MY MOUNTAIN TOP EXPERIENCE

Some months ago I entered the Ransomed Heart Ministries lottery to attend their Wild at Heart Advanced meeting at a ranch in Fraser, Colorado near Winter Park. I made it through the lottery hurdles and was accepted, 1 of the 451 men destined to gather for four days atop one of the many Rockie Mountain peaks in North America at 9,000 feet above sea level.

Just two weeks before my scheduled departure, I sensed a "disturbance in the force," to put it in a more modern vernacular, regarding my travel plans. So, I did what John Eldredge, the founder and one of Ransomed Heart's leaders, encourages in his latest book, Walking With God. I asked! Jesus, should I fly or drive?


Despite having purchased my airline ticket, I had a clear answer in my heart. DRIVE!
It was an amazing drive. Someday, I'm going to post about my many experiences on the spectacular and beautiful drive from Clayton to Raton, New Mexico. But this is not to be that post. Arriving in Littleton, I spent two days adjusting to the mile-high altitude before ascending another 4,000 feet. On Wednesday, April 30th I walked into my hotel with it being 80 degrees at 4:30pm.



Wild at Heart Advanced started Thursday, afternoon May 1st. When I awoke and opened the curtains that morning, here is what I saw:

Yes, it was snowing. Hard. And I was in the foothills.

Determined to be there, I got busy and headed out early. It was a good thing I did. Take a look at this scene from my front windsheild on the way up:

This is May in the Colorado Rockies!

It snowed all of Thursday and Friday. By my standards, a rediculous amount! When I walked into registration, one of the staff asked if he could do anything to help me. I replied that palm trees, sand, and 80 degrees would be perfect.

A prerequisite to attend this meeting was that you had to have attended one of their prior Boot Camps and were actively "walking in the message." I have never experienced such a gathering of like-minded men before.

These four days are among the most dynamic and powerful days of my life thus far. I'm not at a place where I'm ready to share the deep things of my heart in a public forum like this. And yet, I wish everyone alive could share just a moment of what I revelled in with the men of Ransomed Heart.

God is on the move, dear friends. Things are not as they seem. It's time to do all we must to find our way home.

My parting shot Sunday morning May 4th:

Check out Psalm 51 in The Message version of The Bible. Also, visit www.RansomedHeart.com and www.WalkingWithGod.net to learn more.