April 2023 Chips, Cedar Chips

Sometimes It’s Boring

Sometimes It’s Boring

What are your favorite parts of the Bible?

I definitely favor narrative.  Genesis, Exodus, Numbers, the Gospels, Acts, Ruth.

What is your least favorite part of the Bible? Can I ask that question?

Every time I read through the Bible, there are definitely sections that look forward to less.  Like… cringe-worthy.  I feel bad admitting that about God’s Word, but it’s true.

The major prophets… Ezekiel, Isaiah, Jeremiah… they go on and on and on and I find them boring and confusing.  Paul’s letters? Not a quick read and super heady. The Psalms? I like them in small bunches, but I can’t sit and read chapter after chapter of poetry. I can only stand small doses.

I don’t think I would have ever admitted that I have favorite parts and not-so-favorite parts until after I started my current POWER READ THE BIBLE program.  The narrator of this program actually suggests to turn up the speed on the audio Bible and get through the boring parts faster.

HE ACTUALLY SAID THAT.

I was like, “What… other people do this too? Other people can’t stand getting stuck in the weeds of the major prophets and endless genealogies???

That being said, can we all just agree out loud together that some parts of Scripture are more enjoyable than others?

Tara-Leigh Cobble addressed this same issue a few years ago when I was doing the Bible Recap.  While all of God’s Word is as equally valuable and completely inspired, some parts need an accompanying prayer of, “Holy Spirit, show me why this is important to you.” “Holy Spirit, show me something about yourself from this passage.” “Holy Spirit, what do you want me to know from this passage?” “Holy Spirit, teach me something here.”

So sometimes when I’m stuck in the weeds, I make it a conversation with God and just ask Him why He likes this part!

It has changed the enjoy-ability favor more than I could imagine.  It redirects my heart and mind away from what might seem unpleasant and redirects it back to God.

Leah Carolan
Director of Worship & Media

 

Did you enjoy this article? Did you laugh, cry, or learn something new?  Let Leah know.

    April 2023 Chips, Cedar Chips

    Prayer Snapshots

    Prayer Snapshots

    The stage of life in which I find myself is one in which morning prayer is best done lying in my bed. It seems like my children have some sixth sense about Daddy or Mommy getting up. It may not help that we have wood floors that creak, but when I head downstairs to read my Bible and pray I often have a guest. So one of my favorite prayer strategies recently has been to pray in bed before I rise. Pray for my family. Pray for my day. Pray for my ministry and those people who have shared prayer requests. It seems like I have the birds for company as they sing their morning songs outside in our backyard.

    I also find great joy in the simple bedtime prayers I share with my kids. One rhythm we have is to pray before bed. For the longest time I “cheated” with Abby and just used the Lord’s prayer. I love that she can now recite it mostly on her own. The other way I like to pray is to give them prompts; “Dear God, thank you for…”, and let Abby and Chris finish the prayer. This isn’t always the deepest, but it is precious to hear my kids thank God for family, friends, toys, and joys. Then, I might offer the prompt, “God, please help…”. It is amazing the things my kids produce on their own. Sometimes it will be a request they overheard Cathy and me discussing, or this week Abby has been praying for safe travels for my family that will be visiting before Easter. Sometimes I underappreciate and underestimate the value of these beautiful simple prayers and the memories and habits that are being shared. Someday I would like to be like my friend Dan who kept a prayer journal with his kids. That way the kids could see how God was answering their prayers!  #parentinggoals

    Personally, the prayer times that fuel my tank the most are walking prayers. There is something about combining the peaceful presence of God with the restoration found in His creation. Walking with the Lord, as Adam did in the cool of the day. Sometimes I even picture God beside me talking to Him as I would a dear friend. For Christmas my father-in-law gave me a nice pair of binoculars. I am now finding I want to take them everywhere with me. I pull them out at church so I can admire the birds, now that spring has sprung. God’s creation is so wonderful and there is such a benefit to being outdoors and praying. I hope you can find some excuse, like new binoculars, to go outside this week and pray while you are at it.

    I offer you these snapshots, not to suggest I have it all together, “look at how Steve prays.” No.  I simply want to tell real stories. Paint authentic pictures of what prayer looks like in my life. I hope these encourage you to look for times, even while you lay in bed, to pray.  Pray as you commute in your car. Pray as you workout. Offer yourself grace when you forget. I certainly fall short of “pray without ceasing”, but I am working towards being more prayerful. I am trying to make prayer my first instinct. Please join me in praying more this month!

