Rock of Faith - by Suzie Unruh

On Sunday, May 24th during our 3 morning services we were joined by one of the missionary families that Redeemer Church supports, the Shephards. Steven, Kari Jo, and their 3 boys (Noah – age 11, Clay – age 8, and Cyrus – age 6) are just finishing their one-year home stay here in Michigan and will be returning to Nigeria this summer. We had the opportunity to offer up prayer for the Shephards and to hear their excitement for returning.

During this time in service I thought about Kari Jo and the strong faith she must have, as a mother taking her young children to another country where the threat of violence is present, malaria is a threat, English is not the first language, and chicken is a Christmas treat. This mother of these young boys knows God’s plan is so much bigger than anything they will encounter, that life in Nigeria will teach her boys so much more than I will ever be able to explain to my own children. I watched her stand up there and I wondered if I could do it, if my faith would be that strong to trust God fully or if fear and the unknown would be stronger.

I had the opportunity after service to talk to the boys, to hear their excitement about returning to Nigeria or as they would say, “their return home”. They are excited to see their friends, to check the mango trees in the yard, and to open the locked closet they stuffed with special items (like homemade swords) before they left. There wasn’t any fear, hesitation, or doubt. They know, just like their mother & father, that God is there, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and their faith is strong. Could I do it . . . I don’t know, but I know the Shephard boys inspire me to look at life for the joys and not the fear and that Kari Jo Shephard is a rock of faith.

The Creation of a Sandwich - by Kelvin Fizzell

“And do not neglect to do good and share what you have, for God is pleased with such sacrifices”. Hebrews 13:16, New English Translation

Many couples in their late 50’s and 60’s find themselves caring for 2 generations…their parents as they age and their children who still look to mom and dad for guidance and assistance. These couples have been called “the sandwich generation”. If you referred to them by a certain type of sandwich, I think it should be a “hero sandwich”. They unselfishly provide whatever is needed, giving no thought to the personal sacrifice involved, to meet the needs of others, in this case their family.

My mother is 92, still lives alone in her home, makes all her own decisions, and as she likes to describe it is still “very strong willed”. However, my aging mother is becoming more frail and requires more assistance with managing her everyday household…not to mention frequent trips to medical appointments, shopping excursions, and whatever else she may determine that requires immediate…if not sooner…attention. All of these things take time…often our time.

Our son and daughter-in-law are in their mid-30’s, both working full time and are raising 2 beautiful children. In today’s economy, sometimes they can use some assistance with unforeseen expenses i.e. car repair, home/yard maintenance, or time to help with do-it-yourself projects or days when the grandkids have only a ½ day of school, the day care is closed, or a child is sick and needs a grandparent to be home with them.

The amount of time and resources needed to help out family begins to add up – but we take comfort knowing that we are NOT alone. My wife Sally and I see many individuals/families who find themselves in similar situations. We draw our inspiration from God and the people at Redeemer Church who find their strength from scripture and apply it to their personal circumstance.

 “But if someone does not provide for his own, especially his own family, he has denied his faith and is worse than an unbeliever”. 1Timothy 5:8, New English Translation

Do Over - by Kim Metzer

In this season of graduations I’ve been thinking a lot about fresh starts.  Graduating from school is a chance to turn the page and begin a new chapter in life.  I sincerely hope that the dozen or so young people from Redeemer that recently graduated from DeWitt, or another area school, and the two young women very close to me who recently graduated from college, make the most of this opportunity for fresh starts.

A favorite author of mine, Jon Acuff, has a new book out – Do Over – which is all about reinventing yourself and not getting stuck.  In chapter 2 he talks about one of the “walls” that prevent people from having a successful “Do Over”.  That wall is your attitude and what he says about it applies just as much to new chapters in life as to the “Do Overs” that are the focus of his book.

“…I didn’t say, “Change your attitude.” That could take years. Choosing it, though, takes a handful of seconds. Tomorrow at work, choose to have a good attitude. Choose not to be cynical. Choose not to act like you’re doing them a favor by showing up. Choose not to complain. Choose to cheer for the accomplishments of your coworkers. Choose to treat customers like superstars.

Choose your attitude every day until eventually it chooses you right back. It’s not about feeling happy or feeling committed to your work or feeling like a good employee. Feelings are the flightiest things in the world, held to the whimsy of a thousand factors. .. Don’t listen to feelings. Make choices. Today, choose a good attitude.”

This choosing of attitude should apply to all areas of our lives, not just in the workplace.  How much more peaceful would the world be if we all just chose to have a good attitude?  As Paul reminds us in Romans 14:17-19, having a good attitude is the way to live in a manner pleasing to God:

For the Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you, too. So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.

I will be trying to CHOOSE to have a good attitude each day.  Who’s with me?

Change in Culture - by Diane Lantzy

Within the last year, I finally gave in and purchased a smart phone. It took me awhile to make that decision….not because I didn’t want one but because I thought I might like it a little too much (and wasn’t wild about the cost either J). The one thing that truly surprised me after I got my smart phone is how comfortable my 2 year old grandson is with it. He knows exactly how to find and browse pictures (funny, there are an awful lot of pictures of him on my phone) and he is able to find YouTube and play a Thomas the Train video. That is even more remarkable since his parents don’t often allow him access to smart phones or tablets (maybe his grandparents aren’t quite as strict.) That generation is being wired at an early age to be very comfortable with all sorts of technology.

But there are better reasons for me to have a smart phone then to play games or to have a multitude of pictures of my grandson at the ready. I have enjoyed exploring many apps that have the ability to improve my life. I have been using a health app that helps me to monitor my progress toward certain health goals, a medical app that helps me to keep my appointments and medical history handy, and Evernote which allows me to make and organize notes as I am thinking of them rather than writing thoughts down on scraps of paper and hoping I don’t lose them.

