Pastor Allan's Blog

Lately I’ve been thinking about stuff.  You know, that old gadget or gizmo that you think is so cool, so valuable, and one day it will be sold on auction for pennies on the dollar.  Even if you’re into collectibles, coins, antiques, and other stuff, most of the time, you buy it at retail and sell it wholesale.  So what’s your stuff worth?  I don’t want to disappoint you, but other than sentimental value, your stuff isn’t probably worth too much.
 
There was a day when I accumulated stuff.  For example, when Armona’s parents were preparing to move to a smaller home and had an auction, I bought several fishing poles—complete with hook, line, and sinker.  I took them home, hung them up in the attic and promptly forgot about them—until we moved.  After moving all my other stuff out of the attic, I decided to sweep the floor.  As I swept, something kept rolling ahead of the broom.  It sounded like marbles.  Not knowing what I was sweeping up, I took a closer look….fishing sinkers.  The line on the fishing poles had rotted and the sinkers fell off onto the floor.  So much for collecting fishing poles.  That day was an epiphany and a total revelation about my stuff.  I threw those fishing poles and a lot of other stuff away.
 
So whatever stuff you’re accumulating, here’s my advice….have an exit plan.
 
Now there’s something else in which you need to put an exit plan into place---your life.  I really don’t care how much stuff you have because, to quote an old saying, “Ya can’t take it with ya.”
 
Jesus says in Matthew 6:21, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  So, don’t polish up your silver or gold….spend your time polishing up your love for Jesus!
 
Love in Him,
Pastor Allan
© 2019 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be the last knight standing?  Brave and bold, he stands at the end of the battle reciting Psalm 91:5-6 to himself.  “You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the plagues that destroy at midday.  A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.”
Seemingly with no fear, my brave knight overcomes that terror of night, swats away the arrow that flies by day.  The battle rages and ten thousand fall at his right hand.
The enemy redoubles his effort, outflanks him, surrounds him, and then runs at his side, even as the bulls of Bashan.  Yet my knight does not cower from the onslaught.  My knight makes his gallant stand.
In their hands, they demand to know his name.  Yes, I am He Whom you seek after.  With just His spoken word, they all fall down, slain in the Spirit.
They lead Him away to judgment.  Not guilty, not guilty, yet in spite of the verdict, the enemy whips the crowd into a blood thirsty frenzy, like a pack of wolves on the scent.  A coward steps forward, hands Him over, and washes his hands of the lynching about to take place.
Yet, what does my knight do?  He stands silent, brave, and silent.
The enemy seemingly has overcome, conquered my knight, my hero.  I turn, I cannot watch.
The darkness overcomes the light.  The brave has lost to the coward.  All seems to be lost.
Then, at the burst of sunrise, my knight rises up out of the grave.  Victory over death is won by my knight’s resurrection!  He is my hero!
My knight said He would rise from the dead…and He has!
 
If you don’t know Him….His name is Jesus!
 
All Glory to Him,
Pastor Allan
© 2019 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved

Well, the final curtain has fallen.  The lights have been turned off.  Sonshine Singers fades into the sunset to proclaim God’s glory another day!
 
As a Pastor, I talk to you about Jesus.  I write to you about Jesus.  But, there is one thing that the Sonshine Singers did in the lives of those who heard their inspiring music.  They helped people experience Jesus!
 
During their ministries, it’s as if the Schekinah cloud, the glory of the Lord descended upon the crowds.  A new and more brilliant face was upon the crowd as they left.  They indeed had been touched by the hand of God.
 
As for me, I watched the director from the first down beat to the last.  Vocalists and musicians, all 140 of them, literally in the palm of her hand.  All not to her glory, but to God’s glory.
 
Armona, for some of us, you—and Jesus Whom you serve--have brought us, while we yet live on earth, to within the breath of God.  The Spirit of God that dwells in you and the Sonshine Family, radiates to all those around you.  You are all gifts from God!
 
I can’t wait to see how God will use you next!
 
In the meantime, I’ll always love you all!!
 
Pastor Allan 
© 2019 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved

Well, I never thought about the emotions that might accompany the last of a heroic, meaningful, Holy Spirit filled ministry.  For twenty years, Sonshine Singers has, for Armona, been a driving force in her life.  I cannot count the ways her ministry has affected my walk with Jesus.
 
