Vince Bousselaire

September 4, 2026
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Stop Living Like a Victim: Believe God Is for You. Vince Bousselaire battled cancer, climbed Colorado’s 14ers, and pursued God-sized goals because he believed God was for him. His story challenges Christian men to face hardship with perseverance, reject a victim mindset, and trust God with their purpose, courage, faith, and future. Listen and ask yourself: What goal has God placed in your heart that you’ve been afraid to pursue? “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31 KJV)

Full Transcript

September 4. Vince Bousselaire. For twenty-one years, Vince was a meat cutter for King Soopers. When he was 39, he became a pastor, and about three years later, he got interested in mountaineering with a twist. Vince summited all the mountains in Colorado that stood at least 14,000 feet high—the 14ers. Many of them twice. 

Vince saw a correlation between mountain-climbing and his Christian life. He believed God was for him, and he went for the win. On this date in 1998, Vince reached the top of Crestone Peak in Colorado. 

Radical vision? Believe God is for you, and go for it! 

Vince sucked in the thin air. Some time ago, he had passed the treeline, and with a few steady steps, he and his friend Mike would summit Crestone Peak. Vince had already met their goal of climbing all the Colorado 14ers, but he thrilled in sharing Mike’s victory climb—his 54th peak. 

They had climbed over boulder fields and dangerous beds of loose rock. Been rained on, sleeted on, snowed on, and generally sun-burnt. But every climb had been glorious. 

Vince sensed God’s presence as he challenged his body in the majesty of creation. That’s when the spiritual, mental, and physical blended together. 

As he pulled a Bible out of his daypack, Vince thought of Ray Cobb, his first climbing buddy. In his 70s and 80s, Ray had climbed all 54 14ers and planted a Bible at the top of each. 

Now Vince and Mike carried on Ray’s tradition and replaced Bibles that had gone missing. Ray’s vision for climbing had become Vince’s inspiration for strong, courageous living. He needed goals to help keep him healthy. 

Vince had beaten non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma with prayer and determination—along with radiation and chemo. As he fought, he had believed God saw his struggle and had a purpose for it. 

Vince refused to be a victim. Life was about perseverance. He believed God was for him, and he went for it. Just like he did when he climbed a mountain. 

At the top, Vince and Mike always read a little from the Bible, so he opened it. He often chose a psalm. “O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! Who hast set thy glory above the heavens. …  What is man, that thou art mindful of him?” (Psalm 8: 1–4). The God who created such grandeur had been mindful of Vince—and had allowed him to live and to enjoy days like this. 

Vince and Mike asked God to help those below who struggled with health issues. The men prayed for the surrounding area, for their country, and for Israel. 

As gathering clouds blocked the sun, the temperature dropped. Experienced mountaineers knew to summit early and get off the peak before afternoon storms, so Vince and Mike made their descent. 

They had met their goal, but Vince now had a new goal: the Seven Highest Peaks in the world—the highest peak on each of the seven continents. He would climb them all, leave a Bible, and pray for each of the continents. 

In 2001, Vince climbed Aconcagua, left a Bible at the top, and prayed for the people of South America. In 2002, he planted a Bible on Kilimanjaro and Denali. In 2003 he celebrated six years of being cancer-free by climbing Everest. Because he had pulmonary edema he didn’t summit, but his Jewish friend carried a Bible to the top for him. On December 27, 2005, he prayed and planted a Bible on the last of the seven, Vinson Massif in Antarctica. 

In 2008 Vince joined friends for one last world-class climbing trip. They summited Mount Blanc in France. His friends snapped a picture as Vince knelt in the snow, stretched his hands out toward the nations below, and prayed. 

The team then traveled to the Matterhorn. On August 5, they made summit after a six-and-a-half-hour ascent. Vince prayed for Switzerland and planted his last Bible. A turn in weather hastened their descent. While traversing a snowfield in the fog at 13,100 feet, Vince and Carolyn, his climbing partner, fell to their death. With that last ice-encrusted step Vince entered the greatest ascent of all. Vince died as he had lived. He faced risk, believed God was for him, and went for it. 