A wonderful new app that I just downloaded is the Redeemer App and it has already added value to my spiritual life. I can easily replay Pastor Rod’s messages for myself or allow a friend to listen to one I think they may find helpful and I can do this anytime - from just about anywhere. I can also quickly find out what is happening at Redeemer and find ways to get involved that will help strengthen my spiritual walk. I hope that Redeemer’s new app will also add value to your life. If you haven’t downloaded it yet, you can search DeWitt Redeemer at the ITunes or Google Play stores and download it for free!  As a special incentive to download Redeemer’s new app, anyone who stops into Pages & Prayers in June and shows the app on their phone, will receive a free item!

This app is not just a shiny new toy. As our culture changes we know that we need to adapt so that we can continue to be relevant – relevant to a generation that is being wired to relate through technology – and especially to those who do not yet know Christ as their Savior. We may often need to change the method though which we reach out but the message itself will never change – the Good News of the Gospel. If our app helps to ‘Connect People with the Love and Life of Jesus Christ” then it will be a success!

From Me to We - by Pastor Rod Kalajainen

“It’s not about you!”  These few words comprise the opening sentence in Rick Warren’s bestselling book, The Purpose Driven Life.  A simple phrase with a powerful message that for a season was the talk of the church world because it raised the perspective of a new culture that growing churches create.  It is the shift from a consumer culture that asks, ‘what can the church do for me,’ to a discipleship culture that asks, ‘what can I do for Jesus in the community and world.’"

After 37 years of ministry, I get frustrated when I hear statements like:  “I didn’t like the song we sang at church today.  It wasn’t one of my favorites.”  Or, “I didn’t get anything out of the Pastor’s message today.  It didn’t speak to my needs.” Or, “Why can’t the church offer more opportunities at a time that works for my family.”

In almost every church where I have been as a Pastor, Consultant or Coach I hear this sentiment expressed in similar words…because struggling churches are almost always focused inward and have a consumer culture where people ask…”What’s in it for me?”

I need to underscore a foundational fact: God’s goal is not to make sure we're happy. No matter how hard it is for us to believe this, it's time to do so. Life is not about our being comfortable and happy and successful and pain free. It's about becoming the man or woman God has called us to be. Unfortunately, we rarely hear that message proclaimed today. All the more reason for me to say it again: Life is not about you! It's about God.

We all have a purpose, a reason we are here on planet Earth, and that is what it is about. We are not here to be endlessly interested in our superficial selves and obsess over what we want, what we have and what other people think of us.

Rick Warren says, “The purpose of our life is far greater than our own personal fulfillment, our peace of mind, or even our happiness. It's far greater than our family, our career, or even our wildest dreams and ambitions. If we want to know why we were placed on this planet, we must begin with God. We were born by His purpose and for His purpose.”

“The search for the purpose of life has puzzled people for thousands of years. That's because we typically begin at the wrong starting point--ourselves. We ask self-centered questions like: What do I want to be? What should I do with my life? What are my goals, my ambitions, my dreams for my future? But focusing on ourselves will never reveal our life's purpose. The Bible says, "It is God who directs the lives of his creatures; everyone’s life is in His power.”

In the church, this is lived out in a new cultural mindset embodied in the phrase:  “what can I do for Jesus in the community and world.”  “I’ll do whatever it takes to help someone else come to know Jesus and live for Him.”  After all, it’s not about me!

Community - by Jack Hanneman

This last weekend the city and townships of DeWitt hosted the annual DeWitt PH/MS half marathon and 10k-5k races. As a local volunteer for this race since its inception I have witnessed not only the growth in the numbers of participants in the race, but the contribution of those local business, churches, and the many volunteers that have made this the successful event that it has become. As a member of Redeemer United Methodist Church I am greatly impressed by the number of volunteers from our church that have dedicated many hours of their time and effort to this event. I am proud to live in a community such as this. “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity”. Psalms 133:1

What's In Your Hands? - by Sue Campbell

I’ve been thinking about hands lately…maybe because I compare my ‘showing signs of aging’ hands to my granddaughter’s brand-new ones…maybe because one of my favorite things is creating things with my hands…or maybe because it’s apparent to me that my hands feel more ‘normal’ when they’re closed than stretched wide open.   I was thinking about that last one in regards to what we’ve been celebrating at DeWitt Redeemer Church lately –how God blesses us with abundant resources and commands us to be good stewards of them. 

It’s so easy to hold things tightly in our hands, isn’t it?  We work hard, we ‘deserve’ things, we create things that are special to us – shouldn’t we want to grasp them and hold them close?  Aren’t we entitled to do that?

I decided to see how many times the word ‘hand’ was written in the NIV Bible translation.  According to BibleGateway.com, there are 1417 times it appears in Scripture – 1178 in the Old Testament, 239 in the New; beginning in Genesis 3:22 and ending with Revelation 20:4.  A few other words you might think would be written often – Lord (6749 times), money (116 times), love (686) and feet (247). 

“Man could no longer reach out his hand and take from the tree of life…Noah reached out his hand and brought the dove back into the ark…Rebekah covered Jacob’s hands with fur to trick his father, Isaac…Jesus healed with his hands many times and even healed a man’s shriveled hand, and Jesus was delivered into his enemies’ hands…”

God created this very important part of our anatomy for good, but sometimes, not-so-good things come from our hands.  My prayer today is that I remember to look at my hands - think about what I hold too tightly in them and be open to what God wants to pour into them so I can pour out to others.