Packin' My Bags!
It’s hard to believe, but I am packin’ by bags for Yosemite Summit!
It’s quite a puzzle, trying to balance “trim down and take the minimum” with “be sure you don’t forget!” The front room looks like Base Camp for a trek up Mt. Everest! (I’m sad to leave so much climbing equipment behind, but we really won’t need it all, maybe in a future year we will include rock climbing!)
As much as I am looking forward to getting away into the awesome outdoors (nowhere more awesome than Yosemite!) to enjoy some photography and videography, I am also really looking forward to connecting with the eight men that God has sovereignly brought together for this excursion. I have to tell you, when I stepped out in obedience to plan this trip last summer and put down a rather large deposit on the lodge, there was some fear! While I certainly would have enjoyed Yosemite alone or with a few guys, I could have taken a bath financially. I designed this as a break-even event so the cost could be as low as possible for the guys coming. Even one or two guys short, and it would have been a challenge. In fact, when the van rental ended up being hundreds more than budgeted, God took care of it. One of the last guys to sign up missed the closing and asked if there was any way we could add one more – I knew the lodge was very strict on occupancy, but I called to ask, and it “just turns out” that they lodge I had picked legally can hold one more guy! The cost went up slightly, but the extra registration took care of that and the extra van cost exactly. Go figure. (pun intended!) Then when one guy had to drop out due to an injury, God brought a replacement in a unique way, again meeting our need. And, just to show His grace, our injured brother will still be joining us the opening evening and the final day since he was transportation for one of the other guys. (And he is the only person allowed to be already registered for Yosemite Summit 2009!)
I have seen God’s Hand on this event in many other ways I won’t bore you with – but all to say, this trip is a God Thing, and I know He is going to do mighty things on this trip in the hearts and minds of the men coming.
If God is challenging you to step out in faith and DO something crazy – TRUST HIM – and step out and (to rob from Nike) Just Do It!
Yosemite Summit was designed to be a “stepping away from ministry” to focus only on God and my walk with Him for several days in a row. I know had it not been for the advance planning of this Adventure, this would have been just another “normal” month of life and ministry. It takes proactive advance planning to be able to step away – and boy do I need it! I thank God for speaking to me two years ago in a message on Recreation (pronouced RE-creation) and then pushing my spirit last summer to transform that initial prompting into reality by stepping into the unknown.
And THANKS GUYS for stepping out with me! And THANKS to anyone who will pray for us during this Adventure next week!
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