There are certain times in our lives when we’re essentially “coasting along,” working to keep things moving forward or at least not slipping backwards. There are other times when we make a commitment—a declaration—to make significant progress and accomplish specific goals. Redeemer’s leadership has embraced just such a “declaration” moment. Our five ministry declarations are: […]

In the April newsletter, I introduced the newly developed mission statement that our leadership will use to guide decisions, to focus efforts and to build momentum for ministry in the coming years: OUR MISSION: To join God’s work by reaching, discipling and equipping people to courageously and authentically live out God’s Word in Brooklyn Park […]

After the past winter engulfed us, you might not be missing the snow, ice and cold. Spring came late, and then with all the rain and melting snow, so did summer. It’s understandable if you’re feeling that, now that we’re into the golden days of early summer, THIS is in fact the most wonderful time […]

I’m sure there have been times in your life when you were part of something much bigger than yourself—something you couldn’t possibly achieve single-handedly—and that required a team of individuals willing to contribute sacrificially to the shared mission of the group, willing to be there for each other and to rely on one another. As […]

Have you ever wondered why you choose to hang out with the people you do? Generally, we like to spend time with people we consider friends, and in most cases, those friendships are based on mutuality: we enjoy each other’s company, there’s the give-and-take of rapport and relationship, and both of us end up encouraged […]

Have you ever achieved a goal that you’d been working hard and long to succeed at, and then find shortly afterward that there was still a lot of work to do? Maybe you finally got the garden planted, and realized that you’d underestimated how much time watering, weeding and general maintenance it would require. Perhaps […]

As the gears of the upcoming presidential election cycle churn into motion, I can only imagine that it’s just a matter of time before we hear about a candidate’s “2020 vision.” There’s something about a clearly articulated vision that can galvanize a group into action, that can catalyze excitement, energy and focus, and that can […]

We’re still early enough in 2019 that many of us are thinking about what we want to keep doing and hanging on to from 2018, and what we want to leave behind when it comes to our habits and our stuff. One of our initiatives here at Redeemer is to update our interior space, to […]

Happy New Year! I hope and pray that you enjoyed a wonderful Christmas celebration with friends and family, and that your year gets off to a wonderfully blessed start. It’s hard to believe that it’s already time to hang up the new calendars, but 2019 is upon us, so here we go! Every new year […]

Ask a group of people to list ten words that come to mind when hearing the word “home,” and some common themes might emerge: family, house/apartment, warmth, security, belonging, etc. Ask enough people, though, and you’d discover that not all the words and thoughts are positive. Words like conflict, uncertainty, strain and regret might appear […]