People ask, “How does she do it?”  Year after year, she listened to countless hours of Christian music.  All those hours previewing and selecting just the right song that will touch the hearts of people.
 
If you’re a musician and are one of the several hundred people who have sung for her over the years, you know the meticulous, detail manner in which she directs.  You know the joy it has been to sing under her direction.
 
There was a time when I said, “Armona has the magic.”  Over the years I’ve matured.  I now say, “Armona has the blessing.”
 
As the twentieth year of music ministry culminates on Thursday, Friday and Saturday this week, won’t you come and hear the Word of the Lord?
 
Each year, Sonshine Singers have ministered to 2,000 people more or less.  What this group of singers have done is the closest thing to a “revival meeting” that Fort Dodge has ever experienced.
 
I was there to hear the borning song of Sonshine Singers.  I’ll be there at the end to hear their never ending hymns of glory.  I’ll be there with a tear in my eye…..
 
I’m so proud of you, Armona…..what I say about her is not brag, just fact.
 
Love to all,
Pastor Allan
© 2019 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved

As the wind blew and the temperature plunged, the snow hit my face as if like tiny little ice pellets.  My fingers in gloves, my face wrapped in a shawl, yet there was no keeping out the cold.  Snow so deep that with every step, I lifted my knee to my chin in order to move forward.  Why do my toes feel like frozen stumps?
 
That was my journey one wintry night as I walked from my vehicle stuck in a snowbank to the house, one quarter mile.  An ordinary man would never have survived this adventurous journey.  J
 
But I’m no ordinary man I told myself as the lights in the house dimly pierced the snow and darkness.  I am indestructible, invincible, courageous, and all those other adjectives that describe me as a man.  Maybe dumb would be one of those descriptive adjectives.
 
So, there I am about to overcome all that nature could hurl against me.  I’m almost to the door.  I look like the abominable snowman.  Coat, hat, shawl, boots, all the things that make me look bigger and puffier than I already am in real life.  Out of nowhere my own dog is suddenly coming at me as if I was an avenging intruder.  I trained him to “guard,” but not me!!  “Poncho! Poncho! It’s me.”  I pulled the shawl off my face and in an instant he went from guard dog to my dog.
 
Sometimes in life, we hide who we really are.  For some reason if we let our guard down, expose who we really might be, we feel vulnerable, exposed.  Too many of us want to stay wrapped up within ourselves.  No one recognizes us, not even our own dog.
 
Take a risk sometime and feel the rush of God’s love as you proclaim to someone who you really are.  “I am the son of the Most High God!”  “I am the daughter of the Most High God!”
 
That devil dog that’s been barking at your heels, will cower and run away.  Can’t get any better than that!
 
Love to all,
Pastor Allan
© 2019 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved

Keith Jackson long ago was a television football announcer.  With all his quips and bits of wisdom, he was simply the best.
One of his favorite sayings was, “Whoa, Nellie!”  Now apparently he grew up on a farm.  So, quite naturally people would ask if “Nellie” was a donkey.  He replied, “Yes, I had a donkey, but its name was Pearl.” 
“He’s rumblin’, stumblin’ and now he breaks out into the open.  The end zone is in his sight; Whoa Nellie!”
My Dad was the football announcer at Titonka High.  Only my Dad had his own style of announcing the plays.  He actually called the play from the booth.  If the other team had the ball, he’d say, “The quarterback drops back to pass to the tight end on the right, number 38…..”  I was his spotter.  We were a team!
Now the difference between Keith Jackson’s announcing and my Dad’s announcing was that Jackson’s words could not be heard by the players.  When my Dad announced the play in progress, it’s as if our team had the proverbial twelfth man on the field. J
Now to get up into the elevated announcer’s booth at Titonka, you had to climb a ladder.  With that in mind, picture this…..
Dad calls the play in progress, the referee blows the whistle, and runs off the field.  “Looks like he’s coming our way, Dad.”  The referee climbs the ladder and says, “Alfred, you gotta stop telling those Titonka football players where the football is.” J
Keith Jackson had his style of announcing.  My Dad had his style of announcing.
I will say, my Dad must have helped our team.  We had one loss that year….it was an away game. J
I have my style of announcing too.  “Keep your eye on the quarterback.  His name is JESUS!”

