I recently had the most amazing experience! I went zip lining with my best friend. As usual i thought i was doing one thing but God showed me I was actually learning a lesson. The adventure began over breakfast the day before, Barbara and I decided we must go tomorrow. Now from start to finish the team at Ski Apache http://www.skiapache.com/summer/ziptour/ was on point. Barbara and I showed up paid, and signed all the paper work (you know the sheet that says do what we say or you can't sue us, accidents happen you still can't sue us) We then watch a video that gave step by step instruction. Then we got to go in a room the walls are lined with all the gear for getting suited up! You meet your guides, they start telling you what to do and have you step in a harness and pull it up around your waste. Thats when they take over and grab the gear and start securing and tightening and yanking making sure you're in good. You get some instruction and we walked out to the practice ramp. Our wonderful guide Josie who is wearing a bright long sleeve orange shirt, explains what her arm signals mean and that we are about to practice.

getting all signed up!!!So excited I love our adventures Barbara!!!

​Now, I want to say how much it meant to me that, from the time i called to schedule our zip the team there was so on point and from the second we pulled into the parking lot, it never even occurred to me how much confidence and security i felt until the next day when i was talking to God about everything and he started revealing Himself in my experience. You see if you're about to launch off a mountain (and want to live) you have to trust who you're with. I don't think they would be profitable if your first impressions are uneasy or you feel you can't trust the environment you're in, i doubt you'll proceed and you'll ask for your money back.

I thought about the liability release, Matthew 10:22, Jesus explains that following Him has some liability but if you'll follow Him its worth the payoff. Then how Josie and Wyn worked together to get us all buckled in and secure and safe, its how Jesus and the Holy Spirit are always around us pulling, pushing making sure we are secure. 

Before they walked us to the practice zip Josie, looks us all in the eyes she says, "I'm going to be on the platform signaling you, you must watch me, you will come in to fast and hurt yourself or you will get stuck and have to be rescued if you don't watch my signals, Do you understand that you have to follow my signals, if you get hurt or get stuck, and try to say, "but i didn't see you", its not going to fly i'm in a bright orange shirt and i've told you to watch me, y'all got it (eye contact) lets go practice." (love that girl!) 

Barbara on her practice line!!!She done this before thats why she looks confident.

Hebrews 12:2 Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed - that exhilarating finish in and with God - he could put up with anything along the way: cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God.

It so reminded me of Hebrews 12:2, guess what, watch me, I've done this, Keep your eyes on me and you won't get hurt and you won't need to be rescued!!! RIGHT

​As i remembered our practice run it occurred to me the guides needed to see how we respond to commands as much as we need to get the feel for the equipment and watching for signals.

In Matthew 25:21 Jesus is telling a story, ........You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’    

Basically this is what Josie and Wyn are saying, If i can trust you on the practice run, i'll take you to the top and i'll show you how to really have a blast!!!

We are heading up!!!This is Wyn Runningwater, and he ROCKS!

Then it was time!!!! We are at the Top!!! Josie goes before us so she will be on the platform waiting. Dueteronomy 31:8 says The Lord goes ahead of you.... so you do not have to be afraid. What would it have been like if Josie had gone to the second platform separate from us, what if i hadn't seen her zip off my platform and asure me that she is at the finish waiting for me. She let us see that it was safe and we didn't need to be afraid.

​Its my turn Wyn has secured Barbara and I, I have listen to the 

Ange and BarbWe are ready!!!!

instructions and played them over in my head, I count us down, 1,2,3 and we launch!!! The thrill of just being suspended rushing over this amazing landscape picking up speed..... it has to be experienced!! I'm getting close to the end I see the orange shirt, she gives me the break signal, so i break, i stopped like like 5 feet from the platform. LOL  Josie says its ok just kick your feet like your swinging and ill get you, so i start kicking and sure enough i start scooting to the platform with every kick, Josie leans as far as she can without falling and as soon as she can grab my toe, she pulls me in. She assured me i did great and that i did exactly what she said to do.

​God showed me that sometimes we do everything we are suppose to do and life (gravity, vector, wind) can cause the results to fall a little short, but guess what!! Just like Josie, Jesus is there to fill the gap and say, "kick, i'll pull you in, you did perfect."

You see suiting up and zipping down a mountain at 65-80mph should scare you, if its not scary you're not risking anything, you're not having to trust anything if its not scary!! You see God has made it possible for us to fly, He sent His son before us, and he's given you specific instructions and said don't slow down you'll get stuck and need to be rescued, don't take your eyes off me or you'll crash and hurt yourself, and no matter what when you fall a little short i'll be in the gap to pull you in, just keep kicking!!!!

Beautiful!!!"We are on top of the world, looking down on creation!"

​That first zip is long and you get such a rush cause you get to going so so so fast (you're a little temped to give it a little break), the problem is it levels off at the end, so if you hold back and don't go full throttle you won't have enough momentum to make it to the platform once you see the signal to break. So the warning from Wyn before you launch is, "remember don't slow down on this one no matter how fast or how scared you get you have to go full on or you'll get stuck!"

How many of us are stuck because we got scared? God has said,"launch" and we pull the break because its fast and we get scared, but he needed us to go fast and ride the momentum safely in. You see there is a difference in obeying and not giving up and knowing He is there to pull you in, and being stuck and having to be rescued. One is full of faith the other is not!

Have you ever launched  full throttle and got your eyes off of Jesus and crashed hard and got hurt? Well, thats an obedience and focus issue, you're not dead you're just hurt!!! Actually you can still go again while the scaredy cat is still being rescued. Maybe thats why faith is what pleases HIM the most!!!! Maybe thats why faith without movement is void? See you can say you have all the faith in the world but that faith isn't activated until you launch!!!!

​I want to encourage you to LAUNCH, it doesn't have to be off a mountain. What about that new career, going back to school, asking out that cute lady, saying yes to that smart boy, most importantly SAYING YES TO JESUS. Saying yes to what he has asked you to do, or say. I assure you the only regret you will ever have is not launching!!!!!! Our LeadersJosie and Wyn!!!! WE ARE WORLD CHANGERS!!!!!So So Fun!!