Sunday, January 24, 2016

SBC's Ignite at Mennville

We stayed the night at Martha's mom. She was in the hospital Friday Saturday with various issues this week and appreciated us being there in case she would need an ambulance or help.

http://sbcollege.ca/
9 young people. Students enjoy the ministries associated with the college. Good profs.

Singing group Ignite led by Pauline Plett (Cliff) Loewen
Friend of Eloa Dueck
https://m.facebook.com/SBCCanada/

Lots of beautiful easy listening inspirational music.

A little bit of Southern Gospel. Just a little Talk with Jesus.  Love it.

Message by Rob Reimer
Thanks for hosting us. Greetings from Sarah. Send her an email let her know you're praying for her.

Philippians 2 It's all about attitude
It determines how we act.

Attitude is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, money, circumstances, than failures and success, than what other people think, say, or do. It is more important than appearance, ability, or skill. It will make or break a business, a home, a friendship, an organization. The remarkable thing is I have a choice every day of what my attitude will be. I cannot change my past. I cannot change the actions of others. I cannot change the inevitable. The only thing I can change is attitude. Life is ten percent what happens to me and ninety percent how I react to it.

Charles R. Swindoll

1. A submissive attitude
2. A servant's attitude
3. A sacrificial attitude

1. We think we have individual rights to decide everything about me. Paul said we should have an obedient attitude to Christ. Give up your rights.
Please your neighbour to build him up. Don't Lord it over others.

When we choose not to love others we are not having a good attitude.

2. Jesus became a servant. As God he could have demanded we serve him.
The world tells us to do everything we can to get ahead.
Seek to serve others

3. We strive for major achievements. Have titles. Jesus humbled himself. To give it all away. A giver not a getter.
Pride wants to build myself up. Humble we build up others.
Through Jesus's poverty we become rich.
Sacrificial attitude. Give instead of receive. Consider others better than yourself.

Another song by Ignite group:

In this time of desperation
When all we know is doubt and fear
There is only one foundation
We believe, we believe
In this broken generation
When all is dark, You help us see
There is only one salvation
We believe, we believe

We believe in God the Father
We believe in Jesus Christ
We believe in the Holy Spirit
And He's given us new life
We believe in the crucifixion
We believe that He conquered death
We believe in the resurrection
And He's coming' back again, we believe. The Newboys

The potluck smells make me hungry!

Sunday, January 17, 2016

Soul Sanctuary

http://soulsanctuary.ca/ They have a very unwieldy website. Almost impossible to find the address. Attendance 100
They are putting on a Syrian refugee dinner and dance Feb 14 6pm. I don't suppose the Syrians will appreciate the dance!

Special guests: Esther and Michael Schultz

Esther is pregnant.
Wants baby dedication before the baby is born.
Started driving together and living in the truck.
Found a new job and got pregnant. Lost the baby. Grief and loss. Michael took time to process. 2011 got pregnant again. Parenting in amazing. Malayna always brightens our world.

Started a trucking company. God was in the details. Got pregnant again.

Had a head-on collision in the middle of Saskatchewan. The phone quit. The gap.

Lots of issues with the pregnancy. Alianna was born with issues. Her brain was not working. 6 to 12 months life expectancy.

Had a baby dedication at home. On oxygen. Pulled the plug. That was hard. Expected her to die. She kept going. For 2 months. 

God carried us. It's a story I never would have chosen.

Kept the business going.

We celebrate Alianna. The condition is genetic.

Got pregnant again. Tested. Same condition for this new baby. Malayna is excited and named the new baby Eli. God

Many people pray. It's hard to get excited. Termination in morally reprehensible and might cause regret. Wanted the nightmare to be over.

Want to cherish this child right now. The Lord is close to the broken hearted. Got the book Holding on to Hope by Nancy Guthrie. Isn't real faith about pursuing God and what he wants not pursuing my wants.

Zach Hunter said life is not about comfort.

Suffering and grief we all experience. Life sucks. Share your story.

What does God want for us? It's easy to praise God on the mountain top. We're in a valley. Lots of dreams shattered.

God wants us to LOVE him and be thankful. Phil 4.
God cares about the details of my life. If I allow him. As a control freak that's hard.

What does God want for us? Success happiness? That's not my life. God wants me to trust him. Dependency on God makes life good. He cares more than I can imagine.

What is the one thing you want people to process today?
God always has your back. He cares.
Give God control. Invite him into your situation. Then he comes through in the way beyond me.

In the midst of this he is still God.

Do a baby dedication. Share the story. This is very unusual. A baby can't be baptized on confession of faith. But like Jesus was dedicated so we dedicate babies today to make a lifelong commitment to raise them in the love of Jesus and release them to God.

Jesus has already been using you big. Giving your child to God is a commitment.

Soul is a loving caring community.
Are you willing to accept God's will for your child? Yes.

Sunday, January 03, 2016

The Masterpiece. Identity. I'm in Christ

Delbert Enns pastor www.EasTview.org/sermons
4 months of Ephesians coming up. Don't miss it.
We all have messiness in our lives to work through. We wish we could change things.
Life's circumstances define us. There are people you look up to. There are others that impact you profoundly negatively. There are good teachers and bah teachers. There is goodness and evil all around us.
Who is important to you? Jesus grandma. There are great people alive today. The greatest is. .. Who is the second greatest? Adam. Created perfect by God. 1 Corinthians 15
http://bible.com/110/1co.15.21-22.nirv
Death came because of what a man did. Rising from the dead also comes because of what a man did. Because of Adam, all people die. So because of Christ, all will be made alive.
Do we live in Adam or in Christ?
Read the 6 chapters of Ephesians. Speak the truth in love like Christ the HEAD of the CHURCH. Just as death came through one man LIFE came through one MAN, JESUS.
How can we take on the identity of Christ? Only through the atoning death of the crucified and risen Christ. "IN CHRIST" appears more than 200 times.

http://bible.com/110/eph.1.1-6.nirv
I, Paul, am writing this letter. I am an apostle of Christ Jesus just as God planned. I am sending this letter to you, God's people in Ephesus. Because you belong to Christ Jesus, you are faithful.  May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.  Give praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing. Those blessings come from the heavenly world. They belong to us because we belong to Christ.  God chose us to belong to Christ before the world was created. He chose us to be holy and without blame in his eyes. He loved us. So he decided long ago to adopt us as his children. He did it because of what Jesus Christ has done. It pleased God to do it. All those things bring praise to his glorious grace. God freely gave us his grace because of the One he loves.
When we are attached to the tree (Christ) we will grow.

Some people are raised in a shame environment. Good activity made me feel loved. In 1997 started fasting and praying for 40 days to find deeper relationship with Jesus and get rid of my spirit of self sufficiency. Being a husband or businessman is activity that leads to identity idolatry. People get disillusioned when things don't work as per our dreams. Challenge your children to remember that God's identity is stamped on them. To elevate our children we create identity idolatry in them.
Paul understood that his identity was in Christ. He challenged everyone to be faithful followers of Christ.
Trust Christ and his faithfulness in this New Year!
John 10:10 Jesus came to give us a rich and satisfying life.