Yosemite Summit 2008 Video

(Reprinted from Yosemite Summit for my blog readers) Don’t miss the video at the end, and click any picture for a larger view. It’s hard to believe the Yosemite Summit 2008 is over. It’s been several weeks, but it still feels like a part of me is still there in the Sierra Nevada. It’s been fun sorting through the 5000+ pictures we took and reliving the fun memories. Not only the incredible PLACE we were, but the awesome friendships that were formed and will continue to grow in the years ahead. It was an amazing time together and God did some incredible work in our lives. For me, my soul comes alive in this place and I finally feel truly free. We started our first day watching the sun rise at Glacier Point. The views are simply spectacular! It was a time to leave the busyness and noise of normal life behind and just listen to God. There were times we could just sit and soak our souls in the presence of God as well as walking with Him on the incredible hikes. There is just something powerful about reading God’s Word and praying when you are in a place…

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Kidologist Goes OFFLINE?!?!

Could it be?!?! The man once nicknamed “Pastor Gadget” going OFF LINE for an ENTIRE WEEK!?! YES! The rumors are true! I’ve got my MacBook Air, iPhone, GPS, digital camera, video camera, and a power strip to charge them all at night… so I think I’m good to go, but once I hit Yosemite the laptop will only be used for downloading pictures at the end of the day. NO E-MAIL, NO INTERNET, NO WORK, NO NOTHING! I soon will be basking in God’s Amazing Creation in one of the most spectacular places on the face of the earth far away from all of my normal responsibilities and duties. Yahoo! (And that isn’t a reference to a website!) As I write this I am sitting on the floor at O’hare International Airport waiting board a flight to Sacramento, California on my way to join eight other guys on an Adventure known as Yosemite Summit. What began as a challenge during a sermon in the fall of 2006 and grew into a conviction in the winter of 2007 and then calling by summer 2007 is now coming to a climax here in the spring of 2008! God has brought together NINE…

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Yosemite Here I Come!

As mentioned in the video for the First Things First Kidology online training session, my pastor challenged us to consider what “re-creates” us, and to intentionally PLAN it into our lives. Up until that time I wrongly considered recreation to be equal to play and often said my recreation and my occupation were the same: children’s ministry. How wrong I was! While I DO enjoy children’s ministry, it isn’t what re-creates me, it drains and uses me up! So I took the challenge to consider what truly RE-creates me, and for me it is time AWAY from ministry, out in nature with my Bible and camera. (and perhaps an iPod with worship or classical music playing.) As I prayed about what God would have me do to make RE-creation a regular part of my life, a dream began to form that slowly transformed into Yosemite Summit. God has answered my prayers by filling up this retreat with 8 more men seeking the same. So now I’ve been working on planning the hikes and figuring out what to bring (and not bring). I am so looking forward to this time AWAY from life as “normal” to spend with eight other guys…

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A Potatoe Chip on the Top of Half Dome?

Why is there a Chip at the top of Half Dome? Head over to www.YosemiteSummit.org to find out! You will also find out that there are ONLY THREE SPOTS LEFT in this amazing children’s pastors’ retreat! Don’t miss out on this chance to get away from the busyness of daily ministry to spend some time with God in one of the most spectacular locations on earth (literally) and to enjoy some deep fellowship with some other men who share your passion for kids and desire to walk closer to God. The conference can not be expanded after the eight spots are filled. You’ll sleep in a lodge inside the park and enjoy breathtaking hikes each day. Learn more about it! 

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GO CLIMB A ROCK!

I’m excited to let you know about a very unique opportunity for children’s pastors… it’s called Yosemite Summit. www.yosemitesummit.org May 18-22, 2008 Sunday to Thursday The Unconference for Childrens Pastors No Workshops – Just Worship No Resources – Just Relationships No Networking – Just God Working www.yosemitesummit.org Yosemite Summit is five day personal sabbatical for male children’s pastors located in the heart of one of the most spectacular National Parks in America. This refreshing summit of renewal is limited to only eight men who will be staying at a luxurious lodge inside Yosemite and only ten miles from the famously breathtaking Yosemite Valley. Get away from the office, the church, the phones, the Internet, and the busyness of life and ministry and re-coop with some fellow ministers hiking, worshiping, and enjoying genuinely refreshing fellowship surrounded by vistas that only God could create. This retreat will be a structured time of renewal that will provide both group and personal time of reflection, prayer, reading, and worship in a setting where God can truly be heard and experienced. Day hikes to some of the most stunning vistas in the world and evenings of rest and relaxation. (even a hot tub!) Yosemite Summit…

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