Category Archives: Cedar Blog

Cedar Blog

What Were You Made For?

What Were You Made For?

Growing up we get asked questions like ‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ or ‘What do you want to study in college?’ These questions have good intent and challenge us to think far ahead. When I think of what I was made for, I can’t help but think of Ephesians 2:10, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God already prepared in advance for us to do.” This means that there is work that needs to get done before we leave this earth. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to die with any potential left in me. I want to make sure I maximize my time here on earth by using my gifts and talents for His glory.

The Bible reminds us to give God the glory in all that we do. Whether you are a cashier at a store, a pastor, a nurse or a student, we are meant to give Him all the Glory at all times. The times we don’t feel like giving Him Glory, we have got to do it either way. We were made for so much more than ourselves. As believers we are meant to point people to Christ.

I challenge you to look for ways to point someone to Christ this week. It may be sharing a scripture on social media, inviting someone to church, or offering to pray for them. In our spheres of influence, let us be intentional about sharing what Christ is doing in our lives. The world is in desperate need of the gospel, and it is our duty as believers to answer the call. That is what we were made for.

Frankline “Franky” Tshombe
Children’s Church Leader

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    Cedar Blog

    Pledge of Neighborliness

    Pledge of Neighborliness

    While reading the latest news about one of our ministry partners (Matthew 25), I discovered they had an initiative to help people become more neighborly. Only 3 out of 10 people across America say they know their neighbors.

    We are the kind of people who are called to love our neighbors. It is the second great commandment. It seems to me that we can’t love our neighbors if we don’t know them. Matthew 25 encourages neighborliness with the Front Yard Club. Here are some of the pledges of Front Yard Club Members:

    • Foster a welcoming front yard.
    • Make time in your week to be in your front yard.
    • Be a steward for the health and safety of your neighborhood.
    • Have fun!

    Front Yard Club Membership sounds easy enough and these items made me think of a couple more:

    • Smile at everyone you see.
    • Greet everyone who walks past.
    • Listen for Holy Spirit promptings.

    And, as I pondered neighborliness, it struck me that we can smile, greet, and listen to people everywhere we are. Home, school, work, the park, the gym, the store – even at church – we could be better neighbors.

    What do you think? Ready to take the pledge?

    Kent Landhuis
    Pastor of Teaching & Leadership

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      Cedar Blog

      Let Go and Let God

      Let Go and Let God

      Do you often find yourself holding onto something that happened in the past? Whether it is betrayal, pain, trauma, or even a mistake someone made, we have all experienced offense in one way or another. Often times those memories linger at the back of our minds, causing us to ruminate over them. I have been told many times by close friends that I am ‘too trusting’. Given my personality and the way I am wired, I like to give people the benefit of the doubt  until my trust is broken. I think it is fair to say that we learn the hard way at times. Offense can lead to bitterness, envy, malicious thoughts, anger, and vengeance. These are not characters of the Holy Spirit. Instead, the Bible reminds us in Colossians 3:13 to “bear with one another and forgive one another.” The Lord’s Prayer says to “forgive our debts as we forgive our debtors.” This is not to condone what the offenders did, but instead choose to release the offense from your heart. By doing so you begin to feel a peace that surpasses all understanding. This year God has been inviting me to guard my heart and restrict access. “Above all, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it” (Proverbs 4:23).

      Here are some ways to ‘Let go and let God’:

      • Remember that hurt people hurt people. We are all broken people in need of God’s mercy and grace.
      • Set healthy boundaries. By doing so, you honor yourself.
      • Be in community; there is power in sharing your story. “We overcome by the blood of the lamb, and the words of our testimony” (Revelation 12:11).
      • Surrender the offense to God, and allow Him to heal your wounds.
      • Pray for your offender. “Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice” (Ephesians 4:31).

      Frankline “Franky” Tshombe
      Children’s Church Leader

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        Cedar Blog

        How Do We Count Success?

        How do we count success?

        At some point, while suffering through the frigid weather last week – I think it might have been in the middle of Steve’s sermon on the abundance of creation – I wondered “How many snowflakes does it take to make a snowman?”

        Google said it takes 10,000 but that sounds like way too few. Of course, it depends on the size of the snowman, doesn’t it? Snowflakes in a snowman seem like a tough thing to count.

        It can also be tough to count “success in ministry.” Traditionally we count three “b’s” – bucks, buildings, and backsides. (ABC’s – attendance, buildings, cash.) That doesn’t really get to it because we are actually interested in fruit. We might invest a lot of money, steward fine buildings, and involve a lot of people, and not see any fruit.

