Meandering Moose

He Would Be 16, But I’m 55

He Would Be Sixteen (actually, I’m 55), but it’s the title of a song about adoption by Michelle Wright. The lyrics are below.

November 9, 2018 was World Adoption Day. This has become an annual blog for me. Check out the other two at World Adoption Day and Jesus was Adopted. Also check out www.worldadoptionday.org. I was adopted at six months of age.

I’ve been interested in finding out if I have other “family” out there. I’ve had non-identifying information since I was in college. That’s when I learned my love of working with my hands (woodworking) may have come from my birth father.

A few years ago I received identifying information, so I have the name of my birth mother. It has been an interesting journey of deciding how to proceed. Do I look them up? Well, through the many ancestry websites and social media, I may have found them. I wrote a letter, but it was returned.

Here are a more songs and quotes that have great meaning for me

He Didn’t Have To Be by Brad Paisley
Another Man’s Gold by Dean Brody
Life Changes by Thomas Rhett
“You were our dream come true. The first time we saw you, you were our son. You were born in our hearts, not anyone else’s.” Queen Helena in A Christmas Prince (Netflix)
Being a parent wasn’t just about bearing a child. It was about bearing witness to its life.
Adopting one child won’t change the world: but for that child, the world will change.
Somehow destiny comes into play. These children end up with you and you end up with them. It’s something quite magical. Nicole Kidman
I have four children. Two are adopted. I forget which two. Bob Constantine
By choice, we have become a family, first in our hearts, and finally in breath and being. Great expectations are good; great experiences are better. Richard Fischer
Adopted. Big Deal; so was Superman. Chris Crutcher
They may not have my eyes, they may not have my smile, but they have all my heart.
There are no unwanted children, just unfound families. The National Adoption Center
My birth mother brought me into this world, but it was my adoptive parents who gave me life. Christina Romo

Michelle Wright – He Would Be Sixteen

She gets in her car, October Friday night
Home from work down 31, past Franklin High
She can see the stadium lights, she can hear the band
A thousand crazy high school kids screamin’ in the stands
Quarterback and homecoming queen
Love too young to know what it means
She goes back in time, oh in her mind, it’s like a dream.

He would be sixteen
The son she never knew
It hurt so much to give him up
But what else could she do
He would be sixteen

A child should have a home; she knows her folks were right
She never heard the couple’s name, just that they were nice
She wonders if he’s taller than his father was
Does he drive a car by now, has he been in love
She shakes back to reality
She knows things turn out the way they should be
But she just can’t help but ask herself
“Does he know about me”?

He would be sixteen
The son she never knew
It hurt so much to give him up
But what else could she do

He would be sixteen
She never even got to hold him
And nights like this is hurts to miss
A son she’s never seen
He would be sixteen

The Thrill of Watching the Underdog

David against Goliath. Frodo Versus the dark lord Sauron. The Tortoise and the Hare. People love the underdog stories, but nobody wants to be the underdog. Why is it that people are fascinated by characters and stories that overcome seemingly insurmountable odds, but when faced with daily challenges, that seem insurmountable, the human instinct is to escape not to overcome?

“Everyone wants to live in the happily ever after, but we tend not to want to go through the process to get there.”

Storytelling has been refined in several mediums today, but at its core, good stories, that is to say captivating and entertaining stories, follow a pattern. Literary geniuses have ascribed terms to refer to these patterns with terms like “The Hero’s Journey” wherein underdogs become heroes. No matter how you break it down, stories have a before, an after and a conflict in between. If only life could be so neatly wrapped up like the ending of a good book, so someone could say “they lived happily ever after”, but it just isn’t the case while we live and when we die, as all men do, people continue on. Everyone wants to live in the happily ever after, but we tend not to want to go through the process to get there.

This is part of what makes a hero is it not? The willingness to leave their ordinary world, go through the testing and conflict to achieve the reward and return to the world to improve it. At some point people have to decide to do something about an issue to overcome and change their world. Yet as humans our tendency is to shy away from this process of an ordeal and hope that someone else can do the job for us. “We need a hero!” we cry. The truth is Sometimes we need a hero and sometimes we should be the hero.

