Brian Rupe's Blog - Brian's Blog

The Fear of the Lord or Perfect Love?

Kayla and Alejandra ministering to mothers and children in an Indian village. Upcoming in November we will be helping with the FREEDOM Retreat. What is the Freedom Retreat? It is a weekend event intended to help people in their spiritual journey of healing and hope. As part of the retreat, participants are given the opportunity to receive a time of prayer and ministry. A small group of team members prepare for the retreat in a number of ways, including prayer, fasting and reading. My challenge

Shed

If you Google square you will get a great deal of information about a little square device that can plug into your smart phone and take charges from credit cards. I have used this technology in selling items at craft shows and it works marvelously. However, that is not the square I was thinking about in the writing of this blog. When I was a youth we used the term “square” to mean that someone was old fashion or perhaps too conservative in their thinking. In construction projects, being square i

The Fruit of Waiting

Last summer at Camp du Nord, we had the pleasure of participating in the after dinner community sing on the front porch. A group of around 50 gathered to harmonize with simple songs and simple meanings. One of my favorites went like this: Let fruit ripen and let it fall, Force is not the way at all Let things go and you will see, The way to do is to be. After meditating on this simple tune, I was certain that my Amish friends would have understood this song. Their approach to life seems to dee

The Cross the Friends and the Light

In Luke’s account of the crucifixion, (Luke 23:26), Simon of Cyrene was seized to carry the cross behind Jesus. In both the gospel of Matthew and Mark, this same account is given. However, in John, 19:17, the writer says that Jesus carried His own cross. After watching many movies and documentaries about the crucifixion of Christ, I was under the assumption that Jesus, having been beaten and whipped, was unable to carry His cross, so the soldiers found someone in the crowd to carry it for him. P

New Adventure

Sunrise in PA Amish Country, Henry's Farm. You need to look carefully to realize it is an Amish farm.In my quest to be available to the Lord, I was wondering if I would one day find myself driving for the Amish. As you may be aware, the Amish people are a rather large group of families, living in about 17 different states in the US. Though there are many Amish, they live in small groups in rural communities. They have chosen an old fashion style of living and deprive themselves of many modern co

Adventures With Kuk

Our Korean friends and children at the reunion partyWith the recent news coming out of Korea, I feel inspired to reflect on some of my experiences in South Korea, all of which have been associated with my dear friend Kuk Jai Chun, the founder of the Institute of Light Finders. This morning, after checking on the news associated with last night’s summit between our president and the leader of North Korea, I went to my Facebook sight and was greeted with this lovely photograph of an event that too

Still Waters

The walks down to Lake Erie have become a great treasure. Some days are cloudy and windy; others are cool and quiet. One of the great pleasures of the walk is the anticipation of what the lake will look like upon arrival. This memory often takes me back to childhood trips to the southern shore of Lake Michigan. The highlight of the summer was the short drive to the Lake. Sometimes going with the immediate family, sometimes with aunts and uncles, other times with friends. Someone planted a seed o

Look Behind You

Look Behind You How many times have you heard someone sharing their story and near the end they say, “and I never looked back.” My understanding is that they are communicating that they have no regrets about the decisions they made to get to where they are today. I am happy for them. Sometimes, I look back. I wonder if I made the right decisions. Also, I like to look back and remember. In recent days I have realized more than ever how important it is to live in the present day. There is absolu

Earthen Vessel Part 3: This Old House

Heat Register with 4 plugs, second from the right is the shiny new plug.Earthen Vessel Part 3 I was not intending to write a part three until recent events offered an opportunity I could not ignore. Lynn and I have always found great pleasure in taking old houses (another type of weak earthen vessel) and transforming them into something much better than what we started with. What some call “sweat equity” has been a particular calling that has been fruitful for us in multiple ways. Though our th

Earthen Vessel Part II

Chai stand in KolkataChai trash bucketHere is our team ordering chai on the street in Kolkata. The other photo is the discard bucket for the clay chai cup. My first chai experience in 2017, I was really fascinated by the cup. It was very small and easily the simplest clay vessel I had ever seen. It was also, in a certain way, my favorite clay vessel. I noticed that the chai vendor had a whole case of cups and by the way they were stacked I could tell that each one was slightly different than the

Earthen Vessels Part One

Clay chai cup with chaiThis Sunday, March 4th, I will be marching forth at New Beginnings Church in Fairview to share some of my experiences in India. Anyone interested is certainly welcome to our 10:00 a.m. service. Part of my story will be an explanation of the clay chai cup. My introduction in this blog will be continued this Sunday morning. Please pray that I will have God’s ability as I share. The clay chai cup is a prophetic wonder in India. On the streets of Kolkata, stopping for a cup o

The Hope of India

In our last days in Kolkata, we met a few other young couples with a missionary calling. One couple was from Argentina, the wife is a physician and the husband a photographer. They were spending several months in Kolkata to search for their specific calling and were only a few days away from a trip home, very enthusiastic about raising support and returning as soon as possible. He shared with me that he had seen many missionary videos showing the desperate needs in India but believed God was lea