The Greatest Covert Operation in the History of Mankind

As some of you know, I had the privilege to serve in the U.S. Army Special Operations Command.  I loved it.  I loved the mission, the men I got to serve with and the way they did business.  I love stories of covert operations, espionage, and brave men willing to go behind enemy lines (and even sacrifice themselves if necessary) to complete a mission.  A few years ago I heard a wise man tell this story and I would like to share it with you.  It is a story that you’ve heard before but probably not told like this.

 

The operation started one night, a little over two thousand years ago, in a little town in the middle east.  Before I get into the details of the operation, I feel I should give you a little bit of background on what led up to this situation.  

 

The war started with a rebellion.  Lucifer wanted to be like God and convinced a third of the angels in heaven to follow him.  A war broke out and Lucifer and his angels were defeated and cast out of heaven onto the earth.  Lucifer hated God and His creation and wanted to do whatever he could to thwart God’s plan.  Meanwhile, back in the garden, God created Adam and gave him authority, power, and dominion over the earth.  Along with that dominion God gave Adam a command not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil or the tree of life.  Now Satan had an idea to get back at God.  If he could deceive Adam and get him disobey God, he could steal that dominion from man and therefore have authority over God’s creation.  We all know how that story went.  Adam sinned and gave his authority away.  Because of Adam’s sin all of his descendants were born into sin as well.  Satan thought he had it in the bag, since every son of Adam was born into sin, no one could take that authority and dominion away from him.  But God had a plan!!  (I love this part)  God even told Satan what his plan was, but Satan didn’t understand it.  “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” 

 

So now the stage is set for Christmas, the greatest covert operation in the history of mankind.  Under the cover of darkness, in the town of Bethlehem, God infiltrated a world under the dominion of the enemy.  Jesus Christ, the Son of God, set aside his divinity, disguised himself as a human baby, and went bravely behind enemy lines.  He risked everything to rescue the world from the tyranny of sin and death.  There was no backup plan, no plan B.  This was it.  God ‘put all the chips on the table’ for this shot at winning the war once and for all.  This was sending in the cavalry, if this failed there wasn’t someone else waiting to come in for the rescue. 

 

Now Satan had been right, that no son of Adam could take the authority back from him, so Christ was born of a virgin.  Because Christ was not a descendant of Adam he was not born with sin.  Just like God had told Satan back in Genesis that it would be the offspring of the woman (not Adam) that would crush his head. 

 

So now that Christ, a sinless man, had infiltrated Satan’s dominion, Satan was worried that he might lose the authority he stole from Adam.  Luckily Satan wasn’t very bright, so he tried the same tactics against Christ that he used against Adam (tempting him to question God’s word).  Fortunately, Christ was prepared for the battle and was able to defend against Satan’s attacks.  Satan became desperate since he couldn’t trick Christ, so he worked through men to try to kill him.  Little did Satan know that he was playing right into God’s plan.  In His death, the sinless Christ took on the sins of the world and descended into hell.  Satan thought he’d won.  Three days later Christ re-emerged from the grave, victorious over death, and took back the authority, power and dominion that Adam had given up.  Satan struck Christ’s heel and Christ crushed Satan’s head. 

 

Now the story gets even better.  The war has been won, but battles still rage.  Christ knew that we would still need to fight these battles of counterinsurgency, so he gave us the same power that allowed Him to defeat Satan.  “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy, nothing will harm you.”  Luke 10:19.  We as Christ’s descendants will crush the heads of the serpents we face. 

 

This December the 25^th, as you celebrate Christmas I hope you don’t just think of Christ as a baby, but as a brave warrior who went undercover in the war of wars, to take back what the enemy had stolen, and free us from the tyranny of sin and death.  May the phrase Merry Christmas, be a battle cry that gives you the courage to engage the enemy and claim the victory that has been given to you. 

 

Merry Christmas!

 

 

Our Great High Priest

“Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet was without sin.  Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” – Hebrews 4: 14-16

 

I don’t know how many times I’ve heard the second part of this verse quoted.  “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”  However when I was reading in Hebrews this week the context of that verse grabbed my attention.  We can approach the throne of grace with confidence, but in this verse the context is in our time of need.  That time of need is not when I ‘need’ a parking spot or when I ‘need’ a traffic light to change.  It’s not when I ‘need’ a certain object or ‘need’ a certain situation to change.  The need that this passage is referring to is when we are tempted and weak.  The author of Hebrews is telling us that when we are tempted we can approach the throne of grace with confidence.  We can do this because our great high priest, Jesus Christ, the person we are approaching, can sympathize with us because he’s been there.  Not only has he been there, but he has victoriously come through the situation.  How cool is that?!?! 

