What if I told you that you could go to a place where you could have the best time of your life for a week?  You would also be making friends from all over the country.  You would get to hear great Christian speakers.  You would be doing all this while discovering the wonderful things God is doing or could be doing in your life.  That is my view of Northern Pines.

For the past four years, my wife, son and I have been attending Northern Pines.  Northern Pines is a Vacation with a Purpose.  This is their 39^th year in existence.  We have had the privilege of attending our four years at the Green Lake Conference Center in beautiful Green Lake, Wisconsin.  Dean and Julie Jaderston are the current Executive Directors and our fearless leaders for the two separate weeks that they offer here.

I have been educated here by speakers from Dallas Theological Society, to Pastors from all over, to even a marriage counselor from Canada.  Each one has taught me a different lesson and they have helped me realize how to be a better Christian father, husband, and friend.  Plus they are great people too.

Many people say Northern Pines is hard to explain to their friends back home.  I sometimes think of it as a little glimpse of heaven where heaven was sitting by a lake in Wisconsin.  There are mom’s pushing strollers walking their little ones.  There are couples walking by the beach because someone is watching their kids.  There are people getting ready to play golf, swim, and boat.  I look forward later this week to get the chance to play sand volleyball, to learn more about the friends we sit with, and to see what each family has learned this week in the event known as victory circle.

Once again, I have come to a place where I can meet people from Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and all over.  Northern Pines helps bring them together to help form budding Christian friendships.  Who doesn’t need more friends?  We all need to build bigger support groups because we never know when we will need them.

Social media is wonderful.  Over the past year friends from Northern Pines have let us know that they need prayer while dealing with life.  They have also told us when they think their sports teams are better than ours.  But we do this all with full Christian hearts and knowing that we are at least going to be there in thought although not always in person because the distance is far between us the other 51 weeks a year.

But, for this week in August, we are instantly refueled by the presence of others around us that share in the fullness of the spirit, that share in the willingness to fellowship, and the love of the place that is Northern Pines.

To find out more, please go to www.npines.org or like Northern Pines on Facebook or follow them on Twitter at NorthernPinesNP.