One of the days I will remember for the rest of my life is October 15th, 2017.
Three of those guys don’t realize what is about to happen to them. They look happy – smiling up at the camera in their swimsuits and sandals. The other guy is about to give them an “Authentic Finnish Experience”.
That Finnish man is named Paul.
Paul built his own sauna.
And on October 15th, 2017, Paul convinced six men to enter that sauna.
Mind you, these are men who are adults, many whom are also fathers – responsible for taking care of their own lives, and also the lives of their family. Yet we all willingly stepped into that sauna, and something within each one of us died …of hyperthermia.
This is what happened…
5:29pm – I wake up from a nap. Perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon after waking up early for church setup. A bunch of guys at The Gathering Church, myself included, were invited by Paul to come over for a sauna night, but I didn’t really understand what all it would entail. So I text Robbie Denson, the executive pastor, for some information.
I’m intrigued. I like spending time with the guys who are going – plus there’s food! As the texts indicate, I don’t really know what is about to happen.
6:00pm – Robbie and I are the guys who show up to the party on time, followed by Robert Knight, the production pastor. Paul and his wife Heath greet us all and give us a tour of their new house. Paul already has the sauna up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. We all grab a beer, hang out outside the sauna, and take a picture.
~6:30pm – Paul shows us what’s for dinner, and it is meat. Pork ribs, over three feet of sausages, and the largest and thickest steak I’ve ever seen in my life. According to Paul, you don’t need silverware in Finland for this type of meal. Robert, Robbie, and I take turns with Paul’s air gun shooting pellets at aluminum cans. The night has just started, but I can already tell that I’m going to reach peak masculinity tonight. Mike and Matt arrive to the party.
At one point, Paul asks Robbie and me to put more wood in the furnace for the sauna. We step into the sauna, and that thing is hot. It’s somewhere between 150 and 160 degrees at this point, and I should have taken the hint. We have to grab the handle of the furnace with the firewood because it was so hot! Robbie and I look at each other with a look of “what are we about to do?”
~7:00pm – The smaller meats are ready, with large chunks of bread and various cheeses on the side. One of the sausages is one of the best meats I’ve ever tasted in my life. I’m sitting next to the fire with a Sam Adam’s Octoberfest in one hand, and delicious cuts of meat in the other. Life is good!
7:33pm – It is time to enter the sauna, but Paul is worried that it isn’t hot enough. The thermometer says 190 degrees!! We might die. The meal we had would be the one I’d choose if I were ever on death row, so I figure if it’s my time to die, at least I’ll go out with a full stomach of that. We agree to stay in the sauna for 15 minutes before getting back out.
7:34pm – Myself, Robbie, Robert, Mike, Matt, and Paul enter the sauna. Five of us are in pain, Paul is not. Five of us can’t open our eyes, because the sauna is so hot.
I cannot express in a blog how hot this thing was. In less than three minutes, I was sweating more than I ever have in my life. My hair was so filled with sweat and condensation that it was too hot to touch with my hands!
7:38pm – Four minutes into the sauna, and I am nowhere near getting used to this. But Paul determines that it isn’t enough. There is a basket of stones above the furnace, and a bucket of water with a large spoon. Paul pours a spoonful of water over the stones, which immediately turns into steam. Mike and Robert, the two closest to the furnace, immediately laugh/yell out in pain. When it travels through the sauna and finally hits me, I cover my face for safety. The steam is suffocating, making it painful to open my eyes. I can’t take a breath in through my nose without the heat burning my sinuses. What have I gotten myself into?
7:41pm – Paul pours one more spoon of water on the rocks, and then leaves the sauna - he’s got nothing to prove. The rest of us have to prove our masculinity by staying in the sauna for the full 15 minutes. We did exactly that. We were a little worried that Paul was going to lock us in there and we would die, but thankfully that didn’t happen.
7:49pm – We exit the sauna, all of us drenched in sweat. I put on my glasses and see Paul standing over the fire with a giant cigar in his teeth and a bottle of scotch in his hand. Feeling lightheaded from the heat, I stumble over to one of the chairs around the fire as I cool off. Paul pours me some scotch – I look up at the stars and sip on that divine syrup from Scotland. Still in a daze. The scotch is delicious as the meat was earlier.
8:00pm – The last victim arrives. John Mark Redwine, our lead pastor, is greeted at the end of the driveway by the Finnish man with the cigar and air gun. John Mark joins the group of men still reeling from the 15 minutes of sauna time. By how he’s talking about the sauna, it is clear that he has even less of an idea than I did about what is about to happen.
~8:15pm – Time for round two. I take one last sip of the scotch before we all walk back into the heat. The sauna is over 200 degrees. Being a compassionate person, I wish no harm unto others, but it is incredibly enjoyable witnessing someone else experience the sauna and the steam for the first time. Thank you, John Mark Redwine, for that.
~8:30pm – We exit the sauna, and I step over into the shower Paul has attached to the outside. Steam rises from my body as I cover myself with the cold water. I didn’t think it was possible to sweat more than the first time I was in there, but I’m pretty sure I did. The giant steak is done, and we all grab large pieces and eat them from our hands like carrot sticks while sitting around the fire.
8:43pm – Last sauna session, this time only for 8 minutes to “cool down”. The sauna is 220 degrees. It gets dangerous for the human body around 230. I’m getting more used it, but it still feels like death.
~9:30pm – We all shower and dry off, and then Paul invites us inside the house for apple pie and ice cream. The Denver Broncos are currently losing to the winless New York Giants, but I’m not focused on the game, because John Mark is making the ridiculous claim that Clemson’s football team could beat the Cleveland Browns. The pie is delicious, and my body is more relaxed that it has ever been before. The sauna made me relax! That's a big deal for me. After the pie, I drive home and fall asleep very easily.
Throughout the night, I reflected on the whole experience. While we were sitting in that oven than Paul calls a sauna, I thought about my time here in Asheville. I decided to stay in Asheville because I wanted to experience life outside of the PCUSA Young Adult Volunteer program. I have spoken to many people reading this about my disagreements with the YAV program and how it was not a positive experience in my life. It got me connected with Homeward Bound, and for that I am forever grateful, but I had a lot of issues with the eleven month volunteer program. I didn’t want to perceive Asheville exclusively through the lens of YAV, so when the opportunity arose to remain in Asheville, I wanted to give it a shot. As of August, 2017, I have been living in Asheville.
On October 15th, 2017, Asheville became home.
As I was sitting in that sauna, sweat dripping from every part of my body, I realized how healthy of a place Asheville is for me. Specifically, Asheville is home because of The Gathering Church. I was able to have one of the craziest experiences of my life within that church community. There is nothing better for a young twenty-three year old like myself to be constantly surrounded by incredible role models, and the sauna night exemplified that perfectly. My home right now is in The Gathering Church – and I don’t mean the building that we have services in, but the people that are the church.
Every single day in Asheville I’m surrounded by people who help me grow closer to God and challenge me to become a better man in many ways. There are mentors here showing me how to better love, inspire, lead, and support others. Through their example, they are preparing me to be a better follower, leader, husband, father, etc.
Asheville is my home because of people like Paul and Heath, whose hospitality I’ll strive to replicate for my entire life. Asheville is my home because of people like Matt and Mike, who are with me experiencing the crazy moments in life. Asheville is my home because of people like Robbie, Robert, and John Mark, who dedicate their careers to create a community that glorifies God. Asheville is my home because of The Gathering Church.
The sauna made me sweat away any feelings otherwise.