 

If I was taking a class and needed help I wouldn’t go to someone who hadn’t taken that class.  I wouldn’t go to someone who had taken it and flunked, I’d go to someone who had taken it and aced it.  In the same way, if I was suffering the loss of a loved one I wouldn’t go to a friend (no matter how great) who hadn’t been through the same situation.  They just wouldn’t understand or know how to comfort and help me.  I’d find a friend who had been through it because they’d be able to relate to what I was feeling and know how to comfort me. 

 

When I’m tempted and weak, I can have confidence in going to Christ because he’s been there and he can help me through.  He is the only one that’s been there and found victory every time.  He won’t judge me or say “Sorry, can’t help you with that one.”  He knows the path and will lead us through with mercy and grace.  That is so Awesome!!!  If that thought doesn’t get you excited and get your heart pumping you might need to go to the doctor, because something is wrong.  Praise God that we have a great high priest who can sympathize with us, who knows the path to victory, and who will give us mercy and lead us in grace.

Thanksgiving and Prayer

“I thank my God every time I remember you.  In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart; for whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me.  God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ – to the glory and praise of God.”

Philippians 1: 3 – 11

 

When I read this prayer of Paul’s a couple of weeks ago I was amazed at how accurately it described my feelings towards all of you that support RMH.  I do thank God for you.  I do pray with joy because of the partnership that we have in advancing the gospel, specifically in the military community.  I am confident that we are all part of a bigger picture that God will carry on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.  Each and every one of you has an opportunity to impact the lives of those around you.  That ripple effect will keep growing and growing from generation to generation and you will not ever know the extent of that good work.  So my prayer for you is that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight.  I pray that you come to an understanding of Christ’s love that moves beyond knowledge and into experience.  Then you will be able to discern what is best and live a life that is covered in the blood of Jesus Christ, so that you will be found pure and blameless and  filled with the fruit that only comes through Jesus Christ. 

 

I am thankful for you.  Thankful for the support you have shown me and this program, and thankful for what each of you are doing to impact this world for Christ.

 

 – to the glory and praise of God

RMH Website

The new RMH website is finally here!!!!!

 

Check it out at http://www.springcanyon.org/rockymountainhigh.html and let me know what you think!!

 

I hope you enjoy it.

'Thank You' Just Doesn't Say Enough

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.

John 15:13

We are so blessed to live in a nation with such a strong history of amazing veterans. Men and women who are willing to make sacrifices and lay down their lives for their friends, brothers, and nation. It is an honor to be able to celebrate these men and women today. “Thank You” to all of our veterans, even though Thank You just doesn’t say enough. Please find a vet today and give them a hug. To all of our brothers and sisters who never made it home “You are not forgotten.”

Camp Buxton Update

I thought I would give you guys a quick update this week on what is happening around here. 

 

1)      Work continues on the high ropes  course.  Progress has been slow this fall since Lee is gone.  Dean has been helping me the last few days which has allowed us to make some progress.  We are currently adding more bracing to the rappel tower.  The weather has been beautiful this week (and looks like it might change next week) so we’re trying to get as much done as possible. 

2)      I have been working on a new website of RMH.  I am really excited about it since our current website has been ‘lacking’ for quite some time.  I’ve been working on it for about the last two months (whenever I’m not out working on the ropes course).  I hope to have the new website up and running in the next few weeks.  Keep checking back for it’s release.

3)      We are starting to look for instructors for RMH for next year.  If you are interested in helping out please let me know.

 

Also, I thought I would take this opportunity to see if anyone has any new prayer requests or praises that they would like to share on this blog.  Please email (outdoor@springcanyon.org) if you do.  Additionally if you would like to be a ‘guest blogger’ and share a story or RMH memory, please contact me.  I pray that your week is going well, and that God continues to reveal himself to you in new and amazing ways.

 

In Christ,

-          Mike

 

The God of All Comfort

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.  For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.

2 Corinthians 1:3-5

 

When we were on active duty some of our very best friends went through an amazing trial.  They desperately wanted a child and had already had one miscarriage.  They got pregnant again and that baby was diagnosed with Trisomy 18, which is a genetic disorder in which the fetus has three copies of the 18^th chromosome (or something like that, I still don’t fully understand).  Babies that have this usually don’t make it full term, if they do they are usually still-born, and if they are born alive they rarely live longer than a few days.  Needless to say, our friends were heartbroken.  The doctors advised an abortion, but our friends said no to that.  They carried the baby to full term, but the baby died during, or shortly before, birth.  Despite all of our prayers, faith, and hope that God would miraculously heal this baby, He chose not to.  None of us understood at the time why God allowed this to happen. 

