Rocky Mountain High Newsletter

A Change of Seasons

2011-08-13T13:43:00.000-07:00

First, I want to apologize for taking so long to update the blog this summer. It's always so much harder than I expect to keep up on it.

Second, I want to fill you all in on some big news in my life. God has called Kallie and I on to the next season of our lives and ministry and we will be leaving Spring Canyon. God started stirring our hearts last summer and started a process that is just now starting to come together. He has given us a vision to take the 'experiential ministry' that we get to do with Rocky Mountain High and Father Teen Adventure, and use it within a church body.

This summer, after months of prayer and searching, God called us to step out in faith and move back to California to pursue this ministry. After wrestling with God for a few days we finally realized that this is what He wants for us and is calling us to. One day as I was praying for confirmation I heard him say: "Will you be like Joshua and Caleb and trust that I can overcome your giants? Or will you be like the other 10?"

So we will be moving to the Sacramento area of California at the end of this month. Please pray for us as we take this step of faith, and pray that God is glorified through it.

These last 4+ years have been amazing and I feel truly blessed to have had the opportunity to serve in these ministries and to meet saints like you.

I thank all of you for your support of this ministry through the years and ask that you continue to lift it in your prayers as Dean begins the search for my replacement.

If you would like to follow our journey check out our blog at www.mikeandkallie.blogspot.com

Thank you, and I pray that God allows our paths to cross again,

- Mike

Summer Update #1

2011-07-11T10:24:00.000-07:00

Please forgive me for taking so long to send out an update. As usual once our summer programs start I seem to have trouble finding time for this kind of stuff.

Our summer has been amazing so far. Our numbers this year are not what they were last year, which is a little disappointing, but I have to keep reminding myself that God's view of success isn't always how we view success. To give you a glimpse of the this success here are some comments and stories from our first three RMH sessions.

"It was an amazing experience, one I would love to do again and I think every Christian cadet should experience."

"They [the guides] were beyond prepared, took time to be personal and answer questions, taught through active discussion, lead first by example, were flexible and dependable in all regards. They offered and created a safe place to grow and learn, as well as individually reached out to us."

"Both instructors passionately believed in what they were doing and teaching, and they taught about something that was applicable in everyday life."

"I learned how to pray/spend time actively in God's word. I also gained a keener appreciation of God's love."

"I learned that my spiritual journey has just begun."

"I learned that I need to have a plan as a Christian leader in the military."

"It is a great opportunity to connect with other Christians from a military background and regain support and encouragement for choosing to abide by a Christian lifestyle. Spring Canyon is a wonderful place to unplug from the day to day distractions that often take us off course in our walk with God and refocus on what truly matters in life."

These are just a taste of the comments we've received this summer. It is always amazing and humbling to see the ministry that God does each summer through this program.

Please continue to pray for the groups that we have in each week. Pray that God will use these programs to build His kingdom in these lives and in our military.

Trust in the LORD with All Your Heart!

2011-07-11T09:41:00.000-07:00

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.Proverbs 3: 5-6

God has been constantly reminding me of this verse over the last several months. I know it’s a verse that we’ve all heard before, but as I’ve begun to meditate on it (like most scriptures) it means so much more than I used to give it credit for. How many of us really trust in the LORD? It is such an easy thing to say, and such a hard thing to do. We say that we trust God with our finances, but how many of us start to sweat around the 23^rd of the month as our bank account gets tighter? We have been so trained to be individuals, to be self sufficient, that we try to make things happen in our own power, and when that happens we start trusting ourselves and stop trusting in God.