        I’ve been thinking about how we might count fruitfulness at Cedar Hills. (Things traditionally never on anyone’s radar.) What if we counted:

        • Shopping carts…
        • Butt cans (for cigarette butts)…
        • Pizzas consumed (or donuts)…
        • French reporters asking about our politics…
        • Intergenerational conversations…
        • Prayers (and pray-ers)…
        • Meals shared with one another…
        • Hugs…

        These may or may not be things expected in ministry, but they are all part of ours – and part of our success in the past year! We like to count and we like to measure success. What would you count as a measure of our success? (Let me know!)

        The Lord be with you,

        Kent Landhuis
        Pastor of Teaching & Leadership

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          Cedar Blog

          Don’t Choose Milk

          Don’t Choose Milk

          In the next few days many will begin thinking about New Year resolutions… I can’t say enough great things about how my life changed about six years ago when I started prioritizing (like crazy like) daily Bible reading and memorization. It’s something many of us profess and give lip service to, but hypocritically do not practice.
          I was stirred (slightly insulted, but stirred) by this 4min clip from Francis Chan:
          In 2024, let’s not just say it’s important to read or memorize the Bible. It’s time to dig in DAILY.  It is the foundation of a mature Christian life. Don’t choose milk any longer – go for the meat!
          If you’re not there yet, I don’t want to guilt you into it. But I can testify to the fruit of going after God daily in Bible reading, memorization and prayer–it is so worth it! To be able to discern the voice of God with greater clarify, to know his heart and thoughts in a given situation, to be able to speak words of truth into another life with ease as the Holy Spirit brings to mind verses effortlessly, to feel a call to pray for strangers in the Target packing lot or Sam’s Club lobby and see God at work before your eyes–these make it so worth it!
          I wish I had known the beauty of daily devotion in my younger years.  God literally does change you as you as you are in His word.
          But here’s what I’ve also learned –don’t try to squeeze it in to a busy schedule. It won’t work. To really go after daily reading, you have to GIVE UP something for God–some other worldly practice of consuming entertainment or social media or news or sport or hobby or Insta reels or TikTok or evening news that has consumed your time. Say to the Lord, “I want you MORE!” and go after it with intensity. Go for the meat.  And He’ll make all those other things pale in comparison.
          There are soooo many great programs to help you stay on top of things. The Bible Recap, the Bible Project (both available in the Bible app) both have year-long Bible reading programs.  The book “100 Bible Verses Everyone Should Know By Heart” by Robert Morgan is a great starting place for scripture memorization.  (FYI I’ve set these all to music! In NIV and currently working through them again in ESV.)
          I was recently inspired by this short article by John Piper: Make the Bible Part of Your Everyday in 2024.  He makes some great and motivating points!

          Leah Carolan
          Pastor of Worship & Media

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            Cedar Blog

            Joy and Peace to You

            Joy and Peace to You

            For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in Jesus, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Once you were alienated from God and were enemies… because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation… Colossians 1:19-22We’ve been reflecting on “the word made flesh” all month and my prayer is that the truths described in Colossians 1 have become more real to you. We have every spiritual blessing in Jesus, which brings us joy and peace beyond measure. May you know the peace and joy made possible in Jesus!The Lord be with you,Pastor Kent

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

              Cedar Blog, Uncategorized

              How Resilient Are You?

              How Resilient Are You?

              As one year rolls into another I like to do a review. How did I fair in the past year? How did our congregation fair?

              We are on a mission to make disciples who flourish. I recently learned that some people call flourishing disciples “resilient disciples.” Resilient disciples…

              • …attend church at least monthly and engage with their church more than just attending worship services.
              • …trust firmly in the authority of the Bible.
              • …commit to Jesus personally and affirm that he was crucified and raised from the dead to conquer sin and death.
              • …express a desire to transform the broader society as an outcome of their faith.

              Does this describe you? If not you might be a “habitual churchgoer.” (You have attended church at least once in the past month, but do not have foundational core beliefs or behaviors associated with being a resilient disciple.) Or you might be a nomad. (You have not attended church during the past month and have not been involved with a faith community for six months or more.)

              If you are taking stock – this matters. Those who claim to be Christian but do not have resilience do not flourish. To see the data on why this matters, look at what the Barna researchers discovered.

              How resilient are you? Right now is the best time to re-engage and find flourishing by following Jesus!

              May the Lord be with you,

              Pastor Kent

               

              Kent Landhuis
              Pastor of Teaching & Leadership

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                Cedar Blog

                Err on the Side of Righteousness

                Err on the Side of Righteousness

                We’ve been talking about the Word Made Flesh – one of the prophetic names we use to talk about Jesus in the season of Advent.  Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, Immanuel, God with Us. Word Made Flesh. Jesus.