 

We had no idea how to comfort our friends, but God did.  He comforted them in the midst of this trial, and gave them His peace.  The peace that transcends all understanding.  Then the most amazing thing happened, they were able to comfort others.  They held a funeral service for their daughter at the 82^nd Airborne chapel and they got up and shared how God’s comfort allowed them to get through this situation.  They shared how they were able to have hope in the midst of this trial because of their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  They had an alter call at the end of the service and there were five or six Soldiers who came down and gave their life to Christ.  There was also a couple who was on the brink of divorce who decided to stick together and work things out.  Shortly after our friends lost their baby there were a handful of other cases of Trisomy 18 at Ft. Bragg and they were able to reach out to those families and help them through.  Just like this verse in 2 Corinthians says, our friends were able to pass on to others the comfort and hope that they had received.

 

We are Christ’s ambassadors on this earth, His body, His reflection.  God allows us to go through trials, and comforts us in them, so that we can show that love to a lost and hurting world.  I will never forget what God did in and through our friends while they were in one of the most difficult situations I can imagine.  I encourage you to examine your own lives, think about the trials you’ve faced and the comfort, hope and compassion you’ve received.  Now look for ways to pass that on. 

How close is your weapon?

"Neither I nor my brothers nor my men nor the guards with me took off our clothes; each had his weapon, even when he went for water."
Nehemiah 4:23

In my old testament reading the other day I was reading in Nehemiah and came across this verse and God spoke to me and convicted me through it. As you may know the book of Nehemiah is about a man (Nehemiah) who returns to Jerusalem from exile to rebuild the city's wall, and lead the people back into a right-standing relationship with God . I have often heard that the book can also be read as an analogy for us in restoring our spirit and building a spiritual defense in our lives, so as I read I keep that in mind.

When I read verse 23 I was convicted that so often in my life I put down my weapon. While I am trying to fortify my spiritual defenses or build my faith I spend time with sword in hand prepared to defend against the attacks I know will come. But so often I get lazy or complacent and put my weapon down when I 'go for water.' Then I start putting it down more and more and before I know it I'm being attacked and I don't even know where I left it.

So how do I/we apply this? How do we live lives so that we are never without our weapon? I think that there are three things we can learn from the verse and from scripture to help us.

First, I think we need to recognize what our weapons are. Ephesians chapter 6 lays out what the Armor of God is. I don't have time to go into the awesomeness of this chapter, but I'll point out that the only offensive weapon Paul lists is the "sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." This is our primary weapon.

Second, we need to memorize the word, so that we are never without it. What good is knowing how to use a sword if you never have it with you? Deuteronomy 30:14 says "No, the word is very near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart so you may obey it." Romans 10:8 says "'The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,' that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming." It is impossible for us to have our Bible with us all the time, so we need to write the word on our hearts so that we have it ready to go when we are attacked.

Third, we need to be in fellowship with others who are ready to help in the battle. This verse doesn't just say that Nehemiah kept his weapon with him, it says that he, his brothers, his men and his guards all did. We need people around us who are standing guard and encouraging us to keep up our guard. We also need to make sure that we are doing the same for others.

I don't think that this is hard to do, but we need to be intentional in order to accomplish it. So I ask you, how close is your weapon? I challenge you to keep up your guard, and to find others who can encourage you and whom you can encourage. Restore your city and build your wall strong. "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour."

2011 Summer Schedule

We have locked in the schedule for Summer 2011.

 

RMH 1: 28 May – 4 June

RMH 2: 4 – 11 June

RMH 3: 11 – 18 June

RMH 4: 16 – 23 July

RMH 5: 23 – 30 July

RMH 6: 30 July – 6 August

 

We plan on offering another ‘couples RMH’ next year, but don’t know yet which week it will be.  I will let you know that info as soon as we figure it you.  We are also doing some work on our registration system, so we will open registration for next summer as soon as that is complete.  If you have any questions please feel free to email me.

I am among you as one who serves

When I was a platoon leader our company was spending a month in the field for some extensive training as we prepared to deploy. Our battalion constantly had one of its three companies deployed, so we were on an 18 month rotation. Six months of training, six months deployed and six months in recovery. We had recently received a new Battalion Commander and Command Sergeant Major and since we were the first company to deploy under their command, we became the focus of the battalion. Despite the focus placed on our company, the Battalion Commander and Command Sergeant Major never came out to check on our training. One night as we were eating chow one of my E-4s came up to me and asked “Sir, do the Commander and CSM not care about us? Under the old Commander and CSM, if we were in the field, they were there every night to serve us chow.” Wow. How profound

As Jesus and the disciples were sitting around after the last supper an argument started about which of them was the greatest. Jesus, the greatest leader to ever walk the face of the earth, responds with some profound words. He says “the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who rules like the one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.” Jesus turns the disciple’s worldly view of greatness on its head. He said that the greatest leader is the one who serves.

