Submission

Next week, I will be serving as a counselor at Camp Daniel along with so many others from Living Hope Church who will counsel, cook, clean, teach, worship and basically, just help wherever it is needed: to submit to the leadership of God and the leadership of Camp Daniel.

Tim Kelly, one of the missionaries at Camp Daniel, asked (required) each of us to write in response to the two following questions: What does God want to teach me on this trip or why does God want me to go on this trip. And secondly, what does Eph. 6:10-20 (putting on the armor of God) mean to me. I suppose that this was meant to be between Tim and each of us but I am letting you on what I have written. Take it for what it's worth.

Tim, here it is for you in a nutshell.

1. I don't think I have any idea right now why God wants me to go to Camp Daniel. I would like to sound spiritual and say: " to be a great example of servant leadership for Living Hope Church". Or something like: "to be a humble servant of Jesus" etc. But it is more likely something like this: "I got tired of being nagged about not doing this" or "I didn't want to let Little Tony down and I want to be a good example of encouragement to him".

So, my friends, let me leave it at this: "I hope I can in some way help make this a really good week for a camper with a disability."

2. I know that I have to come to Camp Daniel spiritually prepared. Something tells me this is the easier part of the "armor" teaching. I mean, surrounded by the great Camp Daniel leadership team, surrounded by Living Hope Church servants who are awesome encouragers who will battle for each other in prayer; to be exposed each day of Camp to praise, worship, and the teaching of the Word, in some ways it seems like a slam-dunk to succeed. Time will tell.

I am reminded regularly that I need the armor of God when I am alone at home, or struggling with an unsettled spirit in my office and just the tendency to feel sorry for myself on a regular basis. It seems I battle temptation more now than ever in my Christian life and why not, if Satan has a plan to destroy me, my family and my church. I am regularly reminded that all temptations are winnable if I keep alert and strong. (1 Cor. 10:13) At Camp Daniel, I know we will help each fight the good fight and I know it will be won. But alone with my thoughts and feelings, that's when I know I really need God's armor. It is a daily fight but Praise God, we are guaranteed victory if we don't give in or give up. What a great God we serve!!

There you go, Tim. Submission to my authorities for the upcoming week. I am looking for miracles in ways that we may not even think about. See you Sunday.

Worthy To Judge

I don't know if you are following any of the proceedings in the United States Senate that will lead to the confirmation of Judge Sonia Sotomayor as our next Supreme Court Justice. I find it very interesting to listen as questions are asked of her which are supposed to show if she is fit to be a judge on the Supreme Court. In other words is she fit to pass judgment on important issues?

In the book of Revelation, we are shown that the Lord Jesus is the only One who is able to judge perfectly and He will at the close of the age. Why? Because of who He is (God manifested in the flesh) and because of what He has done. He created this earth and that gives Him the right; and He also redeemed this earth. Since He is worshiped in Heaven as redeemer and Creator, He is the only One worthy to judge and to rule this earth.

So then what gives anyone on the Supreme Court or anyone else put in a position to pass judgment the right to do so? Our laws? The constitution? The Bible is clear that only the Lord Jesus Christ is worthy to sit in judgment. Unless one of these judges can measure up to Him, he is really not in a position to judge in his own ability and strength.

There is injustice all over the world and in every country and we see the results of that every day, don't we? That injustice is brought about by man's futile attempt to sit in judgment on others and never acknowledging the wisdom of God as their source. Up North Wisdom says we need to be in prayer for all those who rule and judge in our country. Pray for Judge Sotomayor and rest of the Supreme Court Judges and for our president and other elected officials and judges that somehow and someway, they will humble themselves before God and acknowledge that only with the wisdom and strength that comes from Him alone, can they be righteous and true in their decisions.

" God, help us all to always look to you as our source of help, strength, wisdom and power to be the kind of Christians that You want us to be and that we want to be also. Help us to live our lives with eternity in view and pledge to serve you and others with love and passion. In the Name of Jesus. AMEN!!

I'm Back

Well folks, I am back! Watch out, I am back and very excited to get back in the pulpit and preach the Word. It is Saturday afternoon and technically I am not yet off vacation mode but here I am back in my office getting ready to preach tomorrow about the rapture of the Church. Wow! I wonder if I have received any more Up North Wisdom as a result of our time away. I think so. God is so good and so faithful.