I think the next part of this verse is so profound: “and lean not on your own understanding.” What that means is that sometimes trusting God defies logic. We don’t have to understand how God will come through, we just have to trust that he will. I love that the verse doesn’t say, ‘lean not on your own power,’ it says to lean not on our understanding. Sometimes it’s easy to read this verse and think, “we’ll I just need to sit back, trust God, and wait for him to do it.” Sometimes God will work in our circumstances without our effort, but sometimes He does require action from us. I love the story in Matthew chapter 17 when Jesus and Peter are asked to pay a tax. Jesus tells Peter to go to the lake, catch a fish, and in the fish’s mouth will be a coin to cover the tax. Jesus could have just made a coin materialize out of thin air, or made it appear in his pocket, and paid the tax. I love that he didn’t do that. He required Peter to go catch a fish to get the coin. He required faith and action from Peter. I’m sure that all the way to the lake Peter was thinking, “this is the silliest thing I’ve ever done.” But Peter still went. He trusted in the LORD, and not his own understanding, and Christ made his path straight.

I encourage you to meditate on this verse. Ask yourself, and God, what areas of your life you need to start really trusting. When you do trust, guard yourself from asking the how and why questions. You don’t have to understand the how and the why, just trust and He will make our paths straight.

This Is How We Roll

2011-04-21T13:44:00.000-07:00

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

2011-04-15T10:54:00.001-07:00

“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"

2011-04-08T10:24:00.001-07:00

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.”

Buxton Update: Summer is Coming!

2011-03-11T10:03:00.001-08:00

It’s only the second week of March, but I feel the crunch of summer coming like a freight train. We only have nine weeks left until guides arrive. That is exciting and frightening at the same time. I love it when the guides show up and we begin training, but there is a lot that needs to get done between now and then. I have been spending a lot of time the last couple of weeks over in the gear room trying to make sure we have the gear we need for the summer. Right now there are 18 tents set up in the Hemingway Ops Building. I can barely move around because the floor is covered in tents. Last year tested the limits of our gear and I want to make sure that we are ready this year. I’ve also been working to create a good inventory of our gear so that I can track what we have, and the useful life cycle of each piece of gear. I would like to get to the point where we have all of our gear on a lifecycle rotation. That way we can purchase 20% (or so) of what we use every year, so that we never have all of something wearing out at the same time. So needless to say this has been a much bigger undertaking than I anticipated.

I am very close to locking in all of our instructors for this year. This isn’t much later than usual, but once we get to this point I always start to get a little nervous.

We are looking really good for guides this year. We have several that are going to return from last year (which is always a huge blessing). I also have 14 new people who have requested applications. Praise God! A few years ago I hired the only 4 people that applied. What a blessing it is to already have 18 applicants to choose from. Now my problem is that I want to hire them all, but don’t have that many slots. My hope is to hire 10 staff this summer, but some of that will have to wait until we know how registrations look for the summer.

Right now we are doing pretty good for our FTA registrations, but have not started to receive any RMH registrations. Again, this is not abnormal for this time of year, but it’s easy for me to start getting nervous.

Please pray for our programs this summer. Please pray for God to open the door for people to come. Please pray for wisdom for me as I assemble the guide staff team, and pray for them as they prepare to be a part of this ministry. Please also pray for the instructors. Pray that God would give them a vision for the things he wants them to present this summer. Most importantly please pray for the ministry that is going to happen this summer. Pray that God uses these programs to do work that will have an eternal impact.

Thank you all for the prayer and support that you provide for this ministry. We can’t do it without you.

Outdoor Staff Opprotunities

2011-03-01T12:31:00.001-08:00

I am still accepting applications for outdoor staff for this summer. If you or someone you know is interested please contact me for an application packet.

What I’m looking for in a guide is someone who is first and foremost passionate about ministry and about building relationships with people in order to deepen their faith in Jesus Christ. Second, I want people who love the outdoors and who want to use adventure as the platform for ministry.

I have positions open for Senior Guide, Guide, Guide-in-Training and Logistics. If you would like more information about these opportunities please contact me or check out our website at www.springcanyon.org/rockymountainhigh.html and click on the ‘Staff’ tab.

Waiting on God

2011-02-18T13:42:00.000-08:00

And Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined, and he was there in prison. But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison.