Love in Him,
Pastor Allan
© 2019 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved

One of the joys of life is to walk in the woods.  Birds are singing, squirrels are playing, deer run on ahead of you, and the sky is so blue.  God’s creation indeed proclaims His handiwork!
 
Here’s another joy I’ve experienced in the woods---pushing over trees.  Now before you begin to compare me to Paul Bunyon, let me tell you that the trees I push over are only three or four inches in diameter and are dead and rotten.
 
With a crash, they go over.  In their fall, I sense this feeling of dominance over the world, or at least that one tree. J
 
Lately though, I’ve not had that feeling of exuberance.  Some days, I feel more like the tree that I just pushed over.  Once tall and straight reaching for the sky.  Now lying flat on the forest floor.  Once the view was expansive and broad.  Now….not so much.
 
O.K.—one paragraph of my own pity party is enough.  Unlike that tree lying flat on the ground, I can pick myself up and walk out of the woods to face a new day.  Oh no, there’s stickery thingys on my pants.  It’s going to take forever to pull them out.  Oh wait, my shoes are all muddy, at least I hope it’s mud. J
 
Yes, one day up and one day down.  We all have them.  It’s called life.  So I guess I’ll just get over it. 
 
Life is too short to get pushed over and stay there.  Life is too short not to walk into the woods and risk getting stickery thingys on my pants or mud—or something—on my shoes.  I need to enjoy each and every day God blesses me with---after all, it’s one more day to witness and worship my Lord and Savior!
 
Here’s something Solomon might have said….no matter the years, life is too short.  Make it count, my friends!
 
Love in Christ,
Pastor Allan
© 2019 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved

Mama, I’m hungry and thirsty.  Mama, I’m cold.  Mama, where are you?  I need you…..
This may well be the heart-wrenching cry of a little baby boy named Danu in the Congo in Africa.  In this desolate place, where malnutrition, oh let’s call it like it is, starvation stunts the growth of 66% of the children, there is hope.  Here where nine out of ten women have lived through the death of a child younger than age six, there is hope.  Here where only 24% of the girls are privileged to go to school, there is hope.
Psalm 121:1-2 says, “I lift my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from?  My help comes from the Maker of heaven and earth.”
Yes, Danu is a real little boy.  Only for him, his mother could not answer.  She had died in childbirth.  Living in a pagan village the people thought he was cursed.  So his father laid Danu on the ground in the cemetery, there to die.
By the grace of God, a Covenant missionary woman came along and rescued him from certain death.  As she carried this dying little baby boy away, she changed his name from Danu, which in Congolese means “abandoned,” to his new name, Precious.
I share this abbreviated story because I know first-hand that it is true.  Danu’s story and so many like him have opened my eyes and heart to the plight of so many children in this area of the Congo.
“I lift my eyes to the hills from which my help comes….”   Sometimes, no most of the time, I feel like God has placed me in those hills to deliver help---and I do, as much as I can.
You may think I’m forward, but what do I have to lose?  For $1.32 a day, less than a cup of coffee, you too can help.
Please call me for details (515-570-4846) or send a check, for as much as you can, made payable to First Covenant Church.  (The address is 201 Avenue H, Fort Dodge, Iowa. 50501)  Every penny of this donation will be sent directly to the Congo and then you too will make a huge difference in the life of a child.  
 
Won’t you stand in the hills with me to bring hope to the poorest place in the world?
 
Love my Covenant Kids-Congo,
Pastor Allan
© 2019 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved

In 1959, my Grandpa and Grandma gave to me a Christmas present which, to this day, is one of my most prized possessions.  If my arithmetic is correct, 60 years have passed since that time.
 
You may wonder what makes that Holy Bible so special.  Not only was it a gift from those I loved the most, they wrote a memorable note on the front page.  Here it is.  Maybe you can use it for one of your grandchildren.
 
