Climbing Mount Everest (LifePoint)

The first attempts to reach the summit of Mount Everest began in the early 1920’s with the opening of the Tibetan route. Over the next thirty or so years, eight attempts were made on the Northeast Ridge and three on the Southeast Ridge. The combination of thin air, extreme temperatures and high altitude brought failure to each successive attempt.On May 29th, 1953 that man - Edmund Percival Hillary - and his companion, Tensing Norgay, achieved the seeming impossible – they climbed Mount Everest. The 34 year old kiwi and the 38 year old Nepalese Sherpa guide leader conquered the world’s tallest mountain after a slow climb at less than three steps per minute up the final three hundred yards from their last Camp. This final climb to the top had defeated seven other expeditions.

Every time I read this story I get really excited, two men, Hillary and Tensing achieved what many people before them had attempted and failed. And I'm sure there were many people who were on the sidelines, were telling these two men that they couldn't do do it either, but they had a vision to climb Mount Everest, and there was nothing that was going to get in their way. Not people telling them they couldn't, not the weather, not their physical bodies, and not the hard work that it would take. Their focus was on nothing but the vision of reaching the top of Mount Everest. And with that vision their goal was hit!

We are in the tenth month of our vision at LifePoint, with many months and years to come. There has been some good times, there has been some tough times, but through it all God has shown Himself mighty! At our official launch on October 5th we had 121 people in attendance. That was awesome and very encouraging. We knew though that the next week would really tell us what we were going to have to start with. And that next week following the launch we had 65 people in attendance. Now we had a starting point. Every week since then we have increased in attendance, with this last week having 97 in attendance. Man God is good. He is faithfully bringing the people who He wants to be at LifePoint. If you count the 3 preview services along with the services since our launch we have had nine services. What can God do in a new church? What can God do when people focus on the vision? What can God do through LifePoint? Well let me tell you what He has done. Twelve people giving their lives to Christ, every week numerous people making decisions of re-dedication, people crying out for help, people asking God to give them victory in areas of their lives like, money, family, loneliness, and fears. God has touched the hearts of people to give food to families in need, to cut grass, clean gutters, trim trees, and rake leaves. God is bringing a group of people together who say it doesn't matter what you look like, what you wear, how many tattoos, how many piercings you have, how much money you have, where you came from, and how you got here. God loves you and so do we. He is bringing people together from all over the community that want to make a difference, to put unity back into community, to love people know matter what, and to make it hard to get to hell from Findlay, Ohio. That is what God has done. And the great thing about it is He is just starting.

I love this quote by Hillary: "He wrote of the pair's final steps to the top of the world: "Another few weary steps and there was nothing above us but the sky. There was no false cornice, no final pinnacle. We were standing together on the summit. There was enough space for about six people. We had conquered Everest."

At LifePoint we are well on our way to the Summit, with our focus on the vision and God as our guide we will make it. And when we reach the summit there won't just be two people standing there, but there will be thousands.