Sunday, February 28, 2010

Relationships: restoring hope

Dave Ens www.Eastview.org

Relationship happens. celebrate the times you do agree. Stress happens. Conflicts happen. Things blow up. We expect too much sometimes from each other without giving anything back.
Assume I love you until further notice is a dumb policy. We need to nurture each other.
A personal encounter with Jesus brings a fullness into life that cannot be found elsewhere.
Hope comes from knowing agape love. When someone is pouring love into you, you can do anything.
How do you fill your loved ones? 5 love languages Gary Chapman talks about filling your love tank.
What is my love language? What is it for my loved ones?
Quality time - meaningful
Speak affirmations
Gifts of caring
Acts of service - freeing your loved one
Physical touch - holding hands, hugging, kissing
How and how often am I speaking that into my loved ones?
If you do this regularly you can walk through the tough times.
Build hope today.

Friday, February 26, 2010

It is TWO YEARS Today

It is TWO YEARS today, since we said farewell to Renee. I miss her incredibly. It truly is a pain that never goes away. It ebbs and flows and today is one of the never-ending excruciating pain days. Martha and I are going out for lunch in St Boniface and supper at her mom's. Justin and Alayna are working, so we'll have our family memorial time Saturday and Sunday.

Emotions are so mixed up today that I hardly know what to say. I guess this is my journaling outlet so here goes.

I wake up every morning with dry eyes so I have to put in eye-drops. When I do that, I think of Renee. During her last hospitalization with the chemo she got, her eyes were dry and she needed eye-drops. She had a tough time keeping her eyes open to let the drops fall in. I tried to teach her to look at the ceiling, ignore the eye dropper and let the drops fall in. She just could not do it, so I tried to coach her. That worked a little better, but mostly she ended up holding one eye open with one hand while squirting eye drops all over her eyes.

Martha had a depressing Dr appointment

Ten years ago we took our whole family to Europe and to Oberammergau for the Passion Play that happens every 10 years. We now have tickets for 6 (because they did not have a single room option) for May 17-19 and Renee will not be there. We will miss her. But that brings up the option of inviting someone to join us for those days in Germany. Any volunteers?

We are heading to Martha's mom for supper. She is always such a cheerer upper.

Sunday, February 21, 2010

Relational Blueprint: Cultivating Intimacy

www.Eastview.org
Pastor Dave Ens

Getting to know people can be hard. We want to be known intimately. We fumble with sex, feelings etc but get nowhere.

God has laid out our sexuality. That can be an image of devine love.

What does it mean to love? Greeks have four words for love:
Eros: the whoosh of love
Phileo: friendship
Storge: is like I like one team, but don't like another one.
Agape: Greek society considered it weak. The Bible took it and made it beautiful. God is agape. Not that we agaped God - God agaped us. Jesus hangs there with his back flayed open. He agaped us.
God stepped out to tell us he loves us.
With agape love, sex becomes a giving of oneself to the other. Eros becomes beautiful.
Sex in the context of an agape marriage is God's design.
If Eros rules our heart, it either dies or becomes our dominant feeling and rules our heart. It always wants to be whooshed. Does that help me feel good in the long run? If all I look for is feelings, can I find intimacy? Can I find God?
When I understand the creator loved, I can learn to take care of others.
It is time to get eros off our heart's thrones, and when we place agape into our hearts things will get better.
You need a gardener to tend your garden. God is your gardener. Let him help you grow a good garden.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Almost 2 years


I dreamed about Renee last night. I came to visit her at the hospital and when I got there, she had put her 3 pairs of jeans into a box and was ready to go. She smiled at me with that heart warming smile. Oh, I miss her so much and cry for her every day!

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Ketchup on Tapioca Pudding

Mom is a genuine ketchup loving Plett. Even pudding needs ketchup to bring out the flavor!

