The peak. Saturday evening. And Sunday.

THE PEAK:
On the way to the summit, we stopped many times to catch our breath. During one such stop I caught a glimpse of a most amazing sight: clouds being born. We were right at the height where vapor was quickly turning into fluffy white at a rapid pace. The wind was coming right up the mountain behind us at a good 30-40 mph, so it was quite a show watching clouds suddenly form and blow right up and over us. At the top we ate a small sandwich, then opened our Bibles to read about Moses' encounter with God on the mountain (Exodus 19:1-20:21), Elijah's experience of the same (1 Kings 19:7-18), and the transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain (Luke 9:28-36). We were to think of the journey we'd made so far, take a look at the view and imagine what they might have seen, experience the frigid fingers and consider the physical discomfort of a mountaintop experience. After reading and thinking for a moment, we descended to the saddle on the opposite side of Donard. There we sat and processed together. I won't divulge our conversation, except to share the questions we worked through:

Why did people have to climb a mountain to encounter God?
What is it about the heights that make us feel so small?
How can we experience a mountaintop experience with God like this in a normal day?
Moses was asked to bring Aaron with him to the mountain. Jesus brought James, John, and Peter. How can we bring others into an encounter with God like this?

The descent was a long and laborious one. It always amazes me how difficult it is to walk down a mountain. A whole other set of muscles is being used. I can still feel it in my ankles two days later.


SATURDAY EVENING:
That evening was spent with the board and the workers for the local youth-outreach. I facilitated a discussion on the urgency of staying connected to Jesus as we do ministry. It was quite a lively discussion. Some of you may have had the discussion with me before: Using a power strip, a scented candle, and a watering can - we talked about how each one is like living out life as a Christ follower. Then we talked about what they all have in common - they need something else to be used for their full potential. They had some great ideas, some excellent metaphor in response to the prompting. We shared pizza after a prayer time. It was a great time to continue to connect with people in a fairly relaxed setting. I was finally able to catch up with one of the local pastors at this meeting. We're planning to sit together several times this week. Pray for my time with Ivan if you would.


AND SUNDAY:
I was blessed to worship with Newcastle Baptist in the morning. They had a minister visiting from Ballynahinch. He taught on Psalm 84. While I was there I reconnected with Timmy and Ashley among others. We are going to grab time later this week to have dinner and talk. Timy is a deacon in the Baptist Church and his wife Ashley, an American, is preparing to lead the small group movement. Imagine me possibly having something to share there...

After church, it was off to Jane's house for down-time with six friends, leaders, fellow Christ-followers. We were planning to walk to the prayer hut after lunch, but the food was too good, too plentiful. We will be making a trek to the hut on Saturday next, Lord willing.

The evening service was at the Presbyterian church. The youth service is shared between the Baptist and the Presby. It's a pretty cool cooperative effort. Jamie led worship along with Jane, Jonny Crory, Jackie, and several students. This time of connecting with God was very special for me and the rest of the people. I invaded the "minister's room" at the back of the church before the service and prayed for Ivan as he prepared to bring God's words. He reminded us of our status as aliens. He challenged us to move forward with living as reflections of Christ in the world - not just at church but in the community. We had tea in the fellowship hall afterward. During that time I was able to arrange several more meetings and was asked to bring a message for the Wednesday evening Baptist prayer meeting. Later in the evening I had a conversation with four influencers in the local ministries. I learned some difficult things about the goings on behind the scenes here. It's possible that I will be having some difficult conversations with people in the next week. Please pray for wisdom for me in these conversations. Please also pray for the people I'll get to talk with, all of whom I love very much.