John Louk

Jeff, a long-time member of Salem, makes lots of phone calls. He leads the Tuesday prayer room. If you fill out a yellow prayer card and put it in the offering, Jeff and others will pray for your request. He will likely call you to see if there has been an answer to the prayer. He calls people in the church regularly. A year ago, we asked Jeff made calls to church members as part of the Salem Rising capital campaign to encourage them to come to worship for the Salem Rising kick-off. That Sunday, a woman in our congregation (who said I could share this) came out after the 11 am service and said, “Now, who is this Jeff that called me?” I looked around and saw Jeff getting into his car and pointed him out. I said, “There he is.” She said, “He called me.” I said, “Yes, he made calls this week to members to encourage them to come to worship today.” She said, “Oh, he called everyone?” I said, “Yes.” She looked around sheepishly and said, “When I got the call I was in Las Vegas,...

"I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry." — Jesus Haven you ever enjoyed a really wonderful meal? Imagine, the chef brings you an amuse-bouche, a little bite of food to entertain the mouth, awaken the senses, and create a desire for more. For instance, bacon wrapped dates with almonds are a wonderful amuse-bouche. The salty crisp bacon with sweet chewy dates with a rich almond center definitely amuse the mouth. Next, a warm, butternut squash soup or a crisp, fresh salad is set before you, offering more enjoyment and something more filling, too. Sometimes that’s all you need for enjoyment and sustenance. Still, to have complete nourishment for our bodies, we need the entrée, the main course. The steak and baked potato, shrimp fettuccine Alfredo, chicken cordon bleu, leg of lamb, or roasted pork loin is set before you, served with a side of bacon, uh, I mean, with a side of asparagus or brussels sprouts. After all of that, even if you’re qui...