The Mountaintop

Last weekend, the Opwekking Conference took place, one of the largest Christian festivals in the Netherlands.

I was there two years ago, and even though I have a megachurch background, I was still shocked by the vast amount of people who turned up to this remote corner of the country.

Their enthusiasm was something to behold.

But as all good things do, Opwekking 2025 came to a close. For many, this included a weekend of singing, learning, and intense “spiritual highs.”

With these in the rearview, thousands now return to their daily lives, which scarcely compare to the excitement of the weekend now behind.

Let’s talk about that.

“I’m Coming Down That Mountaintop…”

My friend Nathan Bittner is a musician who, three and a half years ago, released a beautiful little album entitled Soft Landing.

In the album’s longest track, “American Gospel”, Nathan employs an image relatable to many young evangelicals:

I’m coming down that mountaintop

Like a week away at camp

And my mom is here with the van, sure had fun

Thank God this gospel is so American

Evangelical church camps, conferences like Opwekking, or celebrations like the Catholic Church’s World Youth Day, give followers of Jesus space to get away from the day-to-day, sharpen their focus on Christ, and do so on a grander scale than normal.

Naturally, these celebrations can easily constitute a “mountaintop” experience where one’s faith feels near unbreakable.

But then you have to go home and return to daily life. In doing so, it’s easy to forget about or lose your grasp of the mountaintop.  

Maintaining the Mountain?

As a former youth leader, I have a lot of experience with youth camps.

(Heck, I became a follower of Jesus at one.)

One of the biggest challenges we youth leaders faced was enabling the students to faithfully press on in the renewed or newfound faith they encountered during the week.

Through that experience, I came to learn a few things…

Namely, what if it wasn’t so much about keeping the “mountaintop experience” as it was about having healthy and realistic expectations for a life of faith?

This week on Theophilus, we’ll explore “spiritual highs” versus the reality of faith in daily life. Because these conferences, wonderful as they are, are only a small percentage of our overall journey. 

But that doesn’t mean they aren’t without benefit.

More on that in the days to come.

For now, be blessed.

Jon,

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