Spend 5 minutes each week speaking with God and listening to His response these questions.
Week 16 (May 17) – God has given me these good and perfect gifts:__________________________________
Week 15 (May 10) – How do my feelings (worries, exhaustion, anxiety, fear, boredom, apathy…) hinder my worship of God?
Week 14 (May 3) – Where do I find delight?
Week 13 (April 26) – What prevents me from getting deeper rest?
Week 12 (April 19) – When you stop ‘doing’, what feelings, worries and doubts do you experience?
Week 11 (April 12) – What prevents me from getting peaceful rest?
Week 10 (April 5) – How does the resurrection of Jesus give me hope where I need it most?
Week 9 (March 29) – How am I living out my purpose, calling and identity in Christ? What does it look like to offer myself as a living sacrifice?
Week 8 (March 22) – What is my usual response/behavior when I am frustrated?
Week 7 (March 15) – What desires control me? What clutters my soul?
Week 6 (March 8) – What passion is God stirring in your heart as you fast this week? Why haven’t I seen God’s power do ________?
Week 5 (March 1) – What does it mean to offer my body as a living sacrifice?
Week 4 (February 22)- How do I react to the invitation to fast?
Skip a meal and then journal. What happened? (If I did not skip a meal, journal about why I did not.)
Week 3(February 15 )– Where have you seen friction (suffering) transform you in a positive way?
Week 2 (February 8) – What is the relationship between abiding, loving, obeying, and bearing fruit in your life?
Week 1 (February 1) – Where am I reluctant or resistant to change?
Have you ever prayed to God and felt as though He was distant? Have you ever prayed for a particular thing, only to feel like your prayers were falling on deaf ears? Have you ever prayed with tears streaming down your face (the infamous ugly cry), diligently waiting for an answer, yet hearing nothing? Instead, you hear silence. You feel as though God is far away. You feel abandoned by God. You feel rejected. You feel as though your prayers just reach the ceiling of your bedroom and never make it to heaven’s door. I know we have all been there. I call these moments “Cherith.”
In 1 Kings 17:3, God calls Elijah to a location called Cherith. This word can be translated into English as “separation.” The original Hebrew word means “cut off.” God called Elijah to this desolate place to have an encounter with Him. God separated Elijah from what was “normal” for him and called him into what I would describe as a wilderness season. There, Elijah learned to fully depend on God for his survival and overall well-being. First Kings 17:6 says, “The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook.” Elijah had no other choice but to trust God for his sustenance in Cherith. The brook that Elijah drank from represents ultimate surrender and reliance on God. This moment of separation and isolation prepared Elijah for the next season of his life.
Have you ever reached a point in your life where all you could do was trust God for your sustenance?
I have had my fair share of “Cherith moments” in my twenty-something years of living; moments where God separated me for Himself. Moments where it felt as though all hope was gone, and my only option was to trust in God. My very first encounter with the word “Cherith” was during my sophomore year of college. I discovered the story of Elijah in Cherith, and it deeply resonated with me. During one of my elective art classes at Mount Mercy University, I began writing to God in my planner. I titled these entries “Letters in Cherith.” In those pages, I told God everything that was on my mind from prayer requests, to revelations, to sorrowful moments. During that season of life, God became my sustenance.
Cherith represents God’s sovereignty, providence, and faithfulness. The Bible reminds us in Psalms 141:2 that our prayers rise to God like incense. No prayer and no tear is ever wasted in His presence. Therefore, if you are in a “Cherith” moment, I encourage you to journal about it. Tell God what is on your mind. He is your Father and your friend. As I have continued to journal about my own Cherith moments, my faith and trust in God have only grown stronger.
Frankline “Franky” Tshombe Children’s Church Leader
Did you enjoy this article? Did you laugh, cry, or learn something new? Let Frankline know.
As we are wrapping up our teaching on Sabbath, I am challenged with how to make this spiritual practice “sticky” in my life. It is easier to practice when Sabbath is top of mind, but how will we balance Sabbath as we also look to incorporate generosity.
To that end I read an interesting article 7 Sabbath Tips from 15 Years of Practice. I encourage you to go read the article, and consider applying some of these very practical tips to your Sabbath practice. The hook the author Austin Gohn used in the article is moving and I would like to offer it to all of you here.
In a recent interview with former senator Ben Sasse, who is dying of Stage-4 pancreatic cancer in his fifties, he was asked, “Is there advice that you would give to someone who is the Ben Sasse father of three at age 40 or age 35, when the kids are young and everything’s stressful and chaotic? In light of where you are now?”
“No. 1, honor the Sabbath and keep it holy. Man, I wish I’d treated the Lord’s Day differently over the course of my life. I’ve always known it, believed in it and thought: Maybe next week we’ll get better. We’ve been at Sunday worship every morning forever, but man, am I tempted by 12:45 or 1:30 in the afternoon to get back to work or, to an addictive level, work about the N.F.L. Boy, I would treat Sabbaths differently — and especially digital intrusions into the Sabbath.”