Genesis 39: 20-21

…some time after this… (40:1)

…After two whole years… (41:1)

… Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they quickly brought him out of the pit. (41:14)

Have you ever had to wait on God for something? Why is it that God doesn’t seem to have a sense of urgency? Recently God has been bringing my attention to the story of Joseph (mostly through my sons movies of Veggie Tale’s Little Joe, and Disney’s Joseph: Prince of Dreams). I had my appendix removed last week, so I spent a week at home recovering, and watched these movies with my boy more times that I can count. The whole time I’m sitting there watching this story of Joseph I’m growing impatient with God over some things that I expect him to do in my life. Then after the umpteenth time of watching Little Joe it dawns on me how little faith I have to wait on God.

As I start looking through Genesis at the story of Joseph it amazes me how much junk he went through. First he got thrown into a pit by his brothers and left for dead, then they came back just to sell him into slavery. Then after serving his master faithfully he gets thrown into prison on a false charge. We see in chapters 40 and 41 of Genesis that he spends over two years in prison before God moves and brings him out of the pit. What’s amazing is that during this whole time Joseph never loses faith that God will deliver him. I spend a couple of weeks or months (NOT in prison) waiting for God to do something and I start to get frustrated with him. Bummer…

Lord, please forgive me for my impatience with you. Thank you for Joseph’s example and for bringing it to my attention. Please help me to have the faith and perseverance that Joseph had to trust in you through all situations.

Prayer Request

2011-02-03T12:02:00.000-08:00

Please pray for our brother Tom Austin who is going in for surgery today. Tom is the OCF rep at West Point. He was recently diagnosed with cancer, and today is his first surgery to remove it. Please pray that the surgery is successful and that his recovery goes quicker than expected. Please also pray for strength for him and his family as they travel down this road. To God be the Glory!

Opportunity for Partnership

2011-01-27T13:52:00.001-08:00

Dear Rocky Mountain High Alumni,

I pray that this letter finds you and your family doing well. I would like to take a moment to let you know some of the amazing things going on in our ministry as well as some opportunities for you to partner with us.

Last summer was an outstanding one for RMH. God blessed us with our highest attendance in over a decade. The truly awesome thing is that God didn’t just bless us with numbers, He blessed us with some amazing ministry that resulted in lives being impacted and changed for the Kingdom of God.

Last summer’s success has left us with a couple of needs that we would like to give you an opportunity to partner in with us. The first is in the area of scholarships. Last year we were given a generous gift of $5,000 for RMH scholarships, which allowed us to offer group discounts. This incentive was very successful, and helped lead to our record attendance, but utilized all of our scholarship money. We would like to replenish this account so that we can continue to offer this incentive.

The other glaring need we recognized last summer was in the area of our vehicles. The vehicles we have access to are limited, unreliable and aging. With the large numbers we achieved each session it was challenging to make sure we had the transportation we needed. We were lucky that when we needed extra vehicles we were able to borrow them from other programs. We would really like to purchase a late model used 15 passenger van or Suburban, which will give us the extra seating capacity to handle larger groups.

Our goal this spring is to raise $12,000 to replenish our scholarship account and to go towards the purchase of a new vehicle. We ask that you would prayerfully consider supporting us in meeting these needs. If you would like to make a donation there are two ways you can do it. If you would like to donate by credit card you can do so over the phone by calling the camp office at (719) 395-2328. If you would like to pay by check you can mail a check made out to Spring Canyon to Spring Canyon, ATTN: Mike McKean, PO Box 2047, Buena Vista, CO 81211. You will receive a tax receipt for any donation that you make.

If you have any questions about this please feel free to contact me. Thank you for your time and your support of this ministry.

In Christ,

- Mike

Mike McKean

Outdoor Program Leader

Spring Canyon Christian Camp and Conference Center

outdoor@springcanyon.org

www.springcanyon.org

(719)395-2328

www.springcanyonrmh.blogspot.com

Just Do It

2011-01-20T10:58:00.001-08:00

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at this face in a mirror and after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it – he will be blessed in what he does.