My Dear Grandson:
I give you this Bible as a present through your life; but remember, this book will bring you to heaven or to hell, if you don’t read it.  Read it every day if you can.
If you are in trouble or need guidance, turn to God and read the following passages.  Matthew 11:28-30.
From Your
Grandpa and Grandma Stecker
 
Now you know a little about what makes me tick.  But right now as I hold this Bible and reminisce, a tear rolls down my cheek.
 
Grandpa and Grandma—if I didn’t say it then, I’m saying it now.  Thank you!  I miss you and still love you.  Oh, by the way, I’m a Pastor, just like you wanted……
 
Love in Christ, 
Pastor Allan
©2019 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved

As a boy growing up on the farm, I remember many nights lying on the grass in the dark of night looking up in amazement at the stars God had flung into place.  Each one twinkling at me as if to say, “Hello!”  The Milky Way stood out like a white ribbon among the many.
 
Then one night, my star-gazing turned from peace and tranquility to terror.  There was an intruder moving across the night sky.  Not the flash of a falling star, but more of a deliberate, calculated light making its way among the stars.  The dreaded Russians had launched Sputnik, the first satellite.
 
At eight years old, I knew that this was an ominous sign of things to come.  Indeed the “space race” had suddenly become a part of the Cold War.  Fear of “what’s next” gripped my thinking.  If they can put a space craft into orbit, what’s to stop them from launching a nuclear missile?  If you were growing up in the 1950’s and 1960’s, this was a real concern for everyone.
 
Now today, I look at the night sky and the stars have diminished and their brightness has dimmed.  If I do happen to see something moving across the sky, my reaction is “ho-hum….another satellite.”  Though the threat of nuclear disaster seems so less likely, I know that the end of time is bearing down upon us.  So maybe the likelihood of such a disaster is actually more and not less.
 
I still keep my eye on the sky, not only for its beauty, for it does declare the handiwork of God’s creation, but Jesus might be walking in the clouds to take me home any day.
 
Praying you have your eyes on the sky too…..
 
 
Blessings, peace and love now and in the New Year!
 
Pastor Allan
© 2018 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved

A letter from Santa:
Well, here I am makin’, packin’, and wrapin’ toy after toy.  Though the weather outside might be frightful, as the saying goes, “the show must go on!”
 
Let me tell you what just happened.  In the sleigh are so many electronic gadgets that sometimes I don’t know if it’s Rudolph’s nose a-blinkin’ or one of those electronic thingy’s whistlin’ and blinkin’.  Not only that, Blitzen was playing one of those electronic thingy’s, forgot to unplug it, and when the sleigh took off, the 20 foot extension cord let it go just so far.  Talk about whiplash!
 
Everything was topsy-turvy, even the reindeer were upset.  When everything was back in order, Donna—er, I mean Donner, sprained her ankle.  So Donner went to the injured reserve list for the night and I called up Alf.  Don’t worry about if Alf can do the job.  He’s fleet footed and swift, but there is one problem.  He doesn’t know the route very well.  That wouldn’t be so bad, but he’s the navigator.  So if I’m a little late to your house, you’ll understand why.  By the way---DON’T EAT THE COOKIES BEFORE I GET THERE!
 
Oh, over the years, I have many memorable nights of delivery.  Snowstorms, sleigh problems, reindeer on strike, even Rudolph’s nose went on the blink a few times.  Where are those batteries?  But there was one Christmas night that was the most memorable of all of them.  The night I stopped at the manger stall in Bethlehem.
 
As I knelt there and gave that new born King the most precious thing I could, the wise men strolled in and got credit for leaving gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  Nobody ever wrote about the gift I left.
 
Well, I better get going.  Alf is dancing and prancing and pointing at his watch.
 
Dash away, dash away all!!
 
Oh, what did I leave for baby Jesus?  Only my heart!
Merry Christmas everyone and thank you, Pastor Allan for sending this letter out…..
© 2018 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved

The three Wise Men from the East brought gifts to the manger in Bethlehem.  Their gifts were gold for a King, frankincense for a priest, and myrrh for anointing oil at death.  How did they know?
 
These wise men followed the star of Bethlehem.  It came to a stop over the stable where Jesus lay.  Now in my life, I’ve watched a lot of stars.  How could a star stop right over the manger?
 
Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would be born to a virgin.  Tell me, how he knew that.  Micah foretold that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem.  If Bethlehem had a zip code, he probably would have given that to us too.  How did he know?
 
Mystery upon mystery as prophecy after prophecy came to be.  Not only that, Paul writes for us that Jesus was “born in the fullness of time.”  At just the right time, Jesus was born.
 
Wow!  You couldn’t write a better story, even if your imagination is beyond description.  Written by different authors living in different ages, all pointing to one moment in time, the birth of Jesus.
 
I often wonder….how can people refute these facts and reject Jesus.  Do they know more than God Who orchestrated this act of saving grace by Jesus?
 
As for me, my faith in God’s Word is sufficient!
 
Love in Him,
Pastor Allan
© 2018 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved

Instant Answers.
 
Isn’t this what we all want?  In today’s world, we want instant answers to whatever life throws at us.
 
I think we all seek after instant answers because we are not willing to invest the time necessary to formulate a well thought out and defensible solution to life’s questions.  The same often applies to our Christian walk.  When was the last time you studied your Bible to resolve one of your life questions?
 
The world waited and waited for the arrival of the Messiah.  From the last Old Testament prophet, Malachi, to Bethlehem….hundreds and hundreds of year passed by.  During that interim, the world looked for the coming of the Messiah.  They wanted an instant answer to the problems of the world.  The promise of the Old Testament is that hope was on the horizon.
 
What’s so different today?   Like people before the birth of Jesus, we look forward to His return.  2000 plus years ago, Jesus was the hope of the world then, and He is the hope of the world for today and tomorrow.  With that hope, hope of salvation, Jesus brought to all of us an instant answer about our salvation.
The instant answer to your salvation question is from Jesus Himself in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
 
Jesus came as a gift to the world and you.  What better gift can you give Him than to simply believe?  In an instant….your salvation is secured!
 
Keep looking up—Jesus is coming soon!
 
Love in Him,
Pastor Allan
© 2018 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved

For a moment, imagine, visualize a beautiful Christmas scene.  Now put your imaginary picture inside a snow globe.  You know, the kind you shake all around and little snowflakes float about, eventually settling back to give your Christmas scene just a little extra touch of perfect.
 
In my snow globe is a picturesque row of tiny houses.  There on the roof of one house is Santa all decked out in his traditional red suit.  His reindeer all harnessed ready to take flight bringing happiness and good cheer.  In front of this row of houses is a little ice pond.  Children are ice skating, swirling this way and then the other.  Mom and Dad stand nearby with a little campfire to keep them all warm and cozy.
 
Now as I shake and propel the snow to float all about, the scene comes alive.  Reindeer really do fly.  The children gracefully move to and fro.  I can even hear little squeals of laughter coming up from my imaginary play-land.  The snow begins to settle, the reindeer begin to take their rightful place, prancing and dancing, and the children, swirling all about, begin to slow.
 
All is perfect.  All is calm.
 
This past week, our family spent some very precious time together.  It was as though we were inside that picturesque snow globe where everything is perfect.  Time seemed to have stood still as we enjoyed our moments of togetherness.
 
As we come into this advent, this season before Christmas, may I give you this blessing?  Have a snow globe kind of Christmas!
 
Oh yes, there is another snow globe scene.  “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby keeping watch over their flocks at night.  An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them……”
 
Now that’s a perfect picture!
 
Love in our Savior, Jesus Christ,
Pastor Allan
© 2018 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved

During my career as a Certified Public Accountant, I helped so many people with, not only their tax situations, but with other financial matters.  Let me share just a couple of those moments.
 