That night in the field that E-4 opened my eyes to one of the greatest leadership lessons of my military career. In order to be more like Christ in my role as a leader, I needed to learn to be a servant. As I began to walk the path of becoming a servant leader to my soldiers I gained the loyalty of 40 of the best soldiers in the U. S. Army. I challenge you to apply Christ’s words to your life in whatever sphere of influence God has given you, and see how it changes you and everyone around you.

Summer Report #1

This is the first of many reports from this summer that I'm going to post. This is from Steve Wade's June 2010 monthly ministry report. I hope you enjoy.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH, SESSION 3: This was the best RMH I’ve seen in 7 years---Tom Hemmingway would be proud. The three goals of RMH were clearly met in so many different ways. Beyond that, God moved in everyone’s heart who attended by addressing interpersonal issues, addressing pride, trust, submission, vision for ministry, prayer, and practical applications to all these areas. Capt Paul Homan and I shared the teaching responsibilities. Paul did a fantastic job as usual. He relates so very well with the cadets. I believe God used this week to cement into the hearts of 16 young leaders and 5 guides that He is KING, the Sovereign One who loves them and desires intimate fellowship and to give them a resolve to carry out their missions as ambassadors for Christ in uniform!!! We need more of this! It is hard emotional, spiritual, and physical work for the leaders—but how wonderful it is to see God work in such great ways.

If you missed RMH this summer you missed God manifesting himself in some amazing ways. If you would like to be involved next summer please let me know.

Thanks for sticking with us

Thank you all for continuing to check in on this blog throughout the summer. I apologize that I wasn't able to keep up with it very well. I hope you like the new layout and I will (hopefully) be back to updating it at least once a week.

Thanks!

A Table in the Presence

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Psalm 23

Last year I read the book 'A Table in the Presence,' by LT Carey Cash, a Navy chaplain serving with the 5th Marine regiment. It is a great book about how the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine regiment saw God's hand at work in the combat they were engaged in. One of the things that I loved about the book was the way that Cash talked about this sentence from Psalm 23. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. I love the imagery that comes with this thought. That God prepares a table for us. He wants us to sit with him, to relax with him, to share a meal with him. The thing that I think is awesome about this verse is that God prepares this table in the presence of our enemies. He doesn't remove us from the chaos and confusion of our lives to spend this time with us. He does it in the midst of chaos. For those that have seen combat you know that the last thing you think about in a firefight is to sit down and share a meal with someone. But that is exactly what God does for us. He prepares a place for us where we can find that peace in the midst of chaos.

This summer has been crazy for us. We are seeing record numbers in both RMH and FTA. It is a busy, chaotic time, and sometimes it feels like I'm in a firefight. In those times I need to remember that God has prepared a table before me in the presence of the chaos. I need to continue to seek him and he will give me rest (Ex 33:14) and a peace that transcends all understanding (Phil 4:6-7).

Be encouraged: No matter what you are going through, God has prepared a table in the midst of your chaos where you can find peace.

RMH Feedback

Here are some of the comments from our first three RMHs. These have been some awesome sessions and God has really been moving in the lives of the students. I hope you enjoy these comments. Praise God for what he has been doing.

“The theme verse for my week was: Do not be anxious about anything...God's peace rules. We all have to be willing to bare our souls a bit painfully to really grow and sharpen each other. When God's peace reigns, all is right and that's where we rest. That's how I felt on the trek out that afternoon after summit - somehow God held everything I had shown up worrying about and not that I had any more certainty, but that in his grandeur, He can handle it.”


“God really spoke to me about putting Him and my family first and not letting my job overtake my life. I have a way of getting too immersed and task oriented and I can compartmentalize these essentials into the recesses of my daily life. It is not like i am becoming a different person when i get so task oriented, but it is that my concern of my faith and my family tend to be suppressed when i get too focused on having to get something done. The Lord really spoke to me that I should let those two things fuel me and not be a hindrance to me when i am trying to get things done. Also a lesson in not trying to do everything on my own.”


“Before the trip I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior but never thought about him being my Lord as well. I found that out to be so important during RMH.”


“I had a truly amazing experience at RMH that I will never forget. I will look back on the week as a constant reminder of God's power and majesty.”


