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SOS exists to glorify God by proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ in underserved neighborhoods through home repair and leadership development.
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Join us in exploring the way of Jesus!

Wander the Wild is a virtual content series focusing on Jesus in the Gospels. Join us in following a daily Bible reading plan to get us through Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Each week we’ll explore a new trail, zooming in on a particular story or passage from a reading that week.

Embrace the new ways of social distancing and virtually walk along with SOS for a summer of discipleship and learning together from Jesus.

Field Guides

Scroll down for Trail 1: The Upside Down Kingdom

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Trail 1
Upside Down Kingdom

Matthew 5:1-12

In the gospels, Jesus preaches that the kingdom of God has arrived. But the kingdom that Jesus proclaims is strange. It’s not about power but about weakness. It’s not about greatness but about humility. In the kingdom of God, all our human expectations get flipped upside down. Walk with us this week as we explore Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount to understand the upside down kingdom of God and what the reign of Jesus the King is all about.

Here are some resources that have helped us meditate on, understand, and begin to live as citizens of Jesus’ upside down kingdom.

“The ways of the God of the Scripture appear topsy-turvy to men. For God exalts the humble and abases the proud, calls the first last and the last first, ascribes greatness to the servant, sends the rich away empty-handed and declares the meek to be his heirs. The culture of the world and the counter-culture of Christ are at loggerheads with each other. In brief, Jesus congratulates those whom the world most pities, and calls the world’s rejects ‘blessed.’ ”
— John Stott, The Message of the Sermon on the Mount

Sunrise Challenge: Memorize Matthew 5:1-12.
It takes a little extra work to wake up early enough to catch that beautiful sunrise, but once you've done it you're so glad you did. Scripture memorization feels the same way. Let’s tackle it together!

Scroll down for Trail 2: Love God. Love Others.

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Trail 2
Love God. Love Others.

Matthew 22:34-40

The Old Testament has 613 commandments for God’s people to follow. That’s hard to keep track of, and it’s even harder to know what to do with all of them. But take heart. Jesus gives us the key to understand God’s law: love. We are to love God and love our neighbors, and the whole law is built on these commands. Join us this week as we unpack this law of love.

Here are some resources that have helped us think about, understand, and follow God’s law of love.

“But at the deepest level, there are only two heart-motives. Human beings either love God or they hate him. Those who love God also love their neighbors. Those who hate God hate their neighbors as well.”
— John M. Frame, The Doctrine of the Christian Life

Sunrise Challenge: Memorize Matthew 22:36-40.
It takes a little extra work to wake up early enough to catch that beautiful sunrise, but once you've done it you're so glad you did. Scripture memorization feels the same way. Let’s tackle it together!

Scroll down for Trail 3: The Garden of God

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Trail 3
The Garden of God

Mark 4:1-20

Fun fact: God is a gardener. But he doesn’t just plant trees and plants. He’s tending a garden of his kingdom, of people who will hear the good news and (like any good plant) grow and bear fruit. As disciples, we bear fruit and bear witness to the good news of God’s kingdom, but growth is not always easy or straight forward. Hop on this week’s trail to dive into Jesus’ Parable of the Sower and discover what it means to join God in his great gardening project.

Parables are confusing, and that’s okay. Jesus’ disciples didn’t totally understand them right away either. Check out these resources to get a better sense of what the parables mean and how to interpret them. 

“The good news [of the parable] is that whoever ‘has ears to hear’ can respond, by God’s grace; it is ‘good news’ for all who will ‘listen’! A valid hearing produces ‘a crop,’ the fruit of obedience —‘thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown’ … The parable ends not with a threat of judgment, but with a promise of fruitfulness.”
— P.W. Smuts, Mark By the Book

Sunrise Challenge: Memorize Mark 1:1-3.
It takes a little extra work to wake up early enough to catch that beautiful sunrise, but once you've done it you're so glad you did. Scripture memorization feels the same way. Let’s tackle it together!

Scroll down for Trail 4: Mic Drop Messiah

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Trail 4
Mic Drop Messiah

Luke 4:16-21

God’s people, Israel, waited for over 400 years for the Messiah—the king God had promised—to arrive and save them. When Jesus preaches his first sermon in Luke 4:16-21, he announces that the good news of the kingdom of God is here. In other words, he tells them that he’s the Messiah, he’s the king who has come to set everything right! And the good news kingdom Jesus proclaims is bigger and better than anyone could have imagined. Follow along this week to see how Jesus the Messiah is the best news around.