                All of these names feel sacred and holy. They contain parts of God’s identity and how He has revealed Himself to us.

                We know him by other names as well:

                There is so much contained in God’s names! So much truth and holiness and identity.

                His name is sacred.

                And so I’ll be honest – my spirit is completely grieved when I hear my Christian brothers and sister flippantly using the OMG phrase or saying “Oh my God” in every story they tell.

                It is a scheme of the enemy if I’ve ever seen one. If it were not,  the world would be using phrases like, “Oh my Buddha” or “Oh my Satan” or “O my Molech.” But they don’t.  There is only one god’s name that gets used flippantly… and it is the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob – the one true God.  Our God.   The enemy is smart and goes about like a roaring lion looking for whom he may devour.  He has tricked many.

                What does Scripture say about God’s name?

                • Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. – Matthew 6:9 (NLT)
                • I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols. – Isaiah 42:8
                • The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe. – Proverbs 18:10
                • Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. – Psalm 100:4-5
                • Your name, Lord, endures forever, your renown, Lord, through all generations. – Psalm 135:13
                • And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. – Acts 2:21

                There is debate among many online about this particular phrase… is it sin or not sin?  My thoughts… does it matter? I would rather err on the side of righteousness any day than grieve my heavenly Father with my speech.

                Leah Carolan
                Pastor of Worship & Media

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                  Cedar Blog

                  The Word Became Flesh

                  The Word Became Flesh

                  I mostly take my body for granted even though most of my daily rhythms involve taking care of my body. Waking and sleeping, dressing and undressing, eating and drinking, working out and avoiding a workout – these things I do (or don’t do) mostly without much thought.

                  As I’m prepping for the Christmas season, I’ve focused more on the significance of our bodies. The wonders of our flesh and blood complexity and the frustrations of our physical Iimitations. We are more than our bodies, certainly, but not less. Our bodies matter.

                  Genesis 2:7 says, “Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.” I recently noticed that God made Adam’s body first and then God breathed life into it. The body was not an afterthought created to hold the disembodied person that was Adam. Adam’s body mattered.

                  And now – the Incarnation. God made flesh and blood. (John 1:14) Jesus became a man. His body is not merely a container designed to hold God for a while. Jesus is fully divine AND fully human. Always. We celebrate Jesus made flesh at Christmas. Made flesh – of all things – as a baby. Jesus’ body matters.

                  Merry Christmas,

                  Kent

                  P.S. 2023 Advent Season

                  December 3 – Word Made Flesh – resurrection and return.

                  December 10 – Word Made Flesh – life and death sorrow.

                  December 17 – Word Made Flesh – water into wine feasting.

                  December 24 – Word Made Flesh – the flesh is weak…temptation.

                  Christmas Eve – Candlelight Services @ 3 and 5 – Word Made Flesh – Baby.

                  December 31 – Word Made Flesh – massacre of innocents and sympathy.

                  Kent Landhuis
                  Pastor of Teaching & Leadership

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                    Cedar Blog

                    Giving Season

                    Giving Season

                    It’s the most wonderful time of the year. It’s the time of year when every day I receive mail, emails, and texts from various organizations requesting donations. Charities, ministries, animal shelters, foundations, humanitarian causes, nonprofit institutions – they are all asking for gifts.

                    This annual barrage of requests for my money used to annoy the heck out of me. But I’ve been rethinking this in two ways. First, I give thanks that so many organizations commit to making our world a better place. Nonprofit organizations do so much good! Second, I give thanks that so many generous people give to support these important causes. Did you know that individuals donated $319.04 billion in 2022? That’s billion!

                    Did you also know that December giving accounts for roughly one-fourth (26%) of annual nonprofit revenue? That includes the church and we are a 100% donor-funded organization. We have no trusts or endowments or corporate sponsorships. We depend on the generosity of God’s people for all of our resources.

                    We are making the world a better place. We offer hope to a world in need of hope. We feed the hungry and encourage the outcast. We help every generation flourish in faith. We make a difference and we depend on your generosity to make that happen. Your giving to Cedar Hills matters.

                    I am so thankful to be part of a congregation committed to making the world a better place. And I am so thankful to be part of a congregation of generous people. And I am so thankful it is giving season.

                    But wait there’s more. God promises blessings to those who give generously. Consider this great promise in 2 Corinthians 9:6 – “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.”

                    The Lord be with you,

                    Pastor Kent

                    P.S. “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:7-8).

                    Kent Landhuis
                    Pastor of Teaching & Leadership

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