Last 10 minutes - by Jack Hanneman and Guest Blog by Cathy Baker

Suzie Unruh, on staff here at Redeemer, recently shared a blog written by her sister - it’s about if you had 10 minutes left of oxygen and were in outer space, what would you do.
 
It really made me wonder.

For me, there would be a lot of “I’m sorry” and “Thank You’s” and a lot to ponder in a short time.

Below is the blog – remember live each day to the best of your ability – for you, for God, for the ones you love - you never know when it will be your last ten minutes.

http://cathylbaker.blogspot.com/2016/04/and-im-writing-again.html

 

 

BLOG BY CATHY BAKER:
I knew the risk I was taking. I knew I might not make it back home. 9:59…9:58…9:57… But for me it was worth the risk. A chance to see the world in a whole new perspective. The chance to soar where no one has before. Really, this is the only way to live this one and only life. YOLO the younger generations say. 9:06…9:05…9:04… I’ve not merely existed on this journey around the sun, I’ve made the most of it. I have no regrets for choosing this trip.  Yet still, this isn’t how I thought my final moments of this voyage would end. Utterly alone. With only my thoughts. 8:34…8:33…8:32… Who knew I would be the one who would get to take these adventures. Who knew I would be on my own at the end, counting down the moments.  My mind is racing back through time, through the days of my life. Too many memories to sort through them all.  7:23…7:22…7:21… But here, floating among the stars, engulfed in the vastness of them all, watching earth from a distance, balanced in a galaxy of blackness, I am captivated by it all.  If we get glimpses of heaven, this must be it. And I’m closer than I’d like to think…to heaven, that is.  I thought I’d be going back to earth, but here I am suspended in space and time, watching my oxygen tank empty out faster than I want. Please, slow down time. Every breath counts right now.  These are my final moments. 5:42…5:41…5:40… I’m closer to heaven than to earth. And I have a strange peace about that. To know that soon this blackness of the galaxy will be replaced with brightness of the Lord himself. That the coldness of this environment will soon transform into an eternal warmth. Like that of a perfect spring day. 4:10…4:09…4:08… That those who have traveled before me, are ‘home’ waiting for me to walk beside the crystal sea with them.  On earth, I got glimpses of the crystal sea, when my children would say, “Look at the sprinkles on the water!” They loved how the sun reflected off the water, sparkling a million tiny sparkles for our enjoyment. What joy I will soon experience for all eternity. 3:17…3:16…3:15 Yet, at the same time, my heart grieves. It grieves for those left on earth. I wish I had a chance to say goodbye. That I could say ‘see you later’. I wish that tears and pain wouldn’t fill their upcoming days.  I pray now that they will have peace. That their memories will be their strength. May they be inspired to live their lives well. To finish strong the journey that lies ahead of them.  2:21…2:20…2:19… More time. I want more time.  But really, is there ever enough time to experience it all? Our days our numbered. For me, my minutes are numbered. And here, at the end, the only time that matters, is the time I already spent to love, and to live, and to give, on this journey.  Those are the moments that mattered. Those are the moments that mean something here at the end. 0:60…0:59…0:58… What does one think during the last minute he has oxygen?  I shall think of Jesus. Of his open arms waiting me. I’m grateful he became the bridge between me and God on that cross, that he gave himself as a gift for me to choose. I have followed him, and with faith and hope, I rest in knowing that these last breaths are not the end of the journey, but only the beginning. 0:03…0:02…0:01…

(I asked the girls to give me something to write about...inspiration...Morgan said, write about being an astronaut in space and you only have 10 minutes of oxygen left in your tank).

Free Will - by Sue Campbell

When it’s my turn to blog, I try to be open to share something God’s laying on my heart to ponder.  This week, I’ve been thinking about free will.  I looked up the definition of free will:  “the power of acting without the constraint of necessity or fate; the ability to act at one's own discretion”; which led me to the definition of discretion:  “the quality of behaving or speaking in such a way as to avoid causing offense or revealing private information.”

Hmmm…In His infinite wisdom and love, God gave the power of free will to us, but it seems to me that the tough part is acting with discretion.  In a world where things can be bought and sold, done and said -instantaneously with a click of a key - stopping to think about ‘avoiding offense or revealing private information’ can be pretty hard.

Would it help to apply that ‘5-second’ rule – you know, where you can still eat something that dropped on the floor?  What if we tried lengthening the time – 5 minutes or even 5 hours – before we make that impromptu purchase, send that email response, or post that Facebook picture or comment?  Would it help us to act with more discretion – preserving peace and relationships a bit more?

I’m humbled and grateful that God blessed me with free will.  But I’m also praying that He reminds me daily that it comes with the responsibility of discretion.   

What has God done for me? - by Sandy Hrostowski

Oh my, where do I begin…recently we celebrated Easter.  I was reminded of God’s immeasurable love me, for us.  So much unconditional love that He gave his only Son, who died on the cross and was raised from the dead to be the final sacrifice for all mankind’s sins.  I can barely say this without crying.  For sure, I don’t deserve such mercy. 