Explore these resources we love for thinking about how to proclaim Jesus’ good news kingdom to our neighbors.

“Jesus died for our souls, but He also died to reconcile—that is, to put into right relationship—all that He created. This is what we sing every year in the Christmas carol, ‘He comes to make His blessings known far as the curse is found.’ The curse is cosmic in scope, bringing decay, brokenness, and death to every speck of the universe. But as King of kings and Lord of lords, Jesus is making all things new! This is the good news of the gospel.”
— Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert, When Helping Hurts

Sunrise Challenge: Memorize Luke 4:18-19.

It takes a little extra work to wake up early enough to catch that beautiful sunrise, but once you've done it you're so glad you did. Scripture memorization feels the same way. Let’s tackle it together!

Scroll down for Trail 5: The Good Part

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Trail 5
The Good Part

Luke 10:38-42

We live in an age of busyness and constant distractions, and things were no different in Jesus’ day. Different things, many of which are good, are always fighting for our attention. In the midst of this, Jesus invites us to something different. He tells us that of all the good things out there, there’s a better thing—to sit, listen, and be present with him. Join us this week as we think about spiritual disciplines and learn how to be with Jesus.

Here are some resources to help get you started on the journey of the spiritual disciplines. (Joining us in our Bible reading plan is also a great way to dive into the spiritual disciplines today) 

“The Spirit of the Disciplines is nothing but the love of Jesus, with the resolute will to be like him whom we love … ‘exercise unto godliness’ is our way of receiving ever more fully the grace in which we stand, rejoicing in the hope of the glory of God.”
— Dallas Willard, The Spirit of the Disciplines

Sunrise Challenge: Memorize Luke 18:27.
It takes a little extra work to wake up early enough to catch that beautiful sunrise, but once you've done it you're so glad you did. Scripture memorization feels the same way. Let’s tackle it together!

Scroll down for Trail 6: The Living Water Well

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Trail 6
The Living Water Well

John 4:5-29

When you look at another person, the craziest thing happens. You see a little glimpse of what God is like. This is because God has put his image, his likeness, into every person. In a world of sin, we often forget this, neglecting, ignoring, and mistreating others in our thoughts, words, and actions. But Jesus, the truest and fullest reflection of what God is like, shows us a better way. Jesus shows us how to be new humans who properly reflect and respect God’s image. Walk with us on Trail 6 as we learn about what it means to be made in the image of God.

Check out these resources for exploring what it means to be made in God’s image.

“If we accept the biblical revelation that man is the imago Dei, the image of God, then every human being is a person—a person by nature, a kind of thing different from any other kind, a being whose very existence is a kind of sacrament, a sign of God’s grace.”
— J. Buziszewksi, What We Can’t Not Know

Sunrise Challenge: Memorize John 1:1-5.
It takes a little extra work to wake up early enough to catch that beautiful sunrise, but once you've done it you're so glad you did. Scripture memorization feels the same way. Let’s tackle it together!

Scroll down for Trail 7: The Upside Down King

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Trail 7
The Upside Down King

John 13:2-15

Jesus is the ultimate sign of just how upside down God’s kingdom really is. Jesus, the true king, takes on the nature of a servant. There is no task too small or menial for him. The Creator who formed humans from the dust wipes it from the feet of those he loves. Jesus demonstrates a whole new way of being human: a way of service, humility, and love. And he invites his followers to serve others just as he does. Join us on our last trail as we seek to follow Jesus into service.

Serving is hard. Where do we start? Who do we serve? And how do we serve well? Great questions, but the good news is that there are answers. Take a look at these resources to get started on the journey towards servanthood.

“We must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God. God will be constantly crossing our paths and canceling our plans by sending us people with claims and petitions. We may pass them by, preoccupied with our more important tasks, as the priest passed by the man who had fallen among thieves, perhaps—reading the Bible. When we do that we pass by the visible sign of the Cross raised athwart our path to show us that, not our way, but God’s way must be done.”
— Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together

Sunrise Challenge: Memorize John 15:1-8.
It takes a little extra work to wake up early enough to catch that beautiful sunrise, but once you've done it you're so glad you did. Scripture memorization feels the same way. Let’s tackle it together!