There are no self-made men or women. We are all God-made and that makes all the difference. A sermon on John 6:36-46
Category Archives: LIFEHouse Church
From the beauty of the patio and narthex to the posh surroundings of Natterstad Hall, our family and friends joined together to thank God for all the blessings he has poured out over his people for all of these 100+ years.
We had a delicious banquet and a inspiring and entertaining program. Pastor Larson gave a heartfelt prayer to start us off and we finished with a wonderful video and word of blessing and hope by Duane Cirks. Thanks to them and to Rob and Marie Reed, Courtney Cirks, Jim and Mary Beth Heglund, Buzz Brown, and Martha Butler-Borck for for a fantastic program!
Then on Sunday, we gave thanks and praise to the God of Glory in music, singing, prayer, and sharing of the Word. Our special guests were Pastor Jay and Isa Spoonheim, who came for the Banquet and celebration worship from Sante Fe NM! Mark Holmstrom played in his usual amazing way and directed an Anniversary Alumni Choir. Kjell Austad brought back our bell choir who started us out with a beautiful piece. Our band provided spirit-led praise and worship, with a strong solo by Connor Miles. Great thanks for all who participated!
There are so many people to thank for all of our anniversary events and celebrations. We truly are a family used by God to continue to be rooted in the hope and joy of Jesus as he works through us to bless and proclaim his name!
Special thanks to Donna McLeod for leading us! The Banquet program is printed below.
With Much More Life to Come…
Pastor Dana
LIFEhouse Church
100 Year Anniversary Banquet Program
Saturday, April 29 2017
Welcome Pastor Dana Hanson
Reflection and Prayer Pastor Lowell Larson
Anniversary Reflection Martha Butler-Borck
Music “New Life” Rob Reed & Courtney Cirks
Anniversary Reflection Buzz Brown
Anniversary Skit Jim & Mary Beth Heglund
Anniversary Reflection Pastor Dana Hanson
Music “Blessings” Rob & Marie Reed, Courtney Cirks
Anniversary: Duane Cirks
Time Capsule
Video
Reflection
To those who have gone before us, whose vision of God’s church has brought us to this place in time
To the Centennial Planning & Hospitality Teams:
Pastor Dana Hanson, Peter Borck, Buzz Brown, Heidi Christopher, Duane Cirks, Trish Dallas, Nancy Hanson, Carla Kievit, Michele Knepp, Barbara Le Strange, Donna McLeod, Robyn Vega
To the many hands who participated in executing this celebration:
Nancy Anderson, Pastor Mike Anderson, Greg & Missy Andrews, Kjell Austad, Donnice Brown, Barbara Cirks, Courtney Cirks, Betty Hadden, Mark Holmstrom, Rory Knepp, Don Lautenschlager, Barbara Le Strange, Mary Lewallen, Ardis Natterstad, Dolores Nickerson,
Martha Pfleger, Rob & Marie Reed, Beverly Reitz
100 YEARS OF GRATITUDE
Clean Up, Clean up, Everybody do your share…
This is the opening line of our preschool’s clean up song, so why let them have all the fun?We are having a church clean up day this Saturday, April 8from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. We are getting ready for our community and guests! We want to make our church home look awesome for the holy days!We have plenty to do for every man, woman and child, indoors and outdoors.Why not help out for the entire time, 3 hours, two hours, one hour…There is plenty to do!Bring gloves and rakes.Breakfast snacks and lunch available!
John 4
Meanwhile, the disciples were urging Jesus, “Rabbi, eat something.”
But Jesus replied, “I have a kind of food you know nothing about.”
“Did someone bring him food while we were gone?” the disciples asked each other.
The central message of Jesus is the kingdom of God is near to us. Through Jesus, whatever is available in heaven is available here on earth. This hasn’t sunk in with the disciples, yet. They are still thinking on an earthly level. If you need food you find it in the village. At the grocery store. In the restaurant. But, Jesus is the one who creates the ingredients that make up our food. So, if he is living in and through us, all that is in heaven is available to us. Including nourishment to keep us going. Why do we need to keep going? To bring the love and joy of Jesus to those around us. If Jesus lives in and through us, then we join him in his work of bringing God to those who are seeking him.
Here is the “How?”
