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.

    Cedar Chips

    Ouch!

    Ouch!

    Nobody likes pain. A splinter makes us flinch. Sickness brings misery. Broken relationships hurt. Losing a loved one breaks our hearts. Pain comes in many ways but our reaction is always the same – we want to avoid it.

    When we can’t avoid pain, one response is to whine about it. The technical word for whining is lament. A lament expresses the frustration, confusion, and suffering that comes with pain. Lament is the opposite of another common response to pain – denial. Are you more prone to lament your pain or deny it?

    The Bible is filled with lament. God’s people cried out to God when they were in pain. More than one-third of the Psalms include lament. “Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord; Lord, hear my voice!” (Psalm 130:1). The book of Job is filled with lament. “Why did I not perish at birth, come forth from the womb and expire?” (Job 3:11). One whole book, Lamentations, expresses the confusion and suffering of God’s people.

    In the New Testament people who are afflicted cry out to Jesus for help. Bartimaeus, the blind beggar, shouts out, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!” (Mark 10:47). Jesus himself laments in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Abba, Father, all things are possible to you. Take this cup away from me.” (Mark 14:36). On the cross Jesus repeats a lament from Psalm 22, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

    I’m not usually a fan of whining but during Lent this year I will be encouraging it. I’m going to focus on the practice of telling God when something is not the way it is supposed to be. I’m going to cry out and ask God to help. Lament helps us focus on the truth. “We are powerless before this vast multitude that comes against us. We are at a loss what to do, hence our eyes are turned toward you.” (2 Chronicles 20:12).

    As kids, when we were hurt we cried out for a kiss and a band-aide on our booboo. Lamentation cries “Ouch!” and hopes that God will hold us in our pain and bring healing.

    Kent Landhuis
    Pastor of Teaching & Leadership

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

      Funeral, Uncategorized

      Colene Brewer – Funeral Details

      Colene Kay BrewerColene Brewer passed away on Tuesday, February 21. Please pray for her family in their time of grief.

      Funeral Arrangements

      Saturday, March 4 at Cedar Hills Community Church  |  map  |
      • 9:15a-10:45a Visitation
      • 11:00a Service
      • Luncheon to follow in the Gathering Space at Cedar Hills
      *If you would like to join the Hospitality Team in helping in the kitchen or providing bars/cookies or a salad, contact Jennifer in the church office. 319-396-6608 or Email

      Obituary

      Colene Kay Brewer, 84, of Cedar Rapids died Tuesday, February 21, 2023 at Unity Point St. Luke’s Hospital. Services will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 4, 2023 at Cedar Hills Community Church. Friends may visit with the family after 9 a.m. on Saturday at the church.  Burial will be in Oak Shade Cemetery, Marion.  Teahen Funeral Home is caring for Colene and her family.

      Colene is survived by two sons, Michael E. Van Dee of Williamsburg and Marc A. (Julie) Van Dee of Marengo; seven grandchildren, Cody (Maliah) Van Dee of Ely, Kala (Kody) Miller of Webster, Samuel Van Dee of Cedar Rapids, and Joshua, William, Madaline and Zachary Van Dee all of Parnell; two great-grandchildren, Tucker and McKinley; two step-daughters, Debbie (Roman) Routhe of Cedar Rapids and their daughters, McKenzie (Brady) Anderson of Fort Meyers, FL and Katie Routhe of Cedar Rapids, and Christine (Randy) Kray of Lisbon and their sons, Michal (Sammy) Kray of Mount Vernon and their children, Theo and Liam, Marshall (Nichole) Kray of Marion; sisters, Patricia Ritchie, Cindy Van Dee and Diane (Bill) Glenn; and brother, Dennis (Carman) Van Dee.

      Colene was preceded in death by her husband; parents; and brothers, Kenneth and Ronald Van Dee.

      Colene was born on February 16, 1939 on the family farm in Iowa County near Millersburg and was the first child of Charles and Marjorie Van Dee.  She attended a country elementary school and graduated in 1957 from English Valley High School, where she was active in music and cheer leading.  Colene attended Ottumwa Heights College and received her Teacher Certification in Elementary Education. She began her first teaching position at the BGM Elementary School. Colene then obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education from Drake University, Des Moines while teaching.

