We Went Vertical!!!!

Last fall, God gave us a vision for the National Summit at SOTO..."Go Vertical!"  We not only felt like this was a key DNA of The Journey, we felt like the best thing we could do with a group of our leaders and Journey brothers from all over the country was take them to a place where God could speak to them clearly.  All of the men were assigned to an Expedition Team, with a Sherpa (servant leader) and a Medic (prayer warrior), and these men supported each other on their ascent.  The worship, the talks, the programming was all about men emptying themselves and then moving toward an intimate, abiding relationship with Christ.  Well, Praise God that we heard from Him, and He answered our prayers, for it was Mission Accomplished last weekend- He took us Vertical!

Heavy rains and thunderstorms came in the day before the event, which posed many logistical challenges, but none of these distractions could stop what God wanted to do.  Every man was prayed over multiple times by intercessors who received their names, and the event itself had more prayer than we've ever had, much of this thanks to our Prayer Team leaders, Eric Pate and Lonny Gustafson.

As the men gathered for the first time on Thursday night for worship and the opening ceremony, there was a spirit of unity and love already present.  One man from Maine said he likened it to a pride of lions all roaring and he was that stray lion who heard their roar and found his way back.  Worship was led by Sam and Nick Parsons, which proved extra special since Sam is battling cancer and was leading out of a place of total dependence upon the Spirit.

Friday morning, Rocky led the men through a time of figuring out what they needed to empty out of their life before going Vertical and then, asked them to walk across the long bridge at SOTO as a symbol of starting their vertical journey.  One participant, Ken Hill, from Tulsa, is suffering from ALS and wheelchair-bound, but in a beautiful moment, the brothers helped him lift he and his wheelchair onto the bridge so he could make the sacred trek.

Friday afternoon, the men got to spend 2 hours with the Father, processing their bridge walk and what's holding them back.  Then, John Van Lenten, from Bakersfield, masterfully led the men through talk about God's Word as the absolute necessity to being a God-Seeker and getting the needed nutrition for the journey.  Friday night was Region night where the regions gathered for a special time of bonding with their men, but 70 men who attended from new cities got to spend special time with Rocky, as he imparted valuable Journey DNA principles.  It was so exciting and encouraging to see the growth of the ministry into new cities.

Saturday morning, Nate Sweeney, who leads the Abiding Network of pastors, blew everyone away with his lively, challenging talk on Abiding with Jesus and "tightening your grip by letting go".   Then, after lunch, we had a Baptism service, where 20 men decided to be baptized, dedicating their lives to the Lord.  That afternoon, men got opportunities to learn more about Virtual Journey Groups, The Journey in your church, Prison ministry and then, we were all treated to a very special moment as Rocky interviewed Pete McKenzie and Sam Parsons about their lives of service for the Lord, despite recent loss and challenges.  Sam also blessed us with a few songs he recently wrote.  The whole auditorium of men rose to their feet to honor these sages in our ministry.

The final night was led by Jay Thompson and Frank Khalil, as they brought us to the Cross, but helped us understand the importance of helping others get there.  The Expedition Teams had carabiners, which they clicked into a rope that led them to the Cross together.  It was a very humble, thoughtful close to a weekend full of revelation, introspection, transformation and power.

THANK YOU to all of you who served as Medics and Sherpas or on the SOTO leadership team.  The fruit of your abiding relationship with Christ shone through.

NOW TO ALL OF MY BROTHERS WHO ATTENDED.... SOTO was but a taste, a glimpse of the deeper walk, the consecrated life.  You were granted a vision of the mountaintop, BUT it is lived out in the ordinary valleys of life.  It is your daily, abiding relationship with Christ which will continue any journey that started at SOTO.  If you don't know how, get into a Journey group.  If there is no Journey group starting soon, seek out a Mentor who can help you.  Don't get isolated and out of God's Word and allow the devil to steal the seeds which were planted.

Pictures and stories will be shared as we receive them, as well as Podcasts of some of the talks.  I would ask those of you who attended to comment below on the weekend, so others can hear about what God did.  We want to hear the stories.  You can post your comments below.

God bless you and look forward to seeing you all on the battlefield!