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As I reminisce about Christmas past, I think of memorable gifts given to me. Of course, most of those gifts revolve around toys. Toys like my 1957 Cadillac that would zing around the room once you got the wheels turning. Then there was the electronic train I almost didn’t get because I was snooping around the house trying to discover where the toys were hidden. Then there are the countless toys that are no more…..
But there is one gift that rises above them all. A Bible given to me by my Grandpa and Grandma. It is probably one of my most prized possessions. If the house were on fire, this present would be one I would save. What makes this gift so special to me are the words my grandparents penned on the inside cover. Here they are verbatim: “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 passage from Matthew 11:28-30. From your Grandpa and Grandma Stecker.” I get a tear in my eye every time I read this. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa---I still love you! Love to you all, Pastor Allan PS---Matthew 11: 28 through 30…hear Jesus speaking to all of us: “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you. Let Me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light.” © 2019 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved
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Next Sunday here at First Covenant Church, we again tell the “greatest story ever told,” the birth of Jesus in a manger. Only this time we tell it through the voices of our youth. You don’t want to miss it as they sing and act, “Angels, Say What?”
As I watch and listen to them rehearse, I am reminded of my Sunday School days as a young boy. Every Saturday, for what seemed like months, there was the obligatory play practice. I know I didn’t want to go then, but now I realize the joy it brought my parents and grandparents as the play unfolded. Every year, the story was the same---Mary and Joseph, the shepherds and wise men, the idyllic Bethlehem scene with the shiny star. Each and every kid had a memory verse that was said before a jam packed church on Christmas Eve. It was always my hope to hit the big time and act out the part of Joseph. That never happened! If not Joseph, my ideal role was then to be a “wise man.” Well for obvious reasons J that didn’t work out either. So, along with thirty other kids, I was a lowly shepherd. God must have been thinking, “I know, I’ll make him a lowly shepherd now as a young boy so he can be a shepherd of My people when he grows up to be a man.” As I see it, I’ve been a “shepherd in training” for most of my life. God has you “in training” for something too. What is it? Ask Him to show you the way—trust me, He will. Getting excited for Christmas….. Pastor Allan 2019 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved Santa Claus is coming to town! He’ll be on main street Saturday morning bringing cheer and a “Ho, Ho, Ho” to you. You won’t miss him. He’ll be on a hay rack right in front of Titonka Savings Bank handing out candy canes and, if you’re lucky and know him under his disguise, you might even get a smile and a wink.
Cold or warm, sunny or cloudy, snowy or rainy, Santa never missed his appointed time. He was the town featured guest as local retailers kicked off Christmas in small town Iowa. On the hay rack with Santa, were local businesses promoting their stores with drawings for prizes. Every retailer had a box and people had been dropping in their names for weeks, all hoping to hit it big with a free turkey or ham. In high school, I worked for one of those retailers. It was my lucky day when the boss said to me, “I want you up on the hay rack to help me with the drawing.” I had made the big time! Instead of looking up at Santa, I was looking him eye to eye. My boss had the microphone and after hawking his store, he handed me the box of names we had been gathering. “Allan, draw out a name so I can give away this turkey!” I dutifully reached in, fumbled around, and pulled out a name. Immediately, I recognized the woman’s name I had drawn. Every time she was in the store we had to keep an eye on her. She would always stuff her pockets with everything from candy bars to cranberries. As soon as the boss saw the name, he announced, “Oh my, someone put in a blank piece of paper.” Everyone on the street laughed, my boss crumpled up the piece of paper with the shop-lifter’s name on it, put it in his pocket, and said, “Allan, draw another name.” I learned a lot about life that moment as the boss smiled and winked at me. Hope you have a smile on your heart! Pastor Allan © 2019 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved Santa Claus is coming to town! He’ll be on main street Saturday morning bringing cheer and a “Ho, Ho, Ho” to you. You won’t miss him. He’ll be on a hay rack right in front of Titonka Savings Bank handing out candy canes and, if you’re lucky and know him under his disguise, you might even get a smile and a wink.