So, brothers and sisters, we are challenged to consider our own mortality and seize each Sabbath day with delight! Let us not forget this practice as we endeavor on in our abiding practices. Let us worship God in Sabbath practice, not out of obligation or duty, but out of reverance for God. Trusting that He will bring the blessing for our faithfulness.
Steve Poole Pastor of Youth & Young Adults
What did you think of this article? Did you laugh? Cry? Learn something new? Let Steve know below.
Visitation: Thursday, May 14th from 6 to 8 p.m at Cedar Hills
Celebration of Life: Friday, May 15th at 10:30 a.m. with luncheon to follow.
Obituary
Rev. Dr. Jerry Dale Springston, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, passed away peacefully on March 23, 2026, his 86th birthday, after an acute illness.
Jerry was born to Harley and Neva Springston, on March 23, 1940, in Denver, Colorado. He was the youngest of three, pesky little brother to Marcia Edwards and Cherie Hafer.
Jerry was a philomath. He loved to learn, read, and study. He graduated from South High School in Denver, Colorado. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in education from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota; his Masters of Divinity from Central Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Kansas; and his Doctorate of Theology from Northern Seminary in Lyle, Illinois.
Jerry was a xenophile. He traveled extensively within and outside of the United States, traversing six continents and all 50 states. He especially loved road trips, racking up hundreds of thousands of miles on every vehicle he owned, primarily due to his propensity to “see where this road goes” or “take the scenic route.”
Jerry was a linguaphile. He loved words. His profession required him to be a great orator, but his passion for language made him a great storyteller. He was a polyglot, who learned seven languages in his lifetime, including Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Arabic, Swedish, Italian, and Tigrinya.
Jerry was an altruist who devoted his life to others. He was an inaugural member of the Peace Corps stationed in Eritrea, East Africa. He served the congregations of First Christian Church of Englewood, Colorado, Linwood Baptist Church, Linwood, Kansas, First Baptist Church, Charles City, Iowa, and First Baptist Church (Church on Northland) Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for a combined 45 years. He retired in 2005. He spent the next 17 years serving as a minister-at-large for American Baptist Churches in Blue Hill, Maine; Grand Junction, Colorado; Fowler, New York; Spokane, Washington; Hornell, New York; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Roundup, Montana; Winnebago, Minnesota; Davenport, Iowa; and Marion, Iowa.
Jerry held numerous roles in nonprofit organizations, including President, Mid-American Baptist Churches; member of Rotary International (50 years), Club Secretary, Club President, Club Sponsor, and District Governor; Treasurer, Willis Dady Emergency Shelter; President, Linn County Corrections Chaplaincy; President, Linn County Association of Evangelicals; Member and President, Charles City Community School Board; Member, American Baptist Homes of the Midwest; and on-call chaplain, St. Luke’s Hospital.
Jerry is survived by his wife and best friend of 60 years, Therese “Terri” Coggins Springston; son, Troy Springston (Debbie Beuchat) of Farmington, New York ; daughter, Shannon Rosati (Rick) of Hopkins, Minnesota; his grandchildren: Aja Hughes (Patrick), Tabitha Wawrzyniak (Joe), Jacob Dedie, Claudia Dedie, Riley Rosati, Joshua Springston, Harley Rosati, Clarissa Springston, and Sydney Rosati; along with many cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends.
Visitation to be held on Thursday, May 14th from 6 to 8 p.m. A celebration of life will be held on Friday, May 15th at 10:30 a.m. with luncheon to follow. Both events will be held at Cedar Hills Community Church. The funeral service will be livestreamed and can be viewed at the following link: www.youtube.com/cedarhillsCR
SABBATICAL NEWS – We are the kind of people who want to take care of our staff. We do that by offering fair compensation in a positive, flexible work environment. We also build healthy, collaborative teams that serve together in following God’s call. We are blessed with dedicated staff who love the Lord, love the church, and love each other.
The Alliance of Reformed churches strongly recommends that after seven years of service pastors are given the opportunity to take a sabbatical. A sabbatical is time away from regular responsibilities for the sake of renewal and refreshment. Sabbaticals are common in academic and religious organizations. The Alliance feels so strongly about this that they offer grants to churches to help cover the expense involved in a Sabbatical.
Pastor Leah has been faithfully serving our congregation for 19 years. She has never had a sabbatical. We are pleased to announce that we have received a grant from the Upper Mississippi Valley Network of the Alliance to cover the expenses of a Sabbatical for Leah. She will be taking the summer off from her regular duties beginning May 24. She will return from her sabbatical on August 16.
