Living the Olympics

The Lord has His own plans in giving me this job. It seems like I'm daily running into software and technical problems that I am sooooo not qualified to fix. This is when I step back and call for reinforcements. I'm so thankful for the team of people I can go to for help, but then I often have to get back at it and work out the kinks it until it's fixed.

Life gets to feeling like the Olympics (only without regulation equipment and courses…and I didn't train for years for a single moment. I'm lucky if I get ten minutes to prepare for some things.) There are no pace cars, few time outs, and the only referees are usually part time sub-in players.

And my medal, my trophy for this feat called life is the prize of the high-calling of God in Christ Jesus. (Phil 3:14)

The Next Best Thing

My very first memories of Camp Joy would be something like playing put-put (aka driving range), discovering a "secret" trail through the woods, obnoxiously harassing the junior church teachers, spending my hard-earned quarters on ice-cream or candy, and other trivial memories that are meaningful to kids.

But there are a woman and a man who stand out in my early camp memory. He woke us up in the morning with corny jokes and music over the intercom. She gave me a ride in a golf cart once and taught me to read my Bible through every year. Mr. Jack and Miss Aleatha are these two special folks. If you've ever been to Jack's Cabin or Aleatha's Bungalow (the screen houses), these are named for them.

Mr. Jack recently passed away. He is now with Jesus Christ and God the Father in heaven. I am sad that I will never see him at camp again, along with many others that are far away or in heaven. What a special camp reunion we will enjoy some day!

Mr. Jack is also remembered for writing the Camp Joy theme song.

At Camp Joy we are taught Bible principles

About the Son of God

How to live, work, and play by these Bible truths

And walk the narrow way.

Camp Joy! Camp Joy! You mean much to me.

My life is full of fun.

May Christ be seen as I work and play

Winning others to God's Son.

Despite the changes since my childhood, God continues to give me His BEST! My past was best, and my present is best. This song reminds me of those best days at Camp Joy, growing up surrounded by godly people and fun activities. Although much has changed since then, it is still that special best place. And now I have the opportunity to give to others through Camp Joy!

Camp Joy! Camp Joy! You mean much to me.

Something Smells! Light a Candle.

This has all happened before, and it will all happen again; but this time it happened behind the oven. 

The triplex at Camp Joy, the humblest of dwellings, is a place we affectionately call…Home. (Well, what would you call it?) We sleep there, hang our clothes there, occasionally eat there, and if we’re lucky get to spend free time there.

Our home has all the modern conveniences of a smart house—the electric washer, the noiseless dryer, the touch lamp, and a little round radio on the ceiling over the stove that plays music when I cook—each item with its own unique qualities adding to the ambiance of a house full of gals. Of course the décor, wall hangings, pillows, and candles also add something to that effect. We like it.

But when something smells in our house, there’s only one thing we appreciate—a candle!

Who can say what goes on in other dwellings, but in ours candles serve both to create and conceal aromas. Sometimes the troubling smell is that of the centipedes sucked up into the vacuum. Other times it’s the vegetable brine brewing in the bottom of the garbage can. Once it was the noxious odor of something unpleasant dying behind the refrigerator. These things take their place in triplex history.

Recently, the intense smell that greeted us as we entered was both familiar and serious, and—this may surprise you—No candles were lit!

The smell was gas leaking from our oven. We decided that we really didn't mind the smell and preferred to keep our little house. Thankfully, the local handyman—I mean, one of the camp guys (he’s done much for us) came over and turned the gas off so we could breath. Since then, we have lived to tell the story…and burn more candles! 

One Thing

We all know how one little thing can make a big difference – like whether you pay the bill today when it’s due or tomorrow when it’s late. So it should be no surprise to us that procedures are in place for us when we choose to follow the Lord.

I was eating with my grandparents one day, and they were telling about a time one of the kids had knocked a part out of the freezer while filling up an ice chest. This tiny part happened to direct the water flow into the dispenser. Because the part was missing, all that water was shooting into the ice tray and freezing. By the time they found it, the icebox was a solid lump. What a difficult mess to try to clean up!

The problem was not a mechanical or electrical one. The water was available for use, but because one thing was missing, all that effort was wasted as it continued to shoot pointlessly into the icebox.

Christ spoke to a rich, powerful young man once about one thing he was missing (Mark 10, Luke 18). All his life, this young man had striven for success. He kept every rule he knew! But Christ said to him, “You still lack one thing.”

Like that disconnected water hose, all the young man’s efforts were spraying out vainly. He was incomplete by the Lord’s standards.  Chambers’s book My Utmost for His Highest says, “The one thing necessary by Jesus Christ’s point of view is union with Himself and nothing in between…not to save [our] soul (only one thing saves a man—absolute reliance upon Jesus Christ)—but in order to follow Jesus.”