For example, in the case of the problem of sin – everyone stands condemned under sin for all have sinned (Rom 3:23-24) and are in need of a Saviour found in Jesus Christ. It is the ultimate underdog story of one man against the giant problem of sin and death. Spoiler alert, he wins. Now if you follow Christ, then you are living in Act 3 of the hero’s journey because Christ has redeemed you and changed your ordinary world, thus you are empowered by that change to live differently and to help others live differently too. We don’t have to live in act 1 of the story of sin and redemption, it’s done. There are other trials of life within which Christ now expects us to step up to the plate. So when is it our responsibility to get up and take on the trials of life?

Start by asking yourself, “what is within my power?” Solomon tells us in Prov 3:27 “Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it’s in your power to help them.” (NLT). This could mean financial assistance. It could mean your position in your workplace or social status. Maybe you have material possessions that others need. What is within your power to change someone’s life, including your own?
Learn how to do good. Is 1:17; “learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.” (ESV). There is no shortage of good causes, and doing something good isn’t just by virtue of what it is, but how it’s done. Get practical, how can I uphold justice in my life and for others? By being just, and fair – which is not equality, but equally just for all.
Do it. Don’t let inaction creep into your life under the guise of “it’s not my business”. Samuel says to Saul and the Israelites in his farewell address in 1 Sam 12:23 “Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you, and I will instruct you in the good and the right way.” The Israelites have made a huge mistake, Samuel is being removed from the leadership of the Israelite people in favour of a king. This act defies God, and sets up the nation for death, corruption and tyrants who will exact great evils on the people. Samuel knows this. but even so, he doesn’t walk away and wash his hands of the issue but commits instead to continue his supplication before God. He could have said it was none of his business, but he didn’t.

“The truth is Sometimes we need a hero and Sometimes should be the hero.”

Although life’s troubles can be pretty daunting, disease and disaster threaten to overcome us, God has given us a powerful example in the underdog story of Jesus Christ. The change that He brought about in our world should equip those who follow to be able to change someone else’s; albeit to a lesser extent. There’s no sidelines in the kingdom of God from which to watch, we’re all called to fight the good fight.

Unearthed

Guest blog by Shelagh Raymer, Women of Grace

Written for our WOG Unearthed retreat which took place on October 12-14, 2018.

For a while now the idea of doing something different for one of the Women of Grace retreat has been percolating in my mind. Things women had suggested and my own experience as I attended national and international events sparked further ideas. Digging into the word, digging for truth, all images that were swirling in my mind. We are a Bible illiterate nation and we need help. If we are to live fruitful lives and see growth we need to learn to spend time in His Word.

Unearthed: to uncover or bring to light by search. Isn’t that what we need? Not just reading the Word but to understand and dig into the scripture, what it means, what is it saying to us and how it can shape our lives. With this idea in mind four words came to mind. Marriage, Mentoring, Meditating on and Memorizing the Word.

Scripture is the bread of life and through meditating on it and memorizing it we can be fed and fueled for all that life throws at us. If we can improve on these two things then mentoring younger women would be a natural part of our lives. We would feel confident mentoring because we were knowledgeable in the truth. And if we were knowledgeable in the truth we could build stronger marriages. Not marriages without troubles but marriages that can withstand troubles.

It was a weekend to unearth the truth and spend time digging into the Word. We began Friday evening with a concert of praise with Marlene O’Neill. On Saturday we ran four sessions: Memorizing God’s Word, Meditating on God’s Word, Mentoring and Marriage: God’s way. Saturday evening and Sunday morning Ruth Waring was our Bible teacher… get dirty and dig into His Word.

Cooking with Moose: Family Favourite Chili

As the weather gets colder and we approach winter (sorry, it had to be said), you may be looking for some comfort food. In that case I offer up today’s recipe: Family Favourite Chili. This recipe comes from Moose’s family cookbook called, “That Tastes Like Home”.

