by Ken Turner | Faith
At age eleven I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior. I was told that if I wanted to really grow in my new relationship with Him I should begin spending time reading the Bible. And that sounded great to me.
Even though I was still a young kid, I saw what life without God looked like and what life with God looked like in our home. Before I accepted the Lord, I felt so lost… empty and worried about a lot of things. I knew there was a void in my heart and I knew that someday I wanted to be with God in heaven. Sound familiar? If you are a Christian, I’m sure you can relate to my experience.
The idea of opening my Bible and reading this powerful “message from God” sounded so appealing. I had heard that the Bible was a real, true, life-changing book and I wanted the change it could bring.
So I opened it and started to read it. It felt good to know I was being obedient to God by reading the Bible because I knew He wanted me to. But just like a lot of people, I ran into obstacles that slowed me down. To be honest there were obstacles that I allowed to not only slow me down… they stopped me in my tracks! They are probably the same obstacles you have faced. Over the years, I’ve learned more about these obstacles and how to work toward overcoming them.
1. Finding Time To Read The Bible: There are always things going on in my life that are competing for my time and attention. It feels like I’m so busy and even though I want to read the Bible, I don’t always feel I have the time. But let’s be honest… I have time to do what I choose to do and so do you. I’m more of a morning person than I was in my younger days.
Now I read my Bible in the mornings but years ago I found it almost impossible to read in the mornings so I read at night just before bed. For me, the key is to choose a time to read and be consistent. Find a quiet place and set aside the cell phone, TV and other distractions and commit to spend some time in His word.
2. Struggling To Keep Up With A Bible Reading Plan: I tried to read the Bible through in a year by following a reading plan. It’s great to read the entire Bible in a year if you can keep up the pace but the idea of reading several chapters a day was a struggle for me. I would get behind and eventually give up on the goal.
Several years ago I adopted a different mindset. My goal is not so much how many verses or chapters I read each day, but the goal is this… fellowship with God. I can honestly say that there are days now when I read as few as three verses and I am so moved by the power of those verses that I just stop there. I re-read the verses and really let it soak in to my mind and heart. I pray about the message and talk to God about the fact that I’m seeing ways I need to change and grow.
I look for “action steps” within those verses and try to determine what I will do that day to put these things into practice. Some days I might read ten to fifteen verses or even a few chapters. My goal is ultimately to read the Bible until I am truly moved by the truth and power of His word and know that I have fellowshipped with God.
3. Becoming Distracted and Struggling To Focus: Don’t be surprised if you struggle with distractions while reading the Bible. The Devil doesn’t want you to spend a lot of time alone with God.
The best thing I’ve found to help me stay focused is keeping a journal. I call it my spiritual journal. After reading the scripture, I often write in my journal as if I’m writing a letter to God. My journal entry is an opportunity to record on paper what I just learned from my Bible reading and put on paper my thoughts as God is leading me.
I can write about the specific things God is doing in my life right now including things I’m excited about and things I’m concerned about. I basically put it on paper and leave it in God’s hands for the day! I’ve found this to be very freeing and it gives me so much more focus.
These journals are encouraging to go back to. I have journals from 25-30 years ago and they are a treasure to me now as I recall how God has been so faithful in my life. Did you know that Christians who keep a spiritual journal tend to read the Bible at least 4 days each week on a consistent basis while only 20-25% of Christians in general ever read the Bible at all?
4. Finding It Difficult To Understand: God’s word is alive. It is His message to us and it has the power to change lives. 1 Corinthians 2:14 tells us that the natural man cannot understand the things of God. It’s important to know that if you do not have a personal relationship with God, you are going to find it very difficult to make sense of the Bible.
As a Christian, I enter into Bible reading with a prayerful heart, asking God to reveal to me His truth and make it understandable. Don’t get too bogged down if there are parts of the Bible that you don’t understand, but focus on the parts you do understand and allow it to change your life.
5. Truly Believing It Will Change My Life: For some reason, early in my Christian life, if I were honest about it, I’d have to say I don’t think I truly believed that being faithful in my Bible reading would be that life-changing. I realized that a lot of my Christian friends didn’t read the Bible and they seemed to be doing okay. So in my heart I reasoned that I could “get by just fine” as a Christian without making time to be in the Word.
