http://anchor.tfionline.com/post/mountain-men/
Introduction by Peter Amsterdam
Download Audio (1.67MB)
In the symbolic language of spending time on the mountain, David presents four principles which apply to our spiritual life, but can, in many ways, be applied to our practical life as well.
1. The principle of being alone with God, in prayer and meditation, getting quiet and allowing Him to communicate with you. The symbolism of being able to see the light much longer on the mountain than when dwelling in the valley. The personal cost to taking that time, the effort necessary, symbolized by the cold and wind on the mountain, but also the payoff, the things you hear and see during your mountain times with God which thrill you.
2. The principle of retreat from the hustle and bustle of life, as symbolized by the valley. The importance of not becoming overly encumbered by life’s activities, to where you forget your mountain time, your time with God, your time of refreshment and reinvigoration in the spirit.
3. The principle of perseverance in following your dream, or your calling, or anything you feel that God has shown you is worth doing.—Realizing the cost of scaling the mountain of your dreams, the sacrifices one must often make in reaching those goals, the personal cost, but also the rewards of fighting through to accomplish them.
4. The principle of the pioneer. Having a vision to do something new, faith to believe it can be done, initiative to go ahead and try it, and the courage, the stamina, and commitment in order to bring it to fruition.
Throughout history, important things have happened on physical mountains. Important things can happen in your history if you learn the principles of spending time on the mountain in spirit. Be a mountain man!
*
Mountain Men
By D. Brandt Berg
Download Audio (3.85MB)
Mountain peaks are never crowded. I climbed many mountains and I was almost always alone. Why?
It’s hard work.
Not many people desire to climb mountains.
It’s lonesome.
You have to forsake all to do it.
It’s apt to cost your life.
Lots of scratches and bumps.
Long after the valley was in darkness, I could still see the sun. There is more light on the mountain. The valley is full of people and things, but usually in darkness. The mountain is windy and cold, but thrilling.
You have to have the feeling that it’s really worth dying for! Any mountain—the mountain of this life, the mountain of accomplishments, the mountain of obstacles, of difficulty—if you’re going to climb them, they have to be worth dying for, to brave the wind and cold and storm, symbolic of adversities.
But on the mount alone, you feel so close to the Lord. The voice of His Spirit there is so loud, it’s almost like it’s thundering! The voice of the multitude is so loud in the valley, you can’t hear the voice of God. The silence on the mountain peak is deafening! You get a real “high” on top of a mountain! It’s a thrill! It’s almost terrifying!
Only pioneers climb mountains—people who want to do something that no one ever did before, people who want to get above the multitude, beyond what has already been done and accomplished. Pioneers must have vision—to see what no one else can see; faith—to believe things that no one else believes; initiative—to be the first one to try it; courage—the guts to see it through!
On the mountain, you’re the first to see the sun rise and the last to see it set. You see the full circle of God’s glorious creation. You see the world in its proper perspective with range after range to be conquered and a world beyond the horizon of normal men. You see distant peaks yet to be climbed. You see distant valleys yet to be crossed. You see things that the men in the valleys can never see—can’t even comprehend, because they can’t see it! You can see the 360-degree circumference of the total horizon. It’s like seeing all of life from its beginning to its end, and understanding. You feel like you’re living in eternity.
The valley land is man’s country; the highlands are God’s country. Man dominates the valley. Only God dominates the mountain, and the men living on the mountains know this. Those on the mountains live so close to God and the things which are frightening and terrible and dangerous that they have to live close to God.
There aren’t many places to live on the mountain—little rugged shelters and lean-tos. There’s not much to eat, it’s cold and windy, but it’s a thrill even to die there. It’s better to die on the mountain than to live in the valley. Whoever read in the newspaper about the man who slipped and fell on the city street? But the man who dies on the mountain, even in far-off Switzerland, you’ll read about it, because at least he dared to try.
Beaten paths are for beaten men, but mountain peaks are for the mighty. Mountain peaks are for the mighty pioneers.
You never hear about the people who wait to see if it can be done. You only hear about the people who either made it or died trying. You never hear about those fancy tourists down on the ski slope somewhere. You just hear about the people who either made it or tried. But when you make it, the mouth of God will be opened unto you. He’ll speak to you face to face and will teach and reveal to you the greatest of His secrets.
The greatest laws ever given to man, whereby most of the civilized world is still ruled, were given to one man alone on a mountain.1 The greatest sermon ever preached was given to a handful of mountain men by the greatest mountaineer of all, who finally climbed His last mountain—mount Calvary, Golgotha—and died alone for the sins of the world.2 That was a mountain that only He could climb for you and me, but He made it!
So what do you hear on the mountain? You hear things that are going to echo around the world. What do you hear in the stillness? Whispers that are going to change the course of history.
Eight people came down from one mountain—Noah and his family from the Ark on Mount Ararat—and they were never the same, and the world was never the same.3 One man, Moses, came down from a mountain and a whole nation was never the same, and they changed the world. And Jesus and His disciples came down from this mountain and changed the world! They were never the same.
Are you a mountain man?
Originally published December 1969. Excerpted and republished November 2010.
Read by Peter Amsterdam.
