REACH FOR THE SUMMIT

“I was just an enthusiastic mountaineer of modest ability who was willing to work hard and had the necessary imagination and determination.” - Sir Edmund Hillary, On reaching the summit of Mt. Everest, March 23, 1953 It was only the beginning of a lifetime of service to others.

1 CORINTHIANS 9:22b,23 So, I became all things to all men, that I may save some of them by whatever means possible. All this I do for the gospel’s sake, in order to share in its blessings.

There is a sense of awesomeness and exhilaration when a mountaineer reaches the summit of a mountain. But, before that can be experienced, much planning, preparation, training and commitment must be done before the apex can be reached.

After such an emotional trek, time is needed to rest, reflect and gather in what has been learned, so that the following journeys will have the ability to reach their own magnitude of celebration.

There are many summits reached and celebrated in the life of the church body as well. When a young person finishes the confirmation process and comes before the congregation and professes his or her love of God and accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior, and is then baptized, a summit has been reached. The new follower of Christ, the parents, pastor and congregation are as one, in the moment of an amazingly glorious time. You can feel the Holy spirit flow through you veins.

Anyone who has come back from a successful work camp, mission trip or spiritual retreat has a certain glow about them. You know that their lives were changed, and it is reflected in there excitement of retelling their ‘Story’.

Building projects, mission projects, musical cantatas, plays, special dinners and programs all have their own pinnacles. Even the weekly services and classes have their own peaks to reach. And, they all share a common thread. They all take planning, preparation, training and commitment. There is also the needed time to rest, reflect back and gather in what has been learned, so, that more people will be given the opportunity to be part of a summit celebration.

It is important that the church keep a focus on where these mountains are to be reached, and that there is the needed commitment by its leaders to prepare its people for these treks. It is those mountains and journeys, that give strength to the times in between and the hunger for reaching a part of God’s ultimate summit, when we can physically and spiritually feel God’s presence.

With its diversity of people and their God given talents, a church can reach out to all people, and with even the modest of abilities, imagination, determination, commitment and enthusiasm, help others climb their own mountains and reach for the summit. All for the gospel’s sake.

“Well, I don't know what will happen now. We've got some difficult days ahead. But it really doesn't matter with me now, because I've been to the mountaintop.
And I don't mind.” - Martin Luther King, Jr, 3 April 1968

A TIME FOR EVERYTING
(taken from IQ#30 2/3/01)

BIG G: “Mother, I have to go down stairs again!”
Mother: “What for this time?”
BIG G: “Oh, one of the boys needs a little boost. I won’t be gone long.”
Mother: “I hope not. You promised to fix that crack in the globe for me.”
BIG G: “And I will. Have I ever failed to keep my promise?”
Mother: “No, but you did take over 40 days and nights to stop that water
problem.”
BIG G: “Yes, I know That. But! I did make sure all were pre-paired.”
Mother: “That you did...Ok. Go do what you must do.”
................................
BIG G: “David!”
David: “Yes. Who is it?”
BIG G: “It is I.”
David: “OH-MY-GOD!”
BIG G: “Yes,I AM.”
David: “JESUS CHRIST!”
BIG G: “That’s my boy!... He may be by later. He’s over in Spain delivering
a pair of bulls...Ha,ha,ha. I just love tellin’ that one.”
David: “What?”
BIG G: “David, my son. That’s why I am here. I’m worried about you.”
David: “What have I done?”
BIG G: “It’s not what you’ve done. It’s what your not doing!”
David: “I don’t understand.”
BIG G: “Let me ask you this. How do like to make people feel?”
David: “Well, I...want to make them happy.”
BIG G: “And what do you do to make them feel happy?”
David: “I try to do things for them, help them out in whatever they need...Being
nice to them.”
BIG G: “What else?”
David: “Uh...I try to show them the way to you.”
BIG G: “That’s good. But! What is it that you have always said you like to do?”
David: “......Make people laugh?”
BIG G: “N-29...BINGO!! We have a winner!” And for answering the BIG Q, we have these
lovely gifts chosen just for you....Paul, bring down those gifts for David,
will you? Paul? Paul?....Oh, you’ll have to excuse Paul, he’s busy writing
letters to all his friends... I tell ya, that Paul, you ask him to write a
few simple notes and he ends up writing books.

