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The Power of Story

3/24/2014

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Our church is going through the series, Just Walk Across the Room, written by Bill Hybols.  The premise is that giving the greatest gift of introducing someone to the God who created them, loves them and has purpose and destiny for their lives is our PRIMARY mission as followers of Jesus Christ!

Stories and the words used to tell them are powerful. I asked our church if they knew the theme song from Brady Bunch. They not only knew it, they sang it! Even the younger generation knew the song. The Brady Bunch theme song tells the story each episode of the two families coming together as one family.

Jesus is the greatest story teller. Some of the most striking and intense stories Jesus told were of people just like you and me.
>A business owner needed some work done, so he hired people for the day.
>A woman was standing in her kitchen one day, baking homemade loaves of bread.

Every person alive has a story and it is awesome when we realize our stories fit into God’s greater story.
>I can be found like a lost son.
>I can be cared for by a Good Shepherd too.
>My deepest needs – like the sick person – can actually be met.
>I can receive abundant life just by having the tiniest amount of faith.

What if you were asked why you go to church and pray so often? How would you answer? This is defining moment. We should be able to answer naturally, sincerely, and with clarity in a space of about 45 seconds.
1 Peter 3:15
But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect…

Our goal is to learn how to tell God’s story and your story well. When telling God’s story, pictures often work best. A simple drawing which shows people at one end of a canyon and God at the other end illustrates that corrupt and imperfect humanity is separated from a perfect and holy God. The only way to reach God is through the cross of Jesus Christ.

Every follower of Jesus has a before and after story. Before I met Jesus, I was this way. Now that I have met Jesus I am this way.
“I was striving … but now I’m grateful.”
“I was self-destructive … but now I’m healthy.”
“Guilty, but now liberated.”
“Fear-stricken, but now confident.”
“Despairing, but now hopeful!”

  Keys to telling your faith story well:
>Search your heart and soul to firm up a three point foundation of your story
1. Key word or concept describing you before Jesus
2. Fact that you came into a relationship with Jesus
3. Key word or concept describing you after walking with Jesus

My story:
I was a lonely, heart-broken boy who lied and was mean to my brothers and sisters. I knew I needed Jesus, but thought He would have me go to Africa or do stuff that I would not like. I guess I doubted that He was good and loving.
I finally accepted Him into my life, wanting to have my sin gone even if it meant Africa!
I have discovered Jesus wants the best for my life, He is my closest friend, my loneliness is gone, I have gone to Africa and it was the best experience!
96 words

Write your ‘Before I met Jesus – After I met Jesus’ story in 100 words or less. I believe you will have opportunities this week to point someone to Jesus this week.
“If you speak in a way no can one understand, what’s the point of opening your mouth?” 1 Corinthians 14:9 (The Message)


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Two Truths for the Dying

12/27/2013

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Steve is a member of our church who is battling cancer. The cancer is winning and Steve’s body is dying. He has lost a significant amount of weight, eats very little and simple tasks exhaust his energy.

I visited Steve yesterday. He was in a hospital bed set up in the living room, so he could be near family activity. Steve is married and has two young children. His daughter is in first grade and his son is in preschool.

I shared two truths with Steve and his wife.
Psalms 103:2-5
Praise the Lord, my soul,
    and forget not all His benefits--
3 who forgives all your sins
    and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit
    and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things
    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s
.

Fact: a benefit from the LORD is that He heals ALL diseases. We are praying for this healing and link other Bible verses on God answering prayer offered in faith as our basis of belief.

The second truth comes from Hebrews 9:27-28
Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, 28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.


Fact: every human being will die sometime.
The Bible teaches us that God heals all diseases and yet, everyone will die sometime.

Two truths.
We pray for a miracle healing for Steve.
We acknowledge God’s holy timing when Steve will pass from this life into forever life with the LORD.
For those whose faith is in Jesus Christ, these are two truths that should not conflict our faith, but complete our faith.


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Discovering Jesus

12/17/2013

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She had never considered there was any “god” somewhere out there until recently. We met for the first time and when she learned that I was a pastor, she began to tell me her story. It is filled with a lot of choices that she recognized were harmful to her life; substance use, poor relationships with men, and living without any rules resulting in a broken life.

