Pekka Perho – The Squeeze pt.3 – “F-Bomb”

In this third part of “The Squeeze” Pastor Pekka speaks of the power of forgiveness. True forgiveness does not equal forgetting, diminishing sin or ignoring justice. But it does require faith and it does bring true freedom.

Scriptures: Luke 17:1-6
Matthew 5:8

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Pekka Perho – The Squeeze pt.2 – “Getting rid of Guilt”

Find out how to get rid of guilt as we dive into Jesus words from the sermon on the Mount. In this part two of the Squeeze series Pastor Pekka reveals one of the habits of truly happy people.

Scripture: Matthew 5:23-24

Saalem Family Celebration – Sundays at 11:45am.
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Click the “play” button below to listen or right click the “download” text and choose “save as” in order to download. Sermons from Saalem Church can also be found on iTunes as a podcast.

Pekka Perho – The Squeeze pt.1 – “Under Pressure”

Have you ever said something in the heat of the moment that you wish you could take back? Ever done something and afterwards thought “that was not like me”? So where do those words and actions come from?

Jesus would say they were in us all along.

The squeeze of life makes us say and do things we regret. The heat of the moment brings out the best and worst in us. Extreme experiences expose the true condition of our hearts.

But there is hope.

Join us for part 2 of “the Squeeze” next Sunday, April 15th 2012 at 11:45am.

Saalem Family Celebration – Sundays at 11:45am.
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Click the “play” button below to listen or right click the “download” text and choose “save as” in order to download. Sermons from Saalem Church can also be found on iTunes as a podcast.

ELIJAH pt.8 – “How to receive a Double Portion”

Are you carrying a God given dream? Have you discovered your calling? What are the next steps in pursuing the dream? In this message, Elishas experience with Elijah serves as a model and inspiration for us to step into our call.

Scripture: 1 Kings 19:19-21 and 2 Kings 2:9-14

This is the eight message in a series of messages on the life of Elijah, one of the Old Testament prophets. More on the Elijah series here.

Saalem Family Celebration – Sundays at 11:45am.
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Click the “play” button below to listen or right click the “download” text and choose “save as” in order to download. Sermons from Saalem Church can also be found on iTunes as a podcast.

Burnout Prevention

You or someone you love may be struggling with symptoms of burnout. Here are some practical tips to overcome persistent exhaustion and avoid collapse:

1. CARE FOR YOUR BODY
Sleep
- Adults need 7-8 hours ever night.
- Schedule your evening activities.
- Do not stay up late watching TV.
- Talk to your doctor if you need help.

Exercise
- Go out for walks, hit the gym, play a sport. Bottom line: sort of physical activity at least 3 times per week.
- That extra hour at work is actually often the least productive!
- Neglecting this now will cause major problems later!

Eat
- Over-eating can be a sign of stress, but many burnout victims suffer from under-eating. Loosing weight can be fun at first, but extended periods of time without essential nutrients is devastating. Therefore: Schedule your meal times and watch what you eat.

Rest
- God ordained the day of rest!
- The Bible calls those who will not work “lazy”, but those who will not rest “disobedient”. Obey God and take a day off every week.
- If Sunday can not be your day of rest, set another day as your day off. (Rom. 14:5)

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2. PRIORITIZE RELATIONSHIPS
Ask for Help
- Spouse, Family, Pastor, Christian brothers & sisters, mentors

Encourage others
Professor Jean-Pierre Brun concluded:
67% of people who say they receive little recognition at work show high levels of psychological distress, as opposed to only 33% of individuals who say they receive good recognition; A significant lack of recognition at work multiplies by four the risk of substantial psychological distress.

Learn to say “NO!”
- Saying NO to good things gives you time for the best things.
- Prioritize family: If you are married, prioritize your spouse. If you have children, find ways to interact with them that are not burdensome. Many do not realize the true value of family until their deathbed.

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3. QUALITY TIME WITH GOD
A common professional advice for people dealing with burnout is: “Embrace a morning ritual” – make sure you have time alone first. Perhaps the best thing you can do to prevent burnout is: Start each day with God. Rather than jumping out of bed as soon as you wake up, spend at least fifteen minutes praying, writing in your journal and reading the Bible or a Christian book that inspires you.

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If you are facing burnout, know that God is not mad at you. Instead, God is looking for a way to get you connected to him. In our times of distress we often lack faith. We do not expect anything good from God. But God has not changed. Jesus is still good. He is still out to bless you. He wants the best for you. He desires to strengthen you. He will sustain you.

Pekka Perho

ELIJAH pt.7 – “Hearing Gods Whisper”

Who should I marry? Where should I work? Should say yes to a new business opportunity? The Bible gives us great guidelines for life, but it does not give specific answers to every question. Listen as we discover three attitudes that will help us hear Gods voice for the specifics in life.

Pastor Pekka Perho speaks his seventh message in a series of messages on the life of Elijah, one of the Old Testament prophets. More on the Elijah series here.