“It was an awesome experience that strengthened my faith and recharged me!”

Spiritual Warfare

RMH 3 is going great so far. We have however been under an immense amount of spiritual warfare. I don't know exactly what God is doing, but I know that the enemy is scared of what is going on here. Praise God for that, because that means that we're doing something right. So far this week we have seen students get mad at each other and we have seen the reconciliation that comes after that. We have also seen one cadet repent of four years worth of mistakes to the people who she hurt by those mistakes. God is definitely working in the lives of the students this week.

Please join me in standing in the gap for these students as they finish up their trek. I am waiting anxiously to hear the stories that come from trek about how God spoke into the lives of these men and women.

RMH 2 - Couldn't have gone better

I think that this session went just about as well as any RMH session I have seen since I've been at Spring Canyon. The group bonded very well, and I believe that some life long friendships were formed. Praise be to God for what he did in the lives of the cadets and mids that came.

This session we were blessed with a new problem. We had too many students for the mountain we were climbing. Due to the fact that Mt. Yale is part of the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness Area the U.S. Forest Service regulates that groups are limited to 15 people. Our trek this week was 21. So for the first time since I've been here we had to run a split trek. Thank you to Louie Lindberg for agreenig to come along side Bryan Burt and Jim Marsh to help as instructor for the week. So we split the group into two different groups. This was an added challenge because we had to find a second set of basecamps so that we wouldn't be breaking Forest Service rules. God was good, and everything worked out great. It also worked out that the two groups passed each other on the trail just long enough to take a group photo.

RMH 3 is now underway and is our largest session of the summer (as of right now) at 18. This week we will be hiking Mt. Shavano, so we will not have to worry about group size restrictions like we did on Yale. Please pray for the group that God speaks to each and every cadet.

RMH 1 was a success

Here is the group photo from RMH 1. It was a great group and everything went very well. CPT Scott Carow and MAJ Morgan Reese came out from West Point to be the instructors for the week. They did an awesome job. Thank you to both of you for taking the time to come out and invest into the lives of these 10 young men and women.

I haven't checked the records but this is the first session in a while that I can think of that has had representation from all four service academies. This is also one of our smallest sessions of the year with 10 students.

This week they summited Mt. Columbia of Colorado's Collegiate Peaks. It was a great trip and they had great weather on the peak (a little chilly on the ascent though). Thank you to all of you who came and participated in this week.

RMH 2 is now underway. We have a total of 16 people here this week. Due to the large number we are going to have to split the group and run two different treks. This is the first time that I've had to do this since I've been here. Please pray that everything goes smoothly.

RMH has finally started!

I apologize it's been a couple weeks since I've updated. Things have been pretty busy since guide training started. The guides all showed up the weekend of the 15th and we started training pretty quickly. The first week was mostly training for rock climbing and rappelling. The next week was our guide trek and we climbed Mt. Columbia. We were able to summit successfully, but the wind was awful.

The first group of students showed up yesterday! So things are moving along very well. Please pray that the week goes well, and that lives are changed.

Here are some pictures from the first week of guide training. I'll update more in the next couple of days.

Me demonstrating how to hook students into a rappel belay.


It wouldn't be guide training without some snow. Gotta love May in Colorado.


Jeremy making sure his rappel anchor is aimed correctly.


Our walk up to the climb site.


Jeremy traversing the 'Mohawk Walk' during Team Building training


Eric crossing the 'Lava pit' during Team Building training.


Lee being supported while he ties a knot during Team Building.


Using the new climbing wall for high angle rescue training

Check back soon for more pics of guide trek and RMH 1

Ropes Course progress

I just wanted to let you all know how we are doing on the new High Ropes Course. We currently have all of the platforms done, the belay cables are up and the guy cables are stretched. So all of the support and safety systems are in place, and we're ready to start creating the different elements. Here is a little video so you can see what it looks like.



The tower in the middle is how you will access the whole course. The middle platform is at 25 feet high, and from there you can go out onto each of the different elements. The upper platform is at 40 feet high and is where you will rappel from.

I'll continue to post updates as we progress. I don't think we're going to have it done before summer starts, but hopefully we'll be able to finish it during the summer.

Come out and try it sometime.

Update from Camp Buxton

God has been doing some awesome things here that I wanted to share with you all.

