April 2022

Own Your Own Sh**

Own Your Own Sh**

Small group ground rule #1 – own your own stuff. That is the Sunday way to say it. The small group way is – own your own sh**. (And don’t act surprised because I know people talk this way Monday – Saturday.) We hope for authenticity in groups and we get there by talking honestly about ourselves, not about others.

Our small group is using the Lent videos to explore the Fruit of the Spirit right now. The topic of week 2 was self-control. An amazing thing happened in our group as we dug in. Everyone came clean about their lack of self-control. One after another we put our stuff on the table. It was marvelous.

Then everyone shared something else. We all fear rejection when admitting our own stuff. If people really know the real us, will they still accept us? Will they still love us? This fear often keeps us from being real about our sh**. This kind of authenticity was even more marvelous.

As we all came clean about our need for greater self-control, our group discovered that we loved each other more. Our group members expressed deep gratitude for the openness of the others. We shared words of support and encouragement. We connected in deeper ways. We grew in love.

I recommend that everyone belongs to a group where you can own your own sh** and be loved for it! It is a marvelous thing.

Kent Landhuis
Pastor of Teaching & Leadership

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

    April 2022

    Life is Hard

    Life is Hard

    I was reading about authenticity this week in preparation for this article and I came across an article by Roy Baldwin. He shares the story of being young and newly married, and struggling. Roy and his wife saved their marriage and ministry through counseling.  He writes this about authenticity:

    “I opened up this post telling you a story. A story about the struggles my wife and I had early on in our marriage. Truth is, we still struggle despite what you might see on Facebook or Instagram. One powerful lesson we learned from our early struggles is that we were not alone in those struggles. And so we started openly sharing about them.” ~ Roy Baldwin

    I just want to say this, “LIFE IS HARD!”  It is ok for us to admit that.  Marriage is hard.  Being single is hard.  Being a parent is hard.  Work is hard. Being a student in school today is hard. Life is hard!  Following Christ is hard.  That is a real, authentic, truth we must all face.  Recognizing this truth can bring freedom. We don’t have to pretend life is easy, and we have it all together.  The professional family photo we post isn’t REAL life.  We didn’t post the 15 other pictures where a kid is crying, or looking the wrong way.  Authenticity allows us to acknowledge the difficulties we all face in life, instead of pretending we all have it together all the time. The Bible helps us understand why life is so challenging.  We believe that God made a perfect world, but WE have corrupted it with our sin.  So why is life hard? Why is it so messed up?  Because WE are messed up.  “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). This is the Christian worldview.

    I think Christian authenticity is about more than just being honest about who we are and our struggles.  True Christian authenticity doesn’t just leave us a place of recognizing our own weaknesses and frustrations, but offers hope in Jesus. Paul describes this in Galatians 5:16-18

    16 I say, then, walk by the Spirit and you will certainly not carry out the desire of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

    I love this authentic description of what it means to be a Christian.  We all live in human bodies, here Paul calls that “the flesh”, and because of sin our flesh desires unhealthy and unholy things.  By nature our flesh is selfish, seeking satisfaction in power, money, fame, food, and sex.  But in Christ we now walk by the Spirit!  God has given us His own Spirit to lead us and strengthen us so we have the power to walk by the Spirit instead of live as slaves to our flesh.  God gives us a new identity that transcends our flesh.

    “What should we say then? Should we continue in sin so that grace may multiply? Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it?” Romans 6:1-2

    WE HAVE DIED TO SIN! Why then is the life of the Christian hard?  We live with a flesh that is “opposed” to our new life in God’s Spirit. There is this constant battle between our flesh, and who God is making us to be as we become more like Christ.  Jesus didn’t sugar coat it either,

    “Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”  Matthew 16:24-25

    Following Jesus means dying to that sinful flesh. Losing our life. Living NOT for ourselves, but for Jesus.  However, we do NOT do this alone. God gives us the strength to walk when we are faithful to follow His leading!  He is the one who produces the fruit of the Spirit we have been learning about during Lent. (Galatians 5:22-23)

    Steve Poole
    Director of Youth & Young Adults

    What did you think of this article? Let us know.

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      Joan Laughrige Funeral Details

      Funeral: March 19, 2022 at 10:30.
      Visitation at 9:30am before the service.

      Mary Joan (Stark) Laughrige of Deltona, Fla., died on Feb. 6, 2022, after a short illness.

      She was born Jan. 23, 1933, in Atwood, Colo., to Vera Diel and Lloyd McBride. She married Dr. Craig D. Stark

      on Sept. 6, 1952, in Des Moines, Iowa. He died Aug. 11, 1980. She then married Robert J. Laughrige on Feb. 20, 1982, in Ottumwa, Iowa. He died Feb. 11, 2000.

      Joan graduated from Eaton High School, Eaton, Colo., and attended Colorado State University. She lived in Traer, Ottumwa and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for many years before moving to Deltona, Fla., in 2019 to be near family. She was previously employed by Iowa State University, First Community Bank and Trust in Traer, and Union Bank and Trust Co. in Ottumwa, before retiring in 1990.

