Iron Sharpens Iron

A couple weeks ago, my wife and I got out of town for a couple of days.  We went on a quick hiking trip to Great Basin National Park, which is a crazy awesome place!  You have to drive through 300 miles of desert to get there, but it’s pretty incredible!  We got to climb two of Nevada’s highest mountains, we touched Nevada’s only glacier, and we were out of contact with the rest of the world… if only for a couple days.  I love taking time just to be in the mountains, see the leaves change color, and scramble to the top of a thirteen thousand foot peak.  Nature helps me to feel alive, and it helps me to cherish every moment of life, from the sunrise to the amazingly starry nights.

At the top of Wheeler Peak 

However, my trip to the Great Basin would not have been nearly as meaningful if I did not have anyone to cherish these moments with.  It may seem kind of crazy to go backpacking, sleep on the ground, and climb every mountain in sight with my pregnant wife.  However, my wife and I find that we actually grow closer together on these trips.  We challenge one another to appreciate everything around us, and we take time to give thanks for the gifts we have in this world.  I know I would not grow nearly as much if she was not there…

This week we are beginning a new sermon series called Iron sharpens Iron that is based on the book of Proverbs.  The series will ask us if we are taking time to be in relationship with others.  Sometimes this world gets pretty crazy, and it can become hard to really build relationships beyond simply becoming Facebook friends.  We need people in our lives that will challenge us, motivate us, and hold us accountable.  Are we taking time to build these kinds of relationships?  This week I hope we can take time to appreciate the relationships we have, but I hope we can also build new relationships that will challenge us to become better people every day!

Blessings!

Pastor Brian

Nevada's only glacier... just a dirty pile of snow by the end of
September, but still pretty neat!

In just about a couple of hours Kira would be at the
high point of the mountain in front of her :)