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June 4, 2023
Reflections from the Heart of Allan Redenius From across the State, one by one, gladiators of stamina and skill converge on sacred ground. Each brings a cadre of fans to cheer them on in the heat of battle. Coaches and mentors there to choreograph every precise move. A moment of silence as the revered National Anthem is played. Helmets with visors to their side. Hand over heart did these men about to do battle stand. Nary did the flag wave, on a hot still, May day. Some have come for the first time, others their last. Excitement builds as the gladiator names are matched and role is called. Weapon in hand, each one reports to their assigned battlefield. Anxiety builds as each analyzes the other, their strengths, their vulnerabilities. The fans sit to observe in silence during battle. Mesmerized by what unfolds. A battle begins, and the fans rise and cheer for their gladiator to shine. The gladiator about whom I write, is our grandson, Micah. Twenty-four high school tennis players from across the great State of Iowa gathered for the annual Iowa Singles Tennis Championship. How very proud of him Grandma and Grandpa are to witness his progress over the years, to become the skilled player into which he has developed. As these tennis matches unfold, some lose and go home on day one. All that first day, our heads were on a swivel as we watched Micah and his opponents hammer that tennis ball back and forth. Micah was victorious and was blessed to advance to day two, a day for the elite tennis players of Iowa. When the day was done, our gladiator, Micah stood tall in seventh place. Once in a while, Grandparents are allowed to brag a little bit---right? Way to go, Micah! Love you, Grandpa & Grandma ©2023 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved
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May 28, 2023
Reflections from the Heart of Allan Redenius Recently, one of my friends who served in the Navy, went to Washington D.C. on an honor flight. I salute him and all others who served in the U.S. armed forces. To each and every one of you, I say, thank you for your service. In 1969, right after what was called the Vietnam Tet Offensive, I received my notice to report for an army physical at Fort Des Moines. Pass the physical and off to Vietnam you went. Nobody really wanted to go to war, including me. But as the old saying goes, “duty calls.” I would have willingly served my country. I would not have been a draft dodger or skipped off to Canada to avoid the fight. As God’s providence would have it, I was involved in a serious car accident two months before my appointed physical. I suffered a back injury that impaired my mobility. So, the army said, “We don’t want you.” That was a day of mixed emotions. Many of my friends served in Vietnam. Some came home and others did not. Even those who came home suffered not only from PTSD, but physical maladies from agent orange, a widely used herbicide to defoliate the jungle. God bless each one of them. For years, I felt guilty for not passing my physical. Whenever I shared that feeling with a vet, every one of them said, “Thank God you didn’t have to go.” To each who said that, I thank you for your grace. To you Vietnam vets who came home to an unappreciative country that offered you spit instead of a hero’s welcome—you are all heroes to me. I Salute You, Pastor Allan ©2023 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved. May 21, 2023
Reflections From the Heart of Allan Redenius Last week was Mother’s Day. One of my friends reminded me of that day when he said, “I’m driving to Omaha to see my Mom. I’m beginning to realize that there aren’t that many Mother’s Days left to celebrate.” As I think about my Mom today, I write this as a tribute to her. Dear Mom: If only I had realized Mother’s Day 2005 was my last Mother’s Day to celebrate with you, I would have made it more memorable. But then again, none of us know what day might be the last to celebrate anything. But these are some of my precious memories of you that I do recall and relive. At the same time these memories bring a smile to my face, a tear comes to my eye.
