Friday, June 19, 2009

Men on Mountains

I have returned from the Alps. 

We stayed at an amazing house high in the hills called the Goat House (La Chambre de la Chevre)-a place with no electricity, one room in which we all sleep on the floor and a river for a fridge. We walk and talk for four days.

Men on mountains started with the desire of three men to be both accountable and faithful with the lives they had each been given. One of them has this quote by Albert Schweitzer on the wall opposite his desk. 

"I resolved to make my life the argument"

They concluded that if they had agreed to meet in a monastic retreat house in Kidderminster they would never bother. My college accountability group has never met and my prayer triplet meets infrequently. 

They believe men need to do active things. The disciples seems to have done things on the move. So they decided on mountains. They decided too that they would each be able to ask two friends the others didn't know. 

So, with a few resignations we are now seven and our books are closed. Four Vicars, two Doctors and one friend runs a large Christian Charity.

Each of us know that once a year we will sit before our friends and tell the story of our lives in the year that has past.  This years haphazard categories were: Home and Family, Work, God, Sin and for some 'Hopes and dreams". There are no 'no-go' areas. We listen, cross examine intensely and then we pray.

One of our number concluded his time in the hot-seat saying "I want you all to carry my coffin if I die". We were all moved.

There was some debate but we think we are in year 8 and we intend to keep going as long as we can all walk. 

Feel warmly invited to steal this model of accountability because it is proving to be an extraordinary blessing.

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Saturday blog-sweep

 Some interesting books for pastors The State we're in Attack at dawn Joseph Scriven Joy comes with the morning When small is beautiful