Ingredients

2 pounds ground beef
2 onions
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
1-540 ml can crushed tomatoes
1-156 ml can tomato paste
1-540 ml can tomato juice
2 tbsp chopped garlic
1- can red kidney beans (rinsed)
2-398 ml cans brown beans in tomato sauce
2-248 ml cans mushrooms pieces and stems
50 g of chili powder

Directions

In a large crock pot (or 5 quart pot on the stove) add the following ingredients
Brown and drain of ground beef
Sauté the onions and green peppers
Rinse the kidney beans
Add the rest of the canned ingredients and stir thoroughly
Heat the ingredients until hot throughout, stirring occasionally
Add salt & pepper to taste

Notes

Great to put in a crock pot on low in the morning and have it ready when you get home
Substitute chicken or turkey for the ground beef if preferred
For a vegetarian version sub in sautéd celery, carrots, red peppers, yellow peppers or tofu for the meat
Black beans are also a nice add if you like them
You may also like to add red or yellow peppers and a little hot sauce is always a nice touch on a cold day
Serve with garlic toast and your favourite salad
Enjoy on a cold day!

Being Full of Thanks – It’s All About Perspective

Guest Blog by John Friesen, CEO, MBC

This is the month when our minds turn to giving thanks. We have just celebrated the Thanksgiving weekend here at MBC and the scenery is beautiful, as the autumn colours seem to be at their peak right now. The smell of autumn is in the air. It truly is breathtaking in Muskoka these days.

Our MBC team theme this year has been focusing on ‘gratitude’. Gord Stephenson was kind enough to build and install a Gratitude Chalk Board in our team lunchroom. It was interesting to see how eagerly the students on the team (spring and summer) filled up the board with all sorts of words and phrases – expressing thanks for other team members, for key verses of scripture, for movies they liked, for friends and for many other things that boggled my mind.

What else I found interesting was that our year round team members (yours truly included) didn’t seem to share this enthusiasm for writing down things we were thankful for. There was a stark contrast with how quickly the youth adopted and engaged into the theme of thanksgiving and us older folks seemed to drag our heels a bit.

Sure – I understand that as we get older our enthusiasm for anything seems to diminish somewhat. But giving thanks? Surely, the longer we live the more of God’s blessings we have to be thankful for. Yet – there is hesitancy; a pause that seems to be present as we look back on life. Perhaps it has to do with dreams unfulfilled, or broken relationships or sickness or many of the other hard things that this life throws at us. I certainly have my share of disappointments and hurts and they do give me pause when it comes to being thankful.

And yet – it really is about perspective. As I prepared to preach on Thanksgiving Sunday – the text (Phil 4:4-7) forced me to take time to deeply reflect on the grace that God has extended to me in His plan of redemption – the forgiveness of my sins so that I can stand in His glorious presence without a single fault. As I let this truth permeate my mind and sink into my soul – the heaviness and the darkness of the past receded to be replaced by an energetic hope for the future, not only for this life but also for the life yet to come. I felt a deep sense of gratitude for the consistency of Scripture that keeps pointing me back to the truth of the Gospel. And because of that Good News I can now serve at the pleasure of the Living God with a grateful heart.

Today I give thanks for the profound truth that Jesus Christ has come into the world to save the lost – to save me. And no circumstance of life can ever separate me from the love that birthed such a great redemptive story. May your gratitude increase as you reflect on the love of God found in these verses from Romans 8:35-39Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

In Gratitude,

John Friesen

CEO, Muskoka Bible Centre

Widji Staff & Campers Will Grow Up To Rule The World

Staff & campers will grow up to rule the world! I often wonder as I look around each summer at the new group of campers, what will be come of them. Which ones will do our SALT program, become staff, then leadership staff. Which one might eventually be the camp director.

We don’t know the potential influence we have, or that they may have, in the future. My favourite quote about potential has long been, “You can always cut open the apple and find out how many seeds are inside, but there’s no way you can cut the seed and find out how many apples are in it.”

Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

I’m excited to find out how our investment in youth and young adults and their investment in others will create a chain reaction of leadership and change in our camping community, our communities at large and our nation, even the world. I can only imagine where these new leaders will go. To that end I asked some of our Widjiitiwin groups on Facebook and received some great responses. SO many of our past staff and campers are in professions where they are helping people and influencing other generations. The top three professions seem to be pastors, nurses and teachers.

Look at this amazing list the great leaders our campers and staff have become in society including being firefighter x 2, pastors, counselors, business professionals, doctors, nurses, paramedics, contractors, missionaries, coaches, moms and dads, camp directors, RMT’s, teachers, 2 magicians, Camp operations director, Pastor and church planter, Autism consultant/ behaviour, IT Infrastructure Project Manager and Host Network Services Team Lead, ECE- teaching kindergarten, Mechanical Engineering Technology and Project Management, Executive Director of a camp and conference centre, Stay at home mom, Cyber Security Governance, Bakery/restaurant management, Carpenter, Pastor, church planter, Pastry chef, Nurse, Business development for a technology services company, Figure skating coach, Business coaching & web development, Speech-Language Pathology, Missionary and Psychology, Outdoor Instructing and education, Multimedia Design, Nurse, Youth worker and mental health advocate, Teacher, Graphic Designer, Photographer, International Development, Paramedic, Missionary, Clinical Social Worker, Music school manager, Scientist, Non- Profit Management, Urban missionary, Teacher, Construction, Lead various programs at my local church, Registered Nurse, Bookkeeper, Speech language pathology, Youth work, Camp Director, Youth mentor, Teaching, Elementary Teacher, Vice-Principal, Esthetician, Stay at home mom, Social worker, Youth Work & Counseling, Social Worker, Leadership Development, Teaching, Dental Hygienist, Financial adviser, Pediatric Nurse, Interior Designer, Pastor, mental health social worker, International Man of Mystery (Spanky), Special Ed/Learning Support Coordinator, Water treatment, Youth Ministry, Teacher, Family business owner, Elementary Teacher, Musical theatre, Sr. Pastor, Pastor, transit operator, Office Administrator & Gospel Singer, Helicopter flight paramedic, Solutions Architect, Internet consultant, editor, professional photographer, bus driver, art model, French teacher, Life Enrichment Coordinator at a Retirement Home, Many have become camp pastors, Heyoo is now the director at Widji and so much more… All helping shape generations of people.

Camp Widjiitiwin – the way camp was meant to be… relational, central, natural, reaching out, a loving community focused on Christ. It’s like coming home. It’s my camp!

Thanksgiving 2018

This coming weekend we have Thanksgiving in Canada. It’s the one day or weekend we pause long enough to remember all the things we are thankful for. It seems obvious that we should be thankful more than just one day a year. And we are. We give thank for meals, we thank people for holding a door, lending a hand, a nice compliment or some advice. I wonder though how often we thank the people that are important in our lives. Writing this Thanksgiving blog has become an annual reminder for me of the things I am thankful for.

My list is often the same and includes:

God: for Jesus as my Saviour, for loving me/us unconditionally, for the Holy Spirit to guide us, for the Bible a book of revealing our creator and Lord; that my girls have God-fearing men in their lives. It’s His character; that which disposes him to be kind, full of good will, benevolent, gracious, slow to anger, inclined to bestow blessings, the happiness of his people.

Family: My wonderful wife, Elaine, who has loved me for over 32 years in spite of and some times because of my quirks. I can still make her laugh! My three girls (Nicole, Carolyn & Melissa) who are amazing women accomplishing great things. My two sons-in-law (Tim & Ben) are great guys and are bringing up the male ratio. For Olivia, Logan and Liam, my 3 grand kids who are growing up fast and who has make our lives so much fun. For my parents who chose to adopt me and love me. For my brothers, who, well, you know…

Friends: who are there for me, steady, faithful. Paul & Tanya, Chris & Melissa, Steve & Heather, Shea & Ruth, John, Josh, Michael, my small group, Paul & Sue, Keith & Shawn, Tim & Ellen and so many more!