Scripture: 1 Kings 19:9-16

Saalem Family Celebration – Sundays at 11:45am.
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Click the “play” button below to listen or right click the “download” text and choose “save as” in order to download. Sermons from Saalem Church can also be found on iTunes as a podcast.

ELIJAH pt.6 – “Burnout”

Prophet Elijah goes from wonderful victory to utter defeat as he hits a sudden wall. Many tend to think that exhaustion, depression and burnout are things that the truly Godly never encounter. Yet many are secretly struggling with those very issues. This message examines some of the symptoms of and remedies to Burnout.

Scripture: 1 Kings 19:1-9

This is the sixth message in a series of messages on the life of Elijah, one of the Old Testament prophets. More on the Elijah series here.

Saalem Family Celebration – Sundays at 11:45am.
Click here for a map with the location of Saalem Church.

Click the “play” button below to listen or right click the “download” text and choose “save as” in order to download. Sermons from Saalem Church can also be found on iTunes as a podcast.

ELIJAH pt.5 – “Preparing the way for the Lord”

Elijah squares off with 850 false prophets at Mount Carmel. The rules are simple: The God who sends fire from heaven is the true God. Confident in God, Elijah teaches us four lessons about those who prepare the way for the Lord.

Scripture: 1 Kings 18:1-39

This is the fifth message in a series of messages on the life of Elijah, one of the Old Testament prophets. More on the Elijah series here.

Saalem Family Celebration – Sundays at 11:45am.
Click here for a map with the location of Saalem Church.

Click the “play” button below to listen or right click the “download” text and choose “save as” in order to download. Sermons from Saalem Church can also be found on iTunes as a podcast.

ELIJAH pt.4 – “Relationship Rescue”

Extreme experiences expose the true condition of our hearts. In 1 Kings 17, a widows reaction to the death of her son exposes her need of relationship rescue. Is someone you love in need of relationship rescue? Listen as we discover the source of trouble in our relationships.

Scripture: 1 Kings 17:17-24

This is the fifth message in a series of messages on the life of Elijah, one of the Old Testament prophets. More on the Elijah series here.

Saalem Family Celebration – Sundays at 11:45am.
Click here for a map with the location of Saalem Church.

Click the “play” button below to listen or right click the “download” text and choose “save as” in order to download. Sermons from Saalem Church can also be found on iTunes as a podcast.

ELIJAH pt.3 – “The Blessed Life”

From a widows experience with Elijah, Pastor Pekka shares the simple keys to the Blessed Life.

Scripture: 1 Kings 17:7-16

This is the third message of a series of messages on the life of Elijah, one of the Old Testament prophets. More on the Elijah series here.

Saalem Family Celebration – Sundays at 11:45am.
Click here for a map with the location of Saalem Church.

Click the “play” button below to listen or right click the “download” text and choose “save as” in order to download. Sermons from Saalem Church can also be found on iTunes as a podcast.

ELIJAH pt.2 – “Dip Happens”

Can we do everything right and still end up feeling down? What do we do in the though times of life? How do we recover from the valleys? What’s the way out of the dip? We find some answers in Elijah’s experience with the brook that dried up.

Scripture: 1 Kings 17:1-10

This is the second message of a series of messages on the life of Elijah, one of the Old Testament prophets. More on the Elijah series here.

Click the “play” button below to listen or right click the “download” text and choose “save as” in order to download. Sermons from Saalem Church can also be found on iTunes as a podcast.

ELIJAH pt.1 – “What God can do through ordinary you”

Today Pastor Pekka begins a series of messages on the life of Elijah, one of the Old Testament prophets.

When asked why Elijah, Pastor Pekka answers: “The Bible tells us Elijah was a man just like us. He experienced great success, but also great adversity, doubt, struggle and even bouts of depression. Yet God did some amazing things in and through Elijah. Similarly, I believe God wants to do amazing things in and through us. Elijah’s experience will fuel the fire of faith and set our course for a fruitful 2012!”

Scripture: 1 Kings 17:1, James 5:17-18

This is the first message of a series of messages on the life of Elijah, one of the Old Testament prophets. More on the Elijah series here.

Click the “play” button below to listen or right click the “download” text and choose “save as” in order to download. Sermons from Saalem Church can also be found on iTunes as a podcast.

Can we prove that God exists?

Is there proof for the existence of God? Some say that Christianity is irrational, unreasonable and even absurd. “I won’t believe in a God whose existence cannot be scientifically proven” is a fairly common declaration. Many Christians react by claiming that the essence of faith is to trust that which can not be known or scientifically reasoned about. But Christianity is not a blind faith. We are not afraid to rationally contemplate the logic of what we believe. In fact, our faith is strengthened by reason.

Even though God can not be seen, there is plenty of logical support for His existence. Throughout history many have argued rationally for the existence of God. Here are a handful of arguments that have been proposed as evidence for the existence of God (quoted from THE2023 Soteriology by Daniel Pecota):

Cosmological
Everything that exists must have an adequate cause for its beginning.