      Colene married Ronald Brewer in Cedar Rapids and after retirement they purchased a Class A Motor home, and began going south in the winter.  She and Ronald loved camping in the summer with family and friends. Colene will be missed.

      Memorials may be directed to Cedar Hills Community Church in memory of Colene Brewer.

      Uncategorized

      Turning Off My Cell Phone And Logging Out Of Facebook During Lent

      Turning Off My Cell Phone And Logging Out Of Facebook During Lent

      Growing up, Lent was not a part of my faith experience. It was not a tradition really practiced in my church or my family. Actually, if I am honest, I probably even felt judgmental about it. My unspoken thoughts were; “It’s just something those weird catholic kids do!” They get ashes on their forehead and then quit eating meat on Fridays. Why? Honestly, most of my catholic friends didn’t understand it either. It was just a ritual.

      At Central College I was introduced to the practice through Lenten breakfast times of prayer. I enjoyed this practice and now regularly practice fasting from something during this time of year.

      There are some traditional spiritual disciplines protestant Christians have focused on during these 40 days leading up Easter and Jesus’ resurrection. These disciplines are prayer, fasting, and generosity. One of the best ways is to ask God what He wants for you during this time.

      Last year I was doing some reading about how addicting social media is, and how it rewires our brains. I was convicted about my own compulsive use of social media at times. I committed to fasting from Facebook and to fast from my cell phone at night. The flipside of this fast was to use that time to pray and read. I wanted to break some bad habits and build some better ones. This was good. I read some books and prayed more.  I was not perfect. It was difficult at times, but I did find less of an urge to do those things at the end of Lent. I think I may repeat this fast again this year.

      So, as we enter into Lent 2023, are you feeling led to be intentional about changing your patterns of prayer, fasting, and generosity?

      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.

        Uncategorized

        Cricut Workshop – March 25

        Do you own a Cricut but haven’t quite figured out how to use it yet? Saturday, March 25 Hailey Griffin will be holding a free workshop to teach you how to use your Cricut machine and software.

        We’ll go through your machine,  accessories, materials, Cricut Design Space and answer any questions that you may have. Then we will go through an Easter project with the things that we have learned.

        WHEN
        Sat., March 25th @ 9am-11am

        SUPPLIES NEEDED
        Cricut machine, tools and cutting mat. Laptop or tablet, scissors,
        power cord, and cardstock in 4 different colors (Spring colors).

        WHERE
        In the Teal Classroom at Cedar Hills Community Church

        RSVP
        If you’re interested, please RSVP by March 15th by emailing Hailey Griffin with subject line “Cricut Class” (You should receive an email back from Hailey in a couple days with some follow up information. If you don’t, please resend the email. Thanks and hope to see you at the workshop.)

        Uncategorized

        Pasta of the Prairie and Noah’s Ark!

        PASTA OF THE PRAIRIE – Support Noah’s Ark Preschool AND a small business in our church !

        Pasta of the Prairie is own by Tyler and Lindsey Steinkamp. They started creating pasta out of a love of good food and trying new things. After taking a trip to Italy where they learned how to make pasta by hand, they brought back new flavors and ideas back home to Iowa.

        This locally-made pasta includes a variety of easy-to-make pastas, meal kits, soup mixes, and pasta salad mixes!

        Watch for the display fundraiser in the Gathering Space on Sunday, February 12.  Pasta can be purchased at the display, or ordered online to be delivered to the preschool. Be sure to use promo code “NOAH” to save on shipping and for your order to be delivered to the preschool/church.  Order by Saturday, February 18. *Pick-up your order after Monday February 20 at the preschool

        Cedar Chips, February 2023

        Pray Continually

        Pray Continually

        The day before we left for our Guatemala trip, we learned that one of the participants had just been diagnosed with a large mass in her stomach. She and her husband would not be coming because they immediately scheduled follow-up appointments with an oncologist and a surgeon. This news created a bit of panic in everyone who heard it.

        Her surgery took place on the Wednesday while we were in Guatemala and so that morning we gathered in a circle to pray. It was a subdued prayer. Of course, we had already been praying non-stop and most of our prayers had been quite glum based on the initial prognosis. When we returned from our day of work we were told that the surgeon had removed a mass the size of a softball – and it was NOT cancer!