Love you, Your only son, Allan ©2023 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved May 14, 2023
Reflection from the Heart of Allan Redenius The newest thing that has taken the world by storm is something called A.I., artificial intelligence. It’s a computer program that can logically think as though it were human. Much like humans, A.I. learns from experience. But here’s a big difference between a human’s reasoning and A.I. reasoning. With humans, there is only a finite amount of learning experiences each human can process and share with another human. With A.I., there is an infinite number of learning experiences and processes that it can share. In other words, each A.I. system shares with all other A.I. systems. A.I. then learns at an exponential rate. Imagine if one human learned something new and it was instantly shared with 10,000 people. Scary! Here is one example of how A.I. affects all of us and we don’t even realize it. Go to Facebook and search for something. Let’s use a garage door opener for an example. Guess what? From then on, all you see are advertisements for garage door openers. Thank you, A.I. When I first heard of A.I. there was hope within me that it would benefit those among us who, like the scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz, have no brain. I’ve seen people do bonehead things and wonder to myself, “What are they thinking?” Obviously, they are not. Of course, don’t we all believe the world would be a better place if everyone, “thought like us?” 😊 But now the man credited with inventing A.I. regrets what he has invented. Like Alfred Nobel, who invented dynamite, he too came to regret his invention as people misused the purpose for which he invented it. Already someone has programmed an A.I. system to destroy the world. Here’s the problem, it can’t be turned off. See what I mean with people with no brains? Now, believe it or not, A.I. just might be one piece of the puzzle for the end times. Remember, A.I. is all about knowledge. If you look up knowledge in your Bible concordance, you’ll be directed to Daniel 12:4, a prophecy of the end times. “….many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.” Now you know…. Pastor Allan ©2023 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved May 7, 2023
Reflection from the Heart of Allan Redenius Long, long ago, I agreed to shovel snow off my grandpa and grandma’s sidewalk. Back then, I thought bananas were a treat. So, grandpa and I agreed that with each snow fall, followed by shoveling, I would get a banana for my effort. We shook hands in the fall, and I went home a happy boy. Then the first snow came. My grandparents had a corner lot and, I swear, that sidewalk didn’t look that big when grandpa and I shook hands. So, I complained to my boss, “Grandpa, I think this was a lot of work for a banana.” To that he reminded me, “A deal is a deal. You set the price and we shook on it.” Thank goodness, grandma heard the conversation and offered up a bonus. “Allan, you sit yourself down here at the kitchen table. You can have a sugar cookie with some tea.” The sugar cookie and tea were the extras that made all my hard work worthwhile. Maybe there was another bonus that is more memorable, more priceless than any banana or sugar cookie—LOVE. I learned a lot from that first business venture. President Trump may have written a book, The Art of the Deal (which I’ve never read,) but these things I’ve learned from making deals over my lifetime.
There you go, my own “art of the deal” advice. Don’t work for bananas. Sugar cookies, tea, and love—ABSOLUTELY! 😊 Love in Christ, Pastor Allan P.S. AND…before you do a deal, any deal, ask your wife. They have “instincts” we men sometimes don’t! ©2023 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved April 30, 2023
Reflections from the Heart of Allan Redenius I know a Godly woman who travels around the country. Whenever in a new city, she finds a location upon which she can stand and “blow her shofar,” or ram’s horn. Now, the shofar is blown to acknowledge the presence of God. This same woman has visions, some are strange and bizarre. Here is one such vision. She went to hear a lecture by George Soros, apparently an atheist. As he walked onto the stage, she noticed that he was covered with scorpions. (Now that’s a frightening vision.) As he spoke and people became convinced of his words, the scorpions jumped off him and attached themselves to the people who believed him. The imagery of jumping scorpions, as people became convinced of false teaching, I like. But did she really see this? Who can refute what she believes she saw? We read in Acts 2:17, “In the last days, God says, ‘I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and daughters shall prophesy, and young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams…” Regarding the shofar—I don’t know one musical note. I don’t hear the difference between an A and an H note. 😊 So, even though shofars only make a trumpet blast, you won’t be hearing me blow a shofar. Although, I will recognize its sound when the angel of the Lord blows the shofar and Jesus comes for His people. Now as for visions and dreams, so far, the Lord has kept me in the dark. My dreams have been more along the line of nightmares as dinosaurs always haunt after me on restless nights. Now that IS strange! Lovin’ what life brings, Pastor Allan ©2023 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved April 23, 2023