She has a family, no spouse, no housing and very limited finances. It was a cold, Minnesota winter day recently and she was filling up her car with gas. She was sitting in her car with her son, wondering how she would make it through another week when a person knocked on her window. When she rolled her window down, a stranger gave her some money and said, “Jesus is coming.”

This incident was followed by another person hearing about her current needs gave her money saying they believed God was compelling them to give. She received another gift of finances through a friend. A stranger who did not know her need and two people who did – all made reference to Jesus guiding them to give her a specific amount.

Her entire worldview is changing because she is discovering Jesus through people responding to promptings from the Lord and acting upon them. She is discovering Jesus and His great love for her.

Is God prompting you to an action of kindness today that may help someone discover Jesus?


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5 Days to a Thank-filled Life: Day #1

11/19/2012

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Thanksgiving is just days away and it is a major holiday that focuses on actions and attitudes. The action includes the Native American Indians helping and joining the first Pilgrims survive and celebrate their life in America. The attitude is one of thankfulness by the early settlers and Native Americans offered to God and to one another.

What are some actions and attitudes to embrace this Thanksgiving?
Let us start with attitude because it moves us towards action.

Instead of you and I straining our minds this Thursday for something, anything we are thankful about so we can get on with the meal before it gets cold; let’s do a mental review now of things this past year that were pretty remarkable.

What are things that have occurred this past year that made some good memories?

A thanks checklist:
*Relationships – what are some strong or repaired relationships in your life?
**Finances - what were you able to pay off or purchase this year?
*Travels - who did you visit and what did you see or experience?
*Events - what special concerts, significant meetings, reunions or gatherings did you attend?
* Activities - did you run, bike, walk, garden, or explore this year?
* Health – all of the above mentioned things were because your health allowed you to do them!

Now that you have made a mental checklist, either open a new document on your computer or take out a piece of paper and put these thoughts into a hard or soft copy.  Mine list is titled, “Thankful Things”.

Once you begin entering or writing things down, you will be surprised at how many good things happened already this year!

1 Chronicles 16:34
Give  thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His love endures forever.


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Training to Serve

10/29/2012

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I have read that people have enough heard enough “SHOULD” messages that tell you that you should obey, should follow God, should live right, etc. etc., but there are not enough messages telling a person "HOW" they can live a life that pleases God. I believe that statement is generally true.

Our Sunday service yesterday was all about "how to". A woman from our church led us in a training to serve New Pathways, a program that partners with churches helping those families who find themselves homeless in a five county area of Minnesota.

Much of the training is founded on the principles of not judging, being kind, respecting, serving and helping. The program gets families into homes on an average of 56 days and has a 90% success rate among those who complete the program. New Pathways is one of the best interfaith programs in our community.

Our church family knows that it “should” help those in need. We have many people who have a genuine desire to help those in need. Now, we are trained to serve. We were given the tools necessary to equip us to know how to be able to effectively serve families in need.

Do you agree that we need more “how to” messages on Sunday morning?

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The New You!

10/24/2012

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We become a new person when we begin a relationship with Jesus Christ. The past is past and you now have a new character, a new destiny, and a new life. If you become a Christian later in life some things changed immediately and dramatically. You have a new attitude, a new joy and a new hope. Other areas have changed more slowly and even with difficulty.

People change bad habits and establish good habits without Jesus. They quit smoking, begin exercising or learn to play guitar. The time it takes to form a new habit varies from 21 days to eight months. Dr. Maxwell Maltz, a plastic surgeon, found that it took 21 days for a person to adjust to the loss of a limb.

The work of the Holy Spirit in your life changes many areas of your life instantly. You quit swearing, using, or hurting. Other areas are in a holy process of change, but more challenging. You may return to past behaviors when facing conflict or stress. The Holy Spirit will bring victory in those stubborn areas that are more deeply ingrained in you.

Remember, the past is past and the new has come!
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!


What were immediate changes in your life when you began a relationship with Jesus?
What is still in process?

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Honor

10/22/2012

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Abby and Nayara erickson
Abby Erickson brought a message about Honor at our Sunday morning service. Election campaigns are pushing hard these final two weeks and the marriage amendment on this year's ballot should press us to making positive change and influence. Abby challenged us to ask ourselves, in terms of positive change, "What is our ultimate goal?".

