software..." Crawford, page 60.
 outdoor education: learning to live into the riches of
creation 3

Figure 2: The top portion of the di-

agram is meant to demonstrate the
richness of one activity or "thing" in
God’s world as it is subject to a vari-
ety of laws. The bottom piece of the
diagram is meant to point out the the
variety of "things" and the variety of
relations between those things.

if you are interested in the robust

ontology (ie: the make up things)
I only hinting at here you can find
more information in Introduction to
Philosophy by D.H.Th. Vollenhoven.
This is available from Hearts and Minds
as well.

Relevant Books: Shop Class as Soul

Craft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work
–Matthew B. Crawford; Rainbows for the
CCO OLT Outdoor Education Opportunities Fallen World: Aesthetic Life and Artistic
Task–Calvin Seerveld; Walking in the
Living into the riches of God’s creation requires a willingness to be Way of the Word: The Collected Writings
of H. Evan Runner–H. Evan Runner; The
attentive to God and his world. The summer opportunities provided Craftsmen–Richard Sennett
by the CCO’s Outdoor Leadership Team seek to create the space
and provide you with the skills necessary to have an experience of
listening to God’s world. These experiences cultivate an attentiveness
to creation in order that you may come to know more about God and
yourself and those around you.

Table 1: These are the three

Trip Activity Date
summer opportunities offered
L.D.W. Wyoming1 Mountaineering June 2 – July 9, 2010 by the CCO’s Outdoor Leader-
ship Team. Stop by the booth
L.D.W. Canada Kayaking June 9 – July 9, 2010 for more information or check out:
Crossings Kayaking May 29 – June 12, 2010 http://www.ccojubilee.org/events/summer-
1 Leadership opportunities/
and Discipleship in the Wilderness