Mountain Climbing

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

It's great to be with you tonight.

Intro - For those of you who don't know me, my name is Bret Bassett and I live with 31 of these young men in West Valley. We are part of a great stake called the Jordan North Stake. And it's great to be here with you tonight.

YW Camp - We were with our YW last night at their camp, and I've got to tell you, this is very different.
All of them had their hair tied up in braids.
They got up to do their skits, and some of them got giggling so hard you couldn't understand a word they said.
They kept talking about how hard their little hike was

Thanks to leaders - I appreciate the men who have been up here with you this week. It is a great thing to find men who care about young men enough that they'll take off work. Thank you men. You men are my heros.

Hope its been a challenge - I hope that this has been a challenging week for you. I hope you've had to stretch yourselves like Nephi did when he was asked to work with his brothers to build a boat. It was hard work building something he had not built before, but it was also a pain working with his complaining brothers all day, everyday. For it's only with sacrifice that we grow and get the blessings of arriving at our personal promised land.

Hope you've pondered the gospel - I hope that you have had time to ponder on things of the spirit. That you've had a chance to pray and seek to gain a personal witness of the truthfulness of the Gospel. That like joseph smith, you have sought to have your own personal sacred grove experience. You may never have a visit from the Father and Son, as did Joseph. But you can, and will, have a witness to your heart that the gospel is true and that the Book of Mormon is true…if you will seek it. If you haven't had that personal witness yet in your life, may I suggest you stop wasting your time, and get on it. We need to raise the bar with our young men so that they are better missionaries when they leave.

And what is needed in the mission field? - We just got back from Philmont high adventure scout camp in New Mexico. There we were instructed by Tom Fitzgiven's the Western Region Scout Commissioner, and President Charles Dahlquist, President of the General YM presidency, and his counselor PRes Burgess and members of his board. They talked to us about what is needed in the mission field. You might find it interesting.

When Pres Burgess first went into the field as a mission President they asked him, what he wished every young men had gained before they came. He said he wished that they had:
A strong work ethic
A knowledge of the gospel

But after being a mission president for 3 years, he said that what he really wished YM had was:
Numerous and strong out of home experiences
And a personal sacred grove experience.

Do you know the difference between having a knowledge of the gospel, and having a personal Sacred Grove Experience?
It's a little bit like the story of the interviewer who met with everyone who passed away. The first man in line came into the room to meet with the interviewer. The interviewer said, Tell me what you know about Christ.
Born in Bethlehem, he taught the beatitudes, he sacrificed for us on the Cross.
Good - you may pass through that door.
The second man came in. Tell me what you know about Christ.
He was born in a humble manger. He lived poor, but he is the redeemer of the world. He paid the price for our sins in Gethsemane, and then he died on the Cross in Calgary. He was ressurrected and visited the people in America. He then restored the gospel to Joseph Smith. He's going to come again and rule for 1000 years.
Very Good - you may pass through that door.
The third man came in. But before the interviewer could say a word, the man fell on his face, at the feet of the interviewer and weeping said, "My Lord, My God."

Do you see the difference between knowing the gospel of Jesus Christ, and knowing Jesus Christ. What every young man needs before going on a mission, is to have their own personal experience with the Savior.

And having those kind of experiences begins right here. On a scouting super-activity. A high-adventure experience. A time when you're challenged, and you need the comfort of the spirit.


I gained my testimony as a scout - I spent all my scouting years in Houston Texas. We had a great scouting program, and by the time I was 14 I was an eagle scout. For the next four years we planned lots of different adventures. We did river trips down the guadaloupe river. We went on snake hunts by the buffalo bayou. We did snorkeling trips in Corpus Christi. We flew to Mexico and went to Chichen Itza and other mayan ruins. I remember having a very personal witness of the Savior as we had a small sacrament meeting in the shade of the pyramids, and I got the chance to bear my testimony.

I believe that personal sacred grove experiences happen less in a classroom on Sunday in your priesthood meeting, and more when you're on your own doing a service project, or taking on a personal challenge, or reading the scriptures, all of which scouting and venturing provides.

I want to leave with you one thought about life before we turn the rest of the meeting over to your leaders…and I wanted it to relate to your challenges you've had here as you've been climbing mountains.


