One Day Can Change Your Life

December 7, 2025
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Reflections from the Heart of Allan Redenius
68 years ago, December 7, 1957, is a day that I remember.  It was the day my dad quit farming and had his “farm machinery auction.”  At first, I thought this would be an exciting day.  I didn’t have to go to school!  Dad had all the machinery lined up in the yard.  People were beginning to come and mill around and sort of, “kick the tires” on all his machinery.  There was a lunch wagon there and my mom even gave me money to buy a maid-rite.  I still hear the auctioneer’s cry, as the gavel slammed down, and he hollered out, “Sold!”  Despite it being cold, to a little boy, who really didn't understand, this was indeed exciting.  By the end of the day, all was quiet and the yard was empty.  
 
For me, this was the day I transitioned from being a “farm boy” to a “city kid.”  It meant leaving something old, what I knew and loved, and moving to something new and scary.  It was the day I left behind playing in the hay mow, being a gladiator of exceptional skill as I speared mice with a pitchfork in the silo, flying my fighter jet through canyons and clouds using an apple tree as the cockpit, raising tad poles in the cow tank, riding an imaginary horse fast as the wind through the grove as a cowboy chasing after imaginary bad guys.  Yes, this was the day of unexpected change. 
 
But the most heart-wrenching event of the day, was this.  Being told by mom and dad that my beloved companion and friend, he who was always at my side as protector and guide, my dog, Sport, would not be able to make the transition and live in the city.  “Sport is a farm dog.”  They were giving Sport to another farm family down the road.  I think we all sat around the table and cried.  I'm kind of tearing up even now as I write this memory. 
 
Our country remembers December 7 as a day that will live in infamy, the day the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor.  Though that is a sacred date for our country to remember, for me, December 7 brings back a flood of other memories from my childhood.  “Who will give me 500, 600 or more?’  A hand goes up; the gavel slams down.  The auctioneer cries out, ‘Sold!”  
 
One day can change your life.  When the gavel comes down and your time is up in this world, are you ready for the next world?  Come to Jesus today!
 
Love,
Pastor Allan
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