ESOAL starts tomorrow.
I just want to encourage any current interns who will be participating that there is NO SHAME in ringing the bell (or not even starting in the first place).
Often, the environment at the Honor Academy makes you feel like you don’t measure up as a Christian unless your meet all of their particular standards. But this has absolutely nothing to do with your relationship or standing with Jesus.
If you don’t finish ESOAL, He is not disappointed with you. You have not “missed out” on anything He wanted to supposedly teach you. You are not a worse Christian for it.
So take comfort in what Jesus Christ has done for you. Only He makes you acceptable as a Christian, not what hoops you can jump through to show your commitment.
Then ring out early, eat some ice cream and have a nice relaxing weekend while everyone else suffers.
14 comments:
Yeah. I just want to add to this…
DONT DO ESOAL!!!
haha.
really. I think it just might be a bigger step spiritually for most to just NOT do ESOAL. Dave Hasz wants you to do ESOAL. It’s his baby. He loves it. He’s OBSESSED with it. It’s his profile picture on his facebook… He truly thinks it’s the best thing ever and he preaches it.
JUST BECAUSE MR. HASZ SAYS IT DOESNT MAKE IT TRUE!!!
really.
He actually says things that are biblically off. (He’s a sinner. I promise you. It’s hard to believe. but it’s true. and he’s off about ESOAL.)
Consider it.
ESOAL will NOT benifit you in the LEAST.
It wont.
You wont be missing out on a thing.
Did Paul the Apostle miss out cause he never did ESOAL? Did any of the BILLIONS of Christians who never experienced ESOAL ever miss out?
no. they didnt.
Just don’t do it.
It’ll cause a stir and be kinda cool. and the Holy Spirit will convict. It’ll be great. 🙂
November 9, 2009 12:41 AM
Anonymous said…
Recovering Alumni,
I agree as Far as completing ESOAL does not make you any more closer to God. But what I do not agree with is the attitude of quitting something that you’ve started. Which is a huge problem for people who start ESOAL and quit for reasons like:
“I need to lay down my Pride” Fine give up your pride and help out your team mates. Or the excuse “ESOAL is too hard” or “I got what I needed out of it and it’s time to quit.” Show me in the Bible where it says it’s ok to quit. Paul went through more of an ESOAL than any of us have. There are plenty of things I did not agree with TM. But grow a spine and get over yourselves. Quit complaining. The only reasonable reason I can possibly see for quitting ESOAL is if you are injured (not your pride or emotionally) but physically. You sprained an ankle or something. Oh and also a family emergency. But other than that finish what yo started grow a spine and stop complaining.
March 14, 2010 12:02 AM
Micheal McComber said…
@ Anonymous 2
I don’t think the poster was complaining. He/She made the point of how “the Honor Academy makes you feel like you don’t measure up as a Christian unless your meet all of their particular standards”
Here is a great example
During my class we did not have ESOAL, we did Pikes Peak. So we trained and trained.(running and running learning how to be mountain goats) We were told how this is our spiritual mountain. We are going to beat our body’s and make it our slaves.
We are going to overcomes everything by taken the mountain.
So we got to Colorado, did our training. The day came. Got to the base around 330am broke up in to our groups. At 5am we all started up the mountain. The hike was hard. We get to Bar Camps. (that is 10 miles up the 14 mile 14,110 ft beast)
I was really hurting and sick. The locals that worked the shop, was like he does not look well. he needs to go back down. So when it came time for my team to go the rest of the way. I was told i needed to go back down. I was crushed. The whole way down i all i said was im sorry to the staff member. (that was from the guilt of not over coming the mountain)
When i got down to base camp the staff remember drove up to get the interns. I had to stay at the bottom. I was told its not right for me to go to the top since I had to come back down.
I was crushed again. I sat at the camp and waited. As i waited, I cried. Why …..
because, i was crushed.
March 14, 2010 5:02 AM
Micheal McComber said…
Pikes Peak, continue
I was crushed because the way the Staff put it. This challenge will show you how spiritual you are. For you to over come your trials. I did not do that. So i guess i was not a good christian, i could not over come the mountain, so there for I could not over come anything.
I was depressed, guilty that I let the leaders down, the team that i was on down, myself, and God.
That night all i heard was stories of how people took the mountain. I was the only one that was sent down. I felt like an outcast. My core felt worthless. Staff members praised the climbers for a job well done. How they beat they bodies and made it their slave. I guess I just i did not do that, i did not make my body my slave since i was weak. No one should go though that pain.
