Last year at this time I was overwhelmed with depression, anger, insecurity, and the demands of a ministry that I didn’t realize was coming to an end. The Yosemite Summit turned out to be exactly what I needed to recognize my true value before an amazing God who delights in me regardless of my performance or behavior. The months following the Summit were difficult for my family as we left our church without knowing where God would take us next, but I can say with certainty that Karl’s invitation to Yosemite led to a healing and contentment that I couldn’t have survived without.
Praise God that I’m in a much better situation this year. Yes, I’m returning to Yosemite, and if you are going through anything like I was a year ago, I hope to meet you there and be a part of your renewal. You need this more than you realize!
Note: Brent went to the second Summit and added a PS that after writing this e-mail he was heading off to lunch with a Yosemite Summiteer from the first year that I hooked him up with when he moved to Phoenix. Amazing how God has used this event to create friendships even outside of any beyond Yosemite!
Is life crazy busy for you? Have you tried to get it in balance and failed? Have you striven for margin and seen it fill up over and over with church and other stuff and fought to get it out again? Have you wondered, “Can I ever win this battle to get control of my life?!”
Me too.
But at least something is different now. I have a built in pit stop in my life, called Yosemite Summit.
Every May, me and eight other children’s pastors (or ministry leaders) go to Yosemite National Park for a complete break-away from ministry to just fellowship with each other and focus on our relationship with God and our relationships with our wives and kids. And nothing else.
and…
We WALK AWAY FROM IT ALL. I’ve had to accept that while I will always be working on it, I will never master getting my daily life or week under control. There is just too much to do all the time. But at least I can look forward to once a year, every year, when I walk away from it all for four glorious days when I just enjoy God’s incredible creation in THE most spectacular place on earth. (Seriously, it is!)
If you are stressed out and thinking you don’t have time for Yosemite Summit – than YOU are exactly who DOES NEED Yosemite Summit, and believe me, not only can you leave everything and it will be waiting for you when you get back – but you will be different when you return, and everything will be lighter when you pick it upon your return, for reasons I can’t explain until you join me there…. it’s kinda a secret until you arrive and experience what happens on this retreat.
Why not trust God and build this Spiritual Pit Stop into your busy life? Your family and your SOUL will thank you… and so will your Savior.
And if you can’t come to Yosemite Summit… what is YOUR Built in Pit Stop?
Why go back to Yosemite? I prayed about the opportunity and tossed it around for a while. Would this year match the experience I had last year? Would it be better? Would it not be as good? There were so many reasons to go back and really no reason to not go.
The number one reason to go back – I know that I need the time away. I love what I do, don’t get me wrong. But throughout the year, the emotional stress can wear you out. The “normal” people issues that come up can wear on your soul, especially when the people are not just bodies in the congregation but are your friends, your family, your brothers and sisters in Christ. I know that I need the time away to leave the work of ministry behind, to leave the daily tasks behind, and to focus on ultimately what is most important, my own personal relationship with Christ.
Words cannot describe the feeling you have when you are 8,000+ feet up, looking over God’s awesome creation and it is just you, Him and His Word. God revealed things to me during the week at Yosemite that I was not expecting.
The time away last year allowed me to refocus my life and set my eyes on what was most important once again. I am looking forward to the time once again to refocus my life and to continue to grow as a child of God.
The opportunity to get with other guys from across the country and share life together was amazing. We all shared the common ground of children’s ministry but it was great to get to know each other, pray for each other, and encourage each other in our personal walks with Christ. I am looking forward to that fellowship again this year.
The cost was an issue that I had to weigh out. But when it came down to it, I could spend the money going to conferences getting new ideas for ministry or I could spend the money and take the time away I need to grow in Christ and re-energize my walk with Him.
I don’t know about you, but I have so many ideas that I don’t know what to do with them all. And the thing is, if I am pouring my energy into ministry and not taking care of my own relationship with Him, those new ideas are not going to take off anyway. Over the last couple years I have been doing what I can to do what I have always known, to put my relationship with God before my ministry. This is easier said than done, especially during the day to day things of life. Yosemite Summit is a great way to get away to leave the other things behind for a week and focus on what is most important.
Whether we realize it or not, we all need this time away with God. We fool ourselves into thinking that it is not a good time. We tell ourselves that we have too much going on. The things is, when don’t we as children’s pastors have too much going on? When are we just waiting around with nothing to do? There is always something to do!
