LIstening

I love being deep into the wild.  It is so quiet.  I can sit beside a lake, look at a mountain and just listen to the sounds of nature.  Mostly it is quiet, but sometimes there are birds, other people or maybe just the wind blowing.

As I have been training for the climb on Mt. Kilimanjaro in just a few weeks, I have had a lot of time to listen.  Throughout the bible, God is regularly calling on His people to listen to Him.  Just do a search on an app or in the concordance for "listen" and see the results.  For example, Isaiah 46:12 says "Listen to Me, you stubborn-hearted, who are far from righteousness."  Unfortunately, you will see in a lot of these calls to listen that the people did not do so.  2 Chronicles 33:10 - "And the Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they would not listen."  Can you imagine God speaking and just not listening to Him?

Oddly enough, it happens all the time.  Even in the silence of the wilderness, God wants to speak to us and the sound of silence can drown Him out.  The busyness of every day life can take our attention away from God's voice.   But there is an answer.  Psalm 46:10 says "Be still and know that I am God".

There is also the other voice that has been talking as well.  It is the voice of the liar, the accuser and the one who wants to destroy.  It is the voice that says "you will never make it" and "nobody cares what you are doing" and other similar discouragements.  Why is it so easy to hear and believe those destroying words, but not the loving words of God who wants to bring life and joy? 

As I said, I've had a lot of time to listen in the miles on the trail or the hours of training in gym.  I combat the words of destruction with prayer and recalling God's word.  While doubt creeps in, I trust in the One who loves me and gave me new life.  The climb is just a climb and the project is just a project.  But God is forever and He is calling me to listen to Him.  It seems that God has used this time to fill my heart with prayer and with His word.  What I've heard is that His call is not to the mountain, but to Him.  We are no closer to God at 19,000' than we are at sea level.

My encouragement  to anybody sharing this experience with me is to take time on whatever journey you are on to take time to LISTEN to God along the way.  Don't get so focused on the destination that you miss the journey and the voice of God who is whispering (or shouting in some cases) to you.  Recognize that the other voice is a lie and seeks your destruction as the image-bearer of God - just as he did when he asked Eve in the garden of Eden "Did God really say...".  Hold fast in the truth and promises of God even on the most challenging journeys you face in life - that is what I am holding on to!

Mountains

It's hard to believe it's September 17th already.

It feels like it was just yesterday that it was January 1st and I began my countdown with nearly a year to go until Kilimanjaro.  Now it is just a little over 3 months away.

A knee injury a couple of weeks ago has slowed my hiking training down.  It's almost inevitable that SOMETHING will happen along the way - just praying it heals quickly and I can get back on the trail soon.  There have been some amazing hikes in the mountains the past few months.  Here are a few pictures of the more scenic hikes.

Mt. Hood - East side near Cooper Spur

Mt Hood - West side approaching McNeil Point

Mt Jefferson from Park Ridge overlooking Jefferson Park.

North & Middle Sisters from Collier Cone

God is so good to allow me to see His creation like this.  Each mountain has its own struggles and is unique in its character and beauty.  As I ponder the wisdom of deciding to take on Mt. Kilimanjaro, I am nursing a sore knee back to health and go through the pains that accompany the training in preparation.

Counting down and looking forward to the challenge of a lifetime!

Remodeling

I believe God is in the business of remodeling.  Not like we would normally think of remodeling.  I confess that we probably watch too much HGTV and the many shows that take old houses, tear down all of the bad stuff and build it back up with the final reveal of a miraculous transformation.

When we bought our house, we knew there were some things we didn't really like about its current condition, but we saw the potential.  The first project after we moved in was the kitchen.  The old yellowing vinyl flooring, the chipped counters, deteriorating cabinets and broken sink were just a few of the flaws that needed to be addressed.  We carefully planned out what we wanted the new kitchen to look like, made purchases and had everything prepared for our new kitchen.

