19 Feb, 2010

A Secret Trip Up The Mountain

How did Shaun White prepare and perfect his performance that won him back-to-back Olympic Gold Metals? At his very own, private half-pipe, built by one of his sponsors, Red Bull.

Check out the link below for a short video about a trip up the mountain to see this top secret half-pipe. And be sure to catch what he has to say about the project.

FIRST LOOK: Shaun White's private pipe – Red Bull Project X: youtube.com/watch?v=e1Zoh2JC_XA&NR=1.

Photo: images.google.com.

Mark 9:2-13 (ESV)

The Transfiguration


 2 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3and his clothes became radiant, intensely white, as no one on earth could bleach them. 4And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, and they were talking with Jesus. 5And Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah." 6For he did not know what to say, for they were terrified. 7And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, "This is my beloved Son; listen to him." 8And suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them but Jesus only.

 9 And as they were coming down the mountain, he charged them to tell no one what they had seen, until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10 So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead might mean. 11And they asked him, "Why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?" 12And he said to them, "Elijah does come first to restore all things. And how is it written of the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt? 13But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him."

What does God's Story say about going up into the mountains?

Granted, Jesus and Shaun White are quite different. But Today's Story and today's God's Story Scripture do have some similarities. Did you catch some of the statements that Shaun White made about "his mountain" in that video? Statements about "taking the distractions away," and "exploring the boundaries of what I can do"?

Today's God's Story Scripture wasn't the only time Jesus went up the mountain to connect with his Father. It's hard to grasp the fact that Jesus was both fully God and fully man. The man of Jesus still needed to connect with the Father, just like we do. It was on the mountain, with his Father that the distractions of the world around him were dealt with. It's later where he dealt with his human boundaries and asked the Father for His will to be done.  But today's passage was a little different from the rest.

In these verses we see that Jesus changed. Right before the eyes of Peter, James, and John. On this mountain they heard the voice of the Father say, "This is my beloved Son; listen to him." All in prepartion for the biggest event of Jesus' time on this earth in the not so distant future from that point ... his crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection. As we move toward the Easter season, remember the words of the Father spoken on that private mountain ... "This is my son ... listen to him."

Connecting My Story to God's Story
  • Find a private place to spend some time with the Father this weekend.
  • Read the rest of Gospel of Mark througout the next week.
  • Imagine being one of the disciples there on that mountain with Jesus.  Write down how you would have reacted to seeing and hearing all that they saw and heard.
Connecting Today's Story, God's Story and My Story to Others
  • Talk with a friend about what their family does as we move toward Easter.
  • Talk with a friend about Today's Story if Shaun White comes up in the conversation.
  • Watch the Olympics with a friend and ask them how they would prepare for one of the events.  Bring up Shaun White's halfpipe and talk about today's God's Story Scripture.
Comments

Ornament

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