Reflections From the Heart of Allan Redenius Once upon a time….. Whenever a story begins with those words, my imagination races ahead of the words I’m about to read. My mind is full of excitement, just waiting in anticipation of what is about to unfold. Too, those four words, “Once upon a time,” if I’m telling a story, give me just enough time to make up a tale, some true, some just a figment of my imagination. Here’s a couple of examples. Once upon a time, there lived across the street an elderly, crotchety, scary kind of a woman. Always with a look of scorn on her face. Not the kind of woman with whom you begin a casual conversation. Rumor was that at one time, she chased her husband with a pitchfork. I never did see him. Either he ran away, or maybe, just maybe, she caught up with him. Once upon a time, at the town dump, there was a caretaker of all the refuse. Upon arrival, he pointed the way to dispose your containers. Garbage over here, tin here, aluminum over there, iron someplace else. One day, he had to move a trailer. He climbed aboard his John Deere B with a hand clutch and backed up to the trailer. The trailer tongue resting on the draw bar, now where was the steel pin so the trailer could be moved? The steel pin to join the tractor and trailer was nowhere in sight. Reasoning that the trailer only needed to be moved a few feet, the fellow stuck his index finger in the hole on the trailer tongue and through the draw bar of the tractor. Now, with the other hand, he engaged the hand clutch. Needless to say, the caretaker of the city dump could no longer point to where he wanted your refuse placed! Once upon a time, in the dark of night, I went to feed our dog out in the barn. (We rented a farmhouse out in the country.) Poncho was our dog’s name. As I reached down to retrieve his feeding pan, there was a scurry close by. Maybe I better turn on the light. The light chased away the darkness but not the RAT! A big mane about him, razor sharp, menacing teeth, and a tail long enough to sweep you off your feet. I froze and began to back away. To the house I ran. Back now to see if that lion was still there. Only this time, a shot gun in my hand. The lion looked with his evil eye and gritted his teeth one last time. BOOM! The saga was over. Victory was mine. The lion lay dead. The dog laughed. The story lives on. Now you are wondering if any of these stories can possibly be true. I love telling stories. Especially those that begin with…Once upon a time… 😊 Bringing a smile to your face, Pastor Allan ©2023 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved April 16, 2023
Reflection from the Heart of Allan Redenius Buy a new pillow and what’s the first thing you notice? “Do not remove this tag under penalty of law.” What’s the first thing we do when we unpack our new pillow? Get out the scissors and cut the tag off. Yet, no one is in jail for removing the tag. So, what’s the purpose of the tag with a warning? Maybe just to aggravate us. 😊 Here’s another aggravation. In the middle of nowhere there is a stop sign. Clearly, your car is the only vehicle for miles around. So, why stop? What’s the harm in just ignoring the stop sign and barreling on through? That’s what my grandpa thought years ago. In the middle of nowhere, no other cars in sight, and grandpa doesn’t even slow down for the stop sign. All of a sudden, and to his surprise, the sheriff was right behind with red lights flashing. After they stopped, the sheriff meandered up to grandpa’s vehicle and asked, “Folkert (Grandpa’s name), didn’t you see that stop sign?” My grandpa, in his heavy German accent replied, “Vell, sir, I saw the stop sign, but I sure as the world didn’t see you!” 😊 Computers are, without a doubt, aggravating. I could go on and on as to why they are such a source of stress. However, let me leave you with this thought. Enough said about that! Over the years, I’ve learned not to let “small stuff” get under my skin. When people aggravate me, I realize I’m probably just as aggravating and frustrating to them. I know I’m pretty lovable, 😊, but some people don’t see me that way, and I’m O.K. with that. I try to emulate Jesus as much as I can. I often fail, but I try. I think about the line of Daddy Warbucks from the musical “Annie.” “Be kind to people as you go up the ladder, for surely you will meet them again as you come down the ladder.” Trust me. Life is a lot easier if you are not aggravated all the time. As the song says, “Show a little bit of love and kindness, never go around with hatred’s blindness, take a little time to reach for joy and wear a happy face.” Live your life for Jesus and you’ll wear a happy face! Love to all, Pastor Allan ©2023 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved April 9, 2023