Mountain Climbing as a metaphor for life

"Cut the Rope" - A man was climbing a sheer mountain cliff, when a huge storm blew in. He was freezing in the cold. He clung to the side of the mountain until it was so cold that he was afraid he would freeze to death if he didn't get out of the storm. He prayed for help. When suddenly a wind whipped him, and his footing slipped, and he began a long plunge to the earth. Of course he couldn't see anything as he fell through the storm. He prayed again for help. When his rope caught something which jerked him up and stopped him from his freefall. He hung there dangling in the middle of this storm. He was close to death, and knew if he didn't get out of the storm soon, he would die. He prayed a third time for help. A voice came to him "Do you believe I can help you." "Yes." "Then cut the rope". The man said, "What?" "Do you believe I can help you?" "yes" "Then cut the rope".

Would you have cut the rope? The rescuers were able to get past the storm 2 days later. There they found the dead climber hanging from a rope, only 3 feet from the ground.


Climbing mountains is an incredible experience. It causes you to use all of your strength, all of your talent, all of your knowledge, to reach heights and achieve Summits from which you can see things which no one else can see. It is humbling at one point, and exhillarating at the same time.

I've had a few mountain climbing experiences of my own - even though they don't have mountains in Texas.

Sarah Jolley - At camp williams when I was Bishop, and we had the opportunity to take the YW to do some rappelling. The main focus of the course was a 60 foot tower. The idea was you would get harnessed up, climb the ladder, get the rope hooked into the harness, and then you'd lean back over the edge, and finally you'd take that first step backwards. It was a terrifying experience for most who did it. But usually, within a few minutes, kids would move over the edge, and start down. But we had one young woman who froze, literally. She got to the point where she was leaning, but she froze and couldn't take that first step. After a few minutes, it was obvious to all of us on the ground that there was a problem, and so we all stopped what we were doing to wait and watch for Sarah to come down. Everyone was praying for her. Many shouted encouragement from the ground. But the real help was the coach who was up on top with her, and who spoke to her gently and quietly, and just helped her gather her strength inside. He spoke to her, taught her about rapelling. Showed her the on-belay helper and explained his role. Finally after 20 minutes she gained enough strength to take that step. AFter the step, she took another, and another, until she made it all the way down. Cheers went up everywhere.

3 things helped Sarah take that step
Friends were around her, and were on the ground cheering her on. She didn't want to disappoint them. She had also seen many of them go before her, and she knew if they could do it, she could do it.
The rope was strong. The on-belay master was alert and ready to help her.
The coach was comforting and told her just what she needed to help her relax and take those steps.

In your life be sure you have these 3 wonderful forces to help you defeat your mountains.
Make sure your friends are the kind of friends who will support you to do hard things. To graduate from school. To serve a mission. To get married in the temple. Don't waste time with negative friends who tell you it can't be done, or that you aren't good enough for it.
Evaluate the gospel, the scouting program, the scriptures etc. They are the rope from which you will hang as you step out into the world to accomplish your greatest climbs. Make sure they are strong enough for you.
Coach is the holy ghost whispering to you the words of Christ. To remind you of your testimony. To remind you of the promises of the Lord as you received the priesthood.

With faith we can move mountains. Ether 12: 30 For the brother of Jared said unto the mountain Zerin, Remove—and it was removed. And if he had not had faith it would not have moved; wherefore thou workest after men have faith.

What mountains are there for us to move?
○ Illness, poor health
○ Temptation which keeps breaking your will
○ Theft of a new bike
○ ACT score too low
○ Death of friend or loved one
○ Poor grades at school
○ Friends doing things which are wrong
○ Divorce of parents
○ Kids @ school
○ Addictions

Note the Lord doesn't require us to destroy our mountains, just remove them out of our path so we can progress. True mountains = hopelessness, despair, unforgiveness, impatience, anger and weakness, fear, worry, offense. Faith moves all mountains.

- Cannot stay on the summit forever - You cannot stay on the summit forever; you have to come down again. So why bother in the first place? Just this: What is above knows what is below, but what is below does not know what is above. One climbs, one sees. One descends, one sees no longer, but one has seen. There is an art of conducting oneself in the lower regions by the memory of what one saw higher up. When one can no longer see, one can at least still know. Rene Daumal


My humble prayer is that each of you will seek to know the gospel is true. That you will begin listening to the direction the spirit has for you to prepare you for the great work that lies ahead of you. May you remember this great mountaineering experience as the time when you gained an appreciation for the gospel.