    Steve Poole
    Director of Youth & Young Adults

    What did you think of this article? Did you laugh? Cry? Learn something new? Let Steve know below.

      April 2023 Chips

      Prayer Opens Our Eyes

      Prayer Opens Our Eyes

      The following is from the book Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard. It made me think about how God wants to open our eyes to see God’s good work all around us. Enjoy!

      “When I was six or seven years old, growing up in Pittsburgh, I used to take a precious penny of my own and hide it for someone else to find. It was a curious compulsion; sadly, I’ve never been seized by it since. For some reason I always “hid” the penny along the same stretch of sidewalk up the street. I would cradle it at the roots of a sycamore, say, or in a hole left by a chipped-off piece of sidewalk. Then I would take a piece of chalk, and, starting at either end of the block, draw huge arrows leading up to the penny from both directions. After I learned to write I labeled the arrows: SURPRISE AHEAD or MONEY THIS WAY. I was greatly excited, during all this arrow drawing, at the thought of the first lucky passer-by who would receive in this way, regardless of merit, a free gift from the universe. But I never lurked about. I would go straight home and not give the matter another thought until, some months later, when I’d be gripped again by the impulse to hide another penny. 

      It is still the first week in January, and I’ve got great plans. I’ve been thinking about seeing. There are lots of things to see, unwrapped gifts and free surprises. The world is fairly studded and strewn with pennies cast broadside from some generous hand. But – and this is the point – who gets excited by a mere penny? If you follow one arrow, if you crouch motionless on a bank to watch a tremendous ripple thrill on the water and find yourself rewarded by the sight of a muskrat kit paddling from its den, will you count that sight a chip of copper only, and go your rueful way? 

      It is dire poverty indeed when a man is so hungry and tired that he won’t stoop to pick up a penny. But if you cultivate a healthy poverty and simplicity, so that finding a penny will literally make your day, then, since the world is in fact planted in pennies, you have with your poverty bought a lifetime of days. It is that simple.”

      Praying cultivates another kind of healthy poverty and simplicity. When we pray we begin to see the world as God sees it. It is that simple.

      The Lord be with you,

      Kent Landhuis
      Pastor of Teaching & Leadership

      Did you enjoy this article? Did you laugh, cry or learn something new? Let Kent know.

        Funeral

        Dave Wise Funeral

        September 17, 1958 – April 17, 2023

        Please continue to pray for the family and friends of Dave Wise as they grieve his passing.

        SERVICE INFORMATION

        A visitation will be held at Murdoch Funeral Home on Sunday, April 23, 2-6pm.  Another visitation will be 9:30-11am at Cedar Hills on Monday morning, just prior to the 11am funeral service.  A luncheon will follow the service at Cedar Hills.  Directions to Cedar Hills

        OBITUARY

        David “Dave” Wise, 64, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, died unexpectedly Monday, April 17, 2023. A visitation will be held from 2 – 6 p.m. on Sunday, April 23, 2023, at The Legacy Center at Murdoch-Linwood in Cedar Rapids. A memorial service will take place at 11 a.m. on Monday, April 24, 2023, at Cedar Hills Community Church in Cedar Rapids, with an additional visitation beginning at 9:30 a.m. Inurnment will take place at a later date in Linwood Cemetery, Cedar Rapids. Murdoch-Linwood Funeral Home & Cremation Service in Cedar Rapids is assisting the family.

        Dave was born September 17, 1958, in Cedar Rapids, the son of Manny and Dorothy (Amos) Wise. He graduated from Jefferson High School, Class of 1977, where he made All-State and All-American in baseball and football. Dave was inducted into the Jefferson High School Hall of Fame. He played baseball at Muscatine Community College, and later was awarded a full-ride scholarship to play baseball at the University of Wyoming. Dave also earned his degree in journalism from the University of Iowa. He worked as the manager of sales at EBSCO from 1990-2003, and later started the Kids Directory – now known as the Corridor Family Guide. Dave enjoyed golfing at courses in Cedar Rapids and Amana with his best friend, Jeff Fleck. Dave loved being surrounded by his family and friends. Above all else, he cherished being a grandpa to his wonderful grandchildren.

        Survivors include his children, Jessica Wise of Cedar Rapids, Nicole Wise of Ames, Iowa, and Bob Wise of Marion, Iowa; grandchildren, Aubrey, Ava, Myra, Clare, and Sadie; brother, Randy (Brenda) Wise; nieces and nephews, Ryan, Chris, Michelle, and Matt; and significant other of many years, Debbie Erenberger of Walford, Iowa.