Reflections From the Heart of Allan Redenius Several weeks ago, my beloved sister, Alvina, died. Her seven year struggle with cancer came to its conclusion. Cancer may have won the battle for her life, but this I know, in its victory, it did not gain the high ground over her life. You see, since a little girl, she knew Jesus as her Lord and Savior. That alone brings me joy. So, how do I feel? Losing family is hard and I am sad. I’ve been down this road too many times, both with family and friends. Over the years, I’ve become accustomed to the vacant feeling surrounding death. At the passing of a loved one, I think, the whole world should stop and take notice. It does not. People still laugh, go to work, do the things of life while I’m stuck in a pit of sadness. I know I can’t stay in that pit very long. In a very short while, I merge back onto the lane of life, and I too laugh, go to work, and do the things of life. After all, isn’t life all about living? All of my emptiness, all of my tears will not bring back my loved one. Speaking of tears, maybe part of my grief is that I don’t cry anymore. But then, what would that accomplish? I grieve more for Alvina’s husband and two sons. She was part of their every day life, and now, suddenly, she is gone. My heart hurts more for them, than for me. I think King David set an excellent example for us on how to grieve in 2nd Samuel 12:13-23. His child lay sick and dying. While the child lived, David fasted and pleaded with God for the child’s healing, but still, the child died. After the child died, we are told that David worshipped the Lord. When the King’s court asked of David about his demeanor, he replied, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, ‘Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live.’ But now that he is dead, why should I go on fasting? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.” David believed in life after death. I do too. So while I live, I will live. I know that one day I will see Alvina and all my loved ones in heaven. Giving thanks for life! Pastor Allan P.S. If you are grieving, grieve for a season. But through it all, worship Jesus, just like King David. ©2023 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved April 2, 2023
Reflections From the Heart of Allan Redenius Have you ever bought something you could not afford? Most of us have. We finance that purchase over time, commonly called a mortgage payment. Imagine one day the guy who holds your mortgage (the banker) suddenly demands payment. He is unrelenting, unreasonable, it matters not to him that you have a signed contract. He wants to be paid TODAY! He even threatens bodily harm if you don’t pay up. There are no savings, no cash reserves to satisfy the banker’s demand. You are at the end of your proverbial rope. There is no hope, or so you think. Suddenly, a kind Samaritan steps out of the darkness and pays the one holding the lien on your loan in full. Would you not be beholding, indebted to that Samaritan who bailed you out of that impossible situation? Whether you realize it or not, if you haven’t given your soul to Jesus, there is another who holds the mortgage on your soul. One day, death is going to come-a-knocking, demanding that you pay up for all the wrongs (sins) you’ve done in your life. Unless you have a good Samaritan to bail you out, that would be Jesus, in your life, this banker demands what you can’t afford, your soul in hell. On that day of death, there is One Who will pay your debt—if during life, you gave your soul to Him. You do know Jesus willingly died on the cross to pay your sin debt, do you not? HE is the way, the truth, and the life! Everlasting life with an eternity with JESUS—your debt paid in FULL! God bless you now and always, Pastor Allan ©2023 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved March 26, 2023
Reflections From the Heart of Allan Redenius Have you ever wondered what “writer’s block” looks like? WELL—HERE IT IS!! 😊 May God bless the man of few words! Pastor Allan ©2023 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved March 19, 2023
Reflections From the Heart of Allan Redenius Not too many years ago, Armona and I went on a cruise. Always the cautious one, I came prepared. What if our credit card doesn’t work? What if the cash I carry is lost? So, in my preparation, I went to the bank and got two one-hundred dollar bills. Where do you carry that much money? It can’t be with your normal go-to cash in your pocket. You can’t keep it in your luggage back in your room. So, here’s a little secret I’ll share. Do you know that you can remove the inside sole of your shoes? A hundred-dollar bill slips right under those soles. If you get held up, your secret is safe. If you lose your money clip, well now there is a reserve. I was so proud of myself! On a cruise, you can take “side excursions,” trips to various scenic beaches or landmarks. So, we signed up to ride on a little boat to a get-a-way beach. All was going well and we were ready to board. Then the skipper said, “Everyone take off your shoes and put them in this basket.” Gulp! What are the odds of this? Thinking that surely, once the shoes were all gathered in the basket, the skipper would put them on board for safekeeping. Never assume anything! As our boat floated away from the dock, I told my friend, “The basket with my shoes in it are still on the dock.” He asked, “What’s the worry?” To that, I told him my secret. “There’s two-hundred dollars in my shoes!” He almost fell out of the boat from laughing so hard. Gone for several hours and all I could think about was, “Will my shoes be there when we get back?” Yes…they were! The story continues. We got home and I forgot about the money in my shoes. Months later, I remembered and retrieved my now less than paper thin hundred dollar bills. Keeping money in your shoes for a long period of time renders it unspendable. I took those bills to the bank to exchange them for new bills. The teller asked, “What in the world happened to these?” All I could say was, “You don’t want to know!” The Bible says, “Don’t store up your treasures on earth where they will rust and moths will eat them.” Let me add to that. Don’t store your money in your shoes for long periods of time. It will soon be crumpled to almost dust. 