• My friend, Ray was an elderly astute investor.  One day, toward year-end, I was at his home.  Together we were discussing tax planning opportunities and strategies.  We were interrupted by a phone call from his New York stock broker who represented a reputable firm.  Ray’s wife was participating in our discussions and while he was on the phone, she made this comment.  “He calls all the time.  I think Ray talks to him because he’s lonely.”  Several weeks after that visit, Ray died.  In February, I returned to do their tax returns only to discover a stack of stock trades Ray made while yet alive.  In the end, he lost $500,000.  It was a hard day to tell his widow how Ray had been taken advantage of by this stockbroker.  To make a long story very short, the family eventually recovered the losses.  That was a happy day!  By the way, that settlement and story made the front page of the Wall Street Journal!
• On another occasion, one of my clients was an absentee owner of a manufacturing company.    As I was preparing the tax return, I noticed that some of their line items were extraordinarily high.  As I drilled down, it became apparent that the bookkeeper had embezzled money---a lot of money.  By the end of the day, I confronted the bookkeeper and she admitted her crime.  Now get this, she asked, “Are you going to call the owner and tell him?”  To which I replied, “No…”  Her face lit up with liberation and thanks.  She was excited until I pulled a chair up in front of her desk and said, “No, I’m not going to call the owner and tell him.  But, I’m going to sit right here and listen while you call him and tell him what you did.”  For some reason, she never liked me after that day.

So what’s the moral from these two episodes?  Nobody is going to watch your money with the same diligence you will.  Remember the old saying, “A fool and his money are soon parted.”
 
Be diligent and take care of all the things God has blessed you with and remember the best advice ever regarding investments comes from Matthew 6 verse 20…“Lay up your treasures in heaven!”
 
Blessings and Love in Christ,
 
Pastor Allan
© 2018 Allan Redenius

“Stay back! Stay back!” Those were the words of caution my Dad hollered whenever I got too close to the power-take-off on the feed grinder.  If you don’t know what that is, it’s the drive-train between the tractor and piece of machinery to which it’s attached.  It spins at an enormous speed.  Lethal to anyone who even gets a thread of clothing caught in the spinning apparatus.  This was long before OSHA was even a thought.
 
“Don’t stand behind that cow!”  More words of caution my Dad barked out at me as he sat there milking the cow by hand.  Over the years, I’ve come to realize that there is more than one reason not to stand behind a cow.  Getting kicked is just one reason…you figure out the second. J
 
“Watch out for the bees, they might sting you.”  “But Dad, they’re drowning in the cow tank.  They need to be rescued,” as I gingerly reached down to gently scoop them out of the water.  Little did I know that my heart for saving those little guys is the same heart that now reaches out to rescue people from the sin in which they are drowning.
 
Dad had told me, “Don’t drive so fast!”  Those were the wisdom words spinning through my brain as the car was spinning around on the hi-way.  After three complete turns on the ice and ending up going the same direction, I believed it to be the result of my skillful driving.  Now I realize that it was God’s hand on the wheel, not mine.  Here’s a post script to that episode.  I NEVER TOLD DAD!! J
 
Our Dads warn us to keep us safe.  Our Father in heaven warns us to keep us saved!  My advice---we are blessed to have a heavenly Father Who sent His Son to rescue us!  Honor, love, serve and obey Him!
 
Love in Christ,
 
Pastor Allan
© 2018 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved

Why is it, there are some things that you can only vaguely recall from an earlier time in your life?  Here’s an example of a memory that has haunted me for a very long time.
 
When I was young, I had two aunts. Maude and Etta.  Between the two of them, they raised two brothers, Hank and Connie.  Here’s the part I don’t recall.  I don’t remember what they looked like.
 
But what I do remember is this.  Hank and Connie were killed on Hwy 18 just east of Algona.  Somehow, they were involved in an automobile crash.  I don’t remember the details.
 
Another thing that sticks in my brain after all these years was the fact that the family was very upset because the funeral home insisted on a closed casket for both of them.  I know it sounds kind of morbid, but those are the facts.
 
The older I get, the more I realize that even then, God was preparing me for what I do today, funerals.  The closer I draw to God the more I realize the meaning of what Paul teaches in 2nd Corinthians 5:8, “….to be absent from the body, is to be present with the Lord.”  Now I suspect Hank and Connie were driving along living life like there were hundred tomorrows in front of them.  Then in the “twinkling of an eye” their soul was demanded by God.  I hope they knew Jesus.  I want to see them again!
 
If you’re driving down the highway of life, I hope you know Jesus.  I want to see you in heaven one day as well!
 
Love in Him,
 
Pastor Allan
© 2018 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved

My very first car was a 1956 Oldsmobile.  By no means was it a muscle car of the day.  Unless, of course muscle means built like the proverbial Sherman tank.
 
