Prayer - by Pastor Rod Kalajainen

I am currently teaching a series on “Prayer” during this season of Lent. It is five messages that look at New Testament passages of Scripture that deal with prayer – the kind of prayer that changes who we are, our faith, and the people we care about.

In Hebrews 5:7, the writer says this about our Lord: “While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God.”

I do not fully understand the mysteries of how a sovereign God answers the petitions of human beings, like us, but it does seem clear that effective praying often involves more than just saying the right words, more than saying “Grace” at mealtime or “Now I lay me down to sleep” at the end of the day. Seeking God with our whole heart is a kind of praying that secures not just answers but the blessing of God that we all need. And seeking God takes time and some effort.

If Jesus Christ Himself prayed with “loud cries and tears” at times, then we can certainly feel free and unashamed in pouring out our own soul to God in prayer. If Jesus recognized the need to be alone with His Heavenly Father in prayer, then we need to find the time away from a busy world to wait on God and to persevere in prayer.

I am grateful for several faithful servants of God here at Redeemer that have committed to coming in to my office each Sunday morning before the first of our three services begin and praying with me. These members of our newest Prayer Small Group engage in heartfelt prayer for our congregation and have been a source of encouragement to me. On occasion, when they can’t be here in person, they have emailed me a prayer or sent it via a text message. Their faithfulness, I believe, has been rewarded. God is bringing lots of new folks to our church and He is making our hearts receptive to His Word.

And I am convinced that we will continue see God bless Redeemer Church as we are obedient and faithful to Him in prayer.

Pastor Rod

Clear Conscience - by Jack Hanneman

As I listened to Pastor Rod’s message on Sunday, February 7th entitled “Keeping Your Conscience Clear”, it resonated with me. As I reflected on my own behaviors, I realized that although I try to practice the 6 areas he mentioned … I fall short in nearly every category. Upon this reflection I decided I will commit myself to a renewed effort to address each one of these areas. I will not allow sin or darkness to erode my relationship with God.

If you missed Sunday, February 7th or simply would like to just listen to the message again, you can visit our website and click on the “Connect with Us” drop down box, then “Listen to Messages”. You can find out for yourself if your conscience is clear or clouded with darkness.

‘…Like a Little Child’ – Sue Campbell

Mandy Ward and I have the pleasure of teaching the 3 year old Kingdom Kids class at 11:00 on Sunday mornings.  A few weeks ago, our lesson was about how Jesus loves little children.  Our craft that day was coloring a red paper heart and attaching it to a popsicle stick.  The heart read:  “Jesus loves _____” and we wrote the child’s name on the line.  Our class likes to be adventurous, so Mandy and I thought we’d see if they’d like to walk around the church to show their hearts to the people they’d meet.  Before we left our room, we practiced holding our hearts up in the air and saying:  “Jesus loves you!” 

Once everyone was ready to go, we were off to see who we could tell our good news to.  First, we found the morning’s incident coordinator, Mr. Sosebee.  Our little group stuck our paper hearts out and announced “Jesus loves you!”  The kids were so excited when he said:  “Thanks, Jesus loves you too!”  Next we found Mrs. Keaton in the bookstore, and some ushers in the lobby.  Same thing happened with them too!

At that point, neither Mandy or I had to encourage them to keep finding people to tell – they were excited!  They told the kids and helpers in the nursery and practically ran down the hall to the Kingdom Quest and BRIDGE56 rooms.  It didn’t matter who it was, how big or small, how many or few, they were on a mission to deliver the news about Jesus’ love! 

Reflecting back, I can see why Jesus loves little children so much – they’re not afraid to tell anyone and everyone about him, and the more they do, the more excited they are about it!  Sadly though, as we get older, we tend to get more fearful.  We get concerned about what people will think, if we’d use the right words, if we’d offend someone… why do we make things more complicated than they need to be?

As we near Valentine’s Day and the season of Lent – it’s a perfect time to share the greatest news of all about love - let’s try to do it as simply and enthusiastically as a 3 year old - “JESUS LOVES YOU!”

SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) - by Sandy Hrostowski

Ever hear of it?  It’s something a lot of people go through here in Michigan as a result of the colder weather and lack of sunshine.  It can have many side effects, like finding it difficult to wake up in the morning, craving carbohydrates (which can lead to weight gain) lack of energy and many others symptoms.

Take heart - there are ways to beat the Winter Blues and lift your spirits.

Make your environment brighter (open those curtains and blinds).  Be sure to get some exercise, even if it’s just going for a short walk.  I find turning on some of my favorite music helps me feel happy.  I also get great enjoyment out of helping others.  It lets me think about someone else for a while. 

And when all else fails, plan a vacation.  This is exactly what I did this week.  I’m going to visit my daughter and her family in Texas.  I will be spending time with my granddaughter and my two great-grandsons.  Doing this is certain to bring a smile to my face.

Remember to take time to talk to God, He is a great listener!