Cold or warm, sunny or cloudy, snowy or rainy, Santa never missed his appointed time. He was the town featured guest as local retailers kicked off Christmas in small town Iowa. On the hay rack with Santa, were local businesses promoting their stores with drawings for prizes. Every retailer had a box and people had been dropping in their names for weeks, all hoping to hit it big with a free turkey or ham. In high school, I worked for one of those retailers. It was my lucky day when the boss said to me, “I want you up on the hay rack to help me with the drawing.” I had made the big time! Instead of looking up at Santa, I was looking him eye to eye. My boss had the microphone and after hawking his store, he handed me the box of names we had been gathering. “Allan, draw out a name so I can give away this turkey!” I dutifully reached in, fumbled around, and pulled out a name. Immediately, I recognized the woman’s name I had drawn. Every time she was in the store we had to keep an eye on her. She would always stuff her pockets with everything from candy bars to cranberries. As soon as the boss saw the name, he announced, “Oh my, someone put in a blank piece of paper.” Everyone on the street laughed, my boss crumpled up the piece of paper with the shop-lifter’s name on it, put it in his pocket, and said, “Allan, draw another name.” I learned a lot about life that moment as the boss smiled and winked at me. Hope you have a smile on your heart! Pastor Allan © 2019 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved Am I seeing the lives of people changing as a result of me?
This is one of the questions that drives me ever forward. At the same time, this question haunts and taunts me to never quit, never give up. In the great spanse of time, our lives are but a tiny dot. So small is our existence, if time were water and you threw the rock of your life into it, there would be no splash, no ripple. Yet all of us focus on our own tiny dot, ever failing to look beyond and see the continuum of time that stretches out before us. If your life is but a minute and you spend all your time concerned about the now, always looking inward, and though you might gain the whole world and yet lose your life---what’s the purpose? At the end, it all implodes into nothingness. On the other hand, if you dare to peer over the wall of self-indulgence you have built around you, you will see that there is more to life than just ultimately death. Over the wall, over the next hill is this line that stretches out for infinity, eternity. Now there’s only one way to escape this little speck of time you were born into. Rescue comes through Jesus and Him alone. There are no short cuts, no other paths than to give your life to Christ. Jesus tells us in John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life.” I don’t want to look back and see my life as a black hole of nothingness. When you and I walk that forever line with Jesus and whether we look forward or backward, may the Lord say of each of us, “You lived your life well and now you shine like the stars in the sky.” Are people changing as a result of me? Are people changing as a result of you? Praying we all are living with a purpose! Pastor Allan © 2019 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved Among my many, many jobs as a youth was to deliver the early morning paper. I was up before sunrise so everyone could have the news to read with their morning cup of “joe.” Part of that routine on Saturday was to collect for the weekly papers I delivered. Do you know how many silver dollars I took to the bank every Saturday afternoon? Well, if I had kept them all, it would have been an extremely wise move!
That’s the way it was supposed to work….deliver, collect, and count your profit. But it didn’t always go as planned. I discovered the game of “pool.” Often the pool game with my friends was more important than collecting the money I was soon to remit to the paper. For a while, telling Dad that “people were just not home today, can I borrow the money to send in?” worked. Then one Saturday morning, Dad walked in to the pool parlor. It didn’t go so well for me that day. As you might expect, I learned a couple of life lessons that day. First, after that fateful Saturday morning, my skill level as a pool player slumped dramatically. Second, my profitability went up. And lastly, judgement comes when you least expect it. As I reminisce about that day of judgement, I think about Ecclesiastes 12:14. “For God will bring every deed into judgement, including every hidden thing, whatever it is good or evil.” Well, if I couldn’t keep my ‘pool playing’ from my own Dad, how can I keep my secrets from an all knowing, all seeing God? As I think about the answer to that question, maybe I just won’t keep my secrets from God. 1st John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Forgive me God, not for playing pool when I should have been working, but forgive me for disappointing my Dad. You are forgiven! Pastor Allan © 2019 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved Have your close friends ever disappointed, betrayed, neglected, or even gossiped about you? Maybe they’ve even abandoned you and you don’t even understand their reasons. It hurts, doesn’t it?