It’s sad… but it is a reality of the Christian life that most Christians don’t actually read the Bible. But I can tell you that nothing has changed my life more than a regular and ongoing infusion of God’s word into my life. If you read Psalm 119 (it’s a long chapter) you will see all the ways the word of God will deeply change your life. And I want that change! I want forgiveness of sin, victory over sin, peace in my heart, wisdom and guidance and God’s blessing. These are just a few of the promises that come to those who read the Word.
So why not commit to God today? Tell Him you will make it a major priority to take time and fellowship with Him by spending time in the Word.
For more information about growing as a Christian or keeping a spiritual journal visit https://kenturnerministries.org/keeping-a-spiritual-journal/
Ken Turner
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by Ken Turner | Faith
HAWARDEN, Iowa (2010) — I admit, when I look back on my life I still can’t believe the journey that GOD had me travel. I am here today as proof that GOD can and will use anyone for His glory; even the most vile and sinful person.
That was me, Steve Sederstrom, until age 26 when I asked Jesus to be my personal Savior. As happens to some new Christians, I was saved but never disci-pled; I had a foundation but was not instructed in God’s Word and did not know how to conduct my-self. It wasn’t until God allowed a tragedy in my life that I can now look back at my journey and realize that it was all part of God’s plan.
In June of 2010 I was asked to plan and speak at the funeral service for my brother, Chuck, who was 17 months older than me. We grew up together, and as you can see in the photo, my big brother was a bull riding cowboy. I felt it appropriate to honor him with a cowboy funeral.
I donned a cowboy hat, black jeans, and boots that day to deliver the eulogy for my older brother, Chuck Sederstrom. He died June 5, 2010 ending a 20+ year existence lying in a comatose state. His condition was the result of injuries suffered January 13, 1990. While driving drunk, he fell asleep at the wheel and wrecked his car.
Chuck was 29 years old at the time, running Swede’s Bar in Hawarden, Iowa and living in life’s fast lane. When he wasn’t scaling steel beams or serving Jim Beam, he was bar-room brawling, breaking horses, and riding bulls. He thought he was indestructible.
Chuck and I were the sons of Eugene William (Swede) and Aida Sederstrom. Our parents owned and operated the V.I.P. Lounge, the largest strip club in South Dakota in the late 60’s and 70’s. It was a poor environment to raise kids; in fact I was tending bar by age 11.
By age 13 Chuck was 5-feet 6-inches tall. He was all muscle and attitude, and he was known as the school bully. He rebelled against our parents, spent
time in reform schools, and was in the State Peni-tentiary for 6 months by age 17. He often lifted the screen from our bedroom window to sneak out and run to a nearby ranch, a place that gave him the chance to work with horses. Chuck earned his G.E.D. and headed to Oklahoma and Texas to live in horse country. He would hang red iron by day and ride bulls – mechanical or real – by night. Chuck was married and had three children. How-ever, he never settled down. He partied. He abused alcohol and drugs.
His wild ways came to a tragic end that January night in 1990. Chuck, being intoxicated, left Sioux City, Iowa and disabled the seat belt in his car. He set the cruise at 80 and took off in the snow. He dozed at the wheel, ended up in a ditch, and was thrown from his vehicle at impact. Res-cue personnel found him snoring, face down, in the ditch. His brain swelled after the accident, and doctors had to drill holes into his skull to relieve the pressure. Sadly, permanent damage had al-ready been done. A year later a doctor told us that his brain had shrunken to a small mass and was heavily scarred. He basically said there was no hope.
Our mom and dad held out for a miracle. They kept Chuck stable, feeding him through a tube and attempting to communicate with him. For the last 15 years of his life, Chuck resided at Auburn Manor, a nursing home located in Chaska, Minne-sota. My dad would order medication for Chuck when he got sick. I knew he didn’t want to see his son die.
Standing at a podium in Grace Hill Cemetery for Chuck’s funeral, I spoke of my own time as a Sioux Falls miscreant. I upped the pace in the fast lane after Chuck’s accident. I would often take my older brother’s truck into the timberland around Hawarden, Iowa. I would fill a cooler with beer and drink myself to the point I could barely walk, and then cry and curse God for allowing this horrible thing to happen to my brother.