Last night Jeanne and I saw the most awesome and beautiful combination of sun setting and storm rising over Lake Superior that one could imagine. That's what the rapture will be like: for the believer, it will be like beautiful light beckoning them to come up to be with Jesus. For the unbeliever, it will be a storm of darkness that is almost unimaginable. My prayer is for The Spirit of God to bring many souls to Him as a result of the Truth of His Word.

Precious Lord, Use Your Word tomorrow morning to convict, draw, encourage and inspire. Bind every device of the enemy to keep people from coming to You. Let Kingdom work be done for your glory. Amen!

Gone Fishing

The sign is on my office door: "Gone Fishing". I've cleaned my desk, organized my bookshelves, and cleared my emails on the computer. 31 straight days without one day off tells me it's time to give everyone around here a break -- from me. I'm not looking for sympathy, just understanding. Three weddings and a church outreach picnic added on to the regular church stuff and there you have one crazy month. You're thinking: "I thought Pastors only worked for a couple of hours on Sunday". I know you don't really think that. But why fishing?

Well, that's not the only thing Jeanne and I do when on vacation. Our kids and grandkids come to spend time with us and that is a blast. We do a lot of reading, walking, swimming, driving around Lake Superior, -- and fishing -- along with late nights around the camp fires (often swatting mosquitoes) and eating too much of all the wrong foods. It's beautiful. But fishing is still big. My philosophy is that if God made the world three-fourths water, then it stands to reason He wanted us to spend a lot of time fishing. And fishermen were the first people Jesus called to be His followers.

By the way, when Jeanne and I are in the boat on the lake, we are like little kids sometimes watching all that is going on around us. When you see eagles flying nearby; when you see otters swimming along the shore; when the night skys are glimmering with countless stars: when the birds sign songs you only hear when you are quiet and listening; when the forests beckon you to explore the unknown; is it any wonder that we occassionally break into "How Great Thou Art"? Oh, and we might even catch a fish or two. Which is beside the point even though a nice bonus.

It seems crazy to suggest that a person could "miss" God when doing God's work, but it can happen. Work, even God's work, can easily start to be about me and what I am doing. Like God really needs me to get His work done. Fishing, more to the point, observing what God has created, brings us to a place of humility. God can do anything because He has created everything. Does He really need me? A better question is: Do I really need Him? ABSOLUTELY. And this God who has created all things for His pleasure, also created me. Wow! He loves me (you), created me (you) and has an incredible plan for my (your) life.

A vacation? Yes, but not from God but toward God to hear more clearly that I am blessed and humbled to be thought worthy of being used of Him. And so are you. Take some time to break away, even for a day or an hour to get that perspective. If we listen, He speaks clearly. "Lord, teach us to be good listeners"

So if someone says that Pastor Jerry has gone fishing, remember that he has also gone "listening" and "watching". Hopefully to catch a little more of that Up North Wisdom.

" Lord God, I love you and I thank You." And blessings to you, my friend, for a "listening" summer.

Be The String

There is a verse in Judges that says, "As a string snaps when it comes close to a flame, so the secret of his strength was not discovered."

There is a great story of a Father who took his young son out to fly a kite. The sky was clear. The breeze was just right for kite flying so to the boy's delight the kite soared up and up until the entire ball of string had run out. As the youngster held on tightly to the stick to which the string was tied, he could feel the kite dance and tug against it. He said, "I want the kite to go higher."
"Can't go higher," said the father. "There is no more string."
"The string is holding the kite back," the boy replied. "Let's cut it."
Whereupon the father cut the string and then the kite came tumbling down to the ground. The father said, "You see son, the kite is free to fly because the string had a hold on it. It is the line that holds things together."

Dads, many times you are the string, the line that holds things together in your family. There is a verse in Proverbs that says, "Life and death are wrapped up in the power of the tongue," and perhaps no person holds as much potential for speaking words that impact and influence a child as does the father. By a father's words, a soul can be refreshed or shocked, soothed or singed. Whether he is a man of few words or a great conversationalist, you may recall hearing some things from your father who may still be living or not.

Whether you heard good words from your earthly father or not, your Heavenly Father gives good words to all of us - words that are life building. Are any words more important and powerful than "I love you" and "I am proud of you." Dads, you are big in that regard. Those words never get old. If I heard "I love you" a thousand times from my dad, I needed it a thousand and one times. It was the last thing my dad said to me before he died.

Dads, parents, never stop telling your children that you love them and are proud of them. Why do negative words come so easily and positive ones so hard? God the Father said in the book of Jeremiah "I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness."

