Mountaintop Experiences
Dear CCA Families,
Staring down from the top of a mountain is an awe-inspiring view. This summer, I had the opportunity to climb Mt. Bierstadt (14,065 feet) near Georgetown, Colorado, with several of our CCA High School students at our “Summit Base Camp” trip in June. It was exciting to see the majority of the students reach the summit.
I have hiked ten different 14,000-foot peaks or “fourteeners” as they are known in Colorado. There is nothing easy about climbing a fourteener. They are demanding, long, and the path is sometimes uncertain. However, at the top, it is always rewarding, and you have a perspective that you have never had before.
The Bible talks a lot about mountains. Abraham’s faith was tested on Mount Moriah. Moses met with God on Mount Sinai to receive the ten commandments. Elijah went up to Mount Carmel and faced 400 prophets of Baal. Jesus went up Mount Tabor with James, John, and Peter, and was transfigured before their eyes.
In each of these “mountaintop experiences”, God showed up in a different way. For Abraham, he was Jehovah Jireh, the God who provides the needed sacrifice at just the right time in order to save the life of Isaac. To Moses, he spoke as a dear friend and gave perfect direction through his commands. To Elijah, he was the God who answered prayer by fire and gave superhuman boldness and strength to the prophet. To James, John, and Peter, Jesus was shown to be “…the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being” (Hebrews 1:3) showing himself undeniably to be God’s Son and Messiah.
Although all of these meetings with God were quite different, one thing is the same – all of these men were changed forever through their personal experiences with God on the mountain.
At CCA, we spend significant time and resources to give our kids biblical experiences with God that we hope will lead to them trusting Jesus as their Savior and Lord or to committing to walk with Jesus for a lifetime. Why? Because once a young person has clearly understood and experienced the truth, grace, power, wisdom, joy, forgiveness, and love of God in Jesus Christ, we believe that they will choose, by faith, to follow Jesus for their entire lives.
Please pray for us as we plan the spiritual life of the school for the upcoming year. We invite you, as parents, to participate in the spiritual life of the school through attendance, presenting a chapel, or serving as a sponsor on a spiritual retreat. Nothing is better than seeing a life changed through a mountaintop experience with God!
Praying with you for your children,
David Landis
Superintendent
Image credit: @kjpargeter