June
29, 2008
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Action
Required: Is It in You?
At
the age of 33, Erik Weihenmayer is a phenomenal athlete who
loves to skydive, snow ski and climb mountains. Mountain
climbing is his specialty. As a matter of fact, he is on
track to be one of the youngest to climb all of the Seven
Summits, the highest peaks on each of the continents. In 1995
he scaled Mt. McKinley, in 1996 El Capitan, in 1998 Mt
Kilamanjaro. In 1999 he climbed Argentina’s Aconcauga.
On May 25, 2001 he reached the summit of Mount Everest, a
peak that 90% of those who begin to climb never finish. Since
1953, 165 people have died trying to climb Everest, but Erik
made it.
Now that is an extremely significant feat, but you
don’t know the half of it. Weihenmayer suffers from a
degenerative eye disease, and when he was 13 he became
totally blind. All of his climbs have been without the
benefit of his eyesight. Weihenmayer is a blind
mountain-climber!
Now you have to ask yourself, “How is that possible?
How can a guy who can’t see climb the highest peaks in
the world?” If you ask him, he’ll tell you. He
has learned to listen well.
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He listens as a bell tied to the back of the climber in
front of him shows him which way to go.
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He listens to his climbing partners who shout back to him,
“Death fall two feet to your right!” so he
knows what direction not to go.
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He listens to the sound of his pick jabbing the ice, so he
knows whether his footing will be secure or
not.
For
Erik Weihenmayer, being a good listener is a matter of life
and death. We need to be listening as if our life depends on
it, because it does! We read in Romans 10:17
“…faith comes from hearing the message, and the
message is heard through the word of Christ.”
Today we will study what James says about listening to the
Word of God and applying it to our lives.
Worship folder
Outline
Podcast
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NORTH RALEIGH CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE
9200
Strickland Road
Raleigh, North Carolina 27615
919.870.1141 Phone
919.870.1447 Fax
web@nrnazarene.org