First off I want to let you know about a huge praise. I just found out in the last week that MAJ Will Freds is healthy again! For those of you who don't know the story Will came out to RMH last year as one of the instructors from West Point. After getting back from trek Will started feeling ill. Finally on Friday afternoon he was in so much pain that we took him to the doctor. The local doctor recommended he go to the hospital for some further testing. Long story short is that Will was diagnosed with cancer. Within a week of being back in West Point he had surgery to remove the tumor and shortly after began chemo. He has been on our prayer list since last summer. So like I said, I just found out that he is healthy again. He did not require any additional surgeries, or chemo treatments. Praise God!!

Second, God is really blessing us with registrations this summer. Currently we are at 60 registrations for RMH with another 19 that have expressed they are planning on coming, but have not registered yet. To put that in perspective, last year we have 19 total registrations for RMH, and the highest we've had in the last thirteen years was 68. So God is really doing a mighty work in the RMH registrations. I believe that this is a sign that he is going to be doing some big things here this summer. Our FTA registrations are also at a 10 year high.

God never ceases to provide us with what we need, when we need it. He has also established an awesome guide staff for this summer. Including me there will be 10 people on staff this summer. Here is who will be on staff:
Lee Fenzel - Senior Guide
Lisa Wermuth - Senior Guide
Brent Ellis - Guide
Daniel Gooch - Guide
Jeremy Byram - Guide
Eric Shockley - Guide
JoJo Ogg - Guide
Daniel Holt - Guide-in-training
Susan Bursley - Logistics Manager

Please be in prayer for these staff members since this will be a busy summer for all of us. Thank you for all the prayer and support that you provide. Praise God for all He is doing in us and through us.

As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord

"Now fear the Lord and serve him will all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods you forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord."
Joshua 24:14-15

What an awesome speech! Joshua gives this speech to the Israelites when he knows his life is almost over. This is part of his final instructions to the Israelites. I love how it is a draws a proverbial line in the sand for the Israelites. Earlier in the chapter he mentions that Terah (Abraham's father) had worshiped other gods beyond the river, but that Abraham chose to worship and follow God. Now it was the Israelites turn. "Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve." I love that! I wish I could say cool things like that. Joshua is telling the people, God has delivered you from slavery but you need to decide who you will worship. You can worship the old gods who left you in slavery, or worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who delivered you into the promised land, but you cannot worship both.

That is a question that I need to ask my self. Which god am I going to decide to serve today? Will I serve the god of lust, pride, and self-sufficiency, or will I serve God who delivered me from the bondage of those things, and delivered me into His promised land? As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. That is something that I need to decide every day, because the days that I don't, it seems so easy to slip back into the habits of my old self.

I encourage you, just as Joshua encouraged the Israelites, to throw away the old gods. Get rid of the things that you worshiped before your salvation and deliverance, and choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.

RMH Video

The new RMH video is finally here!!! Check it out at www.springcanyon.org/rmh/rmh_video.htm

Let me know what you think.

Enjoy!

Going Hungry

I recently completed my first multi-day fast. It was tough! My wife and kids were gone visiting grandparents while I was doing this fast, so when I would get home from work there wasn't much to keep my mind off of food. I never realized how much I love eating. Not just the taste of food, but the act of eating. It was crazy.

The reason for my fast was that I wanted to get back in the habit of spending time with the Lord daily, both in prayer and in the word. I hate to admit it, but the last several months since our daughter was born, my daily time with God was sporadic at best. I wanted to get back to that place where I was spending quality time with God every day. Where I could have a dialogue with the creator of the universe. So I spent my time reading the word, praying and journaling. It was a sweet time, and I'm happy to say that I've been able to maintain that time even once the family got home.

Since I've never done a multi-day fast, I've never thought much about what it means, and the spiritual parallels that go along with it. I knew that the point of fasting was to confirm that God is the source of your life, and to trust Him for your sustenance. But that was about as far as my understanding went. On the last day of my fast God gave me an awesome revelation. There I was after just three days without food and I was in some serious pain. I was miserable and just about all I could think of was food. So if God truly is the source of my life, why don't I feel any pain when I go a day or two without spending time with him. I prayed and asked God to give me that kind of pain when I don't spend time with Him, to give me that hunger to spend time with Him. I wish I had that hunger for Him throughout the day. He is our provider, our source of comfort and our sustenance, but for some reason it's easy to go an hour, a day, a week, sometimes even a month without truly spending time with Him.

I encourage you to fast. If you've never done it, don't be afraid of it. Start small. It's not anything that you can't get through with His help. Whether you fast or not I pray that God instills in you that kind of hunger for Him. I pray that if you skip a 'meal' with God that you would not be able to focus on anything but Him until you make up that time. Just as I realized how much I really love eating, I realized how much more I love spending time with my Savior, my Friend, my King, and my God.

