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Before You Climb Any Higher

Valley Wisdom for Mountain Dreams

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

We long for mountaintop experiences, but they're difficult to achieve and impossible to maintain without the rest, nourishment, and strength found in lush, life-giving valleys. GRAMMY Award winner Jonathan McReynolds shows us why having a valley mindset is not what you think—it's about receiving God's grace, love, and encouragement as His beloved child.

Life is full of mountains to ascend, driven by our dreams, ambitions, and callings. But it doesn't take much for even the strongest climbers to grow weary or lose their way. It's important to have a "mountain mindset" to help us establish goals, to make steady progress, to achieve success, to do big things for God. A great mission requires from us a little grind, a little hustle, a little competition. But also plenty of time in the valley.

Most people equate valley moments with difficulty and pain, but a "valley mentality" is different according to Jonathan McReynolds. He's reached the mountaintop—GRAMMY Award, nationwide tours, millions of followers, and more—but he experienced more refreshment, rest, and encouragement from the Lord off the mountain. He writes, "The valley is not about finishing anything, studying anything, or doing anything, but simply being a child of God." In Before You Climb Any Higher, readers will discover:

  • Taking breaks from climbing is necessary for your mental health
  • Ways to find rest, renewal, and authentic community in the valley
  • Identity should never be wrapped up in success and accolades
  • How to prepare for the mountain climb with lessons learned in the valley
  • It's possible to live abundantly in the valley and on the mountain
  • We are more than our accomplishments, more than our mountaintop accomplishments. We are sons and daughters of God, who is calling us to rest in the valley, to replenish our souls, to be formed by the Spirit, to discover abundant life that is found only in Him.

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      • Publisher's Weekly

        December 16, 2024
        With this upbeat guide, McReynolds (Make Room), a Grammy-winning gospel singer, invites burned-out believers to seek comfort in their “true, core identity as a son or daughter of God.” After a hectic year touring the country and producing an album left him feeling like he was “choking alone in the high altitude,” he realized the professional success he’d achieved had come at the expense of relationships with friends, family, and God. He contrasts this achievement-obsessed “mountain mindset” with a “less glamorous but sustaining” valley mindset, in which one finds the “restoration” and “perspective-keeping” needed to live a full life. Tips for accessing the valley mindset include cultivating gratitude, serving others, and connecting with God via prayer, Bible study, or fasting. Despite hammering home his central metaphor a bit too hard in somewhat stilted prose (“Don’t do the climb without doing the time!”), McReynolds’s model of how to balance faith and professional aspirations gains credibility thanks to his candid personal anecdotes and refreshing sense of self-awareness. Christians who want to chase their dreams without forsaking their faith should take note.

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    • Kindle Book
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    Languages

    • English

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