There is never going to be the “best” time in our eyes to leave things behind. But as I came to the conclusion last year and this year, I need this time more than I need to hold the next event for the children. I need this time more than the next new activity or idea for the children’s ministry.
I realized that I needed to trust God and that He would provide the way to get things done that needed to get done – He would clear the path even if issues came up while at Yosemite. So with that said, I look forward to the discussions God and I will have on that mountain top. I look forward to the time with Him. I look forward to the continued strength from Him and how I will grow closer to Him that week. It will be an awesome week. Don’t miss it.
To get a feel for what Yosemite Summit is, watch the highlight videos on the 2008 and 2009 report pages and click down through the posts throughout this site. There is truly no other conference like this. That is why I call it the UNconference for children’s pastors. It is beyond description, as much as I try to describe it on this website. We spend four spectacular days hiking together in one of the most beautiful places on the planet enjoying God’s creation, getting to know each other, and feeling a complete release from the pressures and problems that we left behind. And when we get home, they somehow are never as heavy as when we left them, because of the time we spent with God on Yosemite Summit. It is truly a life-changing time with a band of brothers who will become your soul mates for a week. As I like to say, there are no workshops, just worship – no resources, just relationships, and no networking, just God working. And it is real in a way that you will just have to experience.
I urge you – pray about coming. You need it, more than you will realize until you are there.
If you need something to invite someone to Yosemite Summit, here is a flyer I carry around to invite guys: Yosemite Summit Invite PDF
By the way, this is my report on my Solo Sabbatical in Yosemite. Everyone has been asking me about my time in Yosemite alone at the end of January/beginning of February – so here it is. I blogged a thank you to my pastor in Illinois on why I was doing a solo sabbatical in Yosemite as well as my first report with a follow up there. I do not intend to post all the reports here. This site is about Yosemite Summit, so this will be the ONLY post about my Solo Sabbatical, if you want to follow the “deeper” reports on my trip and more photos, you’ll need to follow my personal blog, but I did want to post an official report here as well as the highlight video I made to show the best of the photos I took. And now back to the report in progress! As I was saying…
Everyone needs to almost die…
And no, I’m not referring to almost being struck by lightening in Yosemite last year! And I’m not directly talking about my near heart attack last year either – though for all practical purposes I might as well be. If almost dying twice in 2009 taught me anything (and it taught me a lot!) it made me realize that long life is not something you should assume. So let me say it again, and I really hope you will hear me this third time: (this is now directly from my journal on my solo sabbatical)
Everyone ought to almost die. If not, they really should try to pretend or reflect on what it means to live as though they are not sure of long life.
Let me set the record straight. I’m not afraid of dying. Never was. But after almost dying (twice!) I’m no longer afraid of living! I refuse to put off the life I want. If that sounds selfish, let me rephrase it – I refuse to put off what I believe God is calling me to do. (sound better?) I no longer assume far off “somedays” exist! Two to three years is as long as I assume I have. That DOESN’T mean I think I’m a dead man in five years! Without going into detail – I have a clean bill of health, I avoided a heart attack, and have a stent in a healthy heart. It just means that if I want to do something, I START PLANNING IT! I know better now – start planning it, or it’ll never happen!
Someday is just another word for NEVER!
What are you saying you will do someday? Write a book? Go on some dream vacation? Produce a resource? Start a business? (Go on Yosemite Summit or Unbridled?) I can’t even guess what it is for YOU, but YOU know what I’m talking about… I’m scratching that itch RIGHT NOW. I know I am.
The point is, start planning it NOW. At least get out a pad of paper and start scratching out the first few steps.
One of my life long dreams was to go to Yosemite in Winter. It seemed impossible. The only way it happened was to start planning it. And then God came along and took care of the “impossible” part for me! He surprised me by taking care of the one detail I couldn’t manage. Do you think God won’t do that for you? Do you think He loves me more than you? Bah!
Watch this video of my little dream come true. This took over four years to come true. Even longer if you count the years I was too scared and too busy to dream the dream! Enjoy! Two days snow shoeing through Yosemite in winter and then ask yourself,
What “someday” am I not trusting God for? And start planning it.
