By Gerald Flurry

If you missed the preceding sections, here is part one and part two of “Conquering Spiritual Everest.”

Get in Shape

“During the four months preceding the trip,” one climber noted in Addicted to Danger, “I did more to get in shape than before any previous expedition. I ran nearly every day, climbed stairs, undertook a rigorous weight program to strengthen my arms and shoulder muscles.” He had to be in top physical form to climb a mountain.

How much will we get in shape to climb this spiritual mountain? Love is growing cold in society and in families, because people are not sharpening their spiritual tools. They are losing touch with God.

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By Michael Dattolo

Imagine pressing a button and having to wait more than 24 hours to see if it worked. That’s what NASA team members deal with when they send a signal to the most distant man-made object in the universe.

This device has plunged so deep into the far reaches of space, that its command signals from California—traveling at the speed of light—take over 14 hours to reach it! By comparison, that same signal would take only four hours to reach Neptune, the furthest non-dwarf planet in our galaxy. Voyager has traveled at tens of thousands of miles per hour for more than 30 years to reach its current position—over 9 billion miles from the sun.

Voyager 1—launched in 1977—has now rocketed into the region NASA scientists call the “final frontier” of our solar system.

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By Joel Hilliker and Michael Dattolo

You’ve probably spent time helping your parents deleaven some of the house in the past.

As you’ve no doubt heard, leaven is a type of sin (click here to read more). However, what specifically does deleavening teach us about removing sin? Let’s look at some lessons from deleavening that relate specifically to youth.

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So, you don’t look like a fashion model? Well, don’t worry, no one does. Not even the models themselves!

We are bombarded constantly with negative propaganda in magazines, on billboards and television. No wonder so many people have a grossly distorted view of what a healthy person should look like. The popular concept of “beauty” is impossible to live up to—even for the models! This video shows how much work goes into transforming a real person into an image like those we see all around us.
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By Robert Morley

Many historians consider the Battle of Thermopylae to be the greatest victory of all time. In this battle, less than 7,000 Greeks faced 2 million Persians. Consider those odds. Initially, it sounds like a slaughter waiting to happen. Yet the Battle of Thermopylae is considered a fantastic Greek victory. What made those vastly outnumbered Greeks think they could persevere? What made them such effective warriors? Two traits made these Greek warriors extremely successful. If we develop these traits, we too can become more successful in our lives and careers.

Late in the summer of 480 B.C., alarm bells were ringing throughout Greece; in fact, there was widespread panic in some of the eastern cities. King Xerxes of Persia, with 2 million men, was invading. Something had to be done if Greece was to survive. King Leonidas of Sparta took the lead. Amazingly, with 300 handpicked Spartans and 6,000 Greek allies, he marched to meet the coming Persian hordes.

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You know the Bible uses leaven as a symbol for sin during the Days of Unleavened Bread. But have you ever thought about what characteristics of leaven are similar to sin? Here are three ways that leaven is like sin:

1. It Puffs Up.

When you mix leavening agents with other ingredients, they create carbon dioxide and air. When you put leavening in bread dough and heat it, those gasses form bubbles that get trapped in the loaf, causing the product to rise. Likewise, sin puffs us up with vanity and selfish pride. Just like that bloating caused by leavening, sin causes us to lose godly perspective, and we become more and more inflated with ourselves—puffed up with the substance-less gasses of arrogance and self confidence. 1 Corinthians 5:1-2 shows how tolerating sin caused the Corinthians to become puffed up.

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By Sharalee Fraser

We stood behind our stable, ready to ride. I put my foot into the stirrup and started to swing my leg over. Suddenly, she bolted! I fell to the ground underneath her.  Annie ran over the top of me, knocking the wind out of me and kicking me in the leg.

Annie was my first pony. Dad was teaching me how to ride her, but as we were a bit busy, I didn’t get to do it often. This particular Sunday morning, Dad had helped me to saddle her up. I was looking forward to an enjoyable, relaxing ride—but that’s not what I got.

After an experience like this, you would expect that I would be really scared. And I was! But anyone who has been horse riding knows there is one important rule: If you fall off your horse, you need to get right back on!

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By Gerald Flurry

If you missed part one, click here to read it.

Follow Leadership

In the book Addicted to Danger, the authors highlight the need for strong leadership on an expedition to make it all the way to the top. If you are to make it to the top, you will need to look to strong leadership. You must know if someone is telling you what Jesus Christ says. Allow people to lead you away from Him and you’ll get killed as you climb the mountain.

Now, don’t be discouraged. If you’ve found yourself slipping, God is merciful—if you repent. He will give you a chance to redeem yourself if you are serious about living the way He says.
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Question: I don’t think that listening to rap music is good for people’s minds. Should I try to convince my friend not to listen to it?

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 By Ryan Malone

On the first day, the professor began, “I’m going to grade this class a little differently than usual.” It was a pottery class. The students, already a bit more attentive because it was the first day of classes, became even more alert.

“This half of the room,” he gestured to his right, “will I grade purely on quantity of work done. I don’t care how beautiful or great the pots are. The more pots you make, the higher your grade.” He turned to the other half of the room: ”You, I will grade purely on quality of work.

“I don’t care how many pots you make; you will only turn in one, and it must be of the highest quality to receive the highest grade.”

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