Western Mass Climbers Rendezvous

Praise the Lord! I was able to get a ride with David(Word of Life Bible Institute student)and we headed down friday night to the Western Mass Climbers Rendezvous, where we met up with Guy Debrun and his wife. Guy is the Solid Rock Climbers for Christ area rep for Mass. After going over the gameplan and a time of prayer we went and hung out around the fire with the organizers of the event. David had an excellent conversation about spiritual thing with one of the guys. In the morning we served breakfast and coffee to about 80 climbers. After breakfast was cleaned up two late comers showed up wondering if there was anything left. We hooked Julian and Peter up with some leftover eggs and bagels and as they ate we discussed our climbing plans for the day. We invited them to join us. We headed out to Farley to do some climbing. Guy set up a couple of top-ropes and we took turns running laps. After everyone was good and tired we headed back to base camp in the Wendell State forest. There we ate an incredible dinner of all local grown food including local grass-fed beef burgers. After watching the Reel Rock tour film David and I headed for home. We had some great conversations on the way down and the way back but, weren't paying attention to exactly where the gps was directing us to go and took the scenic route home. You have got to love technology! Overall a great weekend of ministry! (I forgot to take pictures)

2nd Annual Southern Adirondack Rockclimbers Festival

Jay Harrison and I started on Thursday by sending two new routes out at the black arches wall that we had been working on. Friday morning we went out to the measles wall and set up some top-rope routes. People began trickling in Friday afternoon. Then the rain started. It sprinkled on and off friday night but we still got a little bouldering in at the boulderwoods.

Saturday we woke up to rain. In anticipation of it clearing up we all headed to the summit cliffs. Even though it never cleared up, many people still got some climbing in.

Sunday lived up to its name and the sun appeared and dried up all of the rain. We all headed out to the Black Arches wall. The ropeguns lead some of the hard routes and setup topropes for the rest of us mortals.

Over-all I think there were more than 35 individuals who participated in one way or the other.

The silence is broken

Wow it has been a long time since my last post, and a lot has happened in our lives since that last one so I don't think that I will write about it all.

I have kinda been "wandering in the wilderness" a little the last few months trying to decide what it is God wants me to do. I have experienced a bunch of peaks and valleys these past few years trying to find my own personal ministry niche and now I am a bit hesitant to just jump right in to the next new thing. I am beginning to think that this is what God has for me though.

Since January 2009 I have been volunteering as the North East representative for a ministry called Solid Rock Climbers for Christ (SRCFC). I just hosted the National conference here in the Adirondacks a couple of weeks ago and it went well. It was during that conference that God began confirming in my heart that this is the ministry that He is calling me to.

SRCFC is a ministry focused on climbers. Its goals are to:
1. Share the good news about Jesus Christ with climbers who have never heard it or haven't considered applying to their lives personally.
2. Encourage climbers who are followers of Christ in their spiritual walk.
3. Train Christian climbers how to effectively minister to their own local climbing community.

I am planning to continue to work to pay my bills but I will be raising some financial support to cover ministry costs.

Please pray specifically for this coming weekend Sept 11-13 as we are hosting the 2nd annual Southern Adirondack Rock Climbers Festival. It looks like it is going to be well attended and will allow us to make contacts with many climbers. Pray for open doors of opportunity for ministry.

Divine appointments

I love it when things happen that are obvious too coincidental to be a coincidence. My good friend and climbing partner Matt just got a new set of ice tools so he was easily pursuaded to take a half day off of work and run up to the Cascade pass for a few laps on the ice. We got an early start and I lead a really fun route called Buster Matt followed it and then we set up a top rope so that Matt could get some ice-time with his new tools. We tore everything down and headed down to the car at about 10:30am. Parked right next to us in the parking area was a van for Medeba (a christian adventure school out of Canada). We got talking and I introduced myself and asked if he had ever heard about Solid Rock Climbers for Christ. He said that he had been a member a long time ago but had lost touch. I gave them some brochures and told them about the National conference here in the Adirondacks in August. I'm excited about what God is doing and look forward to the largest east coast conference ever. Keep praying!

A Long Winter's Night

On Belay the new Paris family ministry newsletter is way overdue. What a great way to start off the year. If you would like to be on the list to receive it please get in touch with us with your contact information and specify if you prefer an electronic copy or a paper copy or both.

Parenting has really been occupying most of our energy and time the past few months. The challenges of parenting have driven us as a married couple closer to one another and closer to God. Please keep praying for us in this area.

On the ministry front-great things have been happening and I am excited to see the hand of God at work here in New England.

• The Solid Rock Climbers for Christ national conference is scheduled to be held right here in the Adirondacks this year(Aug 19-23), and I have been busy making preperations for that event. I am praying that it will be the best attended east coast conference ever. Please pray for wisdom and direction as I make arrangements for this event.
• A local climber that is on the climbing team for a local gym recently had a house fire and the family lost everything. SRCFC was able to make a financial donation to help meet their needs. Here is a quote from an email that I received back from the gym owner: " they are extremely touched about your concern, and were really psyched that an organization called Climbers for Christ even existed!" Please pray for this family and for us as we seek to minister to their needs.
• We continue to make more contacts with climbers both christian and non-christian, including many local guides. Please pray for continued open doors of opportunity and for Divine appointments.
• I need to do one of my least favorite ministry requirements, ask people for money. Even though we are currently "tent-making" missionaries (meaning we work "real" jobs to pay our bills) money is required to do the work of the ministry. Please pray that I would be proactive in this area and that God would supply the needed funds.

Please let us know how we can be praying for you, and feel free to come for a visit!

On Belay?

This picture is of Gideon reaching the top of a climb at Rocksport (our local climbing gym). What is it that gives him the confidence to climb 30 feet off the ground? See that rope that he is tied to? Guess what is on the other end. His belayer is on the other end, holding the rope, keeping him safe.

Belay is a climbing term that means basically "I am holding the rope and I am ready to catch you if you fall". So before a climber leaves to ground he begins a dialouge with his belayer that goes like this.

Climber: "on belay?" (the climber is asking the belayer if they have everything ready to safely hold the rope in the case of a fall)

Belayer: "belay on!" (the belayer is responding that they have evrything ready to catch the climber if they fall)

Climber: "ready to climb." (the climber is saying I trust you to catch me if I fall)

Belayer: "climb on!" (the belayer is ensuring the climber that they will catch them if they fall)

So as we begin this new season of ministry with Solid Rock Climbers for Christ it is my goal to recruit 200 spiritual belayers for our ministry. Before we head out on this new ministry "climb" we want to know that we have many spiritual belayers holding the other end of our rope through prayer. Will you be one of our spiritual belayers?

We are excited and ready to climb. So do you have us "on belay"?

Deep Valleys

Our family is currently walking through one of the deepest, darkest valleys that I have ever experienced. It involves a child who is choosing rebellion over obedience. It is very painful to see her shake her fist in the face of God (and of her parents) and say " I am going to do what I want to do regardless of what you say!". Now that the shoe is on the other foot I am realising just how much pain we caused our parents during our season of rebellion. Also I am realising how my heavenly Father must feel when I choose to do my own thing when I know what He wants me to do.