Footnotes:
1 Exodus 24:12.
2 Matthew chapters 5–7, 27:33–35.
3 Genesis 8:1–17.
Introduction by Peter Amsterdam
Download Audio (1.67MB)
In the symbolic language of spending time on the mountain, David presents four principles which apply to our spiritual life, but can, in many ways, be applied to our practical life as well.
1. The principle of being alone with God, in prayer and meditation, getting quiet and allowing Him to communicate with you. The symbolism of being able to see the light much longer on the mountain than when dwelling in the valley. The personal cost to taking that time, the effort necessary, symbolized by the cold and wind on the mountain, but also the payoff, the things you hear and see during your mountain times with God which thrill you.
2. The principle of retreat from the hustle and bustle of life, as symbolized by the valley. The importance of not becoming overly encumbered by life’s activities, to where you forget your mountain time, your time with God, your time of refreshment and reinvigoration in the spirit.
3. The principle of perseverance in following your dream, or your calling, or anything you feel that God has shown you is worth doing.—Realizing the cost of scaling the mountain of your dreams, the sacrifices one must often make in reaching those goals, the personal cost, but also the rewards of fighting through to accomplish them.
4. The principle of the pioneer. Having a vision to do something new, faith to believe it can be done, initiative to go ahead and try it, and the courage, the stamina, and commitment in order to bring it to fruition.
Throughout history, important things have happened on physical mountains. Important things can happen in your history if you learn the principles of spending time on the mountain in spirit. Be a mountain man!
*
Mountain Men
By D. Brandt Berg
Download Audio (3.85MB)
Mountain peaks are never crowded. I climbed many mountains and I was almost always alone. Why?
It’s hard work.
Not many people desire to climb mountains.
It’s lonesome.
You have to forsake all to do it.
It’s apt to cost your life.
Lots of scratches and bumps.
Long after the valley was in darkness, I could still see the sun. There is more light on the mountain. The valley is full of people and things, but usually in darkness. The mountain is windy and cold, but thrilling.
You have to have the feeling that it’s really worth dying for! Any mountain—the mountain of this life, the mountain of accomplishments, the mountain of obstacles, of difficulty—if you’re going to climb them, they have to be worth dying for, to brave the wind and cold and storm, symbolic of adversities.
But on the mount alone, you feel so close to the Lord. The voice of His Spirit there is so loud, it’s almost like it’s thundering! The voice of the multitude is so loud in the valley, you can’t hear the voice of God. The silence on the mountain peak is deafening! You get a real “high” on top of a mountain! It’s a thrill! It’s almost terrifying!
Only pioneers climb mountains—people who want to do something that no one ever did before, people who want to get above the multitude, beyond what has already been done and accomplished. Pioneers must have vision—to see what no one else can see; faith—to believe things that no one else believes; initiative—to be the first one to try it; courage—the guts to see it through!
On the mountain, you’re the first to see the sun rise and the last to see it set. You see the full circle of God’s glorious creation. You see the world in its proper perspective with range after range to be conquered and a world beyond the horizon of normal men. You see distant peaks yet to be climbed. You see distant valleys yet to be crossed. You see things that the men in the valleys can never see—can’t even comprehend, because they can’t see it! You can see the 360-degree circumference of the total horizon. It’s like seeing all of life from its beginning to its end, and understanding. You feel like you’re living in eternity.
The valley land is man’s country; the highlands are God’s country. Man dominates the valley. Only God dominates the mountain, and the men living on the mountains know this. Those on the mountains live so close to God and the things which are frightening and terrible and dangerous that they have to live close to God.
There aren’t many places to live on the mountain—little rugged shelters and lean-tos. There’s not much to eat, it’s cold and windy, but it’s a thrill even to die there. It’s better to die on the mountain than to live in the valley. Whoever read in the newspaper about the man who slipped and fell on the city street? But the man who dies on the mountain, even in far-off Switzerland, you’ll read about it, because at least he dared to try.
Beaten paths are for beaten men, but mountain peaks are for the mighty. Mountain peaks are for the mighty pioneers.
You never hear about the people who wait to see if it can be done. You only hear about the people who either made it or died trying. You never hear about those fancy tourists down on the ski slope somewhere. You just hear about the people who either made it or tried. But when you make it, the mouth of God will be opened unto you. He’ll speak to you face to face and will teach and reveal to you the greatest of His secrets.
The greatest laws ever given to man, whereby most of the civilized world is still ruled, were given to one man alone on a mountain.1 The greatest sermon ever preached was given to a handful of mountain men by the greatest mountaineer of all, who finally climbed His last mountain—mount Calvary, Golgotha—and died alone for the sins of the world.2 That was a mountain that only He could climb for you and me, but He made it!
So what do you hear on the mountain? You hear things that are going to echo around the world. What do you hear in the stillness? Whispers that are going to change the course of history.
Eight people came down from one mountain—Noah and his family from the Ark on Mount Ararat—and they were never the same, and the world was never the same.3 One man, Moses, came down from a mountain and a whole nation was never the same, and they changed the world. And Jesus and His disciples came down from this mountain and changed the world! They were never the same.
Are you a mountain man?
Originally published December 1969. Excerpted and republished November 2010.
Read by Peter Amsterdam.
Footnotes:
1 Exodus 24:12.
2 Matthew chapters 5–7, 27:33–35.
3 Genesis 8:1–17.
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