The account of Abraham's near-sacrifice of Isaac in Genesis 22 is familiar to many of us. Abraham, a godly man who learned to walk with God over many years, received from the Lord some absolutely clear guidance to sacrifice Isaac. With many questions, I'm sure, but also with deep faith, he moved forward in obedience. But then, just at the climactic moment, God tells him to stop, and completely reverses the original plan. Isaac was not to die that day. God obviously had another plan for Abraham and Isaac - a plan which could only be realized in this manner.

Dealing with issues of the Will of God in our various summer youth outreach programs (see Ministry Report), this story of Abraham has taken on new meaning for me. I, like any believer in Jesus Christ, want to know and do God's will. Not enjoying the physical manifestation of God's person or voice to give direction, this all too often results in great internal struggles. But then, after coming to a decision, sometimes we get down the road and find that it's blocked. Indeed, not just blocked, but absolutely non-existent, as if that direction was never truly intended for us.

When faced with this circumstance, I think we all tend to analyze it in terms of our own failure to discern God's will at the beginning. We must have been wrong, read into the Scriptures something that wasn't there, or been blinded by selfish ulterior motives. While I'm not denying that these reasons could be the cause, I have begun to think differently lately. Perhaps another illustration will help explain.

I love to hike, and have done so literally all over the world. What makes the hiking worthwhile, however, is what's waiting at the end - like the top of a mountain.

If we were out hiking and stood at the foot of a mountain, looking up to the top, we might think that the best route would be straight up. However, if we tried this approach, we would quickly tire and be overwhelmed by the sheer cliffs or jutting ledges. We might even give up completely, convinced that the peak is unattainable.

That is why a good trail designer will often make a trail in a zig-zag formation, taking advantage of every available feature to slowly wind the way to the top. These zig-zags are called "switchbacks", because that's exactly what they do: the trail goes one direction for a while, and then abruptly reverses course and heads back in the direction it just came. From one perspective, it might seem that the hiker is getting nowhere. However, the fact is that at each turn he is just a little bit higher. The movement in a particular direction is only a temporary arrangement, designed ultimately to get us closer to the top.

When this picture came to my mind, I began to understand perhaps just a little bit better how God works in our lives. He has called us to "hike" with Him, as it were, one step at a time. The trail is called "Sanctification" and our destination is the summit, which we will call "Christ-likeness". We know from Scripture that this will only ultimately be realized when we see Him face-to-face. However, God has not designed our path to go straight to the top, for He knows that we might quickly become discouraged, and the journey would be too hard for us. And so, He very patiently plans every individual trail to capitalize on every feature (think "circumstance") as we tread onwards.

The key when encountering various obstacles and reversals is to remember our ultimate destination: the summit of Christ-likeness, not some lesser achievement, possession, or relationship. And God has promised (Romans 8:29, eg.) that we will reach the top, and that every step is one more closer to our destination - even if we don't think so.

So, the next time you face a situation where life seems to be reversing on you, don't be discouraged, or get all worked over with doubts and second guessing. It doesn't necessarily follow that you were completely wrong about or even just misunderstood God's will for you before. It might just be that God has put a switchback in your trail at that location, for He knows that that is what it will take to make you a little more like Himself.

In His Service,
Stephen Tecklenberg
President / Executive Director

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Ministry Report

Shenandoah Valley Excursion. From June 9-12, forty-four individuals, from 6 states and 3 foreign countries, joined us for this trip in the heart of the Shenandoah valley in Virginia. We hiked up Old Rag Mountain and White Oak Canyon, learned to rapel, swam, played various sports and games, and of course had a great time just being together.

The theme of our study was "Willing His Will: Understanding God's Purpose For My Life". Steve Tecklenberg started with a discussion on the importance of knowing and doing God's will from Matthew 7. Mike Kenley, the pastor of Fellowship Chapel in Jarrettsville, MD, and Bruce Harris, a missionary to Tokyo, Japan with Send International, followed up with sessions on some of the direct revelations of God's will in the Scriptures. They looked at ways in which God reveals His will to us, and Biblical and personal examples of the Sovereignty of God working out every detail of life. Steve then concluded with a reminder that the Christian life is a walk by faith with the Person of Jesus Christ.

In addition to Mike and Bruce, we want to extend our thanks to Sarah Cox, Micah Francis, Laura and Lydia Harris, Bethany Heilman, Daniel Popoi, Anthony Strube, Emily Thate, and Shahin Yousefi for their diligent work and servant spirits as the staff for the trip.

Romanian Summer Camps. On July 8, Steve Tecklenberg was joined by Mark Montgomery, of Athlone, Ireland, to begin this three-week mission.

They started with one week in the town of Breaza, near Bucharest, with approximately 35 young people, many of whom are participants in our Discipleship Training Course. To accommodate these young people, three families offered the use of their private homes in the hills, which provided the perfect atmosphere for wholesome activities and study sessions.

The next two weeks were spent at the campsite near Arpas (a town in the Fagaras mountains), where approximately 50-60 young people came each week, representing many different towns and villages around the country.

At each of the camps, there was a variety of physical activities for the young people, including opportunities for special trips, such as a visit to one of Romania's famous castles, or a hike to a beautiful mountain-top lake. Steve also worked with them to form choirs, teaching them some English hymns which were later performed in several churches.

The focus of the teaching at these camps was also on the Will of God, with Mark and Steve working together to bring the twice-daily study times.

The greatest joy of all of these youth outreach programs, however, was seeing so many of the young people express a genuine and earnest desire to know and follow the Lord. For some of them, this was accompanied by a sense of conviction to trust the Lord for deep, inner change. Please continue to pray with us for their continued spiritual growth.

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A.M.C. Golgota (Romania) Partnership Update

With the view of being able to facilitate more campers and also to expand to year-round camping, plans have been drawn up to develop the Arpas campground into more of a camp-resort, with lodges, a larger kitchen and dining facility, meeting rooms, and athletic grounds.

Due to new government regulations, the building project must start by the beginning of November, or the permits will be forfeited. In addition, there is a very real threat that the whole camp program will be forced to close down, due to these same regulations.

If you desire to contribute towards this project, you may do so through ENM. 100% of funds received for the project will be passed directly to them, with ENM assuming all administrative costs of the transfer.