I suppose it’s time to start sharing what I experienced at the Yosemite Summit last year. The point of the Summit was for us children’s pastors (8 of us, plus our leader, Karl Bastian) to resign from our jobs for a week and reconnect with God. I knew I needed this, but I didn’t realize how much so until I got there. The beauty of Yosemite National Park is amazing. Words and pictures just don’t do it justice. To be so close to God through nature was an amazing opportunity.
It was refreshing to be with eight other guys who cared about the same things I did, but also had the same struggles as well. I received tremendous insight from hearing Karl talk about his experiences and struggles in ministry and family. He gave us a challenge on the first full day of hiking to think about who we are, apart from being a children’s pastor. I had never tried to define myself like that, but I’m glad I did that day. Here’s what I realized:
I am a child of God who brings joy to him, regardless of my performance or behavior.
That was such a liberating realization! I cried when I first voiced that sentence to myself. As I thought about my relationship with my own children, I realized that there was nothing they could do to make me stop loving them. I can only assume God feels the same about me. I also thought about how my children’s ability to relate to me increases with their maturity. I know the same is true between me and God. I felt like a literal child before God–something I’d never really experienced before–eager to know and enjoy him better. It felt great to not be a children’s pastor that day. The guy with all the answers for the kids. The guy who felt the pressure to perform for God, church leaders, parents, and kids. They guy who had let God and others down. For a few days in Yosemite I wasn’t any of that. I was just a child of God enjoying his creation, trying to enjoy him as much as I hoped he enjoyed me.
It is a life long dream that is about to come true! I am headed to Yosemite in winter and will be staying at Yosemite Lodge in just a few days! I’ll be there from January 30th to February 2nd.
While most dream of a “White Christmas” I’ve been dreaming of a “White Yosemite” – and I’ve been going there, “if only in my dreams” for as long as I can remember. Yosemite is not only one of the most spectacular places on earth an a photographers paradise, but in winter, the word “wonderland” doesn’t do it justice. But getting there is winter has always been something that just wasn’t possible or realistic financially or logistically.
Until my good friend Jessica Klinker, on the Kidology CP Team, asked me to come to Lodi California this month to equip and encourage her volunteers… hmmmmm… the same church that we have stopped at for lunch on the way to Yosemite Summit in May? Suddenly, my “impossible” dream of going to Yosemite in winter wasn’t so impossible! Of course, I had to convince my wife to allow me add on some extra days for my solo trip, but a little bargaining later, and me and God had a date and I have my own little Yosemite Summit for Two, just Jesus and me for three days.
I’m so excited I could just burst!
I twittered about it a few weeks ago and a company called Stabilicers asked me if I had their product (shoe grippers) and encouraged me to check out their facebook page. I replied to @32northSTABIL and suggested (kinda kidding!) that they send me a free pair to try out at Yosemite promising a review on my blog – and they did! In the meantime, check out their fun YouTube Channel.
I promise to post pictures here from my solo sabbatical as soon as I return – and if you want to join me in May for the Yosemite Summit with eight other men, register soon – there is limited space, and it fills up every year! Four spots are spoken for so far with deposits pending, so it is nearly half full already! Be sure to check out the highlight photo and videos for 2008 and 2009.
I’d love to have you join me in this life-changing place!
It is always encouraging to read how former “Summiteers” describe their experience at Yosemite Summit when they return back to their churches and ‘normal life’ after encountering God with eight other children’s pastors disconnected from ministry and the noise of normal life.
Steve Bourque attended the second annual Summit and recently wrote the following article for his churches newsletter.
Yosemite National Park is really quite amazing. I’ve known about it for many years, but I’ve only visited one
time. Recently, I traveled alone to meet up with eight other Children’s Pastors in California. We agreed that
this would not be a conference, but a retreat or “unconference”. We all wanted to break away from regular life to reconnect deeply with our Creator in his creation. We were all challenged to hear from God.
As I spent extended time meditating on the Bible I began to hear. God was speaking to me.
One of the questions God was asking me to look into was “What are your fears?” At the risk of being vulnerable, I will mention a fear that became a theme among the others I listed. I fear disapproval. Now, if all are honest, everyone can admit to this. It just looks different for different people. Specifically for me, it translates into not wanting to be embarrassed or say something dumb or not be accepted by someone or some group. (click image to read entire article in PDF)
Yosemite Summit has a unique impact on each guy who attends. So far, two men have reserved their spot for 2010, and one is returning from 2009. That tells you something! Let me encourage you to prayerfully consider joining me in May 2010 for a retreat unlike anything you have ever experienced.
