Brian Rupe's Blog - Brian's Blog

Why I am a Patriot

As a believer in Jesus Christ, is it also possible to be a lover of country? Paul teaches in Philippians 3:20 that our citizenship is in heaven. Is it possible that we are able to have duel citizenship, on earth and in heaven? Or are we to think of our nation as a type of Babylon in which we are held temporarily captive. When Joseph was sold into slavery, found living and even imprisoned in Egypt, what was his attitude toward his captors? Then, as fate would have it, he was raised up to be

With Jesus in the Boat

Matthew 8:24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea . . . There is a fun song we liked to sing at camp “With Jesus in the boat you can smile through the storm”. It was based on the story of a storm that came up on the Sea of Galilee and the frightened disciples awakened the sleeping Jesus with their cries for help. Jesus calmed the storm and than rebuked His disciples for having such little faith. Was there lack of faith because they could not calm the storm or because they were a

Beloved, Let Us Love One Another

When I think about Jesus prayer regarding “unity” or “oneness” in John chapter 17, I am keenly aware of what must be a disconnect of my understanding of oneness, God’s truth regarding oneness and the reality on the ground amongst followers of Jesus. One principle in life I believe to be true and good is that of honoring others. This discipline of honoring parents, leaders, children and even cultures different than our own and a host of others is a way that values with weight the importance of

Looking Down, Looking Up

Looking Down, Looking Up Psalm 40:12 “Innumerable evils have compassed me about . . .so that I am not able to look up . . .” Hiking in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) of northern Minnesota is almost always a rocky experience. In order to maintain your footing it is absolutely critical that you look down. At Camp du Nord, I helped develop two trails connecting a new property acquisition called Pine Pointe. One of the trails is affectionately referred to as the Goat Trail. It is the sho

Cultivating A Culture Of Honor

In 2001 I faced one of the biggest challenges of my working career in YMCA camping. I had been asked, against my better judgment to lead one of the largest and most successful YMCA camp in New England. I would follow in the footsteps of arguably the best camp leader in the country, inheriting his staff, his facilities, his program and the camps overall reputation. It was indeed the most difficult six years of my life. It was during this time that Lynn (my wife) lost both of her parents, I lo

Another Enoch Lesson

The Story of Enoch the Eagle John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” Over the west bank of the Mississippi I spotted Enoch the eagle soaring in small circles a short distance above the shore. Around him were three crows screaming annoying “caws” and trying to disrupt his flight. I was to far away to notice the fish in his talons but it would be safe to assume that the menacing crows were attempting to steal a ta

Enoch Part 8 - A New Beginning

The Story of Enoch Part 8 II Corinthians 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. Enoch felt bad that he had disappointed his dear leader Biff but something inside had shifted. A few days passed and, taking Amos’s advise he looked up and saw a beautiful soaring raptor. Even though Enoch believed he was a turkey, his true eagle eye sight had a very good view of this soaring eagle. He looked at the eagle and he looked at himself. He looked again at the eagle and looked

Enoch Part 7

The Story of Enoch Part 7 II Corinthians 4:3 . . . .the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ . . . As Amos the Wise owl flew off into the sky, Enoch knew he was left with some serious thinking to do. Owls are wise, and this must be a voice to consider. He stretched his wings, looked up at Amos soaring in the sky and felt a sense of joy he had not felt before. It was impossible to describe the joy

Enoch Part 6

The Story of Enoch Part 6 Proverbs 16:25 There is a way that seems right to a man but its end is the way to death. Enoch read all the self help books and listened to Biff’s advise but something was still not right. Every now and than he would stretch out his wings and feel the power of something he could not quite understand. One day he heard a voice from above hoot down at him. An Owl called out to Enoch, “hey, what are you doing walking around on the ground with your head down.” Enoch exp

Enoch Part 5

The Story of Enoch Part 5 John 10:4 . . . .the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Many weeks past in Enoch’s life and it seemed that the harder he tried to be a good turkey, he was simply not able to succeed. He became more and more discouraged and depressed. One day he decided to go to a turkey bookstore and purchase a best selling self help book on how to succeed as a turkey. He put all the ideas into practice and it seemed to help a little but something was still not right. Bi

Enoch Part 4

The Story of Enoch Part 4 Colossians 2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit. . . . Enoch’s new found “friends” began to question him about his life. He explained his eagle past, his parentage and desire for fish. The turkeys were very troubled. They had never met a turkey so deeply confused. They began to inform him of his turkey identity, explaining that he was not an eagle, as there was no such thing as an eagle. There is no such thing as soaring high

Enoch Part 3

The Story of Enoch Part 3 Proverbs 27:7 . . .to one who is hungry, everything bitter is sweet. Enoch the fledgling eagle continued on his journey through the deep dark woods. As he wondered, he became increasingly hungry and tired. He could not find any fish or anything that even resembled fish. Off in the distance, a gang of turkeys were carefully observing Enoch and following quietly behind. The turkey gang leader, Biff engaged his fellow turkeys in a discussion and they decided that En