Jesus sends the power of the Holy Spirit to you to equip you to spread his love, joy and peace. There are people only you can invite. Don’t underestimate the uniqueness of your role in God’s plans. There is a life only you are meant to lead. Like a gate only you can enter.
ME
How does it make you feel to know that you have a unique purpose in God’s plans?
LSS had their annual breakfast at LIFEhouse this year. It was a great event and the highlight for us was…LSS named Beth Yaros their volunteer of the year! Beth does just about anything around the LSS site, volunteering four days a week! Just as she serves in her other ministries, Beth shines at LSS…
Glory to God for all he does through our sister, Beth!
John 4
So when Jesus knew that the Pharisees had heard that he was making more disciples than John, and was baptizing them (Jesus himself didn’t baptize people; it was his disciples who were doing it), he left Judaea and went back to Galilee.
There is no place for jealousy or competition in the Christian family. Jesus looks at the churches of a city as one church as we can see if we consider the churches spoken of in the Book of Revelation, for instance. In other words, there isn’t LIFEhouse as an individual group of Christians and then other Lutheran churches and then Roman Catholic and Baptist churches and such. There is one church locally. The church of Jesus in Los Angeles, as it were.
Currently, we see the Pharisees, the Jewish religious authorities, are bringing trouble to Jesus and John the Baptist. The way they are carrying out their ministry isn’t proper to them. Jesus leaves Judea to avoid the problems the Pharisees could bring to him. This is an example of Jesus doing what he said to his mother at the wedding at Cana.
“It’s not my time, yet.”
Jesus will set his own agenda and not let the Pharisees force his hand. Something else interesting is recorded here. Remember the Gospel of John is an eyewitness account of one of Jesus’ closet followers. He will make editorial comments in his gospel so the non-Jewish readers will understand what is going on, and also to highlight greater detail in what he is writing. In our English translation of the Bible when we see these editorial words of John they are placed in parentheses.
(Jesus himself didn’t baptize people; it was his disciples who were doing it)
So, what is wrong with baptism that Jesus isn’t doing it? It is not about the act of baptism somehow being beneath Jesus, it is more about the disciples learning by doing. Jesus is teaching his disciples to do the things he does.
I would say he is also making sure everyone understands it is God doing the baptizing through the person, not the prestige of the person doing the baptism. You can see people later saying, “I was baptized by Jesus himself,” as a badge of honor or something. Jesus would have none of that.
ME
When infants are baptized, God is baptizing them. When adults are baptized, God is baptizing them.
When Jesus meets the woman at the well there is more than meets the eye…Sermon based on John 4:1-15
Why are we wired by God to spend one third of our lives essentially doing nothing?
How can one simple key enhance spiritual formation, combat childhood obesity, improve children’s school performance, combat neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s disease, along with decreasing clinical depression in teens and adults?
One thing??
What is it?
Healthy sleep…
The importance of sleep from a spiritual, physical, and emotional health perspective. The latest brain research is bringing new insight into sleep research and we are discovering good sleep may be the missing key ingredient to the overall health of people today. Using the latest brain and sleep research, with special insight from “The Good and Beautiful God,” James Bryant Smith, and “Nurture Shock,” Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman, I speak on the benefits of sleep for adults and children.
John 3.30 “He must increase, but I must decrease.”
That’s it. Our job in life as Christians is to continue to be an influence of those who come after us. Jesus calls it “making disciples.” Being a positive role model of joy and forgiveness. Investing our time and resources in the generations that follow. As we invest in the lives of those who will come after us, we continue to expand God’s good in the world around us.
Looking back over the years, someone invested in you and left a legacy for you that you don’t even know. These are those who were used by God to bless your Christian community. The greatest legacy we can leave now is to grow in your own faith that you might be a blessing on those who come under your influence and investment. Who knows, 100 years from now, people may not know your name, but they will know someone loved them enough to be open to God to give the blessing of having invested in someone else who influenced someone else, who blesses them that day. To God be the glory.
ME
Who are you investing in from the younger generations today?
We celebrate the third twenty five years (1969-1994) of our 100 year anniversary@ LIFEhouse. Special guest Ardis Natterstad, widow of long-time pastor, Tom Natterstad. Stephanie Barglowski, daughter of Pastor Tom and Ardis Natterstad, reads a greeting from her mom.