😊 Love in Christ, Pastor Allan ©2023 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved March 12, 2023
Reflections From the Heart of Allan Redenius When I was young, the carnival was the most exciting thing to come to town. Every year, Titonka, Iowa celebrated Indian Days. Amusement rides, cotton candy, church pies, were all the order of the day. Of course, then there was the annual parade with every surrounding town displaying their own float along with its own marching band. Every year, I stood on the corner of where Grandpa and Grandma lived to collect the candies thrown out. There was a time when the merry-go-round was all that mattered. I just wanted to ride the fastest horse. As you might imagine, my horse always was the one with lightning speed. I thought to myself, “Why didn’t my horse ever catch the one in front of him?” Then, as I grew up, I graduated to the “big kid rides,” the ferris wheel, tilt-a-whirl, and loop-a-plane. Here’s some advice, if you ride in the loop-a-plane, empty your pockets before you climb on board. Then, years later, Armona’s sister wanted to ride all of those spinney rides I so enjoyed as a teenager. “Sure Pam, I’ll ride as many rides as you want to.” I’m kind of thinking one ride every now and then. NO! Her idea was to do all the rides in twenty minutes. Everything was going fine, until….until…the rock-o-plane. It must have been about the tenth ride in those twenty minutes, or so it seemed. Pam’s idea of a fun rock-o-plane ride was not to rock, but to be upside down ALL the time. Now, even today, I get sick in the tea-cups. 😊 I still love the carnival, the fair. It reminds me of days gone by. As well, everyone at the fair is happy. And basically, I’m happy unless it’s too hot or too cold, unless the meal I just bought for an exorbitant price, didn’t live up to expectations, or unless the “carney guy” just bamboozled me out of some money and I didn’t get the teddy bear I wanted. (Why do grown men need a teddy bear anyway? Oh wait, grandchildren) 😊 At the fair, you need to pay to get in. At heaven’s gate there is no admission fee. Look at your ticket to heaven. Does it say, “Admit one by the grace of Jesus?” You do have a ticket---right? If you don’t have one, you better see the ticket Master. Come to Jesus and your admission is free!! Love in Christ, Pastor Allan ©2023 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved March 5, 2023
Reflections from the Heart of Allan Redenius Cowboys, the emblem of the rugged wild west in the late 1800’s. Ten gallon hat, chaps, a gun and holster, and a fast horse for your saddle, a man’s man. Rugged and tough, not willing to take any guff…always standing up for what’s right, that’s a real cowboy. Then there was the Rhinestone of Cowboys of the 1980’s, riding out on a horse in a star-spangled rodeo. A smile on his face hid all of his pain. A sparkly jacket to tarnish the image of a real cowboy. The scent of perfume---oh so sweet—hid the smell of tobacco around his cheek. Now a diamond ring in his ear and maybe bright, red fingernails---oh how the cowboy has tumbled. Riding high in the saddle so masculine and proud. Once a hero, diminished now to sometimes a rodeo clown. Kids don’t know a real cowboy, because there are so very few around. One day, I wanted to be a man like that cowboy of old. I pulled up my boots and strapped on my spurs. My hat on my head, indeed I looked the part. They brought out my steed breathing fire from his nostrils. Eye to eye did we meet. It was then I realized I was no match for this, the main event. I took off my spurs, pulled off my boots, hung up my saddle and said, “I’m no cowboy. I’ve got nothing to prove.” They taunted me and called me names. Who’s going to defend me and not put me to shame? About then, a real man’s man, the cowboy of cowboys showed up and said, “Follow Me and I will make you fishers of men.” No stallion, only a lowly donkey to ride, yet He made history the day He arrived. His name is Jesus and I’ll bet you never saw Him this way…. Just thinking, Pastor Allan ©2023 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved February 26, 2023