One day Jesus was welcomed to the home of His good friends—Lazarus, Mary, and Martha. As usual, Jesus spent time teaching those that loved Him about eternal life. Martha had much work to prepare for her guests and became frustrated. She told Jesus, “Bid Mary to come into the kitchen and help me.” Jesus’ reply demonstrates the value of the one missing element. He says, “Mary has chosen that one thing which is most important, and that will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10)

Mary’s heart was full of love for Jesus. She had chosen to sit at His feet and hear His words. Christ does not commend those who skip out on service. Neither does He condemn good works. He says that the one thing we lack is a heart of love for our God—a heart that causes us to choose Him before anything else we could desire.

It’s a difficult choice, and He often tests us by requiring from us the most precious of our possessions – not because He does not love us, for He often returns them once they are given, as He did with Abraham when called to give up his only son (Genesis 22). Other times God gives us something better. But He wants us to choose Him above every other desire.

If this sounds difficult or unpleasant to you, open God’s word the Bible. You will learn Who He is that asks this from you. As you come to know Him and love Him, you will find this is not so hard to do.

A Winter Festival at Lake Geneva

Angie and I went to Lake Geneva for a quick trip on our day off. We visited the museum, slipped along the slushy sidewalks outside the shops, viewed the giant snow carvings at the winter festival, inspected the smaller blocks available for the public to try their hand at sculpting, and then drove through the neighborhoods admiring the houses in that quaint little town.

At the Geneva Lake Museum, visitors walked through a timeline of replica buildings full of household implements and curios. Nearly everything was hands-on. Yippee! It was fascinating to learn how we in our little town fit into the grand history of the world.

One of the homes on the lake had been built with materials from a Chicago World Fair Exhibition. Parts of it were displayed in the museum. Another neat attraction was the 1880/1920 kitchens built side by side for comparison.

Outside although the streets were slushy, folks were making their way up and down, sipping their Starbucks to stay warm. Angie and I spied the bookstore at the same moment and popped in for a look. We didn't find Waldo though. Angie's hoping to find the book sometime.

Just a block or two from the museum, on the frozen lake was the winter festival--helicopter rides, four-wheelers, and the amazing 10-foot snow sculptures in front of the Riviera. After viewing the variety of lions, eagles, and fairy-tale characters, we saw a shop advertising Blackhawks paraphernalia across the street. Angie and I decided to browse. Go team!

We hurried quickly back to the car when we couldn't feel our toes anymore, then drove around a little to see the beautiful homes. Not a row of cookie-cutter monstrosities, each one was uniquely shaped with porches, windows, and ornaments and seemed to come from a different era. But mingled with the other houses, they blended to create a pleasant vacation-town array.

Summer or Winter, Lake Geneva is an attractive spot to enjoy a day off.
Click here to see the pics at Angie's blog.

The Perfect Retreat

What makes a perfect retreat?

The particular group that came this weekend loves outdoor winter activities, and the weather was very accommodating. A light fluffy snow fell all weekend long, covering every surface with a sparkling white blanket. The tubing hill was noisy with shouts of adults and children alike riding oversized inner tubes. The toboggan hill and the sky glide provided fun for those more adventurous. At the other end of the camp ground, the lake was frozen solid and availed itself for activities like skating and ice fishing by enthusiastic "polar bears." One enterprising young boy caught a fish and cooked two inch-long filets over the fire at the tubing hill.

Everyone that visits camp, enjoys the opportunity to relax and enjoy time with family and friends. In the fireside room, folks sat by the fireplace or played ping-pong and pool and enjoyed quite a bit of coffee. Kids chased each other up and down the hallways and through the dining room. Meals were enjoyed as families with parents and children interacting with ease.

Services were meaningful with good messages to encourage Christians in their walk with the Lord, and serious attention was given to God's word.

Yes, the snow did make some travel treacherous, the chapel did overheat once, one batch of meatballs did cook a bit too long, but no one seemed to mind much. The air of fellowship, fun, and rest was a blessing to everyone, and the beauty of nature refreshed minds and bodies. Yes, it was a perfect retreat!

It's (not) All Up to Me

Teachers, parents, and whoever you are responsible for the development of other people: Do you ever watch the up and down progress of your charges and wonder if you’re messing up, ruining them? It’s such a big responsibility to oversee the growth of a person. My influence on a person affects the next stage of their life and the next.

As a teacher, I know I am responsible for my students’ care. I know that what I do can determine how they advance. I know that it requires much more than I can give, and that as a human I am prone to inability, to weakness, and to failure. Sometimes I think of King Solomon and pray what he prayed.  

O Lord my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in…give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people? (I Kings 3:7, 9)

In other words: You gave me this job. It's beyond my ability. Please supernaturally enable me to do it.

Today’s Schedule of Responsibility: 

1. Identify the required activities for my position today.
2. Decide which I can do and which I know I can’t. 
3. Pray begging God to intervene in the ones I can't do.

He is now responsible for the results. And that’s a pretty safe place to leave it!