Demolition is fun - it's where you get to rip out all of the old stuff.  For the kitchen, it meant taking everything out - cabinets, appliances, flooring - everything was removed to get a clean slate to work from.  There were a few of those "ewwwww - I can't believe that was in our kitchen" moments as we found things behind the cabinets and under appliances that hadn't been moved in years.  As we were tearing out the old, we uncovered some things that were unexpected that had to be addressed before we could continue.  

Seems that it's pretty common in remodeling work to find hidden things that need to be fixed and can be an extensive & expensive project in itself if the flaws are serious enough.  You really don't even know what's hidden until you get to it.  "If only I wouldn't have opened this up . . ." - a common response, but eventually these problems are going to have to be addressed, one way or another.  Ignoring the flaws don't make them go away, they just continue to cause even more often unseen damage.  If you've seen HGTV, you know what I mean!

Construction is the longest stage of a remodeling project.  For us, this was the time when we couldn't use our kitchen because we only had an empty room and it seemed like it took forever.  Work needs to be done in a certain order and you want to make sure that the materials and workmanship are top quality to get the results you want.  There always seem to be delays and there is always more to do than you anticipate.

At a few points during construction, we wondered if it would ever come to an end.  Eventually the last bit of work was finished and we were thrilled with the After!  Our kitchen and much of our first floor of our house had gone through an incredible transformation.

We were done with the kitchen . . . but there were other rooms that were on the remodeling list.  Some needed some major work, other rooms needed just a little.  But it seems that once we started with the remodel, the flaws on the other rooms became more obvious.  Right now, we are in the middle of remodeling our master bathroom and back yard at the same time.  When will it ever end?

I don't think God's idea of Remodeling is the same as mine - in fact I know it's not.  Take 2 Corinthians 5:17 for example:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

God's idea of a Remodeling us is making us a new creation in Jesus.  If you stop and think about it, that is the most radical Remodel that we will go through.  We are literally transformed in to a new creation.  God has taken away the old and replaced it with a new creation.  But He doesn't stop there.  It seems that even though we are new creations in Christ, we still have areas in our lives that need to be Remodeled.

You would think that after enough of God's Remodeling in our lives, we would be good enough.  But God doesn't want us to be just "good enough".  He has plans for us that we can't imagine (see Jeremiah 29:11) and is working in us always to make us more like Christ.

The discomfort we experience when we remodel our homes is really nothing compared to how hard it is to go through God's Remodeling of us.  It's hard, painful, hurtful and stressful as God reveals the flaws in us that need to be transformed, then proceeds with reconstructing those flaws into new and better based on His plan for us.

But we should always remember that we are also part of the body of Christ and God wants to make  the body what He wants it to be to achieve His purpose.  Our local church and the global church alike are being perfected - Remodeled - for His kingdom work and His glory.

So, what does any of this have to do with climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro?  Well, nothing directly.  But everything I/we do is going to require some Remodeling to get us to where God wants us to be.  I have to train (ok - remodel) my body to be able to climb the mountain.  I've always found that as I take on new challenges or step out in faith, God uses it as a time to Remodel me - and I still don't like the process very much, but trust God's plan far more than my own.  If it were up to me, I'd probably just keep the messy pieces covered up, but thank God that He won't settle for less than what He sees in me.

“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild hat house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew those jobs needing doing and so you are not surprised. But presently, He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of – throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage; but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”

C.S. Lewis Mere Christianity 

Give Up

I have often told people that climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro is a metaphor for the extreme challenges many face in life.  In fact, most people who have climbed the great mountain say that the mental challenge is greater than the physical.  The hardest day is summit day - it is a day that starts at midnight at temperatures near zero (-18C), climb almost 4000' at an elevation where there is precious little oxygen.  It is a day of nearly 14 hours of climbing and descent.  This is the time when most GIVE UP without reaching the summit that they have dreamed of.