        He was preceded in death by his parents, Manny and Dorothy Wise.
        Memorials may be directed to the family.

        Uncategorized

        Church Picnic May 21

        ALL CHURCH PICNIC

        The entire church is invited to the E Ave Morgan Creek Pavilion Sunday, May 21 at 5pm for a church picnic and grill-out. We’ll provide burgers, hotdogs and drinks.  Bring a side to share.  Grill-master Steve will be manning the grills. 🙂

        The new playground and pavilion are accessible from E Ave, just west of the church.  All ages are encouraged to attend.  Bring a lawn chair and your favorite outdoor games.

        Uncategorized

        The Prayers of the Apostles

        A Sermon Series April 23-May 28

        The prayers of the Apostles are prayers taken directly from Scripture – the written prayers of the New Testament that were written by Jesus followers and the Apostle Paul.

        These prayers are a great pattern for us to follow as we continue to learn how to pray and want to expand our prayer vocabulary.  They are deep and rich Scriptures.

        There are roughly 40 in total. The prayers were written for the people, whether to use them or said on the people’s behalf.

        Inspired by the Spirit, they focus on God and center on cultivating goodness and blessings among God’s people.

        DOWNLOAD PDF of the Apostolic Prayers

        Uncategorized

        Easter Music Opportunities

        Easter is coming up quick – April 9. There are three services on Easter: 8:30/9:45am traditional and the 11am. I have a couple of different music and worship opportunities I want you to plug into!

        SANCTUARY CHOIR – 8:30/9:45am
        The choir will be singing on Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday at the 8:30 and 9:45 traditional services. Choir rehearses on Wednesday nights immediately following the Lent service, around 7:05pm in the Teal Room (where Journey youth meet). For more information on choir, contact Stuart Geiger.

        WORSHIP JAM – 11am
        The Worship Jam is for any and all musicians (including kids!) who want to help fill the stage at the 11am service – current worship team members and any others who wish to join. We will practice Monday, April 3 at 6:00pm, and then a warmup Easter Sunday at 9:55am in the Journey classroom. Please kindly RSVP here for the Jam so I know who to expect for setup and music. If anyone you know is curious about 2nd service worship teams, this is also their first step in exploring the team. All the music and some simple practice recordings are available here. Paper copies also available ahead of time. Just let me know and I’ll get copies to you. Otherwise, I’ll provide all the music on the rehearsal day.

        Thanks,
        Leah

        Funeral

        Nanci Iiams – Funeral Details

        Please continue to pray for the family and friends of Nanci Iiams as they grieve her passing.

        The visitation is Tuesday, March 14 from 5-7pm at Cedar Hills. And the funeral is Wednesday, March 15 at 10:30am, followed by a luncheon at the church.

        OBITUARY

        Nanci Viola Iiams, 75, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, passed away surrounded by her loving family, Friday, March 10, 2023, at Hiawatha Care Center, Hiawatha, Iowa. Visitation: 5 – 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 14, 2023, at Cedar Hills Community Church, Cedar Rapids. Funeral Service: 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 15, 2023, at the church. Burial: Linwood Cemetery, Cedar Rapids. Murdoch-Linwood Funeral Home & Cremation Service is assisting the family with arrangements.

        Nanci was born on November 22, 1947, in Des Moines, Iowa to Frank and Mary (VanHaaften) Johnson. She married Russell Wayne Iiams on May 9, 1964, in Peru, Iowa. The couple was married 44 years before Russell passed away in 2008. Nanci made custom draperies for 42 years. Faith, family, and friends were always very important to Nanci. She loved to entertain, and everyone was always welcome. She was a very active member of the Cedar Hills Community Church. Nanci will be missed by everyone who knew and loved her.

        Survivors include her son, Terry (Teresa) Iiams; daughter, Stacy Iiams (Stephanie Robertson); son, Dustin Iiams; grandchildren, Jenifer (John) Christopherson, and Katie (Domingo) Vega, Megan Iiams, Joshua Iiams (Bailey Main), and Josh (Madi) Allen; great-grandchildren, Joslyn Christopherson, Jax Christopherson, Carson Vega, Reese Vega, and Aria Allen; sisters, Darlene (Gene) Miller, Joy Miller, and Rosemary (Kerry) McDaniel.

        She was preceded in death by her husband, Russell Iiams; beloved father and mother, Frank and Mary Johnson; and brother, Tom Johnson.

