The past two weeks, I have taken up the challenge of The Manitou Incline. This is a 1.5 mile long trail that gains 2,000 feet in elevation. Once at the top, you take a 2.5 mile Barr Trail down. It has taken me around 3 hours per round trip each time I have done it. And while hiking, I have seen some great leadership lessons. Here are a few of them:
Keep the End Goal in Mind. It is easy to get caught up in the next step and even the way that you attack the problem. In our journey of church planting, it is easy to get overwhelmed by the lostness, day-to-day actions and jobs, and the next steps in the process. But our end goal is making disciples and allowing God to establish His church through us.
Achievement is accomplished one step at a time. No one, not even the best athlete on the incline can take it two steps at a time, though I have seen some running up the mountain. These people must take the journey one step at a time, even though they are more fit and have a faster pace. With the end goal firmly envisioned and focused on, take one step, then another, and a few hundred more toward your goal.
Looking Back Should Encourage You to Push Forward. About half way up the incline, while
I was out of breath and wishing I had not pushed toward this goal, I turned to take a picture. The view that I captured encouraged me to move forward toward the goal. Sometimes you just need a reminder of what you have accomplished along the way. I know that one of those markers for us was our second assessment with Frontline. We heard from four men who encouraged us and used their observations of our time in the program to show us our strengths and weaknesses.
Enjoy the Journey and the View from the top. Besides the pain of sore muscles and the shortness of breath (ok, that is an understatement), the journey was well worth the work. I was able to enjoy the view from the top and the satisfaction that I was able to accomplish my goal. The second time, I was able to enjoy the journey a little more and the view was still sweet from the top. I hope to see what God has done through me in a few years and be amazed to be part of it. I desire God to do great things in Lowry and beyond because of our faithfulness, ministry, and missional presence. And it will be hard work and sweet reward to take that journey over and again with people throughout our lives.
Know there is another mountain to climb. Once the Incline is conquered, you realize that it sits at the base of Pikes Peak. The top of the Incline is around 8,000 while the summit of Pikes Peak is just over 14,000 feet. Once you accomplish your goal, there is always another around the corner. Take it on, just as you did the last. Focus on the end goal, take it one step at a time, look back for encouragement, and 
enjoy the view at the top. As we venture toward life in Lowry, we look at where God has taken us and we are encouraged, yet know we have not arrived. We are reaching the peak of one adventure with a larger summit looming in the distance that can also only be reached one step at a time.