Our Spiritual Battle

The spiritual battle we fight was initiated by two races created by God – angels and humans.

Ephesians 6:10-12 – Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 

You cannot lose your salvation, but you can compromise it and your testimony with it, through your sin. You show disregard for the God of the Bible, by following after worldly things. This you do by giving in to one or more of three enemies. 

  • The enemy inside – the flesh, ignoring God and doing your own thing even though you know it isn’t right
  • The enemy around us – the world, following after the things of the world that can become idols to you when they take the place of God in your life
  • The enemy outside of us – the Devil, if we fall for his lies that lead us into temptation and sin, self doubt and away from God who loves us

Tim Keller – if the Bible is true about the spiritual world and evil you will not be able to understand and defeat on your ow the darkness of your own heart, in your family, in our city and in the world.

Ephesians 6:13-17 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

This World is NOT My Home

Back when I was working at Muskoka Woods in the late 80’s we had some great and popular Christian musicians come and play concerts for the campers and staff. Those influenced the music I listened to, although I was mostly into country music (yes, before it was cool).

One of my favourite albums at that time was Larry Norman’s Christian Rock album Only Visiting This Planet, Reader’s Digest.

Follow God or sing the blues, and who they’re gonna sin with.
What a mess the world is in, I wonder who began it.
Don’t ask me, I’m only visiting this planet.

It also had the song, Why Should The Devil Have All The Good Music? Oh the 80’s Christian rock was good. 

This year we celebrated the 152nd anniversary of our great country Canada, it seems appropriate to gain an understanding of this verse as it applies to being a good Canadian, as well as a faithful citizen of “[the] better country, that is, [the] heavenly one” (Hebrews 11:16).

But as Christians, our citizenship is in heaven.

And we eagerly await a Saviour from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. Philippians 3:20, 21

Ephesians 2:19, a precious verse for expatriates, says, “You are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God… Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone.”

This World is Not My Home
recorded by Jim Reeves, written by Mary Reeves and Albert E. Brumley

This world is not my home I’m just a passing through
My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue
The angels beckon me from heaven’s open door
And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore
Oh lord you know I have no friend like you
If heaven’s not my home then lord what will I do
The angels beckon me from heaven’s open door
And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore
I have a loving mother just over in gloryland
And I don’t expect to stop until I shake her hand
She’s waiting now for me in heaven’s open door
And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore
Oh lord you know I have no friend like you
If heaven’s not my home Then lord what will I do
The angels beckon me From heaven’s open door
And I can’t feel at home In this world anymore
Just over in gloryland
We’ll live eternally
The saints on every hand are shouting victory
Their songs of sweetest praise
Drift back from heaven’s shore
And I can’t feel at home In this world anymore
Oh lord, you know I have no friend like you
If heaven’s not my home Then lord what will I do
The angels beckon me From heaven’s open door
And I can’t feel at home In this world anymore

This world is not my home, I’m just a passing through…

Bendable, Foldable, Malleable, and Moldable

This line has been in my blog ideas folder for a while now and I can’t remember where it came from or what I was planning to do with it.

We got every bit of bendable, foldable, malleable, moldable material into me.

As I got to thinking about it and talked with a few people about what they thought it might mean, it seems like it’s the idea of a circle, of clay on the potter’s wheel. And I remembered we are molded in the image of God. We are made and remade to shape us to be more Christ-like. God is the Potter and we are the clay. We are made and molded in His image. Watching a potter at the wheel is mesmerizing as the clay spins it seems to magically take the shape in the mind of the potter/creator. 

I remember hearing in science class that we are made of the elements of the earth. Genesis 2:7 says, “Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” 

Jeremiah 18:1-10 talks about the potter’s wheel.

The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.” So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do. Then the word of the Lord came to me: “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it. And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it. 

Once the clay piece is in the right shape, it won’t stay that way unless it is fired in the heat of the furnace. Here’s an outline of these verses. 

