© Copyright 2005 Bill Nesbitt

June 8, 2005 — The point is not how good I am or how much I improve my behavior or rid myself of all known sin — the point is, there is a loving God Who wants to spend time with me the way I am. God will not break fellowship with me because I'm not thinking, speaking or acting up to snuff. It is I who break fellowship with Him through my own guilt, laziness or pride. If I will just continue in close fellowhip with Him, seeking His face, reading His Word and listening to His voice, I sincerely believe the sinful behavior will get better simply because of the good influence of being close to God. It works that way with my earthly relationships. My family and friends (if I spend lots of time with them) tend to influence the way I think, speak and act. If I treat God as a close Friend, a Friend Who sticks closer than a brother, how can I help but be influenced toward godliness?

O God — Remind me daily to just spend time with You. I want You to influence me toward Your ways of thinking, speaking and acting. Amen.

July 7, 2005 — Back from the Nesbitt adventure. Guess I should start with the highest point of the trip, at least literally. That would be Mt. Elbert, elev. 14,433 ft. It was really a relatively easy hike, at least in terms of being able to stay on the trail all the way to the top. The major frustration was the false summits along the way, especially the first one which we looked at (thinking it was the real thing) for the majority of the hike up. And any five mile trail that's all uphill is going to be a trial for us flatlanders, especially above, say, 13,500 ft. The last 1,000 vertical feet were a genuine test of my will. Total vertical climb was 4,400 ft.

Here are some pictures... first, on the way up, after clearing the treeline, around 11,500 to 12,000 ft. That's Evan, my 16-year-old son in some of the shots. Great hiking companion, especially during trouble (more on that later).
>>pic1      >>pic2

Wildflowers along the way. We were about two weeks early for full bloom.   >>pic3      >>pic4

Hiking up towards the first false summit.   >>pic5

Views from near the top. I believe the first shot is Mt. Massive.   >>pic6      >>pic7

At the top. Evan is in one shot, and some other hikers who were already there in the other.    >>pic8      >>pic9

Shots from the top. Beautiful day for awhile, then the rapidly developing weather chased us back down the mountain too quickly.    >>pic10      >>pic11     >>pic12

Here's a short video of our short-lived mountaintop experience. We couldn't stay long because the wind had to be blowing sixty miles an hour (you'll hear that in the video) and, as mentioned before, the weather was quickly deteriorating. I was a little shaky anyway due to exhaustion and altitude — the wind about blew me over a time or two. We could hear the gusts coming up the mountainside like something out of Lord of the Rings.

>>video  (1 min. 24 sec WMV)

We did manage the return hike without getting wet. About five hours up and 2 1/2 hours down. No spiritual breakthroughs, though it did amaze me going back down to see what we had just come up. And it was awesome to see the sky transform before our eyes. Like nothing I have seen before.

O God — Give me perseverance for my day-to-day journey. Let me see each hilltop not as a false summit (and therefore a source of disappointment) but as a steppingstone toward the top. And let me see glimpses of Your beauty along the way. Amen.

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