Please pray for Leah that this time is truly a time of renewal and refreshment. Also pray for her teams and for her summer replacement Ben Drzycimski. If you have questions about worship, music, tech, or media this summer do not contact Leah. Please contact Pastor Kent, Ben, or the office and we will assist you.
The Sabbath, a day each week set aside for God’s people to stop, rest, delight, and worship, was given as a gift to us. God also called for a Sabbath rest for the land every seven years. Leviticus 25:3-5: “For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops. But in the seventh year the land is to have a year of sabbath rest, a sabbath to the Lord. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards. Do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the grapes of your untended vines. The land is to have a year of rest.”
The Sabbath invites people to rest once a week. The Sabbatical year gave rest to their farmland once every seven years. Since God’s people did not plant during the Sabbatical year, they had to trust God. “Whatever the land yields during the sabbath year will be food for you – for yourself, your male and female servants, and the hired worker and temporary resident who live among you, as well as for your livestock and the wild animals in your land” (Leviticus 25:6-7).
All their needs were met by harvesting the Sabbatical year’s “volunteer” crop. God promised to take care of them – they would have enough until they harvested again in the eighth year. (See Leviticus 25:20-22) Just like Sabbath keeping, observing the Sabbatical year required trust in God.
God also gave the people the opportunity to celebrate a Super Sabbath called the Year of Jubilee. In Leviticus 25:9 Jubilee is described as the Sabbatical year after seven cycles of seven years. This 50th year was a time of celebration and rejoicing. A year of release from indebtedness and all types of bondage. (Leviticus 25:23-55) All prisoners and captives were set free, all slaves were released, all debts were forgiven, and all property was returned to its original owners.
During the year of Jubilee both the land and the people were able to find rest and delight. The Jubilee represented mercy, forgiveness, and freedom which was a foretaste of the mercy, forgiveness, and freedom we have in Jesus Christ who paid our debt on the cross. Through Jesus we are forgiven the debt caused by our sin. We are no longer in bondage, no longer slaves to sin. We are set free by Jesus so we can truly enter the rest God provides. This is a true delight – a Jubilee!
Jesus said, “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). This rest grows from Sabbath to Sabbatical to Jubilee!
Kent Landhuis Pastor of Teaching & Leadership
Did you enjoy this article? Did you laugh, cry or learn something new? Let Kent know.
Cedar Hills hosted the 4th annual youth prayer and worship night. Students (6th-12th grades) served as the tech team, led worship and shared testimonies about how their lives have been shaped by prayer.
One student shared about how last year, at this event, she felt called to send a text inviting the girls on her track team to do a Bible study. What she imagined as a few girls grew to over a dozen! This Bible study has fueled a revival of the FCA program at her school, which was another answer to prayer! Another student related how God met with them as they struggled with doubt and depression. Students prayed together by following the ACTS model. Prayers of adoration, confession, thanksgiving and supplication were mixed with singing praises to God.
The youth prayer & worship night is a testimony to what God is doing in the lives of young people around our city! Youth are not just the future of the church, God is using them today! They are learning to use their gifts to serve others and glorify God, instead of just being consumers on the sidelines. God is growing hearts of prayer and worship. God is equipping leaders. God is good!
Steve Poole Pastor of Youth & Young Adults
What did you think of this article? Did you laugh? Cry? Learn something new? Let Steve know below.
Healthy things grow. That’s a basic truth and, usually, good news. But sometimes the healthiest thing in the garden appears to be the weeds. That’s not good. It means war.
The enemy of our souls, the great deceiver, wants to grow weeds in us and he wants us to settle for weeds so that we become satisfied with weedy souls in a weedy world.
We are in a war. At stake are the hearts and minds of a generation. Generations. In this battle our greatest weapon is truth. Remember this truth: we are the kind of people who will not settle for weeds. We want fruit. Much fruit.
Jesus said, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” (John 15:1-2).
The healthy disciple is the one who bears much fruit. Healthy disciples are rooted in Jesus. Jesus is the vine, we are the branches. Our identity is rooted in Jesus. Healthy disciples are also relational. Disciples grow with other branches on a vine. We build bridges to others – we do not erect barriers. We speak the truth in love.
Rooted and relational disciples become servant-hearted, humble, sacrificial, patient, kind, generous followers of Jesus who bear fruit. Hatred, prejudice, divisiveness, pride, envy, greed – these are weeds. Healthy disciples bear fruit not weeds.
We are called to make disciples. This is a high calling. Healthy disciples will win the war against the evil one. This is our calling. It requires some pruning. And some weeding. We will not settle for less.
May God help us,
Kent Landhuis Pastor of Teaching & Leadership
Did you enjoy this article? Did you laugh, cry or learn something new? Let Kent know.
GRADUATE RECOGNITION – We love our grads and want to recognize all the hard work they have put in! Whether high school, college, grad school or a certificate program, if you’ve completed something in the last year, we want to recognize you in the services on Sunday, May 17.