At this point, my life’s journey began a downward spiral. I had gotten married, but my wife took our baby girl, left me, and went to live with her par-ents. I can’t blame her. I was not safe to be around and was set on self-destruction. I couldn’t deal with my brother lying in a bed helpless, not being even close to what he was before his accident.
I reached my lowest point some weeks later when I spent a cold Friday night drinking in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and then climbed into a car to sleep. I was arrested and spent the weekend in a 6-foot by 9-foot jail cell.
On Sunday I got on my knees in this tiny jail cell, and told the Lord that if he got me out of this, I would change my ways. Just minutes after I prayed I heard the key in the door. I was being released! Both the jailer and lawyer claimed that it was rare to be released on a Sunday evening. I took this as a sign from God! Since that day over 19 years ago I have not had one drop of alcohol to drink.
I went to church for the first time and God has per-formed nothing short of a miracle ever since. I was reunited with my wife and God blessed us with three more children. With a 9th grade education and a GED, I am now an engineer. God has burdened me with a desire to work with our church youth group teaching children Biblical character traits. I’ve also had opportunities to share my testimony with teens and others about the perils of alcohol and drug abuse.
I still miss my older brother Chuck. I don’t think the pain will ever go away. I don’t believe Chuck’s accident was in vain. Would I change things if I could? Yes I Would! But I realize there was good that came out of all this. Even though Chuck had been in a coma for over 20 years, I still cried for several hours the day he died. I grabbed a photo album and pored over shots of my big muscular brother, the bull rider, the construction worker. I started laughing when thinking about the memories while planning his funeral. As I ended my remarks at Chuck’s funeral, I came to this realization and stated to those in attendance, “There is no burden too heavy, no sin too great that God can’t carry or forgive.”
Following the eulogy, my other siblings, Bob, Gene, and Marie, together lowered Chuck’s urn into the ground. I grabbed a rose and dropped it into his grave. “See you later brother,” I said. But God was not done yet, for He had even bigger plans with my brother’s story.
I was contacted by reporter Tim Gallagher from the Sioux City Journal about my brother’s story. He claimed that this was an interesting life story, and that his editor sent him to check it out. Tim came to the funeral and heard my testimony. Afterwards Tim (not being a Christian) claimed that he would write this up but was not sure if it would get printed. Well to the amazement of us all, including the reporter, the story made the front page of the paper. Tens of thousands of people across the Midwest read this powerful story about how God can save and change lives.
During the past years I was blessed with the oppor-tunity to lead both my mother, Aida Sederstrom, and also my Dad, “Swede” Sederstrom, to the Lord. I pray that Chuck understood when I read to him from the Bible, and showed him how to get saved. He responded with eye blinks as I asked questions and attempted to lead him to salvation. For the first few years after the accident I prayed for a miracle and that Chuck would awake. But later I asked God to take him home for my heart was broken.
I now understand what God had planned all along. I pray that my brother’s story will help make others change their ways, and start making God a part of their lives. Remember: There is no burden too heavy, and no sin too great that God cannot forgive.
Are you prepared for tragedy or death like in “My Brothers Story?”
James 4:14 “Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.”
The Bible says: YOU ARE A SINNER! Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of GOD.”
Christ Died for Your Sins: 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 “That Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures.”
You must receive the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior. Romans 10:9 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”
Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Acts 4:12 “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
So what must you do to be saved?
Acts 16:30-31 “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved.”
Won’t you take the time now to make your deci-sion? Where will you be if you put this off ?
Revelation 20:15 “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”
Don’t wait. Stop right now and ask Jesus to come into your life, to forgive you of your sins! There may never be a tomorrow like in my brother Chuck’s case.
John 3:18 “He that believeth on him is not con-demned; but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
Written By Steve Sederstrom
Special Thanks to:
Calvary Baptist Church, York, PA & Tim Gallagher and the Sioux City Journal for allowing the use of some of this material.
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by Ken Turner | Faith
*Terry doesn’t have a dad. Well, everyone has a dad but not everyone has the privilege of knowing their father. Such is the story with Terry. So the idea of feeling connected with God as a father figure comes as a little bit of a challenge. Terry is in middle school and yesterday I met him. He is spending two weeks at “Son Camp.” It’s a camp held in Whites Creek, TN just north of Nashville and it is a part of the ministry of Onnie Kirk through the Fatherhood Foundation. Onnie has a ministry to fatherless boys and “Son Camp” is part of the overall investment in these guys. Notice the name is “Son Camp” not “Fatherless Camp.”