Being a Good Knot

Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
Mark 10:21

This verse comes in the middle of the well know story about the rich man who asks Jesus "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" We all know how the story ends. The rich man walked away sad because he was very rich. Jesus then says the famous line "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."

I know this story is talked about a lot, and many people ask the question 'Is it really impossible to go to heaven if you are rich?' As I read this passage yesterday I remembered a teaching from Tom Hemingway (the founder of RMH) that gave me a deeper understanding.

After Tom used to teach the knot tying class he would ask students "What are the characteristics of a good knot?" He would say that a good knot holds when it needs to hold and lets go when it needs to let go. We as Christians need to be like that. God gives us things in life and we need to hold on to them securely. However there are times that God asks for us to give things back to him, and when He asks we need to release them freely.

That's what I thought of when reading the passage about the rich man. Jesus asked him to release back to God the wealth he had been given, and the rich man was unwilling to do that.

Jesus finishes the passage by saying "I tell you the truth... no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age... and in the age to come, eternal life."

I encourage you to hold tightly to what God gives you, but freely give it back when He asks because you know that anything you give to Him will be given back in greater quantity.

Recruiting Trip

I am going on a recruiting trip for RMH to the east coast next week. I am planning on going to the US Naval Academy, Liberty University, and hopefully VMI and University of Virginia. I will be showing the RMH promotional video to cadets and midshipmen, and talking to them about the program. Please pray that God will open the hearts of the cadets and mids that I meet with, that He will provide funding for those that wish to come, and that He removes any obstacles that may try to hinder them from coming. Please also pray for safety for the trip.

If you are in the D.C or Virginia area and would like to get together please email me and I'll see if I can make it work in my schedule.

Thank your prayers and for your support of this program.

- Mike

Biting Off More Than You Can Chew

Last week I had the opportunity to go to Mexico on a missions trip. It was a with a group of guys from my church that went down for a quick trip to do some construction. We were pouring concrete for a missionary that is working with some locals to build a Bible school, to train locals to share the good news. Our plan was to spend a day driving down, three days working, a day of church, then a day driving back. We were scheduled to pour a concrete slab that was 34'x68' for a future church. When we arrived at the work site nothing had been done to prepare the ground, so we had to move dirt, level the pad, and compact the dirt. We spent the first day and a half just doing dirt work, then started pouring concrete. The concrete was hard because we had to mix it all by hand, and the weather was so warm that we could barely get the concrete down before it started to 'set up'. It was hard work, but we were making good progress. The night before the last day of work we decided to bless the people by also pouring a concrete floor in one of their other buildings. So that last day we were at the site working by 6 a.m. (when the sun started coming up) and worked until 7:30p.m. We ended up working about 40 hours in those three days and pouring over 3,000 sq.ft. of concrete. It was long and grueling, but we got it done. Due to several different circumstances that I wont get into, the last section that we poured almost didn't work out. The concrete almost dried before we had the chance to get it leveled and smoothed out. But after a few hours of fighting it, we finally got it done.

So now for the moral of the story: As we were finishing up on the third day (and we were all tired, filthy, covered in sweat, blood and concrete) the missionary we were with asked "Did we bite off more than we could chew?" I thought about it for a few seconds and replied "Absolutely! If all we ever do is look at a situation and think 'What is reasonable for me to get done' than we will never have to rely on God's strength." I think that as Christians we should make it a habit to 'bite off more than we can chew' because then we can see the power of God working in us. As I was crawling on my hands and knees through concrete trying to get that last section to work I realized that I had hit a point that I was no longer strong enough to make my body do what I wanted it to do. I had to give up and pray "God, I no longer have the strength to do this work, I need you to fill me with your strength if you want this task completed." And guess what, he did give me the strength. He allowed us complete both buildings. God used that experience to teach me that all too often I only do what I have the strength to do. I need to learn to bite off more than I can chew, so that I can learn to depend on God's presence and strength in my life.

"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power my rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
2 Corinthians 12:9-10

I encourage you to learn to bite off more than you can chew. To put yourself in situations where you know that your strength or ability is insufficient, so that you can learn the sufficiency of His grace, the awesomeness of His power, and the might of His strength.

Be a Good Tree

"Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned." Matthew 12:33-37

I read this passage yesterday during my daily reading and was convicted by it. How often do I let "careless" words come out of my mouth? Is the fruit that is produced by my mouth good fruit or bad fruit? Unfortunately I think that sometimes my mouth produces bad fruit. I know that I sometimes speak words of negativity, mockery, and complaining. I encourage you this week to watch the words that come out of your mouth. Think about the careless words you speak and set your mind on producing good fruit.