        1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, “Pray continually.” The context around this verse surprises me. “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

        I often pray out of desperation and the mood of these crisis prayers is often somber – maybe even depressed. I wonder what it would look like to be able to pray about all things with rejoicing and thanksgiving. Would that change my attitude about prayer?

        This year I am asking God, “Teach me to pray continually with gladness, joy, and gratitude.”

        Kent Landhuis
        Pastor of Teaching & Leadership

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

          February 2023

          God’s One Liners

          God’s One Liners

          One of my spiritual goals this year is to make time for listening prayer—but also not overcomplicate the listening process.  So I started a notes file in my phone, and put this question on the top:

          “Lord, what’s on Your heart today that You want to tell me?”

          Then I add today’s date, ask the question, and wait patiently for an answer.

          It doesn’t take long before an impression fills my mind.  Part of not overcomplicating this process is me going with the first thing I ‘hear’, the first thing that impressed in my mind.  Here are some of the things I’ve heard this year.

          “Pray for your boys.”

          “Keep affirming words on your mouth.”

          “Don’t just go about your day any longer.”

          And so I’ve done my best to be faithful to these words and small tasks God has given me.

          My great desire is to be able to hear God with greater clarity! I’ve been in His word, I’ve been memorizing His word, and now I want to know His voice in the way Jesus did—to receive my daily bread, my daily instructions, and walk more greatly in the things He has for His Church.

          This feels like just the beginning and sometimes feels like I’m still using my training wheels, but it’s amazing how much God can say in a one-liner.  I understand the heart behind each line, the greater picture of what He means, and even the details of what these little one line answers are referring to. 

          I’ll admit I haven’t been faithful to do this every day!  Getting into a new habit (even though it takes only about 60 seconds!) has been a bit of a challenge.  Even as I type right now, I’m going to stop and put a reminder in my phone…

          There. Done.  Hopefully that will keep me on course to hear more of what is on God’s heart this year with greater clarity!

          Leah Carolan
          Director of Worship & Media

           

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

            Women's Ministry

            Lifeway Women’s Conference

            A group of women from Cedar Hills are attending the Lifeway Women’s Conference LIVE at the Lutheran Church of Hope in West Des Moines, April 28-29! The conference runs both days 8am-2:30pm.

            $158 total, plus an optional $17 for lunch.  (For hotel accommodations with our group, it is an additional $129/night–see details below.)

            REGISTER

            If you want to sign up for both days, please let us know by Sunday February 12th and we will purchase your tickets through our church and you will pay the church. (Lunch is a gourmet turkey & cheese sandwich, chips, fruit, dessert & bottled water)

            If you plan to attend only one day, you will need to purchase your ticket on your own. The Friday conference is $79 and the Saturday conference is $99. The Friday conference is advertised as a Leadership Training but that applies to all women in their faith.

            There will be 4-5 of us driving and will coordinate carpooling. You are also welcome to drive yourself at your convenience. We 9 rooms reserved at the Drury Inn- West Des Moines for Thursday, Friday and Saturday night. They have 2 queen beds for $129/night. Please let Carmen Gronewold know by Sunday March 12th if you need a room. She will be taking care of all hotel reservations. Priority will go to ones who are staying multiple nights.

            Please let us know your plans ASAP so we can coordinate all the details! If you have any questions, please feel free to ask! CONFERENCE DETAILS:  https://www.lifeway.com/en/events/you-lead/you-lead-des-moines.html

            Uncategorized

            Parent’s Night Out Mission Fundraiser

            Drop the kids off at the church Feb. 11, 5:30-8pm for Parent’s Night Out! We are launching a couple from our church into missions and want to support them financially.  Parent’s Night Out proceeds will go straight to funding their call to foreign missions!  The minimum donation is $20/child or $50/family, pay at the door.

            We will be providing snacks, but not supper. Please plan on feeding your children before arriving.

            REGISTER NOW

            VOLUNTEER

            Would you like to help with this fundraiser? We could use adult, high school and middle school aged caregivers to assist the event.

            REGISTER AS A VOLUNTEER

            Love. Belong. Serve.