I visited “Son Camp” this week and got to hang out with the boys and after lunch, we sat in the dining area and talked for a while. Onnie shared a story about Terry. Just a day earlier, Terry was late for a meeting there at camp. One of the rules at “Son Camp” is that you have to be on time. Terry showed up late and missed a meeting and Onnie stepped outside to talk with him about it. Onnie said, “Son, why don’t you go over to the chapel and spend a little bit of time talking to ‘The Father’ about what happened here. Ask Him what you should take away from this experience.” Terry replied, “Mr. Onnie, I’ve never heard from God before. I’ve never heard Him speak to me the way you say He speaks to you.” Onnie explained further, “Son, it’s really pretty simple. He is your Father and you can just go in to the chapel, get down on your knees and talk to Him in the same way you and I are talking right now.” So Terry did. Several minutes later Onnie saw Terry come out of the chapel and he was so excited. Onnie said, “Son, did you talk to the Father about it?” “I sure did.”, Terry replied. “And what did the Father say?”, Onnie asked. “Well… He spoke to me and He said that I need to be more responsible… and if I’m more responsible I won’t have this problem anymore.” For the first time in his life a fatherless boy heard the voice of his Father and the advice was simple, loving and profound. Maybe this is why they don’t call it “Fatherless Camp”, they call it “Son Camp.”
What’s Your Father Story?
Everyone has a “father story.” I hope your father story is a great one; full of meaningful moments, wisdom and laughter. But I realize many people live their entire life struggling with their personal father story. Some grow up with dedicated fathers, some have disconnected fathers and some were deserted by their fathers and never knew him. But here’s the great news… all of us can be graduates of “Son Camp!” When we enter into a personal relationship with God we are His sons and daughters and we claim our spot in His family. So it’s important to engage with Him and give Him the place He really deserves. When things go wrong, when we don’t know what to do and when we need wisdom, why don’t we do what Terry did and go get alone with Him for a little while and just simply ask Him to speak to us and tell us what we need to do? We really don’t need to live as orphans… because we are not.
In Proverbs 1:5 there are three very important truths that will really impact our Father Story. If we engage with God as our Father in these three ways, it will change everything.
1. Listen to Him. “Let the wise hear…” vs. 5
* Truly engage with God as your Father and listen to what He says to you.
2. Learn from Him. “…and increase in learning…” vs. 5
* Listen with the heart of a student fully intending to learn more as He reveals truth to us.
3. Live Different. “…obtain guidance…” vs. 5
* Listen with the heart of a student to learn more, fully intending to live differently based on God’s guidance as a Father to us.
It’s Time To Talk To The Father About It
Chances are, there is something going on in your life today and you are handling it as “an orphan.” You are trying hard to figure it out on your own. Maybe you aren’t. You’ve possibly given up on it altogether and just accepted the fact that there is no hope and things will never change. Listen, I understand… I’ve been there a few times myself. I hate to admit that there was a time I was really mad at God. So, let me encourage you to find the time in the next 24 hours to go spend alone with “The Father” and talk to Him about the burdens you are carrying right now. And make sure to ask Him what He wants you to do as a next step. Listen carefully to “The Father” because He’s really looking forward to talking with you. And welcome back to “Son Camp.”
*Terry is not his real name in order to protect his privacy.
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by Ken Turner | Faith, Outreach, Spiritual Growth
Jim and Jan met in college and got married after graduation. They had a couple of kids and eventually were introduced to a growing church in their community through some friends they met through their kids soccer team. Neither Jim nor Jan grew up in church but they were beginning to grow more curious about it and knew they wanted to raise their kids with strong values. After attending their friend’s church for a while they grew to understand the meaning of a personal relationship with Christ and both of them eventually accepted Christ and began to grow as new Christians. It wasn’t long before they were introduced to the concept of “ministry involvement.” People would ask, “Have you found a ministry yet in the church? What ministries are you guys interested in here at the church? Hey, you guys know that we need lots of help here in several ministries at the church!” So they went on a quest to learn about all the “ministry needs” in the church and picked one.
