Head for the Mountains

My recent blog-vacation turned into a Sabbatical! I did not intend on staying away from this online newsletter for such a long time. To say that I have been busy is an understatement. Since we left for our family vacation in mid-June til now has passed so fast! Ashley will be starting Furman in just a few weeks. I can't believe my baby is going to college.

Last week I was at Student-Life with our students and some other great adults. Chris Tomlin's band led the worship all week and Louie Giglio brought the Word of God. I knew before going to Daytona Beach that the worship would be incredible. God surprised me with something even more than I imagined. He showed up and did something special for us on the very first night. Then, things just got better. We worshiped our Lord with abandon and learned very practical Truths from His Word that are immediately applicable. I was blessed to experience this with these Students. I believe some of them had an experience that have the potential to make their teen years different.

I know that these camps are "Mountain Top" experiences and many criticize this process by saying that it does not last in teenagers lives for more than a few weeks. I have no argument against this being a "Mountain Top" experience. What I do suggest is that these kind of 'spiritual highs' are necessary on our journey through this earth. It is way too easy to get so ensconced in our everyday lives that we treat our spiritual relationship with our Creator very casually. It many times takes a difficult time in our lives to make us stop and think about our need for God and about His mercy and grace for our lives.

I wonder how long it has been since you have had a "Mountain Top" experience? I encourage every Christ-Follower to do something to alter your routine by specifically focusing quality time on God's Word and worship. You will find that these experiences, no matter how short-lived, can make a huge difference in the quality and passion of our walk with Christ.