James 1: 22-25

Have you ever done this? Have you ever listened to or read the word of God, then walked away and not remembered what you heard or read? Or even worse, have you walked away remembering what you heard or read yet didn’t act on it? Unfortunately I have. Why do we do that? Why do we look at ourselves in the mirror then walk away and forget what we look like? It makes the first action pointless. If I’m just going to forget what I look like as soon as I walk away, why do I even look in the mirror in the first place. If you’re going to walk away from God’s word without applying it to you life, than it’s pointless to read in the first place. Man that’s convicting!!

So why do we do this? Is it because we don’t believe what we read? Is it that we don’t think that it really means what it says? Is it that we are just lazy? Are we just too comfortable with where we are? I think that for most of us it’s just easier to ignore. If we actually apply the word to our lives than that means we’re going to have to change. There are old habits that we need to break and new habits that we have to start, and that hurts sometimes. The awesome thing is that if are willing to die to ourselves, to face the pain and undergo the change, we will be better for it.

I love football. I love everything about football. I am a diehard 49ers fan (keep your comments to yourself) and grew up watching Jerry Rice catch touchdown after touchdown. Did he get to be the best wide receiver ever by listening to the coaches then forgetting what they said? Did he get there by going to the gym and watching other people work out? Early in his career was he content sitting on the bench while others played the game? No, he wasn’t! People that knew him said that his work out regiment was the most difficult they had ever seen. After Jerry retired, a young pro-bowl running back went to work out with him, and said he could not keep up with Jerry and that after the work out his body was “killing him.” But that’s the point of working out, you break down the muscle (and it hurts), but then it grows back and you are stronger.

In the football game of life don’t be content sitting on the bench. Train, listen to the coaches, improve, so that when the game is over you will be on the field and playing for the winning team. For years Nike used the slogan “Just Do It,” their point was to get off the bench and into the game. James said the same thing two thousand years ago. “Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”

The Greatest Covert Operation in the History of Mankind

2010-12-23T10:14:00.001-08:00

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

2010-12-16T10:37:00.001-08:00

“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

2010-12-09T15:06:00.000-08:00

“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

2010-11-19T14:33:00.001-08:00

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

2010-11-11T10:17:00.000-08:00

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

2010-11-06T11:20:00.001-07:00

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

2010-10-29T09:41:00.001-07:00

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?

2010-10-08T08:30:00.000-07:00

"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

2010-09-29T11:21:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-20T13:06:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-18T12:57:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-18T12:53:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-23T13:35:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-11T13:16:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-17T12:31:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-13T10:09:00.000-07:00

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

2010-06-06T12:10:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-05-30T13:10:00.000-07:00

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

2010-05-11T13:03:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-29T13:44:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-24T09:12:00.000-07:00

"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

2010-04-16T10:55:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-15T12:36:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-31T13:39:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-06T14:21:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-27T09:23:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-27T08:57:00.000-08:00

"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

2010-02-05T11:56:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-29T08:43:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-22T13:37:00.000-08:00

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."

Pine Cone Ponderings

2009-12-15T10:55:00.000-08:00

Romans 8

I've been working my way through Romans in my personal quiet time and came across a couple of verses that amazed me and I wanted to share them with you. I hope this reminds you how GREAT our God is, and encourages you today.

Romans 8:26-27: In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.

Romans 8:34: Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died - more than that, who was raised to life - is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.

How amazing that Christ Jesus and the Holy Spirit are interceding for us!

I recently did a study on prayer that spent some time talking about intercession. It had a great definition of intercession that has helped me to understand it better. "Intercession - using my access to God on another's behalf." It is taking someone else's request to God and asking Him to look on that person the way he looks on you; to show them the favor that He shows you.

With that in mind, read those verses again. How amazing! Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit have empathy for us, our needs and our desires, and they are using their access to God the father on our behalf (in accordance with God's will). They are asking God to look on us the way that He looks on them, to show us the favor that He shows them. How amazing! How humbling.

Thank you Jesus and Holy Spirit for loving me interceding on my behalf. I am so humbled that you, my King, would do this for me.

Rappel Tower Finished!

