Mountaintop Time

Julie and I recently had an awesome week at The Cove in Asheville. It was our third trip and I realized this year that it has become our “JH Ranch” for this season of life. There is nothing like “mountaintop time” away with God and The Cove is a great setting for it. You may remember that is was at The Cove last Summer that God put adoption ministry on my heart. We are off and running with Lifeline so i was excited about hearing from Him again this year.

Unlike last year when God woke me up in the middle of the night multiple times about helping families adopt children, He let me sleep through the night this time - Ha. I have to say that I was actually a little disappointed because I was expecting something similar this year. I just knew that He would lay something on my heart that I could take back with me. God never disappoints.

The truth is that God has been teaching me things all year. After ringing in 2021 with COVID and then dealing with multiple health issues this year, I figure that God is trying to tell me something. I guess that I am a slow learner but I think that I’ve finally gotten the message. :-)

The point of today’s blog is not to share what God has been teaching me but rather to point how much God wants to communicate with each of us. None of us can be reminded enough about the importance of spending time with Him each day. However, we also need some “mountain top” time with Him periodically. This is extended time with Him when we are able to unplug from our normal lives and focus on the things that matter most.

During the conference, our speaker asked a very profound question, “What things are you currently doing in your lives that will really matter 100 years from now?” Hmm. Wow. When you think about it, it’s really a very short list. The point isn’t that we should only spend time on items on that very short list, but that the items on that short list are consistently at the top of our priority list - our “big rocks.”

Mountain top time helps us develop that short list and ensure that we don’t drift too far off course with our focus on it. Since most of us may not be able to have another JH experience any time soon, we have to find that mountain top time somewhere else. It might be hiking in the woods, on a beach or at a retreat like The Cove. What is important is that we prioritize that time. Without it, we may find ourselves drifting off-course, slowly but surely.

Jeremiah 29:13 And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart

Mountain top time re-centers us. It helps us develop and stay true to our short list - our big rocks. If we take care of the big rocks in our lives, it’s a lot easier to get the little rocks to fall in place. It’s not about re-ordering our lives, it’s about re-ordering our loves.

Find your peak,

Big E

Matt 5:6