Dads, I encourage you. I exhort you. I implore you. I don't care how old your kids may be. They may be grown up but be the dad that speaks words of life to your children (or grandchildren). It is never too late to start, believe me. Children, listen to me. If your dads can't or won't do it, then by the grace and power of God, ask Him to let you be the instrument of those words of life and health. Maybe, just maybe, you may be the one through whom God brings positive and powerful change into you family. Amen? Amen!!

"Dad, I love you and miss you. I look forward to seeing you in heaven. Thank you for being such a loving and caring dad and for being such a great example to myself, my wife and my children and grandchildren. Your legacy of love will continue."

Happy Father's Day everyone!

Are You Mad?

Now that we are all on the same page about drinking :) let me share some thoughts about anger. Angry people are said to be mad. Maybe that's appropriate because anger sometimes causes people to act insane. Listen, anger can consume your happiness, rob your joy, affect your health, end relationships, and wreck your faith.

Henry Drummond in his book, "The Greatest Thing in the World", said this: "No form of vice, not worldliness, not greed of gold, not drunkenness itself, does more to unchristianize society than evil temper. For embittering life, for breaking up relationships, for devastating homes, for withering up men and women, for taking the bloom of childhood, in short, for sheer gratuitous misery-producing power this influence stands alone." Wow!

Think about this: Realize anger is one of the emotions God gave you and is not a sin in itself. We all have anger but most of us don't lose control. Learn to communicate your feelings.

Acknowledge that being hot-blooded, a redhead, or some certain nationality are not plausible excuses for out-of-control outbursts.

Realize actions are controlled by the will, so you can decide to control anger's behavior. Here's something radical. Maybe start praying about it and then understand that some anger should be vented to God alone.

Use anger constructively but accept what can't be changed. Don't break a commandment to defend a commandment. That is not righteous indignation.

Humble yourself and listen to other people. You are not always right and don't always know better than anyone else.

Ask forgiveness from those offended by your angry outbursts. Anger doesn't really give you control. Asking forgiveness calms troubled situations.

Avoid substances that unleash anger. Drinking is the number one predictor of abuse. Also know that grief could be involved as anger is one of the stages in the grieving process.

Cultivate the fruit of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22,23) It leaves little room for inappropriate use of anger.

Up North Wisdom says that when you (me) decide to be no longer ruled by anger, your life, home, workplace, church, and relationships will be filled with peace and laughter. And you just might be a better driver as well. Blessings.

Can We Talk?

Having been in two establishments the last two weekends for wedding receptions, I want to make a few comments about alcohol. Maybe more than a few. I used to be the Youth Pastor in our church and when it came to talking to teens, I always took the approach with them that the most responsible drinking is no drinking at all. By drinking, of course, I mean alcohol.

Why did I do that and why do I take that stand now? In keeping up with the new supposedly "tough" drinking laws being proposed, it seems to me that they aren't tough at all. It seems to me that a person has to kill someone before the courts really get tough with drinking and driving. We live in a culture that not only loves drinking, but really thinks that getting drunk is just something that goes along with the social climate and is the way to have fun.

If you take a child to a Packer game, you risk the results of football fans and drinking -- not a good combination. And it's getting worse, not better. I don't enjoy going to games like I used to because I have to constantly keep alert for beer being spilled on myself or my wife throughout the game. Just part of the culture, right? Have a good time -- drink and then really drink.

Someone asks if I think it is wrong to social drink. I am not sure what is meant by that. The Bible doesn't condemn having a drink, I suppose, but I know it condemns drunkenness. But why do it at all? Have you ever seen anything good come from drinking alcohol? I haven't. And those I have talked to about this haven't either. In fact I regularly deal with families being torn apart by this very thing. It is tragic.

Quite frankly, the drinking culture in our community is embarrassing. I encourage adults to become and stay non-drinkers. Someone said that what one generation does in moderation, the next does in excess. I think that is true. We change the culture not by putting people down or condemning, but by showing a better way. Certainly as Christians, we can strive to not be a "stumbling block" to others by our lives. Do people just want to have fun? I think more fun comes from not having bleary eyes, obnoxious speech, stupid behavior or angry outbursts.

Up North Wisdom says it starts with one person at a time. Take a stand against a culture that exalts drunkenness. Push for tough laws that punish drunk drivers before they kill someone. And be a good example that having fun doesn't have to mean including alcohol. If the Word of God is true and we should strive to glorify God in all we do, then let that truth carry over into our social lives and let's show the next generation that we can live better, more effectively, and less destructively. Thanks for listening.