Valentine's Day

Will you, in the presence of God and these witnesses, take Martha, the sister by your side, to be your wedded wife, will you love and cherish her, provide and care for her in health and sickness, in prosperity and adversity, exercise patience, kindness and forbearance toward her, live with her in peace as becometh a faithful, Christian husband; and, forsaking all others, keep yourself only unto her as long as you both shall live?
Yes GLADLY!

Valentine Love

Morweena EMC
Glen Plett Pastor

Where is a good place to go for a date? Hecla. The forks. Dinner?
Winnipeg is 9th, Saskatoon is 1st most romantic city in Canada. Romantic things. Red, Candles, Time, Respect.

2 kinds of people - in romantic relationships, those wishing for it.

Song of Solomon 2. My lover calls me. Come my beautiful one, browse among the lilies. Be a stag

You are special - a rose of Sharon a Lilly among the thorns. My man is a lush apple tree among plain trees
1. I LOVE sitting in his shade of protection. Ladies love it.
2. Intimacy. His fruit is sweet. She got to know him.
3. Displays of Love. At the banquet hall, his banner over me is love. Everyone knows they love each other. Always complement each other.

v5 Lovesick comes from experiencing love and affection. Let him eat my "raisins" Let love grow. Like volleyball let her bounce the ball back at her convenience.

Let me hold her hand.
He is peering through the lattice. Guys Be careful when you do that.
He paints this powerful picture of spring. Everything is new now as love blossoms.
v14 let's find our favorite spot to hang out.
v17 foxes like to ruin vineyards. Our relationship is beautiful. Honey, please take care of the foxes that can hurt our relationship. Is there distrust, selfishness, workaholic problems?
In "Fiddler On The Roof" the father thinks marriages have to be arranged. Then he discovers love and re-affirms the love between him and his wife.

Father, I pray, guide us in getting rid of the foxes. Help us to have good strong romantic marriages.

Reminder: attend the focus marriage simulcast on February 27

Sunday, February 07, 2010

Relational Blueprint: Developing Trust

Delbert Enns www.eastview.org
Who said it? Read my lips. No new taxes.
Why do we get into non-sensible arguments? How do you respond to people that have failed the test of trust?
Trust is a form of faith. How often can you go back to people who have abused your trust? Are you willing to fall into the arms that failed you?
"Trust me" is not very reassuring.
At age 3 I played with older siblings jumping off a ladder. Ended up with a broken leg. It took a long time to sort out when to trust others again.
"Developing Trust on-line" trust has to do with comfort. I may trust the chef to make a good meal but not to be my financial advisor.

Trust Variables:
Results
Integrity- do you share similar boundaries?
Change- are you willing to change?
Empathy- do you care? am I sensitive?
Trust- closeness or one-mind
One-ness united into one. Move into trust and faithfulness
How do you develop one- ness?

Ways you can learn to develop trust:
The need for Acceptance Song of Solomon 1:5-6
I am dark but beautiful. She accepted herself. She understood the way she was. She did not allow the baggage of the past to let her down.
The need for being Valuable. 2:1-2 she was self-aware. If someone values you it has a big difference
The need for Belonging 2:16a 2:10-12 Winter has passed. Trust is not one- sided. We want to belong to one another.
Next Sunday re-routing with love. Getting rid of bitterness.

God wanted a relationship with us. He gave us his son Jesus Christ to die for us. He wants a one-ness relationship with us.
Eph 1:3-4 All praise to God. God adopted us into his family through Jesus.

Food for thought!
The Bible recommends the practice of self-disclosure James 5:16
Forgiven sin should not be brought up again Ps 103:12 51:17 Heb 8:12
Concentrate on feelings of the present not the garbage of the past John 8:11
The practice of honesty is therapeutic 1Cor 2:3 2Cor 2-4

Trust grows out of a willingness of one person to become vulnerable enough to become known by another person. Sidney Jourard