      She was a former deacon, elder and member of First Presbyterian Church in Ottumwa and a member of Cedar Hills Community Church in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She was a member of PEO Chapter HC. Special enjoyment came from her family, church, friends, bridge, mah jongg, college sports (football and basketball) and all music, but especially jazz.

      She is survived by a son, John (Tina) Stark of Phoenix, Ariz., daughters, Dana Pherigo of Ottumwa, Iowa, Darla (Paul) Bastron of Kenosha, Wis.; Dr. Jennifer (Kevin) Johnson of DeBary, Fla., and Carrie (Keith) Douglas of Cumming, Ga.

      She is survived by grandchildren, Heather (Ryan) Thompson of Ottumwa, Iowa, Lucas (Annemarie) Johnson of Wheeling, Ill., Katie (Steven) Kerlin of Jacksonville, Fla., Philip (Ashley) Bastron of Winston-Salem, N.C., Patrick (Jen) Bastron of Racine, Wis., Kyle Johnson of Salt Springs, Fla., Lauren (Jacob Goodpasture) Douglas of Atlanta, Ga., and Samantha Douglas of Cumming, Ga. She is also survived by seven great-grandchildren and four great-great-grandchildren. Joan is survived by a brother, Stanley Haywood of Lanagan, Mo.

      She was preceded in death by her parents; husbands; son, James Stark (3/19/18); granddaughter, Anessa Pherigo; and son-in-law, Harold Pherigo.

      Memorial services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, March 19, at Cedar Hills Community Church in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Family will greet friends from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. at the church before the service.

      Burial will be at Buckingham Cemetery in Traer, Iowa. Memorials may be directed to Cedar Hills Community Church in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

      Online condolences can be left at www.teahenfuneralhome.com

      Lent

      Fruit of the Spirit Prayer

      For a time of confession and prayer:

      Lord, Your Word says…

      The fruit of the Spirit is love,
      but we have loved darkness rather than light, and loved you too little and ourselves too much.

      The fruit of the Spirit is joy,
      but we have been sour, and bitter, and the joy of the LORD has been absent.

      The fruit of the Spirit is peace,
      but we have fretted and worried.  We have forgotten the finished work of Christ and doubted your fatherly care.

      The fruit of the Spirit is patience,
      but we have snapped at others, and questioned your wise timing.

      The fruit of the Spirit is kindness,
      but we have been harsh, cutting, and biting, So unlike our Lord Jesus Christ, who prayed for his persecutors.

      The fruit of the Spirit is goodness,
      but we have often chosen the passing pleasures of sin, over your good laws.

      The fruit of the Spirit is faithfulness,
      but we have been unreliable; we have let others down, and not taken our baptismal vows and marriage vows seriously.

      The fruit of the Spirit is gentleness,
      but we have been unwilling to yield, and stiff-necked

      The fruit of the Spirit is self-control,
      but our wills have been weak, and our own sinful desires have got the better of us.

      Lord, please show us your mercy.
      Lord, have mercy on us
      in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

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      Pasta of the Prairie – Noah’s Ark Fundraiser

      Enjoy pasta while supporting Noah’s Ark and a small business owned by Cedar Hill’s very own Tyler and Lindsey Steincamp.

      Visit www.pastaoftheprairie.com, order some pasta, and Noah’s Ark will receive 30% of the profits.  Order by March 18 and use code “NOAH”.  It will take off the cost of the shipping, and all the orders will be sent to Noah’s Ark Preschool for pickup on March 21.

      Want it shipped to your home instead? Pay the small shipping cost and make sure you say it’s for the Noah’s Ark Fundraiser in the “special comments” section on the order page.

      Buy 4 of any products, get 1 FREE!
      Buy 7 of any products, get 2 FREE!

      Have fun, enjoy your pasta, and thank you for helping Noah’s Ark continue to provide a Christian preschool experience at an affordable price!

      Cedar Chips, March 2022 Chips

      The Math Supports Hospitality

      The Math Supports Hospitality

      Once again I am challenged with contemplating the importance of hospitality and I encounter my own stinginess as a result.  I love what John Piper says about the power of hospitality:

      “When we practice hospitality, we experience the thrill of feeling God’s power conquer our fears and our stinginess and all the psychological gravity of our self-centeredness. And there are few joys, if any, greater than the joy of experiencing the liberating power of God’s hospitality making us a new and radically different kind of people, who live to reflect the glory of his grace as we extend it to others in all kinds of hospitality.”

      “The psychological gravity of our self-centeredness” really hits home with me. It seems like all my hesitancy toward hospitality is me-centered.  ‘I don’t have the energy.’ ‘I am too busy.’ ‘My life/house is too messy.’ These are all me-centered excuses.  Now, let’s consider the joy and freedom we feel in practicing and receiving hospitality. What were some of your best moments in the past three months?  I am willing to bet they had some element of hospitality. Maybe your Christmas gathering with family, where you either shared or received hospitality.  Maybe the game night you had with family friends.  I loved the Super Bowl party we had here at church.  We shared games, food, conversation, and even some football!  That party brought such joy to me and my family.  In January, our leadership shared a couple of meals together as part of our weekend-long retreat.  The conversations I was able to have, the opportunity to build and renew relationships, was all possible because of the hospitality we received during the retreat.