  • God is the Potter (v. 6)
  • We are the Clay (v. 6)
  • Life is the wheel, the place we are tested and tried
  • Disobedience is the marring (v.4)
  • Trials of life are the furnace. Here are a couple examples of the “firing” of people in the Bible
    • Job – furnace of pain; he did well
    • Peter – furnace of persecution; he did well
    • Solomon – furnace of worldly pleasures; he kind of did okay

Am I in fact bendable, foldable, malleable and moldable as God works in me to create me into the person He has in mind for me in His service? To be honest; some days I am and some days I need to do better and allow Him to do more shaping of me. 

How about you? Are you bendable, foldable, malleable, and moldable for God to shape you? OR are you a stiff stick that might break in a wind? Be moldable. 

Granite & Quartz; a Metaphor for Our Lives

2016-11-17-14-12-07I like rocks, though not geology. Granite and quartz are especially interesting as the light shines off the facets and the colours are vibrant. 

We saw a diamond on a cruise that had 74 facets, 16 more than the usual cut. It glistened everywhere! Amazing! As a kid we had a rock tumbler that polishes rocks smooth. It took days to get them smooth through a variety of steps and grits of abrasive. They would shine nicely in the end. They shone but not the same as that diamond.

One day during my rough period, when I was struggling with my health downfall in 2017, I went for a walk back though the bush by our house, following a snow mobile trail. To be truthful I was angry with God for the way I was felling physically, mentally and spiritually. I yelled and cried. He listened. I came across a section of granite that had been partially broken up (maybe even blown up). The mix of colours was wonderful and facets (flat smooth spots) were reflective in the sunlight in the midst of the rougher rock and my rough time. I noticed that the shiny quartz is most often mixed in with other rock types, mostly dull, so it shines out. 

It seems to me this must be a metaphor for my life. There are times when I am shiny and doing it right. There are days that are rough, reminding me of the health crisis that brought me down. In truth, my life, and yours, is a mix of the highs and lows all rolled into one life. We need to remember to praise and thank God for both. One is easy, the other is often quite hard. But remember that God can take all our feelings, our being upset, even angry with Him. If you need proof of that, read some of David’s Psalms where he rails against God. 

So, whether your day is more like granite or like quartz, praise God is all your circumstances.

A Guardian Angel Story

Matthew 18:10 See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.

A teenage girl about 17 had gone to visit some friends one evening and time passed quickly as each shared their various experiences of the past year. She ended up staying longer than planned, and had to walk home alone. She wasn’t afraid because it was a small town and she lived only a few blocks away. As she walked along under the tall elm trees, Diane asked God to keep her safe from harm and danger.

When she reached the alley, which was a short cut to her house, she decided to take it. However, halfway down the alley she noticed a man standing at the end as though he were waiting for her.

She became uneasy and began to pray, asking for God’s protection. Instantly a comforting feeling of quietness and security wrapped round her, she felt as though someone was walking with her.

When she reached the end of the alley, she walked right past the man and arrived home safely.
The following day, she read in the newspaper that a young girl had been raped in the same alley just twenty minutes after she had been there.

Feeling overwhelmed by this tragedy and the fact that it could have been her, she began to weep.
Thanking the Lord for her safety and to help this young woman, she decided to go to the police station.

She felt she could recognize the man, so she told them her story. The police asked her if she would be willing to look at a line-up to see if she could identify him. She agreed and immediately pointed out the man she had seen in the alley the night before.

When the man was told he had been identified, he immediately broke down and confessed. The officer thanked Diane for her bravery and asked if there was anything they could do for her. She asked if they would ask the man one question. Diane was curious as to why he had not attacked her.

When the policeman asked him, he answered, “Because she wasn’t alone. She had two tall men walking on either side of her.” 

Dear God: I have a problem. It’s me!

Dear God: I have a problem. It’s me. The bad news is you have the same problem.

I know the right things do do, yet I still continue to do the wrong things. I know it’s part of my human nature, but that doesn’t excuse me, or you. I know that I am supposed to act like Ephesians 5 with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. BUT IT’S HARD! Love never fails, but I do. If you’re honest with yourself, you do too. 

Although my life verse is Matthew 6:33, But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well, I often do not seek first the Kingdom or His righteousness and I would like “all these things” added to me without all the work. The Bible has a few more things to say about this area problem. 