In this day and age, it seems that you can’t even gently suggest to someone that there is Biblical err in their thoughts, or behaviors. Ephesians 4:32 teaches us “to speak the truth in love” and when you speak truth to an erring friend, their defense is just to drop you like a hot potato. Or, their rebuttal is to throw Matthew 7:1 in your face. “Judge not, lest ye be judged.” You know, I’m O.K. with that because Jesus in that statement condemns the kind of judgement that comes from a hypocritical and unkind spirit. So, if you and I are doing the same thing, and I criticize you for doing what I’m doing, then I am indeed being a hypocrite. On the other hand, Jesus gives us a mind and a heart to discern right from wrong. Love compels us, as Christians to be truth speakers. Notice I did not say that we are to be one who judges others….simply one who speaks Biblical truth in love. Am I without fault in my relationships with friends? Which one of us is not? Over the years, friends have drifted into and out of my life. Ecclesiastes tells us that there is a time and season for everything. Of all those people, there are probably only two that I have pushed out of my circle of friends….and that is after I tried to reach out to them but failed. Others have chosen to move out of my circle and, even though we remain acquaintances, the original bond over time has simply deteriorated. So what’s my advice about friends? Love everybody and if they don’t love you back….love them anyway! There is Biblical truth again----from John 15:12, “Love one another as I have loved you.” Thank you, Jesus for all the friends you have placed in my life! Pastor Allan © 2019 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved I’ve shared with you before that, as a boy, my Mom and Dad expected that I would be in Sunday School and church. No matter the activity on Saturday night, the Sunday morning ritual was the same.
I still remember going to Sunday School at Good Hope Lutheran Church. There were no individual classrooms, just a canvas drape that zinged across a wire along the ceiling. One moment it was a big open room, the next moment—after a couple of yanks and zings, wah-lah…individual classrooms. One of the Sunday morning rituals was Mom taking a red and white handkerchief, laying it on the table, putting a nickel at each end, and finally tying it. There was no way for me to lose the nickel offering, one nickel for Sunday School and one nickel for church. That weekly habit of giving unto the Lord, though I no longer tie my offering in a handkerchief, has stuck with me over the years. Without fail, I give to my local church. I even have a self-imposed rule that if I’m someplace else for worship, I always give the largest bill in my money clip. One day, I went to another place of worship and my rule was tested. The largest bill in my money clip was a one-hundred dollar bill. Did I give the hundred? Of course I did! How could I break a promise to the Lord? I have found that it is always a joy to give unto the Lord! A dear friend once told me this simple truth, “You can’t out give God for His blessings are always so much more than anything you could possibly give to Him!” I’m not preaching “prosperity Gospel” at you. As I see it, “prosperity Gospel” becomes more like a contract with the Lord. “I’ll give You this amount of money and You double it.” God does not work that way for He looks at your heart and the intent with which you give. So, how are you doing on your giving? Do you look at it as another bill to pay or do you see it as a joy in fulfilling a mission of God’s Kingdom work on earth? If you are not giving at all, why don’t you start with two nickels in a handkerchief? Remember---it’s impossible to out give God! Be blessed by the Lord as you become a blessing in service to Him! Pastor Allan © Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved This past weekend, my seven year old grandson and I went to a local “play-area.” We petted and fed the goats, played in a sand pile, rode big pedal tractors, and little pedal tractors, slid down an improvised slide, and played “nine-square” with another family. In other words, we had a blast!