      To quantify this and illustrate it I want to ask, “How long did it take you to read this article?”  Maybe two minutes?!  Think about all the two-minute conversations you have with neighbors, coworkers, family, and church family.  I think I may have 20 different two-minute conversations on any given Sunday.  Now imagine I invite you to my house for supper.  How much time will we have together?  60-90 minutes at least!  Wow! That amount of relationship-building time is equivalent to 30-45 two-minute conversations!  The math:

      1 X 90-minute meal = 45 X 2-minute conversations

      That is why ‘conquering our fears and our stinginess’ and practicing hospitality is worth it.  One supper or game-night is worth 45 chance conversations with that neighbor, friend, or family member.  God also honors the sacrifice we make when we get out of our comfort zone. We show we care by offering hospitality and God does the work of healing people’s hearts (including our own).

      “…we do the caring and Jesus does the healing” – Dustin Willis

      Steve Poole
      Director of Youth & Young Adults

      What did you think of this article? Let us know.

        Cedar Chips, March 2022 Chips

        Hospitality and Prayer

        Hospitality and Prayer

        What would it look like to be both a prayerful and a hospitable people? Both prayer and hospitality are concrete examples of the greatest commandment, to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength and to love your neighbor as yourself.

        Both prayer and hospitality are open and attentive activities.

        Prayer and hospitality mean openness to what guests and strangers bring to us. We receive a revelation from the guest which can change us and enrich our lives and open us to new possibilities and ways of thinking and living.

        Openness makes us welcoming to God and others in our prayer and prayerful in our hospitality. There’s no recipe it just takes practice. The natural posture of an upturned hand relaxed tends towards a fist. There is effort required for it to be opened. There is effort required to be openhanded towards God and to be openhanded towards others. It takes intentionality to nurture intimacy and ongoing dialogue with God, to learn when and how He wants us to respond to a need or a cry.

        Prayer and hospitality also imply attentiveness to the other and to the needs of others, even anticipating their needs. We have to get out of ourselves and become interested in others.

        Often our lack of hospitality is simply the failure to notice and acknowledge others and their needs, the needs of the larger world and the needs of those closest to us. Jesus models attentiveness. He noticed the sick, the excluded, the hungry, those that others passed by.  As we contemplate the ministry of Jesus, we are called to heighten our awareness of others so that we can carry on the ministry of Jesus.

        It’s true that our world is in a constant state of emergency. Jesus responded to crises by healing, feeding, and raising the dead, but the life of Jesus was also a lifelong conversation with His Father. His prayer and hospitality were connected. We are called to practice openness and attentiveness through the disciplines of prayer and hospitality.

        When Jesus becomes more and more welcomed into the conversation of our thoughts and time is set aside for openness to God in prayer, we’ll feel freer to be hospitable in heart and deed.

        Again, there is no recipe here. Learn from Him. Make mistakes. Go back to Him again. Walk with Him through the day, and ask Him to point out His way and direction. Listen, talk, share, and most of all “welcome.”

        Gary Sager
        Ambassador of Care

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

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          Cups of Cold Water to the Thirsty

          Cups of Cold Water to the Thirsty

          My husband and I became volunteers for “Safe Family” years ago. We saw that it would give us an opportunity to serve families when they were in need. Primarily the safe family hosts children while their parents are busy lining up a job or transportation or childcare. Years ago, we hosted a child for four months while his mother got a job, a car, and an apartment in place. This was a great thing to be a part of.

          In October this year we started hosting 1- and 2-year-old little girls. Each week they have become more and more a part of our lives. In November, we were asked by their mother to adopt them. We prayed and discerned that we should say, “YES.”

          Since then we have been working on adjusting to life as a family of six. We are meeting with a lawyer and planning our home study. We have been fundraising to pay for the fees that come with adoption (up to $10,000 is what we were told to plan for).

          And YOU dear church have been caring for us through this process. You have been giving us cups of cold water when we are thirsty. Those cups have come in the form of diapers, wipes, encouragement, a place to share sorrows and joys, clothes, little shoes, funds towards the adoption, and Christmas gifts for the new family members.

          Thank you for the hospitality you have offered us! It’s a joy to see how many are supporting these little girls without even knowing them!

          Lindsey Ungs
          Connection & Communication Architect

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

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            Glittering Vices: The Seven Deadly Sins

            A sermon series beginning March 6, 2022. Sundays at 8:30am and 11am

            We’ll be looking at the “7 Deadly Sins” and why they have such a powerful hook into God’s people – and how to combat them! In Christ, we have VICTORY! Amen!

            Sunday classes will continue at 9:45am in between services.  Nursery is available for ages 0-36mo at both services, and Children’s Worship is at 11am for ages 3 to 3rd grade.

            Small groups are meeting throughout the weeks of Lent. The videos for small groups are here.

            Love. Belong. Serve.