Redeemer Journal (Page 10)
Pastoral Update: February 2015
Pastoral Update February 2015 Dear Church of the Redeemer family, As many of you know, it is almost the beginning of Lent, which is a special time of the year for us at Church of the Redeemer. Lent is the season of the church year when we prepare for the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection on Easter. The season of Lent lasts 40 days, and it begins on Ash Wednesday. (We don’t count the Sundays in Lent because they have always…
Marriage: More Words Of Wisdom
As promised, here are more thoughts from Church of the Redeemer couples. John and Dawn Lundgren From Dawn: John and I were married in 1977. A key in our marriage is really, really listening to one another, carving out space for long, meandering conversations (about books and ideas, hopes and dreams) and forgiving one another. Ed and Annemarie Pickens From Annemarie: We have been married almost 15 years. One of the scripture verses Ed and I pray to each other…
Marriage: Words of wisdom
Holly Willmarth “Make time for date nights.” Todd and I have heard this bit of marriage advice over and over, but we’re terrible at it. We always have been, even when we were actually dating. We work opposite schedules, and we’re great at letting chores intrude on time that was supposed to be sacred. Todd kept a log of stuff we did together when we first met. It’s really sweet to read now as we approach our fifth anniversary, but…
Sent Out In Mission: MacLaurin CSF
What’s the most influential institution in our state? My answer would be the University of Minnesota. It’s our largest university—there are more than 48,000 students at the Twin Cities campus alone, making it one of the 10 largest universities in the country! It’s also our most influential university, and not only because of its size. The U trains more than 70% of our medical workforce in the state, so it has an incredible impact on our health and wellbeing. It’s…
Women’s Listening Prayer: An Invitation
Women’s Listening Prayer Wednesday, Jan. 14, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Dawn Lundgren’s home 1545 Arden Place, Arden Hills Call Barbie Anderson with questions: 651-491-3536 Ever wonder why you act the way you do? What keeps us from living out of the heart of love and joy that our Lord has provided? Those are, in essence, the questions before us as we continue together in Women’s Listening Prayer. Every woman of Church of the Redeemer is invited to join…
Men’s Retreat: An Invitation
Are you thinking about going to the men’s retreat but not sure you can get away? Or maybe you’re new to Church of the Redeemer and aren’t sure what to expect. In this post to Redeemer Journal, five men from our congregation share their experiences and an invitation to join in. Ed Pickens: Why is the men’s retreat a highlight of my year? Although the facility is tremendous and the North Shore has a beauty all its own, quite frankly…
Ministry Spotlight: The Family Service Center
Ministry Spotlight: The Family Service Center This week’s post is by Chris Callan and Steve Baird, both of whom volunteer with Church of the Redeemer at the Family Service Center in Maplewood. Chris and his wife, Leena, are on the church’s Missions and Outreach team, and he writes about how his heart for such work has grown over the years. And if you’re interested in volunteering, Steve writes about what to expect. The next opportunity to serve at the Family…
On The Bookshelf: Favorite Books For Kids & Parents
This week’s post is by Haley Scharf. She and her husband, Roger, live in St. Paul with their three young children. Haley blogs about theological books for children, and we asked her to share some of her favorite books and story Bibles, along with a list of titles specific to Advent. Enjoy! One of my favorite things about being a parent is sharing great books with my children. Literature opens the world to us in magnificent ways, and I love…
Advent: When Morning Dawns
Daylight savings is a cruel trick. Twice a year we tweak our clocks by one hour and create the illusion that we’ve moved sunrise and sunset. In the spring, we wake up a bit tired but with seemingly more daylight in the evening. In the fall, perhaps we might be enticed to stay up just a little bit later and indulge our inner night owl. Ah, but that extra hour of sleep is such a hollow victory. The early morning…
Prayers of the People: an update from the Sommers
We’ll be using occasional blog posts on Redeemer Journal to share stories from our congregation. This week we’re hearing from Cary Sommer. Cary sings with the worship team and helps teach the children. She and her husband, Josh, live in Shoreview with their daughter Rylie, 6, and son Grady, 3. They love music and camping and laughing and playing together. This past summer Grady was mentioned weekly during the prayers of the people. Cary wants to give us some background…