On the way home, my grandson asked, “Grandpa, how many years do you think I will love playing there?” All I could think and say was, “Don’t grow up too soon. You can only be a little boy once.” So now I strain to remember doing something like this with my grandfathers. For the life of me, I never remember any adult playing with me. I think back then, there was no adult leisure time to play with kids. Adults had to work hard all the time just to put a meal on the table. Little boys, like me, had to grow up way too fast. How blessed we are in today’s age when working forty hours is the norm. That leaves 128 hours to do other stuff. Now let’s assume you sleep eight hours a day. That still leaves 72 hours, three full days for more other stuff. Now even though my parents and grandparents worked a lot more than forty hours a week, they still found time to go to church. Yet how often have I heard from people with that full three days of leisure time say, “There’s just not enough time to go to church.” Not going to argue with them, other than to say, “Come on!” Oh, let me remind everyone what God said in the fourth commandment. “Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy.” See you in church Sunday! Pastor Allan P.S. My grandson and I both went to Sunday School and church. There was still plenty of time to share and have fun together! © 2019 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved Well, it has been right at ten years that I have been writing these weekly reflections. Without fail, I have written these reflections and they have evolved into sometimes devotionals and at other times a chronicle of my life events. From the pain of the death of family members to the joy of the birth of grandsons, you have peered into my heart.
It all began quite by accident. God had called me to begin preaching at First Covenant Church. At the back of the church were mailboxes for the membership. Every week, I walked by those mailboxes and they were always empty. When I left home and went to college, every day I rushed with anticipation to my mailbox. “Maybe I’ll get a letter from Mom today.” On the days when there was nothing there, I remember thinking, “There’s nothing that echoes louder than an empty mailbox.” So every Sunday when I walked by those empty mailboxes at church, there was this hallow echo in my ear. The original idea of a “reflection” came as a result of the Sonshine Singer’s 10th Anniversary celebration. It was then I wrote a “devotional” once a week prior to that ministry regarding each anthem they sang and emailed for all to share. Following that ministry, I began writing “reflections” for the church and placing them in those “empty” mailboxes. What began as just a local church ministry has mushroomed into something much bigger. These reflections have been requested by prison inmates in Iowa, Indiana, Minnesota, and California. Not only that, these writings are mailed to local shut-ins and to others around the country. They are posted on our church website (www.firstcovfortdodge.org) and read regularly by hundreds of people on Facebook. I’ll keep writing these reflections as long as God gives me inspiration. By that I mean, as long as I can dig memories out of my fading memory. In the meantime, if I know you personally, let me remind you that God loves you and so do I. If I don’t know you personally, well---God loves you and so do I! May the hand of God’s favor rest upon you today! Pastor Allan PS…If you are reading this on Facebook, please “like and share.” © 2019 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved Somewhere in my box of memorabilia is an old black and white picture of me when I was four years old. I was holding a paint brush by a two step ladder I had pounded together. Funny, how I notice now that the rungs are not particularly level. At any rate, I reminisce about that picture and tell people, “This proves it. I’ve been working since I was four years old!”
