Ascend : Inspiration for the Adventure of Life

Life is an adventure, and every experience teaches us. This book is a compilation of true adventure stories, each with a life-lesson. The settings include mountain climbing, marathon running, cave exploration, travel, surfing, and competition. There are stories of disappointments and successes. Each has a powerful life-lesson that will resonate with the reader's journey.

"This book is the closest thing in form to a kind of modern expression of parables I've ever read. Clear, compelling, mysterious, and evocative all at once. Beautiful. Read this!"

-A.J. Swoboda (PhD, Birmingham) is assistant professor of Bible, theology, and World Christianity at Bushnell University and the author of After Doubt.

Matt Messner(D.Min.) is a pastor, a distance runner, a coach, and an outdoors enthusiast. Matt competed in the Olympic Trials in the marathon in 1996 and 2000. Matt has been married to his best friend and partner in ministry, Heidi Wilson Messner for 30 years. They have two adult children and reside in Northern California.

Matt has published two books Friendship Leadership, and Advent Encounter.