Ringing the Bell. to me it does not make you a weak christian or a weak person. Neither does not taking the mountain. Don’t be ashamed if you try and don’t make it. God is not mad at you for ringing the bell. He still loves you.
**as for why the local said i was looking so bad was due to altitude sickness***
March 14, 2010 5:22 AM
Shiloh said…
The funny thing is that now (from what I remember) Pikes Peak is more of an endurance thing than ‘concurring your spiritual mountain.’ And ESOAL is more about concurring your battles.
It’s so lame. Obviously if the standard is always changing it’s not God’s standard.
I think (and this really is just personal opinion I guess) if you asked a current intern if Pikes Peak was a big deal they would tell you no.
March 14, 2010 9:14 AM
z said…
@Anonymous November 9, 2009 12:41 AM
There is no shame in quiting and there is no virtue in staying with something just for the point of sticking it out. Quiting can be a very healthy thing. If something isn’t working for you, admit it and move on. There is no benifit in struggling through something when the cost outweighs the benifit.
March 14, 2010 10:24 AM
Shannon said…
Michael, my class got the pleasure of doing both ESOAL and Pike’s Peak. Like you, I felt like a failure when I was unable to complete PP. I too, got altitude sickness and was stopped at bar camp. Although there were several other interns that also went down with me. the hike down was harder because we had to carry an intern with an O2 tank on a stretcher down the mt. As for ESOAL, I was a failure there as well. After running through the paint ball course and being pelted with paint balls, I got to the end of the course and sprained my ankle. I had to ring out due to my ankle and was rushed to the ER. My team and the facilitators made sure that I felt like a failure.
March 16, 2010 8:29 AM
Eric P. said…
Anonymous @3/14/10 said: “Show me in the Bible where it says it’s ok to quit.”
Well, since you ask:
“Cease striving and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10 NASB)
“The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” (Exodus 14:14)
“This is what the Sovereign LORD, the Holy One of Israel, says: ‘In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.'” (Isaiah 30:15– people are rebuked for wanting to work instead of resting and trusting God.)
“…for whoever has entered God’s rest has also rested from his works as God did from his.” (Hebrews 4:10 ESV– the principle of the Sabbath is that we need to give up our works).
Glad I could help!
> “Paul went through more of an ESOAL than any of us have.”
Paul told everyone else, “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life.” (1 Thess 4:11, NASB). He wasn’t able to achieve that ambition himself because of persecution, but it was an ideal he wanted everyone to attain. Did ESOAL help you achieve Paul’s recommended ambition for your life?
> …”grow a spine and stop complaining…”
In my experience, it takes a lot more backbone to resist group pressure than to go along silently with what everyone else is doing. Just saying.
March 16, 2010 10:02 AM
Recovering Alumni said…
standing ovation
March 16, 2010 10:29 AM
reluctant-intern said…
Well said, Eric.
March 16, 2010 10:31 AM
Anonymous said…
Eric I’m impressed with you. I just want to say that. I’m always encouraged to really dig into the word when I read your post. Thank you for them. It brings some solid truth to the table often missed.
March 16, 2010 11:45 AM
Eric P. said…
Thanks! You all are very kind. I’m delighted to help.
March 16, 2010 5:42 PM
Niki said…
Hmmm… I did do ESOAL.. It was more of a personal physical challenge for me and less of a spiritual challenge. I remember crying because I didn’t feel like I learned anything. My CA flipped out because I told her I didn’t learn anything. I did not ring out, I enjoyed the physical challenge of it, and I wouldn’t trade what it was to me for anything else. August ’03-’04
March 17, 2010 3:15 PM
Shawna said…
Michael,
I made it up Pike’s Peak my first year, only to sit in the VERY back of the 15 passenger van with a strongly floral scented barf bag…it was one of the worst trips in a vehicle EVER. Be thankful you didn’t experience the glory of that.
During my GI year, I made it to bar camp and for some reason had to turn around and head back down. I think going ALL THE FRIGGIN WAY BACK DOWN is just as hard, and definitely longer than going all the way to the top. People don’t really think about the whole “10 miles down” or the bunch of switch-backs at the bottom of the mountain too often.
All in all, sorry you were crushed unnecessarily and I feel your pain.
March 25, 2010 11:51 PM
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