Well, during Lent I tried to think of something that would be difficult to give up.  I prayed about this for some time.  It had to be something that God would approve of.  Then it came to me…now please don’t laugh.  I stopped watching two daytime TV shows that were becoming inappropriate for me to watch.  I had watched these shows for over 30 years.  I wasn’t sure I would be able to do it.  I put my trust in God, and He didn’t let me down.  I have not watched these shows since the beginning of Lent. 

I feel a great burden of guilt lifted from me.  God did that for me.  Just one of His uncountable blessings and mercy He has shown me in my lifetime.  I now have more time to read His word and to pray.  Wow, that’s what God has done for me!

Please, take time today to really think about all the mercy, compassion and blessings God has given you.  They are immeasurable.

God's Leading - by Ben Barnes

Over spring break, I took my little family on a short vacation to Tennessee.  We rented a cabin in the mountains and spent a few days just relaxing and seeing the sites in a town we were unfamiliar with.  We had a great time and we were able to unwind and unplug (something I often forget to do). 

We followed my phone's GPS all the way to our destination, which took us on some questionable roads, deep into forests, and to the edges of some cliffs I'd rather not drive by again.  I trusted the GPS to get us to the cabin.  I did question it, however.  I questioned it hard. 

Sometimes in life, we follow God's leading in our lives and things don't exactly happen as we plan.  The roads get narrow.  Our surroundings get uncomfortable.  And we question God.  We question His leading.  But when God leads us, He goes with us.  And Scripture is clear that we can do all things through the strength of Christ. 

So when God's leading you into territory you're unfamiliar/uncomfortable with, take heart.  And remember Proverbs 3 when it says, "In all your ways, acknowledge Him and He will direct your path."

Made Alive with Christ - by Susan Jensen

¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

If you’ve ever read through Ephesians, you’ve seen this verse. I’ve seen it many times throughout my life; I’ve probably even heard several sermons that referenced it (some even here at Redeemer UMC). One day a few weeks ago I came across this verse in a daily devotion in the NRSV (Newly Revised Standard Version) and the wording literally stopped me in my tracks.

¹⁰ For we are what He has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.

What a enlightening perspective. I’ve read that verse often before with the concept that God has prepared things for us to do if we would only pay attention and be willing to do them. But this time the interpretation of the words “to be our way of life” spoke straight to my heart in a refreshing way. Of course that is God’s wish for us… that His will would become our way of life. Not just a task we choose to cooperate with on occasion, but an everyday, every step “way of life”.

Where can you find this verse for yourself? It’s right where it should be in Ephesians Chapter 2 under the heading “Made Alive with Christ”. It is through responding to God’s will, and the example of Jesus that our ordinary, run-of-the-mill lives can be made alive with purpose.

All-Powerful Father - by Debby Kloosterman

Many people know that I co-facilitate a women’s group at the Clinton County Jail.  The focus of the group is domestic and sexual violence but our topics include many sessions on making better life choices.  As a part of our group we seek to define violence and how pervasive it is in our western culture.  Our media exposure and even our sports reporting is filled with battle language.  It is not enough to merely “win” a game; we need to “annihilate” our competitor.  We need to “beat ’em, whip ‘em or kick their butt”!

The language of the Bible is equally telling.  It speaks of God’s character in superlatives; that is God’s character as being the finest quality or of the highest degree. He is an extravagant God, indulgent in creating good things for those who are His children.  He doesn’t just sit back and throw us an occasional bone of His love.  He lavishes us with His love!  When I think of the word “lavish”, the word picture that I get is of an active volcano with molten lava pouring out covering everything in its path.

As you continue to read through your Bible, I challenge you to note further examples of our amazing, all-powerful Father and His “extreme” qualities.

1 John 3:1 New International Version (NIV)

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

Spring Is Here - by Ron Bekkering

Here at Redeemer United Methodist Church in DeWitt; we’ve celebrated our risen Savior!

Not only that; the Boys of Summer have been filling baseball fields north of Florida and Arizona! Yeah Opening Day tomorrow!!! Go Tigers!!!

The grass is starting to change color! The buds on the trees are coming out! We see peeks of annuals starting to creep out of their winter slumber.

We see floods of people getting ready for that great adventure we call Spring Break. As a matter of fact many of you could be reading this from your vacation location.

The risen Savior is in a more stunning place and has provided us with a beautiful promise.

The baseball fields look so crisp and clean when we come through the tunnel.

Pretty soon, we’ll be hearing the roaring of the lawnmowers keeping the grass in our lawns trimmed and in top notch shape.

The smells of the first flowers of spring always make me smile, and sneeze.

Lastly, many of you will be leaving DeWitt and heading on trips around the nation and world to see the beauty that waits in warmer destinations.

This left me pondering the beauty we each experience. From Jesus we see, the beauty of a perfect Savior laying it all on the line so we could live forever with Him. From the baseball players, we get spectacular plays and graceful swings that spray the ball around the yard and over the fence. The beauty of the grass and flowers and the changing of seasons we experience here in Michigan are just more ways God shares His beauty with us!

Embrace it! As you look outside at the sun, feel the warmth, and see the growth…swing for the fence and thank God for all that He gives!!!

God Rocks and We Roll,

Ron