Karl, on the Panorama Trail, 2008

Tomorrow it will be May…and that means the 5th annual Yosemite Summit will finally be upon me. And while I say it every year, I need it this year more than ever. It’s been an extremely busy year. You can tell partly from the lack of posts to this blog! I’m glad the Summit filled up early, as I’ve not even had to time to promote it. I’ve written many times on this site why I do this Summit, this UNconference, but it bears repeating. I do this Summit because I’m lousy at “slowing down.” I’m kinda like a locomotive:  I gradually keep speeding up throughout the year. If I don’t STOP, I get going too fast. Yosemite Summit is my annual “Spiritual Pit Stop.” It’s when I reflect, pray, listen, meditate, and reconnect with God in a way and depth not possible throughout the year. And I invite a small, select group of men to join me. It is healing. It is refreshing. It is renewing. It is rejuvenating. It is refocusing. It is redefining. It is just what I need every year. Without it, I would get very cranky and empty. (If you’ve never read: Running on Empty: Contemplative Spirituality for Overachievers, you should.)

This year one of my regular Summiteers is leading his own retreat the week before mine, so Yosemite Summit is reproducing itself. Even more men are going to be unplugging from normal busy life and ministry to reconnect with God and realign themselves with the way things ought to be.

I’m really excited that for the first time in three years, Glacier Point Road is already open. This means that for only the second time since starting the Summit, our guys will get to hike the spectacular Panorama Trail! We did this hike on Year One. I skipped it on Year Two for variety sake, opting instead to do some other hikes and planning to do it on Year Three, but Glacier Point was closed. Then last year, Year Four, it was closed again! Of course, there are plenty of amazing hikes in Yosemite, but I’ve been dying to do this hike again, as it covers the entire perimeter of the Valley and ends by descending the Mist Trail (which we still did on those other years hiking up, and then down via the John Muir Trail past Clark’s Point.)

If you are a man in ministry (I no longer limit the Summit to children’s pastors, by the way) and this Summit resonates with you, please prayerfully consider joining me next year. I open registration in September, and it fills up in just a few months. So be watching for the information in August and for registration to open in September. While it is open to any man in ministry, is is especially for those who are worn out, hurting, running on empty,or going through a difficult time in ministry. It was born out of that kind of season in my life. So I’ve been there.

It is a brotherhood of men hiking together and learning together and praying together and growing together.

ALL FOR ONE - and ONE FOR ALL!

Maybe I’ll be hiking with you next year?

Only a few will enjoy the vast views of Yosemite.

Only a few will be shown how to discover the quiet trails.

Only a few will be a part of Yosemite Summit 2012.

I introduced my son to Yosemite this summer

Registration is OPEN for Yosemite Summit 2012, but if you are observant, you will notice – I have not posted this year now many may attend. As I am praying about closing it early this year and taking a smaller more intimate group for this fifth Summit. So I will be closing registration once God tells me “that’s enough.” I’ve booked a smaller lodge and I may only rent an SUV instead of the usual 15 passenger van… and lowered the price… all that to say… you shouldn’t procrastinate if you have been putting this off for years.

AND I have opened it to ANY men in full time ministry, not just children’s pastors.

So curious who God will bring for a week of renewal
and spiritual healing in May 2012.

Yosemite Escape

It’s official… I have booked the Lodge for 2012, and just for fun and variety, I have booked a new one for the 5th Summit. There will be some thoughtful changes in 2012. Registration will open very soon. First of all, it will be open to any men in ministry, Secondly, it will be a smaller more intimate group. Thirdly, the smaller group means the cost drops as well. If you haven’t seen it, check out the 2011 Report.

Yosemite Summit 2012

May 20-24, 2012 – Sunday to Thursday
(Travel days Saturday & Friday before and after)

The rest of the website has NOT been updated yet. This is just an announcement on the dates for next year and that there WILL BE a Yosemite Summit 2012. Stay Tuned and start to pray about whether YOU will be one of the guys God is calling to join me next year.