You’ve read about some of my exploits growing up on the farm. From climbing fifty feet up the silo chute to pitch down silage as a nine year old, to stacking hay on the hayrack. I have a whole lot of experience. Of course, the older I get, the more experience I have. Then one day, we moved to town. My friend Mike had a little popcorn machine and on Saturday night, when it seemed like the whole county was in town, I helped him sell popcorn at ten cents a bag. I don’t remember making any money at this endeavor, but I did eat a LOT of popcorn! On another day, Elinor opened a Dairy Queen—it was kind of an ice cream shop. Now it didn’t take long to figure out that if I wanted any ice cream, I needed money. So I got a job. Up at 3:00 AM to deliver milk seemed like a good way to make some serious ice cream money. I can still hear the chink-chink of the milk jugs as I carried them to everyone’s milk box. (Bet some of you have no idea what I’m even talking about---ask your grandparents!) J Delivering milk was over at 6:00 AM so I started delivering the early morning newspaper. By the time that was done, the grass was dry so I mowed 32 lawns at about fifty cents each. However, there was one lawn that was a square block and that lady paid me $3.00. Then she complained that I was the cause of all her dandelions. I never turned my back on her. J Rumor had it that she had chased her husband with a pitch fork. By the time I knew her, the husband was dead. As a young boy, I wasn’t certain but what that rumor might have actually been true! So I always kept my eye on her. My whole life has been doing a lot of different jobs. Now I realize that the only thing that really matters in life is what matters a hundred years from now. For me, it is and always will be Jesus, family, and the flock I serve. So today, that’s my challenge to you…..what will matter in your life a hundred years from now? Love ya all, Pastor Allan © 2019 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved When I was younger, I read two books written by Mark Twain, Tom Sawyer, and Huck Finn. I’m certain that based upon words acceptable then, but not now, these books are probably shunned. Nevertheless, reading these books gave me a sense of imagination and adventure.
Now, every morning when I wake up, I imagine that God has a new adventure for me to experience. I tell people sometimes it’s good to step outside your comfort zone. It is there, outside your “normal,” that often you create memories. Here’s an adventure outside my normal limits. On October 4, 1997, Promise Keepers planned a million man “Stand in the Gap” assembly to worship God in Washington, D.C. I told one of my enterprising friends, “You find the transportation and we’ll go together.” I never thought another thing about it until weeks later when my friend called and said, “I got a way to go to the “Stand in the Gap” event.” Of course, I’m thinking there’s football that day. My friend convinced me that a year from now I wouldn’t even remember who won the game, but this would create a life time memory. We hooked up with a “Stand in the Gap” charter flight leaving Des Moines in the early morning and returning immediately after the event. Here are some of the memories I created that day:
God Bless You! Pastor Allan © 2019 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved Recently I was reminded of an incident in my life that I had completely forgotten. The fact that I had forgotten about it is not so unusual, because I’ve forgotten more than I remember. J
In the spring of 1971, I had completed two years of college education at Iowa Central Community College. In celebration of that occasion, my family gathered for a picnic at Kennedy Lake. While enjoying all the good food and company, suddenly out from the water we hear this chilling cry, “Help me! Help me! I can’t swim.” With reckless abandon and leaving my apple pie unattended, I raced down the hill to the water’s edge. “Help me! Help me!” Into the water I plunged, thinking to myself, “I’m not that good of a swimmer.” When I got to the drowning person, I more or less ungracefully pushed her back to where she could finally stand. Praise God we both made it back to safety! The rest of the day of family celebration went off well, except I had not brought another pair of pants, or shoes. I hate wet pants and the only one thing worse than that is wet, squishy shoes. L So as I think about this event in my life I wonder, “Should I have risked my life for someone I didn’t even know?” But then I think of Jesus Who rescued me from a sea of sin. For you see, He gave His life that I might live! If you are drowning in life and are calling out, “Help me! Help me!” I’m throwing out a life jacket for you. His name is Jesus!! Blessings this day, Pastor Allan ©2019 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved This past Sunday after church—as a pastor—I relived and critiqued the service. Here’s how it kind of went. Church went into overtime! Why? Could it be that the sermon went too long, or communion was too slow, or the music was too much---on and on went my criticisms as they flooded my mind. I wouldn’t be surprised if all pastors go through the same exercise at some point and time. I wouldn’t be shocked if a few parishioners who attended church this past Sunday went through the same ritual, the same mental exercise. Some even thinking, doesn’t pastor see me looking at my watch? (Truthfully as I visited with people this week, their response was, “Did we really go over?” When the Holy Spirit is zapping hearts, time stands still. Then I hollered out…STOP! Let’s ask the most important question. Was the Lord worshipped and glorified? YES! YES! YES! So, I’m forgetting about all the minutia and details because I hear, “Well done my good and faithful servant.” With that, my mind is at peace, my heart is full of joy. You see, every Sunday worship experience should be full of love, joy, and the message of eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord! Praying that you experience the presence of Jesus during your time of worship! Blessings, Pastor Allan © 2019 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved When I was a boy, it was my responsibility to shut the barn door at night. Now, you might at first thought believe that to be an easy job—swing the door shut and secure the latch. But what you don’t know is the journey from the house, which took you past the pump house with the water pump sounding spooky with ker-splash, ker-splash, and under the darkness of the gigantic cottonwood tree, then finally to the barn.
