STEP THROUGH THE “WICKET GATE” WITH ME Ahead lies a magnificent city of perfect peace, but the road is a grueling ascent. This is not merely a walk; it is a climb toward the “Celestial City.”
Early on, the ground dissolved into the “Slough of Despond.” We wallowed in the muck of spiritual despair, heavy packs threatening to pull us under, until a hand reached down to pull us back onto the “King’s Highway.”

The terrain shifted to jagged stone at “Difficulty Hill.” On hands and knees, we crawled along a razor’s edge with 1,000-foot drop-offs on either side, proving our resolve against the encroaching darkness. But mountains are unpredictable. In a freezing mist, “Giant Despair” snatched us from the path, locking us within the cold stone of “Doubting Castle.” Our dreams were dashed; we felt the crushing weight of “never.”