Firm as the mountains around us,
Stalwart and brave we stand On the rock our fathers planted
For us in this goodly land— The rock of honor and virtue, Of faith in the living God.They raised his banner triumphant— Over the desert sod.

[Chorus] And we hear the desert singing: Carry on, carry on, carry on! Hills and vales and mountains ringing: Carry on, carry on, carry on! Holding aloft our colors, We march in the glorious dawn. O youth of the noble birthright, Carry on, carry on, carry on!

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>.

Mountains get us closer to God
Before Temples, prophets would climb mountains to get closer to God.
Christ climbed a mountain to receive the temptations of Satan
Christ climbed a mountain to teach the beatitudes
Moses climbed mountains (burning bush, 10 commandments) to get direction from God
Brother of Jared went into the mount
Nephi went to the mountains to pray
Latter-days, temple work was done in mountains before temples were built.


Share an example of a mountain you've climbed
What helped you climb it and keep going

Two dogs - The story is told of the man who climbed the proverbial high mountain seeking guidance from the wise man who lived on top. And when the seeker of wisdom got to the top, the wise man told the seeker, that within him were two dogs who fought each other. A good dog, and a bad dog. The seeker asked the wise man, which dog would win the fight… and he replied, the one you feed the most.

"Let Go" - A man was climbing a sheer mountain cliff alone – something we know we should never do. But he figured he’d be okay. As he was nearing the top of a sheer precipice, he got careless – had a misstep. The rock beneath his foot broke loose, and he started to fall to almost sure death. He frantically searched for something to grab onto, and there was a scrub oak clinging to the side of the cliff. He grabbed it and hung there. He hung there frantically trying to figure out how to save himself. There was nothing he could do. Finally, he turned to the Lord. “Is there someone out there who can help me?” Suddenly the voice of the Lord came to him “I am here and can help you”. “oh Great! thought the man. And he said – please take care of me. The voice came to him. “I will help you, but you need to do as I ask you. Let Go! The man said “What?” The voice replied “Let go.” The man looked down and then up and then said hesitatingly…”Is there anyone else up there?”


To the Israelites he said,

Deut. 20: 1 WHEN thou goest out to battle against thine enemies, and seest horses, and chariots, and a people more than thou, be not afraid of them: for the LORD• thy God is with thee…

This is exactly what happened with Elisha. When his servant arose and went forth, he found that the enemy host had encircled the city with both horses and chariots. He said to Elisha, “Alas my master! How shall we do?” And Elisha answered him saying, “Fear Not, for they that be with us, are more than they that be with them.”

And Elisha prayed, and said, “LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes•, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots• of fire round about Elisha.”

The Lord will still fight our battles today. Whether it be to seek peace from our political enemies, or whether it is to fight death, pain, or sin, or other personal enemy, he will fight our personal battles. In modern D&C Scripture, the lord says to us:

D&C 98: 37 And I, the Lord, would fight• their battles, and their children’s battles, and their children’s children’s, until they had avenged themselves on all their enemies, to the third and fourth generation

D&C 105: 14 For behold, I do not require at their hands to fight the battles of Zion; for, as I said in a former commandment, even so will I fulfil—I will fight• your battles

As you climb mountains at school, at home, at home, you will become accustomed to letting the Lord guide your feet and protect you. You may even hear him tell you to 'cut the rope'. And as you do, you'll hear a voice of gladness.

D&C 128: 19 Now, what do we hear in the gospel which we have received? A voice of gladness! A voice of mercy from heaven; and a voice of truth out of the earth; glad tidings for the dead; a voice of gladness for the living and the dead; glad tidings of great joy. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those that bring glad tidings of good things, and that say unto Zion: Behold, thy God reigneth! As the dews of Carmel, so shall the knowledge of



Reach - higher
If I could reach, higher
Just for one moment touch the sky
From that one moment in my life
I’m gonna be stronger
Know that I’ve tried my very best
I’d put my spirit to the test
If I could reach

Some days are meant to be remembered
Those days we rise above the stars
So I’ll go the distance this time
Seeing more the higher I climb
That the more I believe
All the more that this dream will be mine

If I could reach, higher
Just for one moment touch the sky
From that one moment in my life
I’m gonna be stronger
Know that I’ve tried my very best
I’d put my spirit to the test
If I could reach