Lord please give me the strength to not let bad fruit come out of my mouth. Change my heart so that it only produces fruit that is pleasing to you. Open my eyes to the careless words I speak, so that I may remove them from my daily life.

Dead to Sin

Romans 6:6-7 says: "For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin - because anyone who has died has been freed from sin."

This is a difficult section for me to wrap my mind around. In the past as I've read these verses several questions start popping up. Questions like, "Does that mean that Christians will not sin?" "Does that mean that if I sin, I haven't' been crucified with Christ?"

I think that in this first section of Chapter 6 Paul is not saying that we will not sin, but that we don't have to. Christ has given us a way out and if we will die with him we will be released from that bondage. The NEB version says: "a dead man is no longer answerable for his sin." Those who do not know Christ and have not been crucified with him do not have a choice. They are slaves to sin, and cannot control it. If you are in Christ, you are no longer controlled by that sin. You have a choice. When a sinful situation presents itself you have the power, through the shed blood of Christ, to overcome it.

In verse 12 Paul says:" Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires." I think the operative word there is 'let.' We have a choice of whether or not to allow sin in our lives.

Verse 18 says: "You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness." We who are in Christ, are now slaves to his righteousness.

LORD, forgive me for the sin that I have allowed into my life. You know my desire to be sinless, to live like Christ, and also my flesh's desire for sin. Help me to crucify the old self and live fully in the new self. Help me to view myself as your slave, that I may submit myself to you, and no longer have the right to have a say in my life. How amazing would it be if I could live like that. Lord, give me the strength.

If you have any thoughts or comments you would like to add to this post please feel free to leave comments below.

News from Camp Buxton

This summer is shaping up to be a great one for Rocky Mountain High. We are going to offer a couples RMH this year for the first time. We already have 4 couples signed up and several others that are expressing interest in coming. If you're interested in coming please contact me or check out the couples RMH website at http://www.springcanyon.org/rmh/couples.htm. We would love to have as many RMH alumni come as possible. This will be an amazing week of growing closer with your spouse, and growing together towards Christ.

God has also been working in us as a staff, and preparing us for some awesome ministry. We are making some small changes to the program that I think will really help to establish Christ as our focal point, and increase the impact the week has on everyone involved.

We are still working on the high ropes course. The snow and cold winter temperatures have slowed things down a little, but we still anticipate having the course ready by this summer.

As we start gearing up for the summer there are a few needs that we have in regards to gear. If you feel God calling you to help meet those needs, and are at a place in your life where you can help, please check out the 'Needs' column on the right. If you would like to help, but cannot do so financially, please lift this program up in your prayers. Support from people like you helps us keep the cost of this program as low as possible.

I pray that God continues to bless you, that He gives you favor among men, and that He grants you victory in all situations.

Be Strong and Courageous

I was spending some time in the Word recently and felt God leading me to read the book of Joshua. I started reading in Joshua chapter 1 and didn't make it past verse 9. It struck me how many times God told Joshua to "be strong and courageous" in those first 9 verses. Usually, if I hear something three times I figure God is trying to get my attention, so I better listen. So I asked myself, why was this such an important thing for Joshua to hear? Why did God have to tell him three times?

I decided to check the concordance in my Bible to see how many other times that phrase showed up. The limited concordance in my Bible only showed that exact phrase in Deuteronomy 31. I looked it up and it's mentioned three times in that chapter also. The phrase in used as Moses is passing the mantle of leadership to Joshua. So again I ask myself, why is this so important to Joshua?
Maybe God was trying to get the message to Joshua because Moses wasn't strong and courageous when it came to crossing the Jordan. Maybe God was trying to tell Joshua that he would need to be strong and courageous to surpass Moses. He would need those qualities in the battles and trials that would face him as he led the Israelites into the promised land. He would need those qualities to be the leader that God wanted him to be.

So why did God want me to read that? What message do I need to get? Maybe I need to be strong and courageous if I'm going to be the leader that God is calling me to be. Maybe God sees something in my future that will require me to be strong and courageous, and He is preparing me now for that.

My concordance also led me to 1 Corinthians 16:13 where Paul says "Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in Love." I like that Paul added "Do everything in love" to being strong and courageous. Many times, especially as a leader, it takes strength and courage to do things out of love.

Going back to Joshua, the end of God's charge to Joshua says "for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go." I think that needs to be the source of our strength and courage. It should not be rooted in our own potential or accomplishments, but in the promises that God has given us.

I challenge you, in whatever sphere of influence you have, to be strong and courageous. It will take strength and courage to be the men and women God has called you to be. Lead out of love, and finally "Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."