Teleological
The order and design of the universe reveal an intelligent cause.

Ontological
Belief in the perfection of being is itself an indication of the existence of God.

Anthropological
That men universally intuitively believe in God demonstrates His existence.

Moral
Man is conscious of a permanent moral law that is not self-imposed which has abiding authority over him. Only God could be the lawgiver.

Congruity
Belief in God best explains all the related facts of existence.

If you are interested in reading more apologetics (a branch of theology devoted to the defense of the divine origin and authority of Christianity), check out the links below.
Blessings,
Pastor Pekka Perho

C.S. Lewis Society
Ravi Zacharias Ministries
apologetics315.com
www.alwaysbeready.com

What gift can I give to God that I did not receive from Him?

Christmas with its giving and receiving of gifts is behind us. Many of us spent hours shopping around for the right kind of gifts. We put thought and effort into what to give and where to buy it.

Kids happily wrap their parents belongings in order to give them back as gifts on Christmas. But adults know better than to give someone what already belongs to them. So what gift could I give to Jesus that I have not received from Him? What gift should I give to the One whose birthday we actually celebrated?

Money? It all belongs to God (Ps. 24:1).
Time? God created time and He exists outside of time (Isa. 46:10)
My life? God gave that to me as well!

So what could I give that I have not first received from God?
My sin.
…and my worship.

That is what God wants from me this Christmas and every day of the year. A lifestyle of repentance. Every time we sin, either by commission (breaking Gods law) or omission (not doing what we should), God desires us to repent – confessing our sin and turning away from it. In exchange of our sin we receive forgiveness – and that causes us to worship.

Decide to give Jesus the gift He desires: your sin and your worship!

Pastor Pekka Perho

Pekka Perho – Celebration of Christmas Series – pt.2

This is the second part of a three week sermon series leading to Christmas where we will hear from all three pastors at Saalem. Today Pastor Pekka speaks from Matthew 2:9-12 about the wise mens life changing journey to Jesus.

Join us at Saalem on Sundays at 11:45am.
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Click the “play” button below to listen or right click the “download” text and choose “save as” in order to download. Sermons from Saalem Church can also be found on iTunes as a podcast.

Pekka Perho – Purpose pt.3 – A Vision Worth Living For.

In the third and last part in the Purpose series we talk about a Vision worth Living for.
“Where there is no vision, the people perish” – Proverbs 29:18 (KJV)

More from the Purpose Series

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Pekka Perho – Purpose pt.2 – Don’t wait until your deathbed!

In part two of the Purpose series we look to the words of Jesus for the second key to living on purpose. Many realize this deeper meaning of life only on their deathbed.

More from the Purpose Series

Click the “play” button below to listen or right click the “download” text and choose “save as” in order to download. Sermons from Saalem Church can also be found on iTunes as a podcast.

Complacency kills.

As I was preparing for this weeks sermon, I came across a story told by Dale Galloway (Rebuild Your Life) that brought tears to my eyes. I hope it shakes you up like it did me:

The phone rang in a high society Boston home. On the other end of the line was a son who had just returned from Viet Nam and was calling from California. His folks were the cocktail-circuit, party kind–drinking, wife swapping, gambling, all the other things that go with it. The boy said to his mother, “I just called to tell you that I wanted to bring a buddy home with me.” His mother said, “Sure, bring him along for a few days.” “But, mother, there is something you need to know about this boy. One leg is gone, one arm’s gone, one eye’s gone, and his face is quite disfigured. Is it all right if I bring him home?”

His mother said, “Bring him home for a few days.” The son said, “You didn’t understand me, mother. I want to bring him home to live with us.” The mother began to make all kinds of excuses about embarrassment and what people would think…and the phone clicked.

A few hours later the police called from California to Boston. The mother picked up the phone again. The police sergeant at the other end said, “We just found a boy with one arm, one leg, one eye and a mangled face, who has just killed himself with a shot in the head. The identification papers on the body say he is your son.”

I pray that we would be people of compassion, who love with actions and not with words only. With a new-found desire for real compassion,
Pastor Pekka

Pekka Perho – Purpose pt1 – What on earth am I here for?

Today Pastor Pekka begins a three week sermon series where we answer questions that people actually ask, such as: “Does my life have a greater purpose?” and “What’s Gods will for my life?”
Whether you are new to church or have been a Christian for a long time, these talks will help you discover Gods plan for your life.

More from the Purpose Series

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Pekka Perho – Resonsibility Reveals Maturity

Today Pastor Pekka speaks from 1 Corinthians 4:15-17 where Paul said “imitate me”. Can we say the same thing? Do we have a desire to grow spiritually to the point where we could say that? Listen to see how responsibility is connected to spiritual maturity and how we can grow to become men and women who can say “imitate me”.

Join us at Saalem on Sundays at 11:45am.
Click here for a map with the location of Saalem Church.

Click the “play” button below to listen or right click the “download” text and choose “save as” in order to download. Sermons from Saalem Church can also be found on iTunes as a podcast.

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