I remember it hailed one day and the hail stones were as big as softballs.  O.K., maybe not that big, but they were big.  As I walked to the parking lot to survey the damage to my $75.00 car and as I saw all the other cars all dented up, I was feeling kind of low.  Do you know that it must not have hailed in the 100 square feet in which my beloved car occupied?  There wasn’t a dent on it!  All around was plenty of evidence of a big hail storm, but my car sustained not a blemish.  On the other hand, it was so big and strong, chances are the hail stones were injured!!
 
That vehicle served me well.  Never mind that whenever I pulled into a gas station I would always fill the oil and check the gas.  Yep---you read it right---I’d fill the oil and check the gas. J
 
The only problem with that car was that you needed a square mile to just turn it around.  One day, I parallel parked with it and when I came back, the vehicle in front and behind had changed.  The new ones left me no room to negotiate an exit.  So, what did I do?  Put my muscle car into low, gently moved forward, nuzzled up to the car bumper in front of me, and pushed him out of the way---GENTLY!  Don’t worry, I didn’t even scratch his bumper.  But I now wonder about his transmission.
 
Sometimes life is kind of like that.  You just need to muscle, push your way through….sometimes ever so gently!
 
If you need more muscle in your life, call on Jesus to give you strength and He’ll just carry you through!!
 
Blessings,
Pastor Allan
© 2018 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved

Imagine this if you can.
 
One day the family decides to move “out west.”  In the west, the sky is bluer, the grass is greener, and without a doubt, the trees are taller.  Besides all that, there’s gold in them ‘thar hills. J
 
The covered wagon is loaded up with the essentials of the trip; food, check—water, check; Mom’s piano….wait!  “Are we really taking this?  Yepper, the map says it’s a straight road.”
 
You and I now know what the pioneers never thought of.  The width of the Mississippi.  The heat and cold of the plains.  Then, as they looked toward the western horizon, they saw an ominous cloud bank come into view.  Soon, they were at the foot of the Rocky Mountains.  I am convinced it was here that most of them lost a wagon wheel and where it fell off, that was the spot they called home.  Obviously, most of them stopped at Denver.  J
 
Not unlike the pioneers, as they planned for their westward journey, we all approach life with a certain excited anticipation.  We too have the map by which to guide our course.  Like their journey, our life takes unexpected twists and turns.  Sometimes our wheels even fall off.
 
Then there are a few who made it to the Promised Land.  A land of seemingly endless milk and honey—oh, don’t forget the gold.  Why did some persevere and others did not?
 
I really don’t know the answer, but this I do know.  If your wheels fall off, don’t settle for where you’re at but instead keep moving toward the Promised Land…a place called sweet Beulah land.  There you will find streets of gold, a crystal shiny sea, and waiting for you will be Jesus Himself to welcome you home!  He loves you so very much……
 
Love in Him,
 
Pastor Allan
© 2018 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved

If any of us are on the football or basketball team, none of us want to stand on the sideline or sit on the bench.  Even if you’re a professional player making big bucks, you want to play, not stand around or sit watching the game from the bench.
 
Remember when you were young and played some kind of sport that required teams?  There was always a self-appointed captain and then there was the dreaded draft.  The captain picked who they wanted on their team.  I, like you, never wanted to be picked last.
 
All of us want to be “in the game.”  All of us want to be included, especially in the game of life.  Now in life, there are realistically two teams you can play for….Team Jesus, or the other one.  Deuteronomy 30:19 says, “….choose life….”  So all of us have a choice of which team to play for.
 
Now if you choose Team Jesus, don’t be worrying if you can play or not, or for that matter if you’ll be picked first or last.  The Captain of the team says in John 15:16, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you…”  Then He doesn’t say, “…go sit on the bench.”  He continues in John 15:16 with, “….so that you might go and bear fruit….”
 
So if you’re standing on the sideline or sitting on the bench, that is not where the Lord wants you.  He wants you in the game.  What do you think, “….go and bear fruit” really means?
 
Hope this call to action makes you uncomfortable so that you will go and actively be a vital member of Team Jesus!!
 
Love,
 
Pastor Allan
© 2018 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved