Deeper Life

Lutheran "Deeper Life" camp on Lake Koronis is where I first experienced the presence of God as something pleasurable. The Lutheran Evangelistic Movement, alive in the 1960s, held four meetings a summer at this lake. They called their meetings "Deeper Life" and the name of the lake is Koronis, near Paynesville, Minnesota.

They had meetings for young people and adults, and cared for kids as well. At night there was a large tabernacle meeting for everyone, and there the presence of God was felt. The whole atmosphere was sweet! People were wonderful. People behaved like Christians. The only names of leaders I can think of who were present are Nels Pederson, who had a great message, Pastor Ellingson, and the Klawitters. Messages from the word of God were delicious food for the soul. The actual food in the dining room wasn't bad either, and we always enjoyed a visit to the canteen for snacks after the meetings.

I remember there would be guys I would be interested in and the magic of that first taste of sexuality, so innocent and so pure.

The atmosphere at the camp was magic. I felt so happy. That presence was very sane--something dependable. This was, to me, the greatest doctrine anyone could learn. It was that almost tangible presence which I kept in my memory in the following years to remind me that God was a Good God.

The only problem with this was that one could find that reassurance of the truth at camp, but once camp was over and it was necessary to return to ordinary life, the certainty of truth could get swallowed up by the powers of the world. So, in remembering the magic of that camp, I now remind myself continuously that we must find a truth so strong that it does not need the trappings of a lovely camp to hold up. At the same time, I am sure that "Deeper Life" Camp's indelible memories have helped me to build a stronger inner certainty, and that was the purpose of our week there each summer.

I am back at that camp now in 2005. I marvel that people who own it have kept it as a sanctuary, as hallowed ground. It is my prayer today, September 10, 2005, that God will bring a powerful work of redemption that will take place right on these grounds - a work of deliverance, healing, restoration as Minnesota has never seen at any time past.

I re-dedicate Lake Koronis Assembly Ground to the Lord for that purpose.

Sunday morning, I arose on the campground that adjoins Lake Koronis Assembly Grounds in Paynesville, MN.

I was planning to go to a church in another small town that morning, and got up early so I could pack up the tent, get my cats in the car and get to that church.

I was packing my things and thinking about the large tabernacle on the grounds where we once held the beautiful Christ-filled meetings in my childhood summers. Suddenly I thought I heard an honest to goodness Holy Ghost service - a super spirited meeting with hooping and hollering! It was hope! It turned out it was just a pack of dogs or something.

Was it a mirage? Did I conjure up the sound because I wanted with all my heart for a service like that in the tabernacle? Did the Holy Spirit do it?

But at first I was hopeful. Wow! Somewhere in Minnesota maybe someone is having those kind of services such as I have seen and experienced elsewhere.

I thought it came from the tabernacle, so I walked over there. I looked around, and walked into the tabernacle, left open, though the entire grounds were empty. Nothing. No one. Not a sound in there. I sat down on one of the old wooden seats they had managed to keep in the sanctuary. I thought - "I'm sitting in the first place where I found the presence of God was the sweetest thing in life. I'm waiting for that presence to truly come back, but this time come back even greater - to break bondages, to cause deliverance, to bring healing of every kind."

How cool to be praying for that to come to Minnesota in that lovely place. My childhood home was torn down, but it never occurred to me til then that this place from my childhood, almost untouched, holds even greater significance and meaning for me than my original house. Thank God!!!

Gardening

Now that it's fall, and everything is dying, it's a good time to think about gardening, think against the grain, when everything is budding.

Oh the many analogies in gardening to the Christian life, and to human life. You realize them as you garden.

WEEDS

1. There are many varieties. Sometimes you don't know if a plant is a weed or something planted by the gardener.

2. They appear with no effort, they grow freely and appear easily. You don't have to choose them, buy them, or plant them.

3. Their roots are sometimes deeper and harder to dig up than the desirable plants. They are hardy and strong.

4. They grow up overnight-quickly.

5. They can look good but do damage to good plants. Deceptive. Desirable plants can be thwarted by weeds, so weeds have to be dug up or killed.

6. The dandy lion weed has a deep root like a carrot, like false vegetable or false food, and is very hard to pull out.

7. If you pull it out but don't get the whole root, it grows back. Bitterness: the bible calls it the root of bitterness-it runs deep, it has to come all the way out or it comes back.

8. If you are able to pull out the whole thing, it goes away.

9. Dandy lion and other weeds- so ugly, except for the yellow flower. Destructive to grass and other plants.

10. When the soil is watered, it's easier to pull out weeds by the roots. Analogous to the raining of the holy Spirit.

11. Sun causes weeds to grow as well as the good plants.

12. More sophisticated weed killers were not available in the past, but now we can kill them more efficiently and thoroughly.

13. As a child, I remember picking and fondling dandy lion weeds. So different from how I feel about them as an adult. Reason I dislike them as adult: dandy lions are a symbol of neglect.

15. Weeds tend to crop up most where the good plants begin to grow.

OTHER areas of gardening

1. Good, desirable plants have to be bought and carefully cultivated, they don't appear instantaneously or effortlessly.

2. A beautiful garden or fruitful field has to be planted and cultivated by human hands. God doesn't just grow everything as it needs to be without us doing our part. He has left it up to human hands to bring it about. Saying: that a farmer planted a field and said, "look at the crops I grew." The person said in reply: "only God can grow a crop." the farmer turned to a field that was uncultivated and said, "oh yeh? Look at the field I let God plant all by himself!" In another teaching I will discuss our part and call it: 'our obligation to let go, and our obligation to hold on."

3. Beautiful breeds of flowers originated with wild flowers that in some places and times did just appear, but that humans cultivated. All plant life was made by God and comes from God. Our part as the gardener is vital, and yet, we aren't the creators. We have to do our part, and then the rest is up to God. We can't do the actual creation of the plant. We can't cause the actual growth, we can only encourage it. He gets the credit, but we get the benefits.

4. The good plants can be hardy also and can take over a garden eventually so that weeds don't grow.

5. Watering is essential, Sunshine is essential.

7. Plants are more vulnerable and may not become plants at the seed stage.

8. Seeds sometimes require more nurturing.

9. Different types of plants thrive in different climates.

10. Plants can be tended too much and die.

11.new plants in the ground also require extra nurturing.

12.moving a plant to a different location can traumatize it and kill it