The mountain setting
so picturesquely captured by Canaan Valley is an essential
one for the soul's journey through life. Indeed, the pyramidal
shape of the mountain has served in the Christian tradition
as a visual reference to the triangular halo designating God
the Creator, and the triangle itself representing the Trinity
(God as Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer). The mountain, some
mystics believe, is the soul's native habitat.
It's
remarkable how many significant events in the Bible occur
on mountaintops. Canaan's "mountaintop experiences"
will be designed around the various "mountaintop experiences"
in the Bible. All its ministries center on the Mount of Calvary,
where all humans and all creation is redeemed and reconciled
to God. Canaan's Mountaintop Ministries begin with the Mount
of Transfiguration, where Jesus is revealed to his most trusted
disciples in all his glory. There is the unnamed Mount of
Temptation, where Jesus first discovers the cost of his calling;
Mount Ararat, where Noah's flood-tossed ark touches solid
ground; Mount Moriah, where Abraham is faced with an impossible
choice; another unnamed Mount of Prayer, to which Jesus retreats
to pray; and Mount Carmel, where Elijah learns to stop complaining
and start trusting. On the Mount of Olives, Jesus confront
his disciples with a painful prophecy of betrayal and failure.
Come journey with us at Canaan from one
"mountaintop experience" to another.