Did I say there was a gigantic cottonwood tree? So big and tall was it that the sun did not shine through it. The leaves rustled in the wind---oh yes, it was an ominous tree. On one of its branches lived the dreaded tiger, hungry tiger. I never saw him, but I knew he was there. So shutting the barn door was easy. The journey, the path to that task wasn’t so easy. There was danger on the trip. There was uncertainty if I would safely return to the house. How much is life like that journey to the barn? Full of danger, steaming with uncertainty, and sometimes trembling with fear---so it is with life. Yes, that simple task of latching the barn door taught me many lessons of life. So you think that I had an overactive imagination. Let’s make a deal. I’ll take you there after dark and you can walk from the house, under the cottonwood tree, to the barn. I’ll wait for you to return to the house. I know that tiger still lives in that tree. We’ll see if you make it back. Every night I experienced what Daniel did in the lion’s den. The Lord protected him and me. He protects you as well. Blessed be the name of the Lord---all the way to the barn and back!! Just like you, I am blessed and highly favored, Pastor Allan © 2019 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved Have you ever thought about this question? What a strange world we live in? Let me give you a few examples.
Yes, it is a strange world we live in. The King of Kings came to save us and they killed Him. He’s come for you too. Don’t reject Him and kill Him again…… Love and blessings, Pastor Allan © 2019 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved Today I was talking about gambling with a friend. I said, “Way too many people have ‘gambler’s syndrome.’” My friend asked, “What’s that?” “Well, if I’m hot, I can’t stop now. If I’m cold, the next roll of the dice will change my luck.” As I thought about that statement, suddenly I had a flashback to probably 10th grade. I suffered from “gambler’s syndrome.” But I prefer to just say, “The carney guy just snookered me.” Here’s the story.
The big annual event in Titonka, was Indian Days. What do you expect from a town whose name comes from the Sioux Indian language meaning “buffalo”? Certainly, we were not celebrating “cowboy days.” During those exciting days, the carnival would come to town and set up on main-street. At the time, I thought it was as big as the Iowa State Fair. Along with all the rides were those games of chance. I had saved eight dollars to go to Algona to the races on Friday night. On Thursday night, walking down main-street and taking in all the sights with one of my friends, a carney guy called to us. “Three baseballs for a dollar. Knock over a cat and win this big Teddy Bear.” So, we drift over there and the carney guy shows us how easy it is to knock down a cat. He threw the ball three times and three cats laid on their backs. “See, you guys could be walking away with this green bear.” So my friend lays out a dollar. Three balls later all the cats were still standing. He laid out another dollar and another and still no Teddy Bear. “I quit,” said my friend. So it was my turn—so said the carney guy. To make a long story short, soon my eight dollars was gone. I was sick because now there was no money to go to the races. I learned a valuable lesson that night about gambling. Now that I think about it, “Why did I need a Teddy Bear? I was in 10th grade, for heaven’s sake!” So now, when some “hustler” calls me over, I keep my hands in my pockets and tell myself this. A fool and his money are soon parted! L Love you all, Pastor Allan © 2019 Allan Redenius. All Rights Reserved Once upon a time, there lived a little boy who had visions of grandeur and dreams beyond imagination. As he grew, he believed he could walk on sticks and not one would make a sound. He could walk in the sand without leaving a footprint.
