Pastor Pete’s Pen
Happy New Year!
2018! Wow, the first two decades of this millennium are almost gone. I still get mocked by my kids for my preparation for Y2K. I had a couple of generators, lots of water, good supply of fuel, couple of bags of rice and other provisions. I thought as the father of my family – I should be responsible. OK, maybe a big tub of candy was a little much – but candy can do so many things – serve as a sweetener in other foods, make trades and “sweeten a bargain”.There may be a story or two in the taming of the old west – if candy had not been so scarce, those pistols may have remained in their holsters.
Oh, the stories we can make ourselves believe if we allow ourselves to live in a make-believe, prejudice world. That is what prejudice is – without knowing the facts, I judge a person, and based upon my judgment, I attribute other false judgements against that person.
It wasn’t until I was fortunate to serve the Lord at City Impact that I realized I was prejudice against body art. I’m reminded of the time when we were coming through the Black Hills on a family vacation. Without knowing it we were touring the same time the big Sturgis Motorcycle Rally was being held. And as most prejudicial people do, I had passed my prejudice on to my children. “No writing on your skin” would have been the 11th commandment.
We were eating at a restaurant, when our son, five years of age, noticed some bikers with tattoos covering their arms. As I remember, he asked me in a rather loud voice, if I was going to go and tell them about the “11th commandment.” The bikers just looked at us and smiled. Which allowed me to grab the check, pay and leave without too much embarrassment.
At City Impact God popped my prejudice balloon. Working alongside believers in Christ whose faith in Christ was unshakable, walking testimonies of God’s transforming grace, made my personal, unfounded beliefs of prejudice nauseating.
With God’s help, I’m living a new standard of not judging by the outside appearance but getting to know a person, see their character and admire the work that Christ is performing in their lives.
I’m reminded of what the Bible says about judging – if you want to judge someone – judge yourself. You remember the illustration – take the telephone pole out of your own eye before you extract the wooden speck from your neighbor’s eye.
So, as this year unfolds, it is my prayer that Christ would increase in my life and that I would decrease. Growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ is my ultimate desire. Sounds like a goal that is unmeasurable, but it is measured many times a day by how we think and interact with others.
1 Corinthians 2 gives me wonderful insight for how I should look at another person after first looking at myself – do I see Christ magnified by the power of the Spirit of God? Or do I see me, working best as I know how? What a pathetic trade - human power in place of the power of the almighty God. Even a tub of Y2K candy can’t sweeten that deal.
May God, by His Spirit, inspire each of us to let Him increase and ourselves decrease. Happy 2018!
A Heritage of Helping
January is a time the reset button can be hit. I recently saw this quote and wanted to pass it on.
Instead of resolving to finally get it right, resolve to walk with Him as He makes it right.
Immanuel Spotlight: Wilma Reiner Sundeen
Have you ever met a true child prodigy? If you have met Wilma Reiner Sundeen, Immanuel’s Worship Service Accompanist, then you can say “Yes!”.
Wilma was born in Sioux City, IA and adopted at three-months-old by a Waverly couple who quickly figured out their daughter was special. While most children cry when they are wet or hungry, Wilma cried when the player piano stopped playing. At age one, Wilma sat on her mother’s lap and when Mom played Jesus Loves Me for the first time, Wilma immediately played it back perfectly. It wasn’t long before she acquired the nickname “The Waverly Wonder” and was soon adding notes to the basic Bible School song! The story is also told of how her mother tied her to a chair at the piano in order to get the housework done since all the young musician wanted to do was play, play, play the piano!
At age three, Wilma started taking piano lessons and by age four, she was playing regularly at church. At 14, she was hired by Back to the Bible where she continued to play for many years. When asked about her “gift”, Wilma has never taken her talent for granted and is the first to say: “Jesus has led me all the way.” Today, not a week goes by without playing for a funeral or special occasion in addition to her church assignments.
Wilma’s life has been anything but dull. She married her grade-school sweetheart (he knew in Third Grade she was the one, but it took until the Fifth Grade for Wilma to recognize true love). They were married 58 years before Norman’s passing. Together they raised three daughters, one who was part of the Vietnam resettlement program in the 1970s. Wilma has 10 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren (#10 is due in April). She could also be called “The Waverly Wonder” for her history of medical survival. Wilma has had polio, Rheumatic Fever (twice), Typhoid Fever and Viral Transverse Myelitis (inflammation of the spinal column) in 1984 when she nearly died and the prognosis was she would never walk again if she did survive. During that time, Wilma claimed Psalms 118:17 where David proclaimed: “I shall not die but live to declare the works of the Lord.” That she has done!
Welcome Wilma, to the Immanuel Family!
Favorite Hymns: I Want to be Like Jesus Bye and Bye When I Look on His Face
Favorite Verse:O lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether. Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it. Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee. For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth…. (Psalms 139)
Address: 14320 Oldfield St., Waverly. (68462)
Phone: 402-786-2234
Email:
Birthday: October 16
Pastimes: cross-stitch, making quilt tops, baking, writing poetry and awaiting the publication of her life story that is in the final stages of production
Happy New Year!
Joyce Halvorsen
Guiding Light Ladies: We will not be having our normal GLL meeting in January as Guiding Light Ladies will be presenting for prayer week on January 11 at 6:00. I encourage all Guiding Light Ladies to attend this event.
Our next GLL meeting will be February 6th at 6:30
Heritage Club:
Movie Night: At this time there is no movie night scheduled for January.
Sunday School
Children’s Sunday School- Sunday 9:15am in the lower level of the Church.
Adult Sunday School- 9:15am in the Fellowship Hall
Bible Study:
Lamb’s Club (Ram’s welcome) Tuesday 10:00am in the Fellowship Hall.
Adult Bible Study- Tuesday 6:15pm in the Fellowship Hall
January BirthdaysAnniversaries
8 Esther Burback21 MakensieThaller 6 Christy and Ward Funcke
8 Joe Jensen22 Molly Grau18 Steve and Mary Swinscoe
12 Sam Will22 Gabriel Grasmick21 Rob and Annie Parks
13 Mary Kay Schafer22 Ruby SchmidtShut-In’s
14 Brandon Halvorsen 30 Jerry EdmundsMarie Green
18 Evan Hughes30 Kyle KelleyEsther and Eddie Burback
19 MaryAnn Hahn31 Matt WillVangie Brehm
19 Danielle FunckeElizabeth Bixby
Immanuel Military Prayer
Lord, please hold our troops in your loving hands. Protect them as they protect us. Bless them and their families for their selfless acts they perform for us in our time of need. Amen