Fast forward a few years and catch up with Jim and Jan… the faithful church attending Christian couple who have been integrated into the church for several years now. They have a nice home in a safe neighborhood, they have some good friends with kids the same age as their own with similar values, and they have faithfully served in various ministries in the church. But something seems to be missing. They have created a safe haven for themselves and their family but they sometimes just feel so worn out running back and forth doing so many things at church in the name of ministry. And there’s another problem… they long to be connected to something meaningful. They can’t put their finger on it but there is an unrest and they dream of being able to do something that would be impactful, something that would be life-changing, something that feels really fulfilling and looks like things they read about in the Bible.
Sound familiar? Now, I’m not knocking the genuine needs for workers to function in many ministries within the church. I’ve been in full-time ministry myself since way back in the late 80’s. After all, I did a quick web search and found a long list of ministries listed on a few church websites. Each one of these ministries need workers.
Here are a few ministry opportunities that were listed on just a few church websites…
Welcome ministry, Worship ministry, Children’s ministry, Youth ministry, Usher ministry, Greeter ministry, Cleaning the church ministry, Set up crew ministry, Men’s ministry, Women’s ministry, Prayer ministry, Bus ministry, Kitchen team ministry, Counting the money ministry, Grounds crew ministry, Visitation ministry, Sunday school teacher/helper ministry, Nursery ministry, Deacon ministry, Choir, Orchestra, Singles ministry, Couples ministry, Senior saints ministry, College ministry, Small group ministry… well, you get the picture.
Here’s a thought, “What would happen if every Christian found a way to to have DEEP MINISTRY IMPACT in their community while still meeting the needs of their local church?” I don’t think it is an issue of serving in the church OR serving in the community… I think we need to make room for both.
Most of my readers know that I spent about two decades in church youth ministry and a few years ago God led me to begin a youth outreach ministry to unchurched youth. If you aren’t familiar with the story about how God redirected my ministry you can listen to an interview I did with Wayne Shepherd here https://kenturnerministries.org/radio-interview-first-person-wayne-shepherd/ on Moody Radio or read more about it here. https://kenturnerministries.org/a-window-into-juvenile-detention-ministry/
Here are a few rewards I have experienced by opening up to ministry outside the church:
- My Christian Life Has Been Rejuvenated. Ephesians 2:5 mentions how we are “quickened” or made alive as a result of our salvation. By ministering to those who don’t know Christ, I find great excitement in talking to them about who He is and how He has changed my life.
- There’s Not A Lot Of Competition. You will notice an unusual phenomenon in the church… sometimes several Christians are competing for ministry opportunities. “When will I get asked to sing, teach, lead, chair a committee, serve as a deacon, plan an important event…” Sometimes these thoughts literally steel all the joy from our Christian life! But there are so many needs outside the church and there’s room for many more people to connect and serve.
- It Feels Like I’m Doing What Jesus Was Talking About. James 1:27 says it plainly that pure religion, or could we say authentic faith, looks more like this… visiting the fatherless and widows in their time of need and keeping ourselves unstained from the world. There’s something very rewarding about knowing we are lined up with Jesus priorities of ministry.
- It Brings New Purpose To My Spiritual Growth. When you are talking with people regularly who don’t know much if anything about God or His word you are forced to answer their questions. Questions like, “If God really loves me then why is this happening in my life? If He is really real then how do you explain this? Can you tell me what God is really like? How has He changed your life? Why do you believe in Him?” Now, don’t let the questions scare you… I’ve found people really want honest answers but they don’t expect us to have ALL the answers all figured out. They just want honesty in a Christian friend who really cares about them.
- It Makes Service Within The Church More Meaningful. I promise you that you will sing with more joy in the church choir, you will bring greater enthusiasm to your role as a greeter, you will greet all your duties within the church with more heart if you are serving Him outside the church in a meaningful ministry.
Give me your feedback. What have been some of your greatest experiences in finding fulfilling ways to do ministry for the Lord? I’d enjoy your feedback in the comments section of this article. Like and share it to invite others into the conversation!
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Be sure to stay for the whole program as Ken tells the story of “Daniel”, a seemingly hopeless young man who was in jail and beyond reach– except for the reach of God’s love.