Only God knows what you may be writing about in your church newsletter next summer!
I am eager and excited to let you know that Registration for Yosemite Summit 2010 is NOW OPEN! For details on the event explore this site, and when you are ready to apply, simply visit the registration page.
For a wonderful visual overview of what you will experience on this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to take a break from ministry and connect with God and other men who share your passion for children’s ministry, enjoy these highlight videos from the first two summits:
Here is the 2008 Highlight Video:
2009 Highlight Video:
Just some of the feedback from last year’s Summit:
…never in twenty years of ministry had I taken a real break away where I could focus on my relationship with Christ. Because of my time at Yosemite, I have committed that I would take a break regularly because of the impact this has had on my ministry, family and my relationship with Jesus. Yosemite Summit gave me the opportunity to refresh my soul, to renew my spirit and to come back home with a new resolve to fall in love with Jesus more, to serve him with a wiser focus and to honor him with the way I lead my family and my ministry. – Tom
There is nothing like the opportunity to get away, on your own, with no distractions while you listen to God’s voice. The memory will not quickly fade. Jesus made many different times to get away. He even took 40 days before beginning his ministry. How much more do we need to get away and just be with God? Yosemite Summit is this strategic opportunity. – Steve
Yosemite Summit was a huge blessing and a very worthwhile investment in helping me be refreshed in my relationship with God and helping to keep me centered in my relationships with my wife, kids and my church. Walking by yourself part of a day through towering Sequoia trees praying to God and enjoying his handiwork after having spent time being encouraged by and with eight Christian guys is priceless! – Scott
After this trip – I have embraced that I am doing what I am called to do. I may not have all of the specialized training but God gives me what I need when I need it to get the job done and to continue to reach out to kids and their parents. The time away at the Yosemite Summit gave me the encouragement I needed, the time I needed to confront the hard issues I had been pushing back, and the conviction to embrace who I truly am in God’s eyes. – Anonymous
Yosemite Summit is an event that will recharge you as a child of God, a husband of your wife and a father of your children. The investment is worth it because the event will impact your walk with God and your relationship with your wife and kids. I can tell you that this single week will have an impact on the rest of my life. – Matt
Yosemite Summit is more than just a “conference” – it is a band of brothers who stay close for years to come. We share a private forum on Kidology.org where we share prayer requests and stay connected long after the event has passed. We text message each other in times of need for prayer and have become life-long friends.You go to conferences to become a better minister. You go to Yosemite Summit to become a better man.
Prayerfully consider coming to Yosemite Summit 2010 – I will be praying with you!
I’m still feeling the effects of Yosemite Summit 2009. It is difficult to describe this event to someone who has not gone; it is truly a wonderful trip on so many fronts. But it is my prayer that some descriptions, some pictures, quotes from the guys and a video might help you get a glimpse of the unique experience Yosemite Summit is for the guys who take the time away from ministry to invest in their walk with God and a few other good men who share their passion for children’s ministry.
After the neat group of guys God brought together for the first Summit, I honestly was a little worried that the second year might feel different, but again God brought together a group of men who all got along great and seemingly instantly we were like old friends. I now get to pray the same for 2010!
There is simply no way to describe the grandeur of the vistas at Yosemite National Park. Pictures can’t even come close to capturing the awe of looking out from one vista to another across the sprawling valley below. It is like you can reach out and touch the presence of God.
One of the highlights of Yosemite Summit is getting some time alone in magnificent places to think, pray and journal your thoughts. All the usual distractions of life are hundreds of miles away… and somehow God’s voice is just so much clearer, if not louder.
Thanks so much for an awesome week! It was a real joy to hike with fellow CPs. I was blessed by each guy sharing each night and energized by the encouragement and new ideas shared. The spiritual challenges from Karl, were spot on and a great tool for God to work in my life. I look forward to continuing our new friendships. God Bless each one of you and may your lives and families and ministries never be the same!
We often were together as we hiked, but then had times to split up for some solo time as well. The balance between fellowship and solitude is not managed strictly, but seems to just naturally unfold as we hike at different paces, regroup at the most spectacular sites, and gather for meals along the trails.
