NO HILL FOR A CLIMBER

When I was a young man I planted a church and went through all the mistakes and successes of so doing. Part of the issue was thinking we knew what we did not want and not knowing for sure what we did want in a new expression. That has all the bumps and grinds one might imagine. Now a good number of years later I am not sure I would do much of any of what we did then. Perhaps that’s the way it should be if the church is truly organic, growing and changing with time. What cannot change is that it has to be all about Jesus Christ and not about organizations in any history.

As we started to form we had three eldering couples as our elders. One of these couples was Chuck and Catherine Reed. They were both very qualified and effective leaders. Chuck was a tall, quiet angular man of strength and an expert heavy equipment operator. As I often found myself in over my head, receiving criticism, sounding out doubt and sometimes ready to quit; Chuck would come to me and put his huge hands and long arm over my shoulder and say, “Ah, that’s no hill for a climber.” That was his line to encourage me to keep going, take another step up and try to ignore the peripheral noise and move forward.

Through the many past years I have often been reminded of Chuck’s words, “That’s no hill for a climber.” What a man, what an elder and what a brother. Both Chuck and Catherine are dead now… but not forgotten. That’s no hill for a climber.

“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.” Jesus