Embracing the Words of Life that lead to Death [Colorado Springs, CO]

Over the course of months leading up to this summer the Lord spoke to my heart again and again to prepare me for what He was starting, that is, this process of learning to lean more and more on His friendship than any other.  My prayer for this year in January was that I would learn to love people well as He does.  It seems that the training grounds for pouring into others is that you experience a heightened intensity of being drawn into deeper friendship with the person of Jesus.  

The closer I come to Jesus, the more I realize the weight and depth of His words.  If in this mans words there is truly eternal life, then why do I neglect His words more than anyone else?  Why have I not grabbed ahold of every word that He has spoken and claimed it for myself? In His words there is life, but embracing His words means death to my mortal flesh.  To embrace His path means to embrace a pathway of suffering and self denial.  To truly experience life, I must die to myself.  "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.  For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it." Luke 9:23-24 The cost of following after Jesus is nothing less then complete surrender and wholehearted devotion. "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:26 Though there is death to the flesh, in these truths there is eternal wells of life springing up on the inside!

Our culture feeds us this idea that the journey of life should be easy and enjoyable, when we encounter hardship, our society tells us it's not fair and we deserve better.  I don't see this kind of language anywhere in scripture.  We see the exact opposite for the pathway of those who choose to follow after Christ.  The journey is filled with embracing suffering and being spitefully used because of Him.  "Enter by the narrow gate.  For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.  For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few." Matthew 7:13-14  "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trails of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness (endurance)."  Embracing the trials of this life produces endurance and long suffering for the marathon race that we are running.  When we bow out of tribulation and say that "it isn't fair, or God isn't just in our circumstances," we are robbing ourselves of embracing a valuable spiritual lesson to help strengthen our pace for the course of years to come.

Being a friend of the man Jesus, and loving Him well means that we obey and follow His commands.  "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." John 14:15  "If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love.  These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full."  John 15:10-11  There is joy in this process of dying to self.  When we choose to voluntarily love Him with the whole of our heart, and embrace His commands, we subject our flesh to suffering, and we greatly move the heart of the creator God because of our act of willful obedience.  This is the wisdom of God, that when we choose to love Him, it cost us something.

Summer plans of Colorado and Jesus

Some of "You People" (whoever you people are) may know already, but for those that don't, I'M MOVING TO COLORADO FOR THE SUMMER!  Yeahp it's true, heartbreaking to say the least.  From the past two years of my life, I will be leaving Kansas City for the first time for more than a month.  Long story made really short, the Lord set me up with this pretty amazing job through the most God ordained circumstances.

Taken in Southern Colorado by Yours Truly

"What will you be doing?" You ask.  It just so happens the Lord knows exactly who I am, and what I love doing.  I will be in the mountains of Colorado for the summer discipling men and women from all different branches of the military to love Jesus!  These people (the one's who are coming to me) come from all over the country to spend a week at the camp I am working, because they want to keep their christian faith while serving our nation's military in different capacities.

"So what does that look like?" You probe.  Well.  I will be leaving the second week of May to start training for my summer responsibilities as a "Outdoor Guide."  Each week we will have a team of about 10-15 men and women comprised from all different branches come for a week packed with activities and teachings.  A typical week.

Sunday morning we wake up, eat breakfast together, have a morning teaching time, that afternoon we head out to the cliffs to do some rock climbing.  Come back that evening, eat dinner, have another teaching session, then head to bed.

Monday morning, eat breakfast, morning teaching, go out white water rafting, eat dinner, evening teaching session, bed.

Tuesday, wake up early, pack up gear, hit the trail for day 1 of our 4 day trek.  Goal for day 1 is to establish a baee camp.

Wednesday, wake up early, hike up to scenic spot, and for the next 5 hours fly "Solo" with the Lord in prayer.  This is the spiritual climax of the week, so all the teachings and personal one on one time is getting them ready for this time with the Lord.

Thursday, wake up early, summit 14,000ft peak, eat lunch at the top, descend back to base camp.  This is the physical peak of the week, as peaking a 14,000ft mountain aint no cake walk!

Friday morning, pack into a hot springs area and relax and debrief about the last few days.

My role as a "Outdoor Guide" is most crucial during the 4 day trek, as I will be designated to be over about 3-5 people's well being.  Everything from shelter, to making meals, spiritual needs, leading morning devotions, it's up to me that these people arrive back to base camp Friday evening in one piece and having encountered Jesus.  Well, that's the Holy Spirit's job =]

Saturday say goodbye as the team heads out, and welcome the next team in that night!

Repeat process...

So, I will be quite busy this summer.  I'm really excited to pour the Love of Christ into the hearts of all of the different men and women that are going to come through this ministry.  I know that it will be an exhausting summer, but a rewarding one!  I believe I rotate a week on a week off for the 4 day trek.  For the weeks that I'm out on the trail, it will be a tiring week full of investment and getting my share of walking out the Sermon the Mount.

The weeks that I'm back at the base camp, it sounds like it will be a little more chill, still with work cut out for me, but I'll be able to spend more time with Jesus.  On the weeks I'm not directly investing my heart alot, I really want to spend those weeks investing in cultivating a friendship with Jesus at a deeper level.  I can't call Him my friend if I don't actually put in the time of having conversation with Him.

I'm really excited for this opportunity to share the exceeding pleasure of Loving Jesus, as well as having this invitation from the Lord to get to know Him on the backside of the mountain.  Literally!

Shalom.

Isaac