Reflections from the Heart of Allan Redenius When I was 14, I worked in the local grocery store in the thriving metropolis of Titonka, Iowa. My first day of work didn’t go so well. Somehow, I broke the handle on a mop. Yep, I started at the bottom, mopping floors. When the boss found out I was only 14, he had a cat. “Don’t tell anybody you’re only fourteen.” By age fourteen, I had already had jobs much more dangerous than working in the grocery store. Jobs like, climbing up a seventy foot silo to pitch silage, stacking hay in the hay mow, mowing lawns for half the people in town (that may be an exaggeration), and helping Dad milk cows by hand. Here’s some advice about milking cows. There are two reasons not to stand behind a cow. First, he might kick you. Secondly, well, just don’t stand behind a cow. With every job, I learned to do it well and fast. Mopping floors led to sacking and carrying out groceries, to being the butcher and running the meat counter. At a skinny 110 pounds, I learned how to stagger from the cold locker to the butcher block with a 180 pound quarter of beef on my shoulder. I only dropped one of those puppies once. It took me a half an hour to get it up off the floor. The boss knew about the mop handle. He never knew about the dropped quarter of beef laying on the floor in the saw dust. ☹ We all experience and learn of life through jobs we may have had. Always do your job to the best of your ability. That’s Biblical, you know. 1st Corinthians 10:31 says this about your job. “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” Have a great day at work tomorrow….. Blessings, Pastor Allan ©2023 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved February 19, 2023
Reflections From the Heart of Allan Redenius When I was younger, I noticed that those who were older said exactly what was on their mind. Though sometimes unfiltered, their words usually spoke truth and wisdom. Their words were, for the most part, short and to the point. Here’s an example. One day, while grilling some burgers together, I told my Dad, “I’m thinking of selling the lake home.” His few words of truth spoke volumes of wisdom. “If you sell it, you’ll never have it again.” I never sold it. When I started to get in the older category, I found myself doing the same thing. Speaking the truth, sometimes without filter. The older (but at that point maybe not wiser) I got, the more I realized that “truth” doesn’t take many words. But to the “younger” to whom the truth sometimes hurts, they would take offense. At that point I briefly said, “Sometimes you just need to deal with it.” See what I mean about using a few words and not beating around the bush? But now, in my aged wisdom, I’ve learned a new thing from Jesus. Jesus always spoke truth and with a few words, but never were His words hurtful. This is what I’ve learned from He Who created all things, even words. Always speak the truth in love. I’ll leave you with that thought. Always speak the truth in love………. Love in Christ, Pastor Allan ©2023 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved February 12, 2023
Reflection from the Heart of Allan Redenius The other day, I was chauffeuring my 11-year-old grandson, Noah, from church to home. He is often a deep thinker, and this day was no exception. From the backseat, he asks of me, “Grandpa, why do we need to pull over and stop when we see flashing red lights on a police car?” To that I replied, “Well, the policeman wants us to pull over and stop so he can safely pass us.” Noah clarifies, “But what about a high-speed chase? You know, when the “bad guy” is speeding away and the police are chasing after him. Why don’t we just slow down? Then the “bad guy” has to slow down, and then the police can catch him.” See what I mean by a deep thinker and a smart little boy? Makes perfect sense to me. Then I told him, “Well, the “bad guy” won’t slow down. The police car’s flashing lights warn us to move over and be careful. The police want to keep us out of danger.” To that came the next question. “Do the police always catch the “bad guy?” “Well Noah,” I said, “Most of the time, but sometimes the “bad guy” gets away.” There was a pause and then Noah said, “Oh, I see. The “bad guy’s” car is faster than the police car.” I told him, “No, the police car is faster than our car, or the “bad guy’s” car.” “What’s the fastest car?” he asked. “A race car,” I replied. “Then why don’t police have race cars?” More deep thinking that is hard to disagree with. Then came the deepest thought of all. “So, Grandpa, why don’t the police just radio ahead and have two semi-trucks drive side by side? Then they can go slower and slower and the “bad guy” can’t get around them and the police will then catch him.” To that I just said, “Yep, that makes perfect sense to me!” Gotta love him and I sure do! 😊 Watch out for the “bad guy!” Pastor Allan ©2023 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved February 5, 2023
