This Is How We Roll

Praise God for His provision, and for the generosity of His followers.

As you may know, we started a fund raising campaign in February to raise money to replace our old Suburban, as well as raise some money to replenish our scholarship account. After sending out our fundraising letter we had one very generous RMH alum that contacted us and wanted to donate his suburban. He and his wife had been praying about it for a couple years, then came out to Spring Canyon during Winter Sports Retreat this year. When they saw our old vehicles they started talking and praying about it more. When they received our fundraising letter they knew what to do. They told us that they had a Suburban to donate and just need to find a replacement vehicle first. They finally got their new vehicle in, and earlier this week I flew out and picked up this Suburban and drove it back to Colorado. Spring Canyon is now the proud owners of a 2003 Chevy Suburban 4WD. Thank you again to the family who donated this wonderful vehicle to us.

We have also made some progress towards refilling our scholarship account, but still need some help. We are still hoping to raise nearly $5,000, so that we can continue to offer scholarships and group discounts to potential RMH students. If you would like to help us reach that goal please email me at outdoor@springcanyon.org, or call our main office at (719) 395-2328.

The Voice of the Shepherd

“I’m back to the shepherd and the sheep.  When the sheep follow the shepherd, they find pasture.  They find life.  Life doesn’t just magically come to us.  We have to make ourselves available to it.  There is a lifestyle that allows us to receive the life of God.  I know that if I will live more intimately with Jesus and follow his voice, I will have a much better chance of finding the life I long for.  I know it.  If I will listen to his voice and let him set the pace, if I will cooperate in my transformation, I will be a much happier man.  And so a new prayer has begun to arise within me.  I am asking God, What is the life you want for me?”

John Eldridge, ‘Walking with God’

               

I read this passage this morning in my quiet time and it stood out to me as such a profound thought, yet such a simple one.  As Christians we so often labor and toil to try to make life better, or easier, or more enjoyable.  In John chapter 10 Jesus tells us that He is the good shepherd.  He leads us out and we follow Him because we know His voice.  A few verses later Jesus says that “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”  God wants to give us abundant life, yet how often do we ignore the voice of the shepherd and try to find it on our own?  Then we get upset with the shepherd because we can’t find the pasture.  We need to learn to listen to His voice.  So simple, yet so challenging. 

 

I hope this encourages you the same way it encouraged me to listen more intentionally for the voice of the Good Shepherd.

"Dad, this is really cool"

Two weeks ago we celebrated my son’s third birthday.  We were in California for a family reunion where we got to meet my nephew and twin nieces for the first time.  The day before Jack’s birthday we all went Disneyland for the day.  It was quite an ordeal to get all 13 of us to move around the busy park, but it was a blast!!  My wife and I went into it not knowing what to expect with the kids.  We assumed that they wouldn’t take naps at the park, so we knew that we might have to leave early if the kids hit ‘meltdown status.’  Our hope was to make it to dinner time.  The kids did great and we were able to stay until after 10 pm.  The highlight of the day for me was centered around the ride The Matterhorn and the firework show.  For those of you who aren’t familiar with the ride, it is a roller coaster ride where you sit in bobsleds and race around and through a mountain.  It’s a great ride and Jack was just tall enough to ride it.  I wasn’t sure if he would enjoy it or if it would be too much for him, and the line was over an hour long all day, so I hadn’t pushed it.  At about 8:30 the kids were still going strong, and the line was short, so we decided to give it a try.  I let Jack watch it for a few minutes and asked him if he wanted to ride it, or if it looked to scary.  He said he wanted to do it, so we did.  Jack did great.  He didn’t make a sound the entire ride, then at the end said “that was fun, and kind of scary.”  As soon as we got off the ride the firework show started.  At Disneyland they launch fireworks from two different locations and we were standing right in between them.  Jack was sitting on my shoulders and every time a firework went off he’d say “ohh look, there’s another one!”  As the firework show was getting close to the grand finale, Jack said: “Dad, this is really cool.”  My heart melted.  I thanked God for allowing me to be a dad and prayed that He would not let me ever forget that moment.

 

                As I thought about that moment and the love and joy it made me feel, I thought about how it must make God feel when we share those times with him.  Those times that we’re sitting on His shoulders experiencing something truly majestic.  I’ve had several of those experiences in the last couple of years: sunrises, sunsets, looking at the stars, feeling a fish strike a fly as I’m standing in a mountain lake or stream, holding my kids and listening to them laugh.  I could go on and on, but I want you to think about what those moments have been for you.  In those times nothing else matters.  You don’t think about what you’ve just gone through, whether scary or fun.  You don’t think about how tired you might be.  You just stand in awe of that moment.  Next time you experience one of those moments I encourage you to picture yourself sitting on your Abba’s shoulders, and let him know “Dad, this is really cool.”