If I could reach, higher
Just for one moment touch the sky
I’m goona be stronger
From that one moment in my life
I’m gonna be so much stronger yes I am
Know that I’ve tried my very best
I’d put my spirit to the test
If I could reach higher
If I could, if I could
If I could reach
Reach, I’d reach, I’d reach
I’d reach’ I’d reach so much higher
Be stronger

We all have mountains which can bless us, or destroy us. Elder Maxwell explains it this way.
With every gift of power that comes to us, there comes a temptation to dishonor it, abuse it. When Christ was on the earth the adversary tempted him, tried to get him to yield to the temptation to use his power to get bread when he had been fasting for such a long time, and the Savior reminded him that man does not live by bread alone. Satan took Christ then to a height on the pinnacle of the temple and tempted Him to show His power and His authority by casting Himself down and said the angels would hold him up—Jesus resisted that temptation to abuse His power. Then Satan took Him onto a high mountain and showed Him all the wealth of the world and said, "All this I will give to thee if you will fall down and worship me," and Christ said, "Get thee behind me, Satan."
126
I repeat, with every gift of power comes the temptation to abuse it. Each man has within himself the power that can destroy him, and that is a fact that each man under the sound of my voice tonight should keep in mind. Each man or boy, whatever his age or his station in life, is subject to the temptation to destroy himself by reason of a God-given power which all of us have. All of us who know good sometimes feel within ourselves the possibility of evil, and while we may condemn sincerely and without any hypocrisy the evil in us, we are conscious that at times we ourselves are tempted to do the very thing we hate, and in doing it we hate ourselves as well as the thing we do. I think this caused Paul to admit, ". . . the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do." (Romans 7:19.)
127
Real character is formed in the midst of the battles of the soul. Christ offered peace, not in the sense of freedom from disturbance, but in the midst of disturbance. When He said, "Peace, be still," it was in the midst of a storm. We need to develop within ourselves the kind of self-control that will enable us in the midst of disturbance to find the peace that comes into the soul of a man who is living as he knows he should live. Someone said, "Why shrink from responsibility. You cannot buy honor, it is too big a price."
127
Another author said, "Do you know what degradation means to a soldier? It is to see his rank, his decorations, his epaulets torn from him, to see these signs of his former valor thrown at his feet. What is death in comparison with this dishonor? It is true that in the future this unfortunate soldier may be able to sleep, but he will never again mount guard or hear the cry to arms, `here is the enemy.' He will never again make an assault near where bullets are whistling around him. Very well, we declare that man to be irresistible who will keep his conduct on such a level course that he can never be dishonored. Vigilance is the watchword."
127
And so I repeat my plea to the men of the priesthood of the Church—keep yourselves clean. Older men are yielding to temptation to sin. Younger men are struggling with themselves. It is difficult sometimes for them to understand themselves, because this God-given power of procreation carries with it a power of destruction. But it has, because of its life-giving nature, the possibilities of the greatest glory and joy that can come to a living soul. I believe that every man who is tempted to sin, to commit adultery, to become unclean in his habits, should examine himself and see whether he is harboring thoughts that will destroy him. I would like to leave with you tonight an appeal, especially to you stake presidents, high councilmen, bishops and counselors, heads of quorums, all in presiding positions, that you get closer to your young people—and older people—under your jurisdiction and teach them the beauty of purity. Let them know that purity is power. Sometimes some of us get the idea that certain people are not worth our attention, that they have gone beneath what we have thought to be worth saving. I would like to give you one little story to illustrate how sometimes we misjudge one another and sometimes we are guilty of assuming that someone is not as good as we.
128

May our hearts sing out like the hymns

Firm as the mountains around us,
Stalwart and brave we stand On the rock our fathers planted
For us in this goodly land— The rock of honor and virtue, Of faith in the living God.They raised his banner triumphant— Over the desert sod.

[Chorus] And we hear the desert singing: Carry on, carry on, carry on! Hills and vales and mountains ringing: Carry on, carry on, carry on! Holding aloft our colors, We march in the glorious dawn. O youth of the noble birthright, Carry on, carry on, carry on!

O ye mountains high, where the clear blue sky Arches over the vales of the free,
Where the pure breezes blow and the clear streamlets flow, How I’ve longed to your bosom to flee!
In thy mountain retreat, God will strengthen thy feet; Without fear of thy foes thou shalt tread; And their silver and gold, as the prophets have told, Shall be brought to adorn thy fair head.
O Zion! dear Zion! home of the free, Soon thy towers shall shine with a splendor divine, And eternal thy glory shall be.