This is one of my favorite pictures from Yosemite Summit. We were at the top of Nevada Falls overlooking a vast vista to the valley below as the sun was setting and marveling at how big our shadows were when i got the idea for this photo. The Three Musketeers! What was their motto? “All For One! And One for All!” Of course, they lived to protect the king – but we live to worship and serve the King of Kings!

Yosemite Summit is about spending some time just getting to enjoy some time in the Realm of the King enjoying the Fellowship of the King with some fellow knights! We still have a one opening left… let me share with you a comment just left on this website on another post:

Ahhhh, Yosemite Summit! Truthfully, I didn’t realize what I signed up for when I sent in my deposit a year ago. I was on the YS 2010 team. It was the greatest spiritual renewal event I have ever experienced. So many moments of that event truly helped transform me and my spiritual life. My life is not the same as it was before attending YS 2010. Let me tell you three things to encourage you to take that last spot:

1. Acceptance…the guys greeted me with open arms and warm hearts.

2. Honesty…be prepared to hear hearts open and be prepared to open your heart. (it is amazing how easy it was to open up in a room filled with new friends).

3. Theophany…YS 2010 was my burning bush experience. I heard God, I saw Him, I felt Him, I experienced God in a way I had never experienced HIM before. Expect to owe Karl a HUGE thank-you for the rest of your life. THANK YOU!

Duane

I have shared on this site in many places, and one on one with many guys how my life has been transformed dramatically in past five years, and how Yosemite Summit is a significant part of that change… and how there is really no way to explain the reasons – you just need to come.

There is one spot left. I invite you to take that step of faith, and join me and the other guys.

You’ll join Duane in being glad you did.

Karl.

But first, it is time to open registration for Yosemite Summit 2011! Every year a very small group of children’s pastors get to gather in Yosemite National Park, literally one of the most spectacular places on God’s earth to hike up beyond the Valley where the millions of annual visitors linger to spend some incredible time in prayer, in the Word and enjoying fellowship with other men who uniquely understand their struggles.

It is four days of releasing their normal life and embracing only their identity as men of God, husbands, dads and brothers. Something that they often have never done for several days in a row. No work. No e-mail. No voice mail. No nothing – but God, and each other. Creation, fresh air – and stunning views. Some of the tallest waterfalls in the world, the sheerest cliffs, the bluest skies and the most stars they’ve ever seen.

And this year, I’m introducing a self determined scholarship so that those who couldn’t afford Yosemite Summit in the past can afford to come this year – no need to apply for the scholarship. I trust you. Just opt to pay less. I know the guys with the bigger budgets will pay the full price, so the guys from the smaller churches can pay less. Please understand, there is no margin built in to this event, I’m just willing to take a loss so that the guys who need this event can come. If a church can afford the full fee, I expect them to pay the full fee, I’ve not marked it up to cover the scholarships. We simply believe in this event and truly want to be an encouragement to those who truly need a retreat like this. Believe me – I’ve been there, I know what what it feels like to need to get away, and I want to make the possible, even if it costs Kidology financially to provide that for children’s pastors. I asked my board for permission to give Yosemite Summit away at a loss if that’s what it takes to help the guys who need this event to be able to come.

Complete details are on the COST page of this site. Anyone who is interested in sponsoring a guy who needs this event, donations are welcome. But even if we don’t get any donations, I want to make sure those who NEED Yosemite Summit, aren’t kept away.

If you need Yosemite Summit – THIS IS THE YEAR TO COME! I already have several verbal commitments and one registration, so don’t delay! There are only 8 spots and I have a very cool hiking schedule and other unique plans for 2011, so register asap!

Yosemite Summit is a unique journey into what it means to be a man, husband, father and a child of God independent of your ministry and “work” for God. It has the potential to change you in very simple and yet powerful ways. Don’t underestimate the incredible impact this short retreat “unplugged” from ministry and the regular demands of life can have on your soul, your walk with God, and your family and relationships. You’ll be so glad you came to Yosemite Summit.

Explore the site, read the reports and watch the videos from previous years: 2008, 2009, 2010, read the testimonials by going back through the posts, and I think you will find this is something you’ll want to be a part of. It is truly a wonderful experience.

Karl

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!