What God-sized goal has God put in your heart? Radical vision? Believe God is for you, and go for it!

September 4. Vince Bousselaire. For twenty-one years, Vince was a meat cutter for King Soopers. When he was 39, he became a pastor, and about three years later, he got interested in mountaineering with a twist. Vince summited all the mountains in Colorado that stood at least 14,000 feet high—the 14ers. Many of them twice.

Vince saw a correlation between mountain-climbing and his Christian life. He believed God was for him, and he went for the win. On this date in 1998, Vince reached the top of Crestone Peak in Colorado.

Radical vision? Believe God is for you, and go for it!

Vince sucked in the thin air. Some time ago, he had passed the treeline, and with a few steady steps, he and his friend Mike would summit Crestone Peak. Vince had already met their goal of climbing all the Colorado 14ers, but he thrilled in sharing Mike’s victory climb—his 54th peak.

They had climbed over boulder fields and dangerous beds of loose rock. Been rained on, sleeted on, snowed on, and generally sun-burnt. But every climb had been glorious.

Vince sensed God’s presence as he challenged his body in the majesty of creation. That’s when the spiritual, mental, and physical blended together.

As he pulled a Bible out of his daypack, Vince thought of Ray Cobb, his first climbing buddy. In his 70s and 80s, Ray had climbed all 54 14ers and planted a Bible at the top of each.

Now Vince and Mike carried on Ray’s tradition and replaced Bibles that had gone missing. Ray’s vision for climbing had become Vince’s inspiration for strong, courageous living. He needed goals to help keep him healthy.

Vince had beaten non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma with prayer and determination—along with radiation and chemo. As he fought, he had believed God saw his struggle and had a purpose for it.

Vince refused to be a victim. Life was about perseverance. He believed God was for him, and he went for it. Just like he did when he climbed a mountain.

At the top, Vince and Mike always read a little from the Bible, so he opened it. He often chose a psalm. “O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! Who hast set thy glory above the heavens. … What is man, that thou art mindful of him?” (Psalm 8: 1–4). The God who created such grandeur had been mindful of Vince—and had allowed him to live and to enjoy days like this.

Vince and Mike asked God to help those below who struggled with health issues. The men prayed for the surrounding area, for their country, and for Israel.

As gathering clouds blocked the sun, the temperature dropped. Experienced mountaineers knew to summit early and get off the peak before afternoon storms, so Vince and Mike made their descent.

They had met their goal, but Vince now had a new goal: the Seven Highest Peaks in the world—the highest peak on each of the seven continents. He would climb them all, leave a Bible, and pray for each of the continents.

In 2001, Vince climbed Aconcagua, left a Bible at the top, and prayed for the people of South America. In 2002, he planted a Bible on Kilimanjaro and Denali. In 2003 he celebrated six years of being cancer-free by climbing Everest. Because he had pulmonary edema he didn’t summit, but his Jewish friend carried a Bible to the top for him. On December 27, 2005, he prayed and planted a Bible on the last of the seven, Vinson Massif in Antarctica.

In 2008 Vince joined friends for one last world-class climbing trip. They summited Mount Blanc in France. His friends snapped a picture as Vince knelt in the snow, stretched his hands out toward the nations below, and prayed.

The team then traveled to the Matterhorn. On August 5, they made summit after a six-and-a-half-hour ascent. Vince prayed for Switzerland and planted his last Bible. A turn in weather hastened their descent. While traversing a snowfield in the fog at 13,100 feet, Vince and Carolyn, his climbing partner, fell to their death. With that last ice-encrusted step Vince entered the greatest ascent of all. Vince died as he had lived. He faced risk, believed God was for him, and went for it.

What God-sized goal has God put in your heart? Radical vision? Believe God is for you, and go for it!