Chris Brixey works as a paramedic, a ski patrol, and a wilderness EMT. He says that’s how he puts bread on the table and beer in the fridge. Some of Chris’s earliest and fondest memories are of pulling into a campground with his family and spending time outdoors. He says that a lifetime of satisfying experiences in the mountains have driven him to want more.

“Every action has a root cause in either fear or love.”

The mountains have always been my church. Life is simplified in the mountains. When I’m in the mountains, I’m at peace. Maybe I’m not at rest, because it’s a lot of work, but there’s definitely a peace that I don’t find elsewhere.

It’s important that we take moments throughout our lives to examine our character, actions, motivations, and thoughts. Test them. Evaluate them. Are they working? Are they producing the results that you’re looking for? Everyone’s looking for peace, balance, satisfaction, and worth. If I’m not finding those things, how can I change? How can I improve myself?

When I’m in the mountains, I find moments to reflect on that. I check in to see if my life is working out, to make sure I’m part of the solution and not part of the problem.

Chris Brixey full audio

Discussion Questions

• Do you equate peace with rest? How are the synonymous or different?
• When are times in your life where you’ve spent great energy on examining your character, actions, motivations, and thoughts? Did you like what you found?
• When have you been part of a solution? When have you been part of a problem? Have you ever been what you thought was part of the solution but in hindsight was really part of the problem? How about vice-versa?
• Do you ever find yourself “buying fear?” What is the cost of that fear?
• Do you spend more time focusing on the positive or the negative? How do you focus on the positive when so much negativity is surrounding you? Is focusing on the positive practical? Is it idealistic?