Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, ‘What does this mean?’ Some, however, made fun of them and said, ‘They have had too much wine.'” ACTS 2:12-13

Big news this week: two climbers free-climbed the “Dawn Wall” of El Capitan in Yosemite. People have climbed this monolith before. But, what made this ascent historic was that the climbers used only their hands and feet on the natural rock face to do so (Previous attempts required climbers to drill spikes into the rock face, essentially creating artificial “holds”). For 19 days, the world — mostly outsiders to the sport of climbing — have been closely following the news coverage surrounding this particular adventure which started on December 27th.

“How do they do it?” We all wonder. They climb. They sleep (in what climbers apparently refer to as “porta-ledges” slumbering in aluminum shelves that suspend them over certain death). They eat. They stretch. One news outlet reported that they spent a lot of time in the ledges staying limber by practicing yoga. Why does something like this capture the minds and attention of people?

Whether you were one of the “amazed” or the “perplexed,” or if you thought that maybe “they have had too much wine,”  there is an irrepressible magnetism that surrounds people who pursue the impossible. When asked why he chose to tackle such a feat, one climber said:

“For me, I love to dream big, and I love to find ways to be a bit of an explorer. These days it seems like everything is padded and comes with warning labels. This just lights a fire under me, and that’s a really exciting way to live.”

This Monday, we honor another big dreamer. The nation will pause to consider a different ascender and an entirely different climb — one that has still yet to be summited. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is the perfect example of what happens when people do not take the world as a fixed reality. He looked from a valley floor and said, in effect, “we all have to get over this mountain together.” I suppose in that respect, Dr. King is more akin to John Muir, than a climber. Perhaps his work was more about calling people to the daunting trials of ascent and the inexplicable beauty in all the peaks that still could and must be climbed.

Jesus calls people to a life with Him in which people choose an impossible brand of life — a far cry from the lives of the ordinary people. Those who would walk with Him are not bound by the things that make the most sense with the softest padding and clearest warning labels. Jesus invites people to follow Him into a life where “impossible” is not a boundary, it’s a launch-pad…

…Or, perhaps a “porta-ledge.”

This week we’ll take a closer look at the magnetism of people who are in pursuit of God’s impossible kind of life, in the second week of our series: UNLEASH THE IMPOSSIBLE.

Also, as a valued part of our church family, I want to invite you to help us learn and improve the way we communicate the heart and mission of our church to the world around us. This is an important endeavor for us over the next year and it all begins with feedback from you. Would you help us by clicking this link and filling out a brief questionnaire about who we are as a church? I would really appreciate your input as we continue to become who God has called us to be together. (The deadline for the questionnaire is Friday, January 30.)

See you Sunday,

Jeff