If you’re at all like me you try to justify the things you think, feel, want to say or do say, stretch the true to make a better story. It’s a trap and leads to a downward spiral. Sin only leads to more sin. 

Paul said in Romans 7:15-20, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.” NIV

Isaiah 64:6 says, “We are all infected and impure with sin. When we display our righteous deeds, they are nothing but filthy rags. Like autumn leaves, we wither and fall, and our sins sweep us away like the wind.” NLT

1 John 1:8, “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” NIV

So, how do we get better? How do we resist the temptation to sin (do wrong)? Here is an idea from 2 Peter 1:5-8 Make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.

We are reminded that; For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life is not from the Father but is from the world. 1 John 2:16

Ecclesiastes 12:10-11 teaches, the Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth. The words of the wise are like goads, and like nails firmly fixed are the collected sayings; they are given by one Shepherd. (Note, a goad is like a cattle prod to get us moving because we are a stubborn people unwilling to trust and serve God.) 

I am often my own worst critic and too often my own worst enemy. I have been reading through the Bible and although my target was a year, I will likely take an extra 6 months. I’m almost there. I am learning a lot and revisiting familiar stories and verses. I am also finding new things in God’s Word. 

MY BIGGEST PROBLEM
By Gene Westveer

“Hey, God can solve all your problems.”
I’ve heard that many a time.
If I would just get with the program,
Mountains would be easy to climb.

Those who tell me are well-meaning,
But I just don’t think they can see
In their thoughtful intervening,
That my biggest problem is me.

That rebellious streak I have inside
I may try to suppress – or not.
With Christ I have been crucified,
So each win shouldn’t be so hard-fought.

“Let go and let God.”  That’s the advice.
Each time that I do I can see
When I give up control, then Christ
Solves my biggest problem – that’s me.

It’s Been Quite a Ride; a Moose Health Update

Many of you are aware of my health journey over the last 5-7 years! My health continued to get worse from 2012 until I was forced to take sick leave for the summer of 2017 (July through September). I honestly remember very little of May or June that year either. It took a lot for me to admit something was wrong, although almost everyone else saw it clearly.

I started back working part time in October 2017, working my way up to full-time by January 2018. Turns out I was suffering from post concussion syndrome initiated by my last truck accident. The doctors determined I may have had 10-12 concussions or similar events. Turns out that’s a lot. A skiing accident (landed on my head), 3 vehicle collisions, being kicked across the barn by a horse, lots of playing line in full contact pick up football, head first into a concrete gym floor and I’m sure many years of tackle Widjiitiwin basketball didn’t help. 

I started to, and still, see a specialist, Dr. Stauber, in Barrie. My head is literally a different shape than it was. My double vision (likely a symptom of the concussions) is now half what it used to be. All the doctors said it would only get worse. Surprise. 

Over a year after getting back to full time I am still not back to 100% and I prefer that this isn’t the new normal. I think I’m back to about 85%, but Elaine thinks it’s more like 70%. This past week, I met with my doctor and the news was not fun.

  • First, he told me I was pre-diabetic and needed to cut out carbs and sugar. For a guy who loves meat on a bun with a Coke or Mountain Dew, this was a scary prospect. So far it’s been a week and a half and I have only had one sugary drink and a couple buns. Eggs are my new best food. Still working on alternatives. 
  • Then he gave me the results of my blood tests. My iron and a few other things are low and so is my blood count. So off to an internist I go to find out why I and low on blood. At least my cholesterol is good. 
  • Finally, the results of my right knee x-ray where it turns out my knee cap is wearing away from the back. I have this knee operated on when I was 17 to remove a lot of damaged cartilage. Seems like bone is rubbing on bone. Of course that would explain the pain and my knee giving out. I would love to say it was from a football injury, but it was the 70’s, so I have to admit it was from roller skating at Camp Ambassador. Yup, four wheels out the side, tongue folded forward and tied down with the laces. I was pretty good at the time. So now, I’m off to an orthopedic surgeon to see what can be done. 

A lot of credit goes to my wife, Elaine, who has seen me through all the phases of this and still loves me. 

In all, God is good. 