Camp: I started at camp as a day camper and I’m still at camp, now as the general director of Widji plus MBC retreats and some marketing. It’s in my blood or DNA. I’m thankful for the privilege of leading so many staff over thirty five years. Camp Widjiitiwin, where ministry happens that changes lives forever, where kids can hear about Jesus, make friends, try new activities, have fun, grow; where staff grow up, lead campers and each other, become leaders.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, ESV). There really is so much to be thankful for if we but pause to consider it.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Are you a Rope or a Rag?

I’m a rope, my wife is a rag. Yes, I know that may not seem very flattering to say. Let me explain.

I know this after listening to a sermon by Dwayne Cline from Hughson Street Baptist Church in Hamilton. Dwayne was preaching on a passage from Jeremiah 38:1-13 about the very little known Ebed-Melek. The central message was about serving, which Ebed-Melek did well.

Ebed-Melek may be the most obscure person in the Bible. His name means servant of the king. In fact it may not be his name, but a title. He’s a foreigner, a Cushite (likely Ethiopia) with no rights, no power, no authority and likely a eunuch.

Ebed-Melek listens to God, approaches the king and rescues Jeremiah after he was thrown into a pit. Taking his own life into his own hands. The king assigns him 30 men to go with him because he will need protection. He took ropes to get him out and rags to make sure he wasn’t hurt. Ropes equal logistics and help. Rags equal compassion to people.

There is a story behind each life that shows up at our ministries, a mess that only Jesus can clean up. People need more than ropes, they need compassion. Jesus our king became a servant and died on the cross, raised the third day to put our feet on a rock and song on our lips.

We come with ropes and rags in the name of Jesus. We serve together in Jesus’ name because we cannot do it alone. More people come along side as we walk alongside people. At the end of Jeremiah 39, Ebed-Melek will be rescued because he believed God. God will do whatever it takes to call us and cause us to be Christ-like.

Leadership is like Ripples on Water

The effect of our leadership continues to go out like ripples on water through the people we have impacted. A ripple moves out from the center and the ripple effect is so much greater than the original impact formed.

As a leader, every word you say, every email you write, your smile, your handshake, everything that you put into the universe has a ripple effect.

How about the fruit of the Spirit as the kind of ripples we want to be sending out. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23

Our leadership affects those around us and then their leadership becomes the next ripple. It’s always good to hear the principles that I have talked about come back to be from my summer leadership staff.

I also suggest that each of the following attributes we exhibit and model will cause others to imitate them. Consider how being adaptable, approachable, attentive, caring, commitment, compassion, conscientious, considerate, courteous, empathy, energetic, enthusiasm, flexible, friendly, FUN, genuine, gentle, hard working, honest, integrity, kind, listener, loyal, nurtures relationships, patient, playful, positive attitude, punctual, reliable, respectful, responsible, self-disciplined, self-motivated, service-minded, supportive, teachable, team player, thoughtful, trustworthy & willing can affect the people you lead.

I get excited when I think about the ripples of my influence as they have gone out of my view, but continue through people I have lead or mentored.

Besides impacting performance, leaders serve as role models, impacting the attitudes, behavior, and organizational culture with almost every interaction they have with their peers and direct reports. Anita Bowness

Brothers, what we do in life… echoes in eternity. Maximus Decimus Meridius in Gladiator

What does your ripple effect say about you as a leader?

Cooking with Moose: Peanut Butter Marshmallow Squares

Recipes we use at camp and some from Moose’s family cookbook, “That Tastes Like Home”. Today’s recipe: Peanut Butter Marshmallow Squares. Too bad we can’t serve these at Widji.

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter or 1/2 cup margarine
1 cup peanut butter
1 (300 g) bag butterscotch chips
1 (200 g) bag mini coloured marshmallows

Directions

Melt together butter, peanut butter, and butterscotch chips on very low heat until mixed, stirring constantly.
Cool for a bit (so as not to melt the marshmallows).
Stir in mini marshmallows.
Pour in a greased 11″ x 13″ pan.
Refrigerate and cut into small (1-1/2″) squares.

Notes

Also known as “Funeral Squares” because you usually eat them at funerals (Palooza)