2009-11-10T12:07:00.000-08:00

News from Buxton:

We just finished the rappel tower today! The rappel tower is at the center of our new high ropes course. As you can see in the pictures the tower has two platforms on it. The lower platform is 25 feet tall and will provide access to the high ropes course. The upper platform is 40 feet tall and will provide an awesome rappelling opportunity if our normal rappel site unusable due to weather. This also provides us the ability to offer rappelling year round without needing forest service permits. Praise God for this new addition.

Here I am rappelling down the first time.

Getting ready to over the edge for the first time. Going over that edge really gets your heart going. Awesome!!

Here is a good view of the platforms from the ground.

We will continue to work on the rest of the high ropes course and will update you as we make progress.

First Edition

2009-10-23T11:17:00.001-07:00

Pine Cone Ponderings

When I read accounts of the Israelites in the old testament I’m amazed at how they can see such miraculous signs of God’s provision, then in the next chapter question God’s plan. Then God opens my eyes to see how much like the Israelites I can be. I had one such encounter this summer. As some of you know we have been in the process of building the Hemingway Operations Complex at Camp Buxton. The complex consists of the Hemingway Operations Building, a new duplex for the guides to live in, a team building challenge course, and individual low and high ropes courses. Our plan for the last offseason was to construct the exterior of the guide quarters during the fall. That would allow us to spend the snowy winter months finishing the interiors of the guide quarters and the Operations Building. Things didn’t go according to our plan. We ran into delay after delay with the building department and couldn’t work on either building until December. That opened up the fall so that we could build the team building challenge course and the individual low ropes course. We were worried about constructing the guide quarters in the middle of winter, but God provided a miracle. He withheld snow for the entire month of January until about 90 minutes after we finished putting the roof on the building. His timing was perfect because we were able to get our final inspections for both the guide quarters and the Operations Building the week before our summer programs started. His plan allowed us to complete the two challenge courses as well as the two buildings. His plan was perfect. Things were no different with our summer programs. Since God’s hand was so evident in preparing us for the summer I thought that He was going to ‘open the flood gates’ in terms of our registrations. Once again, things didn’t go according to my plan, and our registrations were very low this summer. Like the Israelites, I had just seen miraculous signs of His provision, then questioned His plan when it wasn’t going the way I thought it should. Needless to say God’s plan for the summer turned out to be perfect. We had some students who came and had life changing encounters with God that they could not have had if there had been more students. Jeremiah 29:11 says “ ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” I pray that the next time things are not going the way that you planned you will rest in the promise that God has a plan for you, and that His plan will always be perfect.

News From Buxton

The Hemingway Operations Complex is nearly complete. As I mentioned in the Pine Cone Ponderings, we have finished the Hemingway Operations Building and the duplex for the guides. Here are some pictures of the buildings and ropes courses.

Hemingway Operations Building

Interior of Hemingway Operations Building

Guide Quarters

Ten foot wall on team building course

We are currently working with an engineering firm on the design for the indoor climbing wall. We hope to start construction on that in the next few weeks. We also hope to start construction on the high ropes course this fall if budget allows.

Thoughts from Alumni

I would love to hear your thoughts! If you have a thought or a story that you would like to share please email it to me at outdoor@springcanyon.org with the subject ‘Thoughts from Alumni.”

For this issue I will include some of the comments we received this year on our debrief forms:

· “I felt like RMH truly helped me grow in my relationship with God and gave me the tools I need to live as a Christian in the military. I thought RMH did a great job of using God’s creation to enhance learning about him.”

· “One thing is very evident – the love of Christ is everywhere at RMH. From the moment I arrived I felt very welcomed and I knew that the Lord would work in my life if I open up my heart and eyes to Him and listen to the message being shared. The experience has really made me examine myself in a new way with reference to the leadership position I will be entering into. I enjoyed every aspect of this week especially the things that challenged me physically and spiritually. Everything was new to me but the RMH staff with their patience, instruction, and overwhelming enthusiasm made this experience better than I could have imagined.”

· I learned that the time is right for me to accept Christ in my life.

Welcome

2009-08-15T11:10:00.001-07:00

Welcome to the new blog for Rocky Mountain High. I will add more content soon.