Check Out Our Facility Upgrades

Every year we need to do some work to get camp prepared for campers. Some of that is making props for our theme. Sometimes we need to build infrastructure. This year we: 

  • Repainted the floor in the Longhouse
  • Rebuilt the washroom at the end of the Longhouse
  • Stain the front of the Longhouse
  • Replaced the blob (after rescuing the dock from the other end of Mary lake after the spring flooding)
  • Added a change room to each cabin
  • Installed two new sewage pumps (and a new well tile to house them)
  • Replaced a chlorine pump
  • Built a Tardis and a Flintstone’s car for our time travel theme
  • Installed a new fireplace insert
  • Rebuilt our canoe fleet
  • Took down a bunch of old dangerous trees
  • Replace the fascia on the Longhouse
  • Added a 3D archery activity
  • Built new picnic tables
  • Put down 10 tons of crushed stone on Widji road & dozens of filled pot holes

Mark This Spot!

“Mark This Spot!” is a new phrase my wife and I have started using (okay, mostly me). It currently relates to places where I make my wife really laugh out loud. Not just a grin for a dad joke or a sigh at some comment I have made, but really laugh. Since I started this there are a lot more spots she has laughed. Usually with me. 

It got me thinking about other spots that I have marked. 

  • Past job locations (five camps, CP Moving Systems and CCI/Canada) 
  • Places we have lived (Toronto, Muskoka Woods, Rosseau and Utterson/Port Sydney)
  • Schools we have attended (grade schools, high schools, OBC)
  • Vacation destinations (camping trips, family vacations, Sedona & the Grand Canyon, a Caribbean cruise, smokey mountains, Tennessee, Myrtle Beach, plus many more)
  • Hikes we have done in Algonquin Park (10 so far)
  • Life events like our engagement (on the steps of a church in Curries) and wedding, the births of our girls and grand-kids, school graduations, weddings, etc.
  • Places of significant happenings in our lives. One of these for me is the place in the hall of Camp Ambassador where I gave my life to Christ. 
  • And a few health issues like my sick leave for post concussion syndrome. 
  • I still struggle to drive by the spot where I rode my truck 60 feet down an embankment on my way to work. I still slow down almost 9 years after the accident. 

What are the places or happenings in your life that might make you say, “Mark This Spot!“.

Our Approach To Homesickness

Everyone has days or times when they want to be somewhere else. Campers who are new to overnight camp or it’s their first time at Widjiitiwin, it can be a hard time. Even staff we go through homesickness or the desire to be at home more than at camp. Discover how we help your kids want to stay at camp.

When a staff sees a camper that has withdrawn or moved away from the main group, they are taught to go and try to engage that camper back into the activity or to join them. The staff/camper relationship is key to the success of each camper’s time at Widji. Here are a few tips of the trade that I have gained through my 40 years as a camp staff/director.

  • It’s been said that life savers help. I don’t know anyone who can suck on a lifesaver and cry at the same time.
  • We want to ensure the camper feels welcomed and they don’t let them get lost in the crowd. We strive to know their name, accept them and find a way to show them we care. And by helping them to make friends.
  • We try to keep campers busy with activities. A busy camper gives them less time to think about home.
  • We try not to talk about family as this can often make the feeling stronger. 
  • We spend one on one time with them, or perhaps the chief cabin leader can be with them. 
  • We try to do what they like, and help them to like what they’re doing
  • Bedtime is often the hardest part, but don’t lose faith. They will sleep eventually. 
  • Our goal is to make each camper feel welcomed into the group by getting them to learn each other’s names. 
  • We strive to be clear about what to expect. What is the schedule? What are the ground rules? We spell these out from the beginning and honour them. This helps the camper feel more secure.
  • We’re proactive by checking in with campers every day or multiple times a day, but we DON’T ask if they miss home.
  • We’ll spend one-on-one time with each of your camper’s every day, even if it is just for a couple of minutes.
  • We tell campers that their feelings of missing home are normal, even telling them about a time that we missed home and share what we did to cope.
  • We ask about the things they have done so far at camp that were fun and we pile on encouragement & show optimism.
  • We do not promise a call home. This may sound harsh, but a call home makes a camper miss home more. This would be a last resort.