Why Into The Blue?

Off we go into the wild blue yonder, Climbing high into the sun…

Army Air Corps, 1939 (renamed The U.S. Air Force, 1947)

Off we go, indeed. Okay, let’s do this. It’s time.

Off we go into the wild blue yonder. In a past life, I was an Army Aviator. Every time the helicopter skids lifted off the ground, a jolt of excitement would run through me. I feel it again right now, except maybe tinged with more anxiety than in cockier days.

My name is Jeff. Next week I will close out a long career in government and military service. It began long ago when my bright-eyed, younger self, freshly shorn of hair, lifted his hand and took the oath. It has been a great adventure.

But it is ending.

It is time for a new adventure. This is a new phase - I intend to live it out with gusto.

Why Into The Blue? Because I want you to join me.

View from Into the Blue, Arkadiko Chorio, Greece.

What is Into The Blue?

Into The Blue is a place. Places are important. Places ground us.

There is a rental apartment called Into the Blue on the Arcadian coast in Greece. The hosts are some of the most gracious people on earth (Ευχαριστώ, Μαρία!). The architecture fuses the ancient, the Byzantine, the modern. The atmosphere is magical, the view sublime.

My wife and I were blessed to live in Athens for a number of years, and this apartment and the surrounding town, hills, and sea became our getaway haven. The place imprinted upon our souls. When we were happy, it celebrated with us. When we were burdened, it embraced us. It was here that Into The Blue was born, as a place of refuge.

Into The Blue is an idea. But not just any sort of idea. It is an idea you feel.

The Greek language has an enchanting word for a particular shade of blue. That word is γαλάζιος (galazios). It evokes the majesty of the Aegean Sea and the limitlessness of the Greek sky. Galazios is a blue that touches your soul with joy.

For me, the former Aviator, galazios became fused with the “wild blue yonder.” Into The Blue grew into an idea that moves you, inside and out. Into The Blue is getting lost in the beauty of simple things, simple pleasures. It is boundless freedom and adventure.

Into The Blue is a way of life. It is taking the risk to center ourselves in joie de vivre, finding delight in the simple things of life. For me, that is things like being in nature, travel, craft beer and cocktails, vanlife, family, and God. These are the sorts of things I intend to explore here with you.

There are those who say joie de vivre means you’re not paying attention. These are dark times. As The Doors put it: “The future’s uncertain and the end is always near.” Everyone is outraged, everyone is fearful, everyone is angry. I know these feelings well; I have hours of doomscrolling to prove it.

Into The Blue is not a call to crawl in a hole and ignore the great challenges of our day. It is a call to faith: defy the darkness and embrace joy. It is a refuge, a whisper of beauty and freedom, an encouragement and renewal for the journey.

An Invitation

Why Into The Blue? Because I want you to join me. Let’s build a community animated by a spirit of wonder, joy, and adventure. What do you say?

. . .

A Short Meditation

“It is finished.” John 19:30

These are Jesus of Nazareth’s last words. I live and breathe in them. They are my stronghold – they give me the courage and boldness to launch out Into The Blue.

For me, this is the end of a lifelong career. For all of us, this is the end of a difficult year. Let’s build something new, something joyful, something glorious together.

. . .

Un Petit Aperçu

Qu'est-ce que c’est exactement Into The Blue?

Tout d’abord, il est un lieu. Les lieux sont importants. Ils nous ancrent.

Puis, c’est une idée. Mais pas n'importe quelle idée. C'est une idée que l'on ressent.

Enfin, c’est un mode de vie. C’est plonger dans la joie de vivre – voyager, faire une randonnée en plein forêt, boire une bière trappiste, contempler Dieu. C'est ce genre de choses que j'aimerai explorer ici avec toi.

Pourquoi Into The Blue? Parce que j’espère que tu viendras avec moi. Créons une communauté animée par un esprit d'émerveillement, de joie et d'aventure! Qu'en dis-tu?

. . .

Μία Περίληψη

Τι είναι Into The Blue [Στο Γαλάζιο];

Είναι ένα μέρος. Τα μέρη είναι σημαντικά. Μας δίνουν ρίζες.

Είναι μια ιδέα. Όχι όμως οποιαδήποτε ιδέα. Είναι μια ιδέα που μας συγκινεί.

Είναι ένας τρόπος ζωής. Είναι να βουτάς στη χαρά της ζωής, να απολαμβάνεις απλά πράγματα όπως, για παράδειγμα, ένα υπέροχο ταξίδι, μια κρύα Φιξ στην παραλία, μια σκέψη για τον Κύριο. Είναι τέτοια πράγματα που θα ήθελα να εξερευνήσουμε Στο Γαλάζιο.

Γιατί Στο Γαλάζιο; Γιατί θέλω να έρθεις μαζί μου. Ας δημιουργήσουμε μια κοινότητα που έχει όρεξη για θαυμασμό, χαρά και περιπέτειες! Τι νομίζεις;