A Time for Rest

"Make the most of your time"

Redemption Hill Church launches its first service at  5:00 pm (prayer gathering) and 5:45pm (worship gathering) this Sunday Night (October 4th)- at 1309 Pierce Street- across from everyone's favorite burrito haven, La Juanita's. Many have asked why we chose such an unusual time for having a worship service.

In a nutshell, it's all about time. Time is fleeting. In our modern world, we have so many "time savers". Text messaging,emails, and online ordering have created more convenience, but we are losing time.  People work more, families rarely eat meals together, our health as a nation is failing due to inactivity, and people are exhausted. To be sure, churches often expedite that exhaustion. They fill our schedules, with really good things- events, classes and programs that help us grow spiritually, but the most important relationships in our lives still are crunched due to a lack of time.

To help in this war for time, we want families to have Sabbath- spiritual rest. Sunday is the Lord's Day, and we want people to enjoy it! Life is basically about what you worship and who you love. We want you to spend Sunday loving people that matter and worshiping the One that matters most. It may seem silly, but here's a few ideas on what to do on Sunday morning:

1. Sleep a little later- We are not machines. Maybe getting an hour or two extra of sleep in the week may rejuvenate you more than you think
2. Breakfast with family or friends- How about making every Sunday morning a day where people eat breakfast together and enjoy the fellowship?
3. Devotional- Meet for coffee with a friend for a weekly devotional. Soon,I will put out some recommendations for devotional books , and some of my own personal helps that people can do in one-on-one or small group meetings.
4. Movie- Star Wars? In December, I'm going. Grab a friend or take your kids- great memories.
5. Search Sioux CIty- We live in a great city with a multitude of parks and a good riverfront with an underrated downtown. Go check it out.
6. There are a million other ideas, but I hope you embrace rest in Christ.

In Christ,

Richard

Those Who Sow in Tears

I am not going to lie.  Last week was hard for us.  We have been here six weeks and still do not have a single church member.  Our hearts are heavy and our heads are hanging low.  What are we doing wrong?  Why won’t people come? We saw a glimmer of hope last Sunday. Our neighbor finally accepted our invitation to join us for church.  He was also going to bring his girlfriend.  YES! Progress has been made.  They came into our apartment that morning, and stayed for exactly three minutes.  Then they left. Technically they came and I am counting that.  We still love our neighbor and still minister to him.  One day he will stay much longer. We are being patient. 

Every day we go out and every day we return home empty handed.  We spend our time and resources meeting others.  Resources we do not have an unlimited supply of.  The harvest is ripe and we are so willing to be used by God.  We came here, right?  We sold half of our stuff and moved across the country on faith, right? Where have we gone wrong?  We are desperate to see some fruits of our labor. We are tired of seeing sin destroy the lives of our neighbors, this community, and this city.  We are tired of seeing the hopelessness in their eyes.  We are tired of seeing our neighbor drown his sorrows in alcohol. We are tired.  Rest assured, we have not thrown in the towel.  We are being patient that nothing we have done has been in vain.  We continue our days bathed in prayer and diving into scripture.  We get up every morning and head out the door.  We know that the time of rejoicing is just around the corner.  

“Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy!  He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.” Psalm 126: 5-6

The Lord has led me to memorize the Psalms of Ascent.  I have made it successfully through Psalm 126.  I have read this verse at least forty times since moving to Sioux City. Somehow, I kept missing the significance of it.   One morning I was reading through a devotional book and read the very familiar passages of Luke 8: 5-8, 11-15:

“(5) A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell along the path and was trampled underfoot, and the birds of the air devoured it. And some fell on the rock, and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. And some fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up with it and choked it. And some fell into good soil and grew and yielded a hundredfold.” As he said these things, he called out, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear….  (11) Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away.  And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature.  As for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.”

After reading this, I almost fell out of my chair. My heart nearly leapt out of my chest.  I had ears to hear and I most definitely heard.  In that moment I was granted Hope and Peace.  I had a promise. Psalm 126:6 is a promise.  Those who go out with the Word of God with the intention of spreading the Gospel will return home with shouts of joy.  We will return home bringing our sheaves with us.  We are not responsible for the birds, the rocks, the thorns, or the soil.  We are responsible for the seed.  The Word of God.  His word will not return void.  We will see the fruit of our labors.  God is so good.

“and let us know grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” Galatians 6:9

Dear friends. Do not give up. You will reap.  You can count on it.

In Christ,

Amber