Anyway. David, where’s the laughter? I always look forward to hearing what
you come up with that make people get the giggles. Why are you being so
serious? You’re bumming me out, man.”
David: “I don’t know. I’ve been so hung up on what I need to do, that everything
else has taken a back seat. And just when I thought I had it figured out, I
messed it up.”
BIG G: “Did it ever occur to you that you were already doing what you need to do?”
David: “I guess so...But. I knew there was more for me to do and I kept asking for
help.”
BIG G: “And it was given to you.”
David: “I realize that. But, I didn’t do it right.”
BIG G: “That’s ok. You’re forgiven. It’s time to move on. Use what’s been given to
you. If you’re not sure how to use it, then ask. Help will be provided. If
you make a mistake, don’t dwell on it and don’t just shove it under the rug,
either. Identify it, discuss it and learn from it. You’ll find the answers.

Look at the Bible. All the answers are in there and it’s full of peoples
mistakes. That’s why, for thousands of years, people have been reading it,
discussing it and learning from it.”
David: “I’m trying, but instead of making people laugh, I’ve made them cry. Talking
has been tough and I feel so pressed for time. It hasn’t been easy”
BIG G: “If it was easy, what would you learn? There is a reason for everything that
happens, be it good or bad. There’s a time for tearing down and a time for
mending up. There’s a time for silence and a time for talk. There’s a time
to cry and a time to laugh.....Hmmm, I think that would make for a nice
song, wouldn’t you?”
David: “Someone already turned it into song.”
BIG G: “Oh, yes. You’re quite right...Kind of has a scriptural flare to it
too....Saaay. I get it! Someone already TURNed it into a song. See? You have
a little life left in the humor department....Hey! Are you hungry? I have a
lot of corn here. You want some? You can share it with your friends.”
David: “ That’s ok. My friends are up to their ears in corn from me.”
BIG G: “Well, shucks...So, David let me ask you. How do you feel now?”
David: “I feel a little better. Not quite at full strength, but better.”
BIG G: “That’s good. You have a lot to give and there is love in your heart. I know
because I put it there. Use it wisely. Be true to yourself , your friends
and whomever you meet. Remember, what you say and do has an effect on
others.”
David: “I read something about that last week and I have learned from it.”
BIG G: “Great! Now, I must go mend a few other problems.”
David: “Ok. Thanks! I’ll see ya around.”
BIG G: “Yes, you will...And David!”
David: “What?”
BIG G: “When your smiling, when your smiling, the whole world smiles with you.”

ECCLESIASTES 3:9-13 What do we gain from all our work? I know the heavy burdens that God has laid upon us. He has set the right time for everything. He has given us the desire to know the future, but never gives us the satisfaction of fully understanding what he does. So I realized that all we can do is be the best we can while we are still alive. All of us should eat and drink and enjoy what we have worked for. It is God's gift.

A Friend's Greatest Gift

JOHN 15:13-15 The greatest love a person can have for his friends is to give his life for them. And you are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because a servant does not know what his master is doing. Instead I call you friends, because I have told you everything I heard from my Father.

Are you willing to give your life for a friend? Whom do you call a friend?

If you have listened to Jesus, then you will realize why he calls you his friend. My question to you is, "How can you be a friend to Jesus?"

MATTHEW 25:38-40 When did we ever see you a stranger and welcome you into our homes, or naked and clothe you? When did we ever see you sick or in prison, and visit you? The King will reply, "I tell you, whenever you did this for one of the least important of these brothers of mine, you did it for me!"

Political Correctness, lawsuits at the drop of a hat, prejudging, fear of public reaction or loss of job or life. These are conditions we live in today. No wonder we can’t follow, or even attempt to walk, in the footsteps of Christ Jesus. We have immobilized ourselves from enjoying one of the greatest treasures we have in this world, the freedom to love and be loved. I’m not talking the romantic, heart thumping, clammy hands, head over heels affection for another person, I’m talking the type of love one shows by doing for others without the want or need of it being returned.

We are isolating ourselves from each other, and worse, we are teaching the young that it is better to have a cold heart than a warm soul.

It is bad enough in the secular world, but when churches, that are ordained to teach the laws of God and His love, through His Son, Jesus, become sterile in their compassion toward their own members, it is completely disheartening.

A person’s spiritual growth is a lifelong process that clarifies itself through acts giving. If we continue to prohibit or greatly discourage, and punish such acts, then we are turning our backs on the teachings of Jesus.

If Jesus came back today, he would once again be thrown into jail for crossing the line. Headlines will read, "JC isn’t PC. Suit to follow. He may get Life. Vote on line now."

And you know what? Jesus will stay true to His word, God’s word, and GIVE his life, because he loves us that much. He is that kind of friend. Willing to sacrifice all he has, so that our lives will be better.

RU4 JC or PC? Your answer, your actions, will determine our growth, our fate.