Andrew is 8 Today!

Happy Birthday Andrew! We love you!

Kidneys Needed

This article was written by Terri Lehrke, Morrison County Record. Rashanda and her boys attend Living Hope. I thought it would be appropriate to add this to my blog in an effort to get out the word. Please prayer for this situation!

Any single mother of two has enough on her plate. Being in a new city with few friends or even acquaintances makes life a little harder. Add to that failing kidneys and life can become overwhelming.

But, that's exactly what Roshanda Keller is dealing with right now.

The 25-year-old mother of two boys moved to Little Falls a year ago, leaving her home in Indiana.

Having worked in a nursing home for three years in Indiana, she saw people suffer through dialysis and didn't want to have to go through the same thing. "At first I told them no," she said. But, two weeks ago she was forced to begin kidney dialysis, or die.

Roshanda explained she's been having problems with her kidneys for six years, especially during the times she was pregnant. But, she said, the problems would always go away. She was diagnosed as having focal sclerosis. "That is when your body attacks your kidneys and treats them like foreign matter," she said.

The disease is not hereditary, and doctors have no idea what caused it, she said.

Roshanda was treated with steroids to keep her kidneys from failing. In October 2006 she felt sick, couldn't get out of bed, and was really "kind of out of it," she said. Her mother called from Indiana and insisted Roshanda see a doctor.

Her blood sugar was very high, and she was taken to the intensive care unit. The steroids, she said, caused diabetes. During the time in the hospital Roshanda lost her vision for over a month. Her mother traveled 14 hours by bus to stay for three weeks, but had to leave just before Christmas.

Her sons Arrione, 4, and Rayshawn, 6, are in preschool and kindergarten. "The boys are having problems in school," Roshanda said, "They get very upset."

She told of an instance where Rayshawn told his teacher he would be going to live with his granny when his mother died.

Rayshawn made a book in school, with the help of advisors in the Bridges program, that talked about illness. Roshanda said helped her son understand the situation a little better.

Roshanda's mother is dealing with her younger sisters in Indiana and cannot come back to Minnesota at this time. Roshanda has also been advised by her physician, Dr. Cowardin, not to work.

People at the Living Hope Assembly of God Church have been good to her, Roshanda said, and she is grateful for their help.

Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays find Roshanda going through the four-hour dialysis routine. She said after the treatment she feels sick and very tired, unable to do things with her boys that she used to. "I spend a lot of time sleeping," she said. Roshanda will have to continue dialysis until a kidney transplant can be done.

With her kidneys functioning at only 13 percent, Roshanda is on a transplant list. Three times they thought they found a match, but two failed a crossmatch. The third that passed both tests, fell through due to other medical problems.

Anyone who has type A or O blood, and would like to be tested can contact Patty Evans at the Hennepin County Transplant Center, (612) 215-2904.

Those who would like to help, without donating a kidney, can contact Pam Phelps, a member of the Living Hope Assembly of God congregation. Phelps has been working with other members of the church to aid Roshanda. "Things like helping with laundry, daycare while she's in dialysis, a meal, any little thing," Phelps said. "She's got a big load to carry." Phelps can be reached at (320) 632-4618.

She's a Teen

It's official now. Kelsey turned 13 today.

Happy Birthday Kelsey! We love you.

Caught in the Act

I recently caught one of our "Life Groups" in the act of service. They decided their group wanted to take on a project in the church so they got the paint brushes out and brightened up some of the walls in our Godz Kidz building. I was so blessed to seem them giving their time and energy. People don't realize what that does for a pastor when people in church pitch in and help out. Thanks for serving!

Lessons From Golf

Today I picked up my son after school and drove him to the golf course for his team practice. I had about an hour before I needed to get my girls from their volleyball and softball practice so I thought I would hit the driving range. It was a beautiful day and I was itching to start swinging. I've never been that great at golf. Every round I get a few good shots that keep me coming back for more punishment. I've wished that I could have someone teach me a few things to improve my game. Today was that day. After purchasing some range balls I walked to the driving range and there he was. Charlie had recently talked to my wife about giving us some golf tips and today we happened to both be there at the same time.

He watched my swing and then gave me three tips. 1. Change my grip, 2. Keep my head still, and 3. Keep my left arm straight, letting it become one with the shaft. It felt really awkward but it worked. My drives were going consistently straight and far.

As a Christian, I'm always applying everyday events to my walk with God. Here are a few that I gained from the driving range.
1. Change is good, being willing to change is even better, changing for the better is best.
2. God is a pro and He knows what I need to change to become more like Jesus. If I listen to what He says, I will be better for it.
3. Be teachable. The moment I think I know it all, I become ignorant.
4. Surround yourself with people that know more than you and you'll bring your game up a level.

Getting Dirty for God

The church I pastor recently concluded a 40 day journey called, "40 Days of Community". The two-fold purpose of this series was to first, build community (a network of support and unity within the church family) , mainly through our LIFE GROUPS, and two, encourage the LIFE GROUPS in the church to reach out to our community.


The LIFE GROUP that I am a part of decided that we would do oil changes and a car wash for single moms. Josh, a member of my LIFE GROUP, owns Bill's Standard, so this turned out to be a perfect place to get dirty for God. We gathered some names from Hands of Hope and Kinship of Morrison County and away we went. As you can see from the photos, we had a great time. Along with the oil change and car wash, we provided a rose to each mom and Coborn's donated a ham, just in time for Easter.


When I serve others, I find that I often get blessed as much as those who benefit from what I do for them. It's fun fulfilling the second greatest command of Jesus. "Love your neighbor as yourself". It's even more fun when you do it with others. It's called "Doing Life Together"!

Oh, by the way, we didn't do this to get single moms to our church but we did have one attend the next day. She was so excited to have a group of people reach out to her. As she said, "This came at a perfect time". She was stressed out and overwhelmed and this was just the thing to lift her up! Who are you going to do a kind thing for today?

Deathbed Conversions

Good Friday is just a couple of days away. Every year in Little Falls, several churches gather together to have a combined service. We have three different pastors preach, each taking one point. This year I get the privilege of sharing the third point. Our theme is "It". Missed it, Dropped it, Caught it. For the my topic, "Caught It", I will be sharing about the thief on the cross, who repented of his sins just prior to his death. This certainly brings up a lot of interesting questions about deathbed conversions. You'll have to come on Friday to Living Hope to hear it all or listen to the message at www.livinghope.podomatic.com . I would like to share one simple word that captures the heart of God. The word is "grace". Many may feel as if the criminal didn't deserve to hear Jesus say, "Today, you will be with me in paradise", but if he did deserve it, that wouldn't be grace. I for one am thankful for His amazing grace.