        Nanci’s family would like to thank everyone at the Hiawatha Care Center and Milestones Adult Day Care for their compassionate care.

        Memorials may be directed to her family.

         

        March 2023

        “Hey YOU! Be Quiet and Calm Down!”

        “Hey YOU! Be Quiet and Calm Down!”

        Back in my seminary days I had to take an introductory class on the spiritual disciplines.  We followed a well-known book by Richard Foster on the different disciplines called “Celebration of Discipline.“  It was a great eye-opening class on the different disciplines Christians can and should undertake and the ways each discipline invites us into a deeper faith.

        I think it was probably the first time I had heard about fasting as a regular ‘discipline’ that Christians are called to.  Until this point, I only knew of fasting for a few passages in Scripture here and there that I largely overlooked.

        As part of this class, we had to create a year-long plan of how we would try out the different disciplines and implement them.  Bible reading, worship, solitude, worship, simplicity… they all sounded easy enough. But fasting? BUT FASTING? Ugh. I wasn’t so sure about that one.

        But I included in my plan.  My ambitious goal:

        One day a week.

        One week a month.

        One 40-day fast a year.

        Everything I read said to train up for it.  So I used my one-day-a-week days to teach my brain that it is actually okay to feel ‘hungry.’ Like seriously. It’s okay.  You just tell your stomach, “Hey you, be quiet and calm down.  You can make it a day,” while also telling the Lord, “I hunger for you more than that food. Be my bread.” 

        My one-week-a-month became great training in planning for a fast.  I learned to look ahead at the calendar, not buy groceries and try to use up food in the fridge that might go back during the week.  I also learned that physical hunger pretty much subsides by day 3, followed by an amazing amount of energy.  The first 3 days were always the hardest!! After that, easy.  All the while saying, “Lord, I hunger for you more than that food. Be my bread.”

        But I still had that 40-day fast lingering over my head. Could I do it???  After almost a year into my little experiment, I official made the plans for the BIG ONE.  Lent.  Only, I learned that for Lent, it’s actually 47 days! And Sundays are free.  Any fast taken on, you get to break on Sundays.  So that’s what I did.  Six days of nothing, and eating on Sundays.

        I made it through (barely), but I learned a few great lessons in the midst of it:

        1. It is doable. Seriously.

        2. In my fleshes weakened state, God REALLY DOES make His great strength known—just like His Word promises to.  HE DOESN’T LIE.

        3. It takes some planning and some practice.

        4. I don’t know if I’d do it again, but…

        That brings me to this year.  I haven’t done a long fast since then—just random two- or three-day stuff here and there when I need to hear from God.

        I feel wimpy.

        WHAT IF God doesn’t give me strength to do it again?!

        I sound like the Israelites, fresh out Egypt, right after crossing the Red Sea, whining for food because they don’t believe God will follow through with His promises (EVEN THOUGH THEY JUST SAW THE MIRACULOUS).

        Anyhow, I’m thinking about it for Lent.  My amazing husband has been regularly doing 40-day fasts yearly and I think I might join him this year. 

        Leah Carolan
        Director of Worship & Media

         

        Did you enjoy this article? Did you laugh, cry, or learn something new?  Let Leah know.

          Cedar Chips, March 2023

          Puke and Friendship

          Puke and Friendship

          I got puked on recently by a child in our Children’s Worship Class. The picture below shows the location of the incident.

          I know it was meant to be because I was filling in for someone else that day. I had followed the very last child from the sanctuary to make sure everyone made it safely into the teal room. As I was walking into the room, this particular child was running out of the room crying. He ran directly into my loving arms…and proceeded to release the contents of his stomach on the carpet and also on my hair, shirt, jeans, and boots.

          It was meant to be. I’ve retold this story several times now. It always ends in laughter and smiles. These stories have great shock value, but also they bond us together as something we can laugh over.

          The carpet squares had to be changed out. Even though we did our best to clean it in the moment, or should I say AFTER the moment, the carpet was very brown.

          Telling stories that create laughter are a great way to help connect people. I’m not perfect at creating conversation or even knowing what to say, but I sure do enjoy helping people to build friendships.

          Friendships are built on trust. If we can all laugh at a newly shared memory, connection starts to form and grow into trust.

          From nothing more than a funny story, you can see a connection that leads all the way to friendship.

          Also, thanks to the person who changed out the carpet squares.

          Lindsey Ungs
          Connection & Communication Architect

          Did you enjoy this article? Did you laugh, cry or learn something new? Let Lindsey know.

            Love. Belong. Serve.