Here are just a few quotes from those who have done it already:

"It is cold, challenging and hard work. Walking up hill at extreme altitude for 8 hours can take it’s toll. You need to walk super slowly especially high on the mountain. The last two hours up to Stella point are hard and you need to mentally focus on each step, get your breathing right and dig deep. You have been walking for 4/5 hours and this is usually where people start questioning their ability to reach the summit."

 "At this point she was feeling delirious as she dropped to her knees in exhaustion. She reached for her clif bar but it was frozen. She tried to pull out her water but that was frozen too."

“Today was one of the toughest days of my life.  We awoke at 11pm after about 3 hours of restless sleep and began to get ready for our summit bid.  It was incredibly cold out and much breezier than it had been when we went to bed.  I’m not gonna lie… the climb felt like it was taking forever and the “crater rim” where we would top out and have an easy traverse to Uhuru Peak just never seemed to be getting any closer in the distance above us.  When we were nearing 19,000 feet I was having a really tough time.  In a situation like this it becomes more your mindset and less the current state of your body.  We passed many people that turned around and were heading down, and even some people being carried by porters.”

These are just a few examples of stories relayed by people who have climbed the mountain.  There are literally thousands of stories just like this.  Overall, the success rate for reaching the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro is around 40%.  That means 6 of 10 people making the climb GIVE UP.  Many are because of altitude sickness, but many more are because people can't overcome the difficulty in their minds.

It is easy to GIVE UP and a struggle to PRESS ON.  How many of us have said at some point in our lives when faced with a particularly difficult situation I GIVE UP.

• Relationship challenges seem insurmountable so a couple GIVE UP and get a divorce;
• School is not going well so the student GIVES UP and drops out;
• A job is stressful or co-workers are impossible to work with so you GIVE UP and quit;
• Bullying by other students is too much to live with so the child GIVES UP.

And this is just a short list.

Our faith walk has many similarities to climbing the mountain.  In fact, my journey to even start this journey has been full of GIVE UP moments, and I continue to face them daily.  There is something about doing God's work that the enemy just hates and does everything possible to cause us to GIVE UP.  Like those climbing the mountain, we are faced with a decision - do I GIVE UP or PRESS ON?  Obviously, not every decision is a simple one that has a simple answer.  Sometimes pressing on just gets you deeper into a bad situation.

It is in these moments that we need to turn to God and ask "what do I do now God?".  Personally, I have found that the need to PRESS ON means pressing closer to God.  The other thing I have found is that God is far more capable than I am (seems like that should be obvious, but it's not always the case).  I am constantly reminded that God is with me and it is His work, not my own.  I am just blessed to be part of His work - though the path is often difficult.

There are many examples in the bible of people facing challenges and overwhelming odds against them.  One is found in 2 Chronicles 20 where Jehoshaphat and the Israelites are facing an overwhelming enemy coming against them.  The people pray to God for help and His response to them in verse 15 is:

And he said, “Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. 

As I face the disappointments, challenges and adversities in this journey, I choose to PRESS ON TOWARD THE GOAL FOR THE PRIZE OF THE UPWARD CALL OF GOD IN CHRIST JESUS.

Goals

Goal  [gohl] 

noun

1. The result or achievement toward which effort is directed; 
2. The destination of a journey;
3. A point marking the end of a race.

What is our goal in this adventure?  I would suggest a few:

Goal #1:  Climb to the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro.  This one is an easy goal to identify:  Uhuru Peak at 19,341'.  This is probably the easiest one as there is a very defined objective - the highest point on the mountain.  But let me ask this:  is the goal just to get to the top or is it to get to the top and back down again?  In mountain climbing, getting to the top of the mountain is only half of the climb.  It is important to consider your goals carefully when identifying them.

