Mountain Lessons

I'm down from my 3rd successful summit of mount Rainier & very much appreciate everyone's prayers and encouragement. It was my best summit ever and had a great time with the wedding party & the successful summit wedding. We all made it up & down safely & had a great time doing it.
While climbing Rainier there is AMPLE time to think about things (not much else to do as you put one foot in front of the other for 6 straight hours...& that's just going up!). I think about my wife, my kids, my church, upcoming messages, my relationship with God, my blessed life, etc...I realized that there are MANY life analogies to mountain climbing i.e. Overcoming Obstacles, Rewards for Perseverence, Proper Preparation, Don't Settle for Valleys, & many more. Each is a great message, but the one analogy that stuck out to me this time more than any other is...Don't Go It Alone!!! Climbing a tough mountain like Rainier ALONE is not only dangerous it is foolish. There are steep slopes, rock & ice falls, crevasses & treacherous terrain. The entire way up & down the upper slopes I was roped into a team of 4 with an experienced guide. That way if one falls down the other 3 can catch him before disaster. In addition to safety the team also provides great encouragement & affirmation. Even when silent, there is great motivation for not wanting to let the team down. This is also so very true with life...Don't Go It Alone. So many people try to live life on their own...no group support, little affirmation, no one to help pull them out of a ditch or warn them of a danger. As a result marriages fail, finances evaporate and character crumbles. It doesn't have to be so...Get Connected. Find 2 or 3 people or a community group, someone who is heading where you want to go and go with them. The Bible book of Ecclesiastes (4:7-12) has something to say about this wisdom. Listen, life is hard enough to try to climb all of life's mountains on your own. Get connected with the right people and you will make it to the top. Keep Climbing!!!

Expectations

Yesterday I found myself with a very stinky attitude. I had been working on our property for several hours trying to figure out a water problem that has been dogging us for months. We have 2 different wells, each with their own pumps and valves & stuff that I don't quite understand. Each pump system has a leaky pipe somewhere causing low water pressure. To make a long, boring story short. I thought I had fixed the problem when low and behold...NOPE! I was GRUMPY!! I told my wife, "I just want to punch something."

I have found that one of my personal biggest irritations in life is...Unmet Expectations. It's amazing how fast I can get irritated or frustrated when people or things don't go as I thought they should. Whether it is a customer service person who never learned the service part or one of my kids who doesn't act like he/she should or ???? Can anyone reading this identify? I have to constantly remind myself that God never promised the world would revolve around my expectations or desires. The world has NO obligation to make me happy. Happiness, or better yet, JOY, is a choice that comes from the inside out. Comes from recognizing the bigger picture. Long lines, poor service, backed up traffic or even low water pressure are hardly worth me getting all out of whack. God, help us, even in the face of unmet expectations, whether from people or things, to keep our eyes on you.

Climbing Mountains

I am the world's worst blogger I believe:) Haven't been here in so long I forgot my username and password...lol. Anyway, I decided to become a better blogger and share a few thoughts here.
I am about to attempt to climb Mt. Rainier again. I was invited by an East Coast couple to marry them atop Rainier & I jumped at the chance. I have been training hard, watching my diet, trying to get enough sleep and making sure I have all the proper gear. The training is the most intenstive part. Five times a week I am out in my shop lifting iron, doing endless pullups and crunching till my abs are crying. There are times my legs or back are so sore it is tough to move the next day. But you don't just stroll up Mt. Rainier you have to PREPARE for it and WORK for it. The same is true for life. I've learned that the best blessings, greatest experiences and deepest learning is on THE OTHER SIDE OF MOUNTAINS! Life isn't a moving sidewalk or stroll in the park...some treasures require lots of climbing. Let me encourage you...when you find yourself facing an uphill trudge, whether it is in a relationship or finances or employment or some emotional hill to climb, it is well worth it. So, start climbing my friend and know that God will strengthen you for the journey and meet you at the summit.