Reflections From the Heart of Allan Redenius There’s an old hymn that begins like this, “I heard an old, old story, how a Savior came from glory…” There’s something about old hymns that have withstood the test of time. Somehow, their words, in a familiar melody, touch us in a special way. In case you haven’t figured it out by now, I love to tell stories. Over my lifetime, I’ve met only two or three men who could spin a good story to make you cry, laugh, or scratch your head and wonder. Here’s a short story I heard. I wish I could tell you it was an original thought of mine…but it wasn’t. One day a little boy decided to run away from home. He packed a few Twinkies in his lunch box, along with two cans of pop. As he walked along toward the city square, there sat an old man, obviously homeless. The boy smiled at him and the old man smiled in return. Eventually, the little boy, without saying a word, sat on the park bench by the old man. The old man said not a word either. The boy opened his lunch box and handed the old man one of his Twinkies and a can of pop. They sat there together in silence as they ate. By and by, the little boy closed up his lunch box, got off the bench, and began to walk away. After a few steps, he stopped, turned around and went back to the old man and gave him a hug. The old man smiled and the young boy went home. When he got home and closed the front door, his Mom asked what he had done that day. His reply was this. “I met God.” After a pause, the boy followed up with, “He’s older than I thought.” Meanwhile, the homeless man returned to his shelter and at the communal supper table, someone asked of him, “What did you do today?” The old man, once again with a smile on his face said, “I met God. He’s a lot younger than I thought.” I wonder how many times each one of us have met God unaware….. Love to all, Pastor Allan ©2023 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved January 29, 2023
Reflections from the Heart of Allan Redenius As I sit down to write this reflection, my heart is burdened and I am very sad. You see, one of my friends died unexpectedly. So now I sit back and ponder to myself, “Did I reach out enough?” Isn’t it strange that while someone is alive, we all just kind of “take them for granted.” We seldom look them in the eye and say things like, “I’m glad you are in my life. Tell me what’s happening in your life.” As I sift through my emotions about my friend, I even stumble across the thought, “What about the other people in my life?” Those “other people” are people who enter into my life for a season, maybe for just a moment, and then vanish even as the night disappears at sunrise. These “other people” sometimes help each of us live out our own lives. I think of the waiter I recently met on a cruise. Every night, he not only brought my family their meal, but he made them smile with his magic tricks. Then there was Number Seven (the number on his jersey), whose name turned out to be Javon. I spent an hour with him talking about Jesus. I pray my witness one day is remembered and Javon will ask Jesus into his heart. Then there was an airline clerk, frazzled to be sure, but she helped us check in and get us on our way. Armona took time in the rush to bless her. She said, “Thanks, I really needed that!” The list goes on and on. Do we even know the name of the clerk at our favorite grocery store we visit week after week? To be sure, we all need to embrace and encourage our loved ones on a routine and regular basis, but we also need to pay attention to the “other people” in our lives. Tomorrow just might be too late. Trying to live my life without regrets….. Pastor Allan PS: Remember your loved ones and remember the “other people” too! ©2023 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved January 22, 2023
Reflections from the Heart of Allan Redenius Every year, we wake up to the start of a new year. That morning is universally celebrated around the globe. Granted, due to staying up and greeting the “new year,” there are many eyes that don’t want to open! That thought of waking up on New Year’s Day prompts me to think about sleep every day. Sleep allows all of us to take a break, to escape, to fall into nothingness each night. Unconscious, not thinking, our body replenishes and rejuvenates. Then we awake to a fresh new day with anticipation of what this day might bring. For some, a new day brings new hope, new promise and for others, deep sadness and gloomy despair. Every new morning is all about life. The Psalmist said this about each new day, “This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.” But I want to focus on the time of sleep. Somehow, my body instinctively knows when to, as the expression goes, “knock yourself out.” Some nights, I truly am unconscious and unaware of whatever is going on around me. Other nights are more like half-sleep, half awake. My brain knows what’s happening all around, but even though my brain is aware, it does not react. (That happens when I am awake too.) 😊 Then there were nights of sheer terror as I once heard evil coming to devour me and I was unable to move, unable to escape. (I should never have gone to that movie in third grade entitled, Dinosaurs.) Don’t tell me what young people watch in a movie, or T.V. today doesn’t affect them tomorrow. For forty some years, I slept with the nightly fear of being unable to escape the pounding advance through the forest of that dinosaur, evil coming for me. My only avenue of escape was to cry out, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus!” Now, in my older years, that dragon (dinosaur) has all but disappeared. Is he gone forever? No, I know he still lurks out there in the forest ready to pounce at the first moment of weakness. So, what’s my defense? The answer is Jesus, Who guards me and keeps me. Knowing that, I sleep like a baby! Sweet Dreams, Pastor Allan ©2023 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved |
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