Goal #2:  Get in shape.  This one is really a sub-goal for Goal #1 as we will be required to be in excellent physical condition to climb to the summit of the tallest mountain on the continent of Africa.  Getting in shape is a longer journey for some of us than others.  Sitting in an office all day does not promote good conditioning and I started just after the first of the year exercising, walking, hiking and developing my cardio capacity.  Last summer I took a hike with Debbie in which I thought I wasn't going to make it - I literally had to stop every 50 yards to bend over and breathe.  It was obvious I was badly out of shape.  After 3 months of working out, we recently took the same hike and I was able to handle the climb without any problem.  I realize that hike was far different than Kilimanjaro, but it is an indication that my conditioning is having results.  Having the goal of climbing the mountain gives me purpose to getting up early and hitting the elliptical or going for a long walk in the rain when I'd really rather stay warm & dry.

Goal #3:  Raise enough money to fund the project.  The purpose that brings us to this great physical challenge of climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro is to raise money to fund the project to install computer labs in schools in Uganda enhancing the educational and leadership development potential for the children served by ARM programs.  We are also climbing to find new sponsors for children in Uganda who are in the greatest need.  We have set some very clear goals in terms of dollars and number of children to sponsor.

Let me just pause for a moment to ask you to consider what might be the goals for the children and families in Uganda that we are working with?  Really - take some time and think seriously about it.  Maybe you can imagine, maybe you can't.  Have we ever taken the time to ask or have we just assumed?  What might be the goals for this family?

Now let me ask you to consider your own goals in life.  Maybe take a few minutes to stop and write them down.  (See Psalm 37:4-5)

In Philippians 3:14, Paul says:  "I press towards the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."  The more I think about the goal of reaching the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, the more I can picture it.  I am expending a lot of time & effort getting in shape, raising money and dreaming about what it will be like to finally reach the summit and stand by the Uhuru Peak sign.  Paul is reminding me that my focus first, and above all, must be Jesus.

As we PRESS ON toward the call of climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro and helping the children in Uganda, never forget that the GOAL is the upward call.

God, I pray your Holy Spirit guide me to always want Jesus more!

"A goal without action is just a dream."

Pressing Toward the Goal

Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 3:12-14 NKJV

What has Jesus laid hold of in you and what is He calling you to?  What is your upward call?

Climbing one of the tallest mountains in the world is a perfect picture of the ultimate earthly "upward call", but also a metaphor for overcoming the spiritual challenges we face in our lives and the daily challenges faced by the people ARM ministers to in Uganda. We are on this journey because God has called us to the upward call of supporting the ministry of ARM and loving His children in Uganda.

We all face that moment in our life when we are presented a challenge that seems too great to achieve - that God-sized goal that we can't achieve on our own.  Do we have the physical and mental capacity to do the hardest thing we can imagine?  Do we have enough faith to really trust in God?

As we undertake this journey we are going to face many obstacles and I would like to encourage you with these words from Paul.  When you feel like there is no way you can raise money; when you debate whether to stay in bed or get up and exercise to get in shape; when you doubt yourself or your ability to go on; when  we are making that final push to the summit of Kilimanjaro at 4am, the temperature is -10F and you think you can't take another step because there is no oxygen to breathe; when it would just be easier to quit than go on - remember these words and press on for Jesus in His strength:

I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

My Kilimanjaro Journey Begins

Kilimanjaro - the Roof of Africa.  The highest point on the continent with the summit at 19,341 feet.  By far the hardest climb I'll ever do in my life.  What lead me to this point?  It is going to be a physical, mental and spiritual journey that has few equals for an average guy like me. I thought I'd start this blog with something I wrote a little while back that gives a little bit of the background on how this great adventure started...

“So I prayed for healing, for salvation, and for hope when all things look so hopeless. If someone was going to help, it was going to have to be God. What a humbling experience. While we were there, one child died even as we prayed.” 

CCC Pastor Neal Thorne, 2010

Never in my life did I have a desire to travel to Africa – until I read these words Neal wrote following a visit to a hospital in Soroti, Uganda.  God touched me through Neal’s experience in a way that could only have come from the Holy Spirit and I knew in that instant that I was going to Uganda.  I had no clue how my life and my heart would be changed in the next few years.

During my first trip to Uganda in 2012 I saw so many things that I could not comprehend.  I had never seen such poverty and need, nor had I ever seen such faith and generosity.  The experiences for a first time visit to Africa were overwhelming and I spent many months after returning home trying to process what I had seen and experienced, trying to understand what I was supposed to DO about it.  I agonized in prayer wanting to understand how God wanted to use me to help these amazing people, but more, I wanted to live the faith I had seen there.

I happened to be reading a book called Passion to Action and towards the end of the book I found this call to action:  “...it [is] about mobilizing ordinary, average people to get out of their comfort zones to discover their unique gifts and then use what God has given them to bless others.”  I was reading another book – THE book – when the final piece fell into place.  It was actually a message God was unrelenting in teaching me during my trip in 2012 – it was a message to a rich young ruler:  “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”  But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.”

Never in my life, until that time, had I even remotely imagined myself as “rich”.  At this point in my life, I was leading a comfortable life, but rich?  Not even close.  It is amazing how a few words from Jesus and a trip to Africa can put you in a place that makes you face a new reality.  This is where I found myself and remember thinking to myself that I don’t ever want to walk away from Jesus “sorrowful”. 

My profession is in the technology field.  I’ve been in various IT positions, mostly executive management, for about 30 years now.  How could I possibly use this experience to help people who are struggling to eat, find clean water to drink and survive the diseases they face daily?  Over the past 5 years, I have worked with ARM to develop technology plans, with AfRU (Africa Renewal University)  to develop their technology strategy and some small work in various places to help some individuals.  But it was a conversation with Pastor Peter in 2016 where he shared his vision for using technology to grow the ARM ministry as well as fundamentally altering the educational opportunities for the children of Uganda that God brought a focus to what had previously been a dream.

Peter’s vision was that we use technology to improve the future for students by improving their education from primary schools through university and provide them with exposure to technology and learning materials that are not generally available to them.  There is a much longer description of this project available, but suffice it to say that this was the genesis of this project and fundraising drive to the top of Kilimanjaro.

My wife, Debbie, and I have hiked the trails and mountains of Oregon & Washington for many years.  We love seeing the beauty and diversity of God’s creation in such an intimate way.  After a few years of hiking, we decided that we wanted to set a goal for ourselves that we thought we couldn’t attain – to climb to the summit of the South Sister in the Oregon Cascade mountains.  We trained for almost 6 months to be able to climb to the summit.  It was something that we couldn’t have dreamed we could achieve until we set the goal and work for it.

Debbie & I standing on summit of the South Sister, 2009

There is something about achieving a challenging goal that is very hard to describe unless you’ve done it yourself.  If you have, you know what I mean.  When Debbie & I crested the summit of the South Sister and stood looking North across at the tops of the other two sisters, we experienced the incredible joy of reaching our goal – and the view was more than we could have imagined.  Debbie commented afterwards that it was the hardest thing she had ever done!

Climbing a mountain is not just a physical feat, it is a metaphor for struggling with so many other challenges in life.  Some struggle to feed themselves or their families, some struggle with education, some with relationships.  For me, Mt. Kilimanjaro is a metaphor representing the biggest challenge in Africa.  The summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro is the highest point in all of Africa and it is also the tallest free-standing mountain in the world.  This is a challenge beyond what I ever dreamed – much like the challenges I found in Uganda.

What better way to raise funds for a project that will help the children supported by ARM and the daunting task faced by the ARM ministry than to take on an unimaginable physical, mental & spiritual challenge to scale the tallest mountain in Africa.  I have no delusions about being the strongest, most able climber.  Far from it.  But I am going to prepare, commit my way to Jesus and put one foot in front of the other to reach as high as my body will carry me, and God willing, reach the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro.  From the moment this crazy idea of climbing to the roof of Africa came to me, it has been my desire to take on this challenge for the people I love at ARM and in Uganda.

As I noted in a blog post from one of our church’s prior mission trips: 

“We can't change the whole world, but we can do our part to help one child, one village in Uganda, one city in Oregon or who knows - maybe God will actually use us to change the world!”