If it’s not a children’s pastor’s event – some ask me why I limit it to children’s pastors (or CM professionals). It’s a fair question. It is because I believe that there are unique challenges that we face as men in children’s ministry that only children’s pastors understand and we need each other to face and overcome them.

I’ve faced many of them (not always victoriously) and created this event as a way to share what I’ve learned and provide a safe and unique opportunity for men to come together – unplugged from both the demands of ministry and the busy pace of life (and electronics!) to face some things they may have never faced before and come away with a totally new perspective on themselves, their families and their ministries.

Yosemite Summit changes men in ways you can’t understand until you’ve been here. And it is only open to a very small group of men each year. And every year, I’ve had one or two come back – which is the highest compliment I can get, that it is a powerful event. Much of the feedback is too personal to post on this blog. Though some have shared. In these posts:

Why I’m Going Back – Brent

Why I’m Returning to Yosemite Summit – Pat

If you page back through this blog you will find many quotes from the guys who have been on this event – and how it has impacted their life, and I will be posting more from last year in the weeks ahead. But here is one that truly blessed me from this year from a Summiteer who asked to remain nameless, but that is typical of the e-mails I receive from the guys who have joined me on this trip – but let me say first – the credit for God working on Yosemite Summit does not go to me. I start each Summit letting the guys know, I am not the leader, just the inviter, facitator and organizer – after that, I am a fellow participant with them. After all, I created this event after discovering how much I needed this myself. God is our Host, Jesus our Guest Speaker and the Holy Spirit is our Guide.

The final quote I wanted to share:

Thanks for giving me a place where I could hear the voice of God and thanks for helping me change my life.  Yosemite Summit will be a major defining moment in my life, that as long as I live, I will see Yosemite Summit as the single event that allowed me to look inside my life and see what needs to change to make a difference in the lives of my wife and my kids. Indebted to you for life because Yosemite Summit made a difference that I have needed for so long.  Living Yosemite Summit each day from here on.

- A Yosemite Summiteer, 2010

There are only 8 spots for Yosemite Summit and THREE have already been verbally spoken for, for the 2011 Summit. Registration will be openning September 1st. Don’t miss your chance to be a part of this life-changing event.

Here is a Yosemite Summit Wallpaper to help inspire you. (1600 x 1200 719kb)

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!

(See also: What I learned at Yosemite Summit by Brent)

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?

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.

2009 Highlight Video:

Steve, Matt, Tom, Scott, Karl, Scott, Marc, Brent, Pat
(Canada, TX, PA, SD, IL, CA, VA, OK, OH)

Please pray for each of these guys that God would really do a work in each of our lives during this next week. We each come from a different state and one from Canada. Each is leaving family and ministry behind to focus on their walk with God. Each understands that the best thing for their ministry isn’t another idea or resource but a closer walk with the Lord. Pray for safety and for an openness to what God has in store for us. I can’t wait to get started! So time for me to sign off and shut down. No worries, I’ll be blogging pictures and stories afterward! Until then,

Over and Out!

Guys, we’re at the critical spot – there are ONLY THREE spots left for Yosemite Summit. If you have thought about this retreat, prayed about it, perhaps dreamed about it – don’t let it slip by! Register ASAP as it will soon be too late to join us for 2009, and there is no guarentee of next year. I hope to do this every year for the rest of my life, but I can only promise one year at a time.

There are not words to describe just how incredible this week is. Of course, I have tried on the Yosemite Summit site many times to describe both the natural and supernatural impact of this trip. But with only three spots left, let me share with you what some of last years guys wrote to me after getting home from Yosemite Summit:

It was great to begin new friendships and gain valuable ministry perspective from the stories of those in our group.  Furthermore the times I did get alone with God were especially rich and meaningful.

I needed a vision for the finishing of our new Children’s Building, God gave it to me on this trip.  I had a couple of other unanswered prayers and areas I needed direction on and I got them on this trip.  It gave me time to get out of the business of ministry and listen to what God had to say to me.

If you are having a hard time spiritually and personally, you need this trip.  It is a great time to be forced to get away from the business of ministry and life to listen to what God has for you.  We get so overwhelmed with the work/business of the ministry, doing it under our own power, we forget about relying on God.  God is our source of power, and strength.  There is no place better the Yosemite to see God’s power, strength and creation.  And there is no better group of people to share this with than guys who share your pain and blessings!

When I got back and met with my Senior Pastor he said he could see a level excitement and new enthusiasm.

The Yosemite Summit, exceeded everything I dreamed. As I walked through God’s creation, I could sense his presence more and more. Taking time away from everything and focusing on my spiritual health will only strengthen my daily walk, my family, and my ministry. It was a financial investment for my family to attend, but they have already said it was well worth sending me on. I cannot put into words how grateful I am to have been a part of the first Yosemite Summit. I know in my heart I will never really leave it.

Perhaps it will be YOU soon describing what an incredible week you had. Register today!

Granted, I haven’t read it, and probably won’t have time to – but I plan to bring it along and keep it in my backpack “just in case” So now worries!

Seriously, however, I do get some e-mails from guys whe mention their wives hesitancy with this retret due to the high cliffs and drop offs at Yosemite. My wife had the same concern when I first suggested doing this retreat alone. Going with a group of guys was her requirement, and as I prayed about it, Yosemite Summit was born! But let me assure you Yosemite is a very safe place. We stick to the trails and they are very clear and safe.

There are deaths at Yosemite, but in each case they involve people doing foolish things and often drinking was involved.

Millions of visitors visit Yosemite every year and have a fun and safe time by applying common sense and following the rules.

My wife asked me to encourage the guys to make sure I didn’t do anything crazy for a picture, and soon they were heard saying, “WWSS?” (What Would Sara Say?) We all came home safely without even a remotely close call. (We took the picture above as a joke for her… don’t worry, it was perfectly safe!)

I can’t even begin to describe what the hiking in Yosemite is like. You will pass through warm areas on bald rock and then through wooded areas where the snow is 2-3 feet thick and the towering trees make it almost like you are walking through a tunnel. You will hear water falls in the distance and other times be walking through the mist listening to the deafening thunder of tons of water falling hundreds of feet and crashing on rocks. You’ll see view after view after view that rivals the one just before it.

If you are even remotely considering coming to Yosemite Summit – don’t miss out on what could be a once in a life time experience! It is such an amazing place, and we promise to be safe wives!

My iPhone wallpaper photo taken on the
Panorama Trail during Yosemite Summit 2008.