His friends did heroic things, so the boy thought, he could too. When the trees swayed to and fro, he believed God was walking in the tree tops. So why not he? With his bare hands, Samson killed a lion. So why, couldn’t the boy grab a lion by the beard and wrestle him to the ground? The greatest earthly King of all, King David, ruled justly and serving his heavenly King. From a lowly shepherd boy did David arise. The imaginative boy thought, “Why not me?” Solomon was the richest of all and the boy said, “I pray God favors me.” Micah foretold the place of Jesus birth, Bethlehem. The boy so wanted to see into the future. Peter preached and one day baptized 3,000. “If only I could do that!” thought the boy. Jesus came to save them all, but those He came to save knew Him not, so they killed Him. The boy thought and thought and then admitted, “I can’t do that.” Visualizing Jesus on the cross, barely recognizable as a man, a sudden dose of growing up hit the boy. In a moment, he knew he couldn’t be anything or anyone but himself. After looking around at all his heroes, the boy, now a man, put away his visions of youth and now simply asks, “What can I do to bring about God’s Kingdom here on earth?” Not wanting to leave his boyhood behind, the man says, “I can do all those things my heroes did. They were mighty men of God and every one of them pointed to Jesus.” So, here I am pointing you toward Jesus….can you see Him? Trying not to grow up….. Pastor Allan © 2019 Allan Redenius, All Rights reserved More and more, day by day I’ve been trying to live up to the standard to which Jesus calls each one of us. From Matthew 25:40, we read the high calling to which Jesus expects. “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.”
So a man calls for a little food. So I give him some food. Then again he calls. Once again my heart says, “Yes.” My head says, “No.” My heart wins, but this time I carry the groceries into his rental house. I’m appalled! The landlord should be ashamed to ask for any money at all, let alone $750.00 per month from people that can’t afford to pay $7.50 per month. No work, addicted to cigarettes, a disabled child, makes wrong decisions; truly one of the “least of these”---and I help him. I witness to his wife and him. After all, I paid the grocery bill to get in front of them. They politely listen and say, “We’ll come to church.” They never come and I’m disappointed they aren’t hearing the word of God from me or from anyone. A few weeks go by and it’s the same guy asking for more food. This time my head wins and I say, “No, not today.” (I was actually out of town….but it hurt me to say, “No.”) I wonder if this is how Jesus felt when he healed ten and only one came back to thank him. In a very small way, I understand how hopeless Jesus must have felt as He ministered to His people. He tried to save the world and yet the world killed Him. So what am I to do? What are you called to do? Oh, before you answer, think on this. “But by the grace of God, there go I.” Between a rock and a hard place…..but continuing to try my best for the Master. Pastor Allan During the summer, we all see churches advertise Vacation Bible School. Years ago, VBS was not a summertime option, it was a requirement; a rite of passage your parents took you to. So it was with me as well.
Two miles away from our farm where we lived stood a little, quaint, old country church. I remember Mom packing a lunch with some juice or water, and then she drove me to that piece of heaven in the country. The first day, I went with trepidation and some fear. As Mom drove up to the church yard, all my anxiety disappeared. Coming into view was a baseball field—complete with a backstop. As a boy, I knew in that moment that God is good! I learned about Jesus, played ball, and at the end of the day it was time to walk home, the whole two miles. The ditches were full of water and full of tadpoles. With a little bowl from my lunch, I waded into the water to scoop up my catch to take home to put in the cow tank. It’s a wonder I didn’t drown in those ditches. If you’re from Iowa, you know that you don’t drive into the ditch, you fall into it. In other words, they are steep and deep. At the end of VBS, there was a program. Some things never change. I was assigned to be the preacher for the day and I had to memorize Psalm 23. Ummmm….preacher for the day. A foreshadow of things to come. So here’s what I learned in VBS:
Blessed and highly favored---just as you are! Pastor Allan © 2019 Allan Redenius, All Rights Reserved |
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