How do you describe the feeling of standing at the top of a mountain? While we always stayed a safe distance from truly deadly or dangerous drop offs, you are often near places where the ground soon gives way to sky where hawks and eagles drift by. To be looking straight across at a water fall that is pouring hundreds of feet to a valley below you is awe-inspiring. While the falls seem distant, often you can still hear their roar as they crash into rocks thousands of feet away below and across the valley.
While much of what is experienced in Yosemite remains here or in our memories, the time invested in journaling helps take much of what God stirs within us back home. I love rereading from my Yosemite journal and then closing my eyes and remembering the place where I wrote those words.
Yosemite Summit met all my expectations and I came away feeling like it was one of the best things I could have done for my relationship with the Lord and my ministry. I love the idea of allowing retreat, re-create times to rekindle my love for God, my family and my ministry.
Because of today’s technology, it is wonderful to be able to have worship music playing in head phones as we hiked, journals, or just relaxed. At other times, walking in silence and allowing God’s creation to be the sound track was equally beautiful. With the distant roar of countless water falls, the chirping of birds, rustling of leaves and the occasional scurry of an animal broken only by the steady plodding of our footsteps, Creation offered us the most fitting background music.
I never in all my 20+ years of ministry had taken a “real” break away where I could focus on my relationship with Christ. Because of my time at Yosemite, I have committed that I would take a break regularly because of the impact this has had on my ministry, family and my relationship with Jesus. Yosemite Summit gave me the opportunity to refresh my soul, to renew my spirit and to come back home with a new resolve to fall in love with Jesus more, to serve him with a wiser focus and to honor him with the way I lead my family and my ministry. – Tom
I loved seeing the guys relaxing and can’t help wondering, how often do they truly get to relax back home – where they totally and completely let go of everything and just enjoy the presence of God?
There is nothing like the opportunity to get away, on your own, with no distractions while you listen to God’s voice. The memory will not quickly fade. Jesus made many different times to get away. He even took 40 days before beginning his ministry. How much more do we need to get away and just be with God? Yosemite Summit is this strategic opportunity. – Steve
One of the ways I worship is through the lens of my camera. While no film can capture the majesty of this place, it sure is fun trying. At least you get to take glimpses of it home to enjoy over and over again. Around every turn is yet another “perfect shot” that for some segments of the trip, I had to simply put my camera away and soak it in knowing that being there is better than any picture from there.
While we don’t do any ‘real’ climbing with ropes and gear, there are plenty of rocks that whisper, “Climb me!” And once ascended offer either a better view, or simply a satisfying feeling of having accomplished something worth relaxing and soaking in.
Nothing makes the heart pound like being near the edge of a cliff. And while our wives may fear our curiosity, we were always safe and looked out for each other. But nevertheless, sitting near an edge is a profound way to realize one’s humanity and to appreciate every day God grants us to worship and serve Him!
One of the highlights of Yosemite Summit is a hike that will most likely be included every year, the Mist Trail. There is a stretch where you’d get drenched to the bone if you didn’t wear a poncho! The mist from the thundering waterfall becomes so thick it is almost blinding and the sound of the water fall thrilling. Plus, realizing you will soon be standing at the top at the very edge (behind a railing!) makes the countless stone stairs worth every step.
This is Taft Point, one of the highest vista look out points in Yosemite (and one of the few with a railing) where you can peer straight down over 3500 feet! It was while hiking back from here that I was nearly stuck by lightening in a hail storm that rushed in on us!
The time away at the Yosemite Summit gave me the encouragement I needed, the time I needed to confront the hard issues I had been pushing back, and the conviction to embrace who I truly am in God’s eyes.
Yosemite Summit is an event that will recharge you as a child of God, a husband of your wife and a father of your children. The investment is worth it because the event will impact your walk with God and your relationship with your wife and kids. I can tell you that this single week will have an impact on the rest of my life.
Yosemite Summit 2009 may be over, but it’s impact will last a life time. It is now time to start praying about whether God would have you join us for Yosemite Summit 2010!
Yosemite Summit was a huge blessing and a very worthwhile investment in helping me be refreshed in my relationship with God and helping to keep me centered in my relationships with my wife, kids and my church. Walking by yourself part of a day through towering Sequoia trees praying to God and enjoying his handiwork after having spent time being encourage by and with 8 Christian guys is priceless! – Scotty H.