We want a president that will promote peace, protection and prosperity in our nation. We want wholesome marriages that raise healthy families. How are we conducting ourselves to achieve those goals?

In the bible is a record of a young man named Daniel. He and his nation were taken as POW's by an enemy nation. It is likely that Daniel had family members killed, saw homes destroyed and cities ransacked by the invading nation. His Hebrew name was changed to a name honoring the other nation's gods.

God gave Daniel the ability to interpret dreams and when the enemy king had a dream about his demise, Daniel did not rejoice or celebrate. Daniel told the king that he wished the dream was for the king's enemies even though this was an enemy king. The honor and respect Daniel gave the king brought a platform of spiritual influence.

Influence requires grace.
"Grace is a power from God to overcome sin." Abby Erickson
When we treat a person with respect and value before they are deserving of kind treatment, we are behaving like Jesus does.

Romans 12:10
10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.


Who is it in your world that is least deserving of honor that you have opportunity today to show respect and kindness towards?

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Family Resemblance

10/17/2012

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Have you ever met someone who resembles their parent in appearance, voice and mannerisms? My friends' daughter was at a family gathering that my wife and I were also invited. I commented to my wife, who also noticed how much mother and daughter were alike.

Last week, my wife and I went to the volleyball game of the team our daughter was coaching. A parent who knows my son, but had never met me remarked how much my son resembled me. How does that happen? Appearance and voice similarities occur by genetics. Word choices and mannerisms come by spending hours in the presence of the parent. Similarities can happen among people who spend hours in the presence of a coach, mentor, or friend.

Jesus invites us to be like Him. The only way to resemble Jesus is to be related to Him and to spend time with Him. Becoming a Christian makes us related; a blood relative.
John 1:12-13
Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.


The more time you spend talking with Jesus, listening to Him and watching what He does around you, the more you will resemble Him. You will have His mannerisms and His voice.
1 Corinthians 2:15-16
The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, 16 for, “Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct Him?”
But we have the mind of Christ.


What is one or two ways that you resemble Jesus?
How strong is the resemblance?
What is the most enjoyable way you spend time in the presence of the Lord?

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The Fall Trapline

10/11/2012

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The change in the weather from summer to fall to winter in Minnesota ushers in the trapping season in the Radeke home. I currently have a "trap line" that I check each morning and evening. One is under the kitchen sink alongside the wastebasket and the other is in the garage. Both are baited with peanut butter.

I will catch a fur-bearing animal 3-4 times a week during this changing season. The kitchen trap is catching white-bellied mice; some of them are tanny brown and others are gray. The garage trap is catching shrews (or at least that is what I think they are).

When the temperature changes in my life I find that unwanted animals show up and traps need to be in place to prevent them from inhabiting my life. Animals such as anger, impatience, and rudeness show up when appliances break, prices go up, and life is not running smoothly.

I meet with two other men each week that check my character and act as traps in my life. My spouse is able to observe my behavior daily and has my permission to trap my actions that do not reflect the character of Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 10:5
We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.


What traps do you have in place?

What are you catching?

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When Heroes Fall

10/10/2012

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Former Penn State assistant football coach, Jerry Sandusky was sentenced yesterday. He was sentenced to at least 30 years in prison for sexually molesting 10 boys over a period of 15 years. After serving 30 years as an assistant coach, mostly at Pennsylvania State University, Sandusky will be 98 years old at his earliest release from prison. Many of his victims came through Second Mile, a non-profit charity serving the underprivileged, at-risk youth of Pennsylvania.

When heroes fall, we are angered. What do you think Jesus would do with a Jerry Sandusky? Jesus forgave some really bad people in His time. Jesus also gave strong warning to anyone who brought harm and caused people to stumble in life.
Luke 17:1-2
17 Jesus said to His disciples: “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come. 2 It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble. 3 So watch yourselves.


Does that verse make you want to say, "Lock him up and throw away the key!"? What if Sandusky changes and becomes completely broken over the damage he has brought to many lives.The rest of the verse challenges us when a hero falls and more importantly, when someone hurts you or me.
vs. 3-4
“If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. 4 Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”


Can our society forgive fallen heroes if they repent?
Can you forgive a Christian who repeatedly sins against you?
What does that look like?

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    Mark Radeke

    Husband of one, father of five, pastor and friend of many.

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