Saturday, February 06, 2010

Bergens in Kenya

Sold everything and moved to Africa.
God- what do you want me to do in Africa?
Demonstrate and preach forgiveness. It's not about painting something the wrong colour. When God's people forgive offences, miracles come easy.
A pastor in Kenya found eleven family members hacked and buried in a mass grave. People did not have enough to eat.
Paul said, let's be kind to others in the body of Christ. Give the enemy something to drink.
Prayed a prayer of blessings and forgiveness with those people. God exploded in their midst. They erupted with the Joy of the Lord. God moved soldiers in for their protection. the
rebels came out of the mountains and laid down their guns surrendering to the soldiers. God answered their prayers. Speak blessings on your enemies and God will bless you.
When did you decide to forgive your attackers? 16 years earlier when I cleaned house. I had asked God to give a heart of compassion.

Got attacked in the dark. Clubs and machettes started to hit me. I knew I would be killed. I prayed to Jesus. He lessened the pain. Got choked to unconsciousness. Got left for dead. 15 leg slashes. Not one serious cut. One blow could have cut a leg right off. the parts were all there. Jesus stepped in. Not one nerve or artery cut. Head cut open. Not all brain cells oozed out. When Eloise wanted to lift him into the car, his body floated right into the car seat.

During the ride to the hospital he kept quoting scripture. Asking God to open heaven's door. God did not answer that prayer.
They have 2000000 orphans someone has to help them.
The reporter said someone had invited him to a tent meeting and he had become a Christian.

Met those attackers in jail. The leader said he had been praying for forgiveness. Now that John was there they knew that God answers prayer. All 5 become Christians.
They are growing in the faith.

Just bought 3 more acres for another orphanage that can become self sustaining.

2 orphans lost their parents because they were from the wrong tribe. Aids makes orphans. There is no infra-structure out there.

A quarterback needs help to score a touchdown. I need blockers back home to destroy Satan's power. We can score touchdowns in 1000s of orphans.

My wife laughed at the devil because he was such a loser.

Rocky and Michael Beene

Missionfest Saturday morning

Rocky and Michael Beene started a Guatemala church plant. They snuck into the war zone and started a church that is still growing. They plan to be martyrs. If they get to grow old it won't be their fault.
They found a spot on top of a mountain and started an outreach. God is the stair case and I'm the little pebble. Had a one year old. Pregnant with the 2nd one. Lived in a little tent.
The natives carry machetes. Why are they chopping a tree during the night? They tried to burn us. The Martians.
Started feeding 100 children. It took a long time for them to trust us. Thought they were fattening the kids to eat them. For 3 years they plotted to kill the missionaries.
Started a church. God told them to put the Bible down and pick up the chainsaw to help the widows. Be a light.
A very contagious cholera epidemic broke out. They gave I.V. fluids to 60 people. One day Michael asked Rocky to tend the sick while he took a baby to hospital. An old sick man came in. Couldn't start the I.V. till she prayed. It turned out to be a dehydrated 18year old that would now live.

Why change the culture? People are praying for change. They are desperate, looking for change. They are crying to God. We want to share. Give them a reason not to kill you, before you convert them. We pull teeth. We don't tell them anything except God loves you. God's kingdom can't come to earth unless we bring it.
Looked at a map and Rocky's finger hit a little village named Castalo. Went there by boat. Had to walk across a huge swamp. Guide told them "If you see tigers don't run. Charge at them." Their guide refused to take them into the village because the people were dying. Michael treated them for dehydration.
Built a bridge 1100 ft across the swamp. $50,000 to build the bridge. A group of girls from New York came out to build it. Dug a well. Started a church. Then went to the next village. Were warmly received. They had already become Christians through the witness of the 1st village.
The recession is hurting. God said don't worry "I'm not American." And the Canadians started coming to help.

Tuesday, February 02, 2010

We Enjoyed the Drowsy Chaperone

From Gott ist die Liebe
MTC Warehouse production of The Drowsy Chaperone was an absolute hoot. Funniest show we've ever been to in Winnipeg. On par with Broadway's production of Spam-a-lot starring David Hyde Pierce. Too bad the run is over for this year. I'd love to go again.