By Jarrett Stephens
The following text is the foreword by Dr. Jack Graham for the debut book by Prestonwood Teaching Pastor Jarrett Stephens.
The Christian life is a series of mountaintops and valleys, and the way up is not always a straight path or an easy road. There are many obstacles and challenges along the way. But once you reach the top, you realize the climb was worth it. At the top of the mountain is clear air, a longer look, and the achievement of getting there. Call it perspective. Because once you have arrived, mountaintop experiences are fresh, exhilarating, and fulfilling and inspiring as well. The old hymn says: “I’m pressing on the upward way. New heights I’m gaining every day. Still praying as I’m onward bound, Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.”
As you read Jarrett Stephens’ The Mountains Are Calling, you will encounter God in the summit places of the Bible. So often God met His people and pointed them to a better future from the vantage point and clear perspective of a mountaintop.
Looking back on my own life, I celebrate those uplifting, elevating moments when it seems you can reach out and touch God. Every Christian should seek the summits and desire a higher plane of life. Jarrett Stephens will help take you through a journey onward and upward. As my dear friend and Prestonwood member, the late Zig Ziglar, used to say: “See you at the top!” For there at the top of the mountain, we experience God’s best for our lives.
I can say without hesitation that Jarrett Stephens understands the upward way. He is a “mountaineer.” From the first day I met him as a young Prestonwood intern and first-year seminary student, his upside potential was obvious. Enthusiastic, godly, gifted, hungry, sincere, and humble, Jarrett began his ministry and ascended to the highest level of leadership in our church. Now, as our teaching pastor, he proclaims God’s Word and teaches Scripture in a way that is real, engaging, and yes, uplifting.
So, let me encourage you to join in on the journey with Jarrett Stephens as our guide. From Mount Moriah to Olivet, to Calvary and much more, let’s climb together and breathe deeply of the rare air of spiritual heights. And then, from the mountaintops, let us shout it to all the world: Jesus is Lord!
More information on The Mountains Are Calling can be found here: https://waterbrookmultnomah.com/books/561919/the-mountains-are-calling-by-jarrett-stephens/
Dr. Jarrett Stephens serves as the Teaching Pastor at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas. Follow Jarrett on Twitter: @jarrettstephens.