Sunday, January 30, 2011

Enough Snow Yet?

Which picture do you like better?

What might this be?

Care to guess? Need a clue?

The King's Speech

What a Bloody Good film! If you have not seen it yet, RUN don't walk to the nearest cinama. Certainly the best film I've seen in years!

Now l understand why my parents loved King George so much.

Yesterday we watched Maid in Manhattan. Very funny and good entertainment. Tomoko watched it when it was in the cinama. She had a hard time understanding the humour back then.

I took the fan off the furnace, soaked it in motor oil, and now it seems to work. I called 1/2 dozen Lennox dealers, but no one would sell me a fan. One of them offered to install one for $550. There was no way he'd sell me one. I can buy one in Chicago for $147.00 and it takes about five minutes to replace. Guess I'll need to see what I can find tomorrow.

Going the Distance Takes Time

www.Eastview.org

The PA system was way too loud today. At this rate I will need to bring my ear plugs next time. I do not enjoy suffering unnecessary noise.

Dave Ens:
God blessed the 7th day. It was the first thing He made holy.
It is part of the rhythm of life.
In "The Rest Of God" Mark Buchanan says enjoy the rest God has ordained.
Not by trying, striving, but by taking time. In Mark 3 the religious guys have rules. Jesus' disciples were threshing grain and eating it. Jesus said the Rest Day was made for people. We need to regain that rest.
Jesus demonstrated that healing and restoration was a good thing to do on the Sabbath. The religious guys plotted to kill Jesus on the Sabbath.
Sabbath is about restoration. We need time to stop to acknowledge God and to restore us taking time to restore and build relationships.

Lord's Supper Celebration.
What would it take time for you to cease the striving and to bask in the reality of what Christ has done?
When the bread is served take it and hold on to it. No music - it will be awkward but we need to learn to cease.
When the cup comes take and hold on to it till we can all drink at the same time. Let Jesus fill you.

Lennox Furnace Fails at -31.5C

We woke up this morning with the temperature in the house at a cool 10C. After starting the fireplace and checking the exterior vents I checked the lousy (high efficiency ?) Lennox exhaust fan. The motor was seized up. This is the 2nd motor that has failed on that 12 year old furnace. Not a good record.So I took the motor off, sprayed it with WD-40 till it was completely soaked. Since the motor is welded to the fan assembly it was hard to get the oil to the 5 cent bearing. (Big print on the housing - "DO NOT REPAIR OR RE-USE) Eventually I got it working squeakily. By the time we left for church the motor over heated again.After church I will see if Home Depot carries replacement fans. If not I'll have to cut the fan housing so I can repair AND re-use it.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Ray's Wisdom

Busy is easy. Smart is hard.

Mennville EMC

Roger Friesen Song Leader
Because He Lives I can face tomorrow fear is gone life and is worth living
Great is Your faithfulness morning by morning. All I have needed Your hand has provided. Blessings all mine with ten thousand besides
When we all get to heaven what a day of rejoicing that will be. Sing the wondrous love of Jesus.

Acts 1:8
Reports; Adam goes to Steinbach Bible College. A group from there went to Inner City to experience missions 1st hand

Sarah also at SBC went to inner city (Jerusalem) last year and to northern Manitoba (Samaria) this year to the "ends of the earth" in the 3rd year.
Went to a fly in community where Tim & Sue ministered. Tim died and the church is suffering now.
Give God the best. Joyful hearts.

A group is going to Haiti (6 ladies 9 men) to work with Mission Possible. They are taking groceries in their suitcases. Pray for team unity. 2 people to volunteer to pray for each team member Jan 27 - Feb 12

Dwight Plett Pastor
11:50 start. White man's time means Cut the message short.
Change Invigorates?
Not always. Tradition can get stale.

Topic: When Righteousness Trumps Religion.
Religion is Rules.
Righteousness is associated with self.
Jesus talked about pure righteousness. 7:30 Wednesday join Dwight at the church to go through the rest of this Message. Or email Dwight for a copy.
Jesus walked through the grain field on the Sabbath. His disciples were ''harvesting" grain. Jesus defended them against the legalism of the day.
There was a death penalty to cover the breaking of the Sabbath.
The maximum work you were allowed to do was to carry one fig no more than 1,000 yards.
Jesus reminded the legalists, haven't you read the Bible? Priests work on the Sabbath. Plus Jesus has the authority to override the laws. He is Son of God.
Jesus healed on the Sabbath. He made a show of it. He asked if it lawful to save life or to kill on the Sabbath. Jesus healed the man and that's when the Pharisees started plotting to kill him.
Love trumps all other laws.
Jesus said it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath. We should ask- how can I do good today? Whom can I help?
Speed limits are what they are. 14 years ago I drove at least 140 km an hour to get my wife to the hospital. I did not feel guilty. The need to get to the hospital overrides the speed limit. Speed limit applies only under normal circumstances.

More material next time. There is so much more Sabbath material. The bottom line is that there are more important things than rules. Reverence and love for God.
Whoever loves God must also love his brother.
If ever performance of religion prevents helping others it is not from God. Love overrides legalism.

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Going the Distance

www.Eastview.org
Steve Dick Songs: How Great is Our God
Then sings my soul my Saviour God to You, how great You are!
Your Name is a strong and mighty tower. Jesus in your Name we pray come and fill our hearts today.
Ps 86 I called, you answered. Teach me, I'll praise you.
Our God: Water you turned into wine there is none like you.

Pastor Dave Ens:
Aesop's The tortoise and the hare. Which one would you bet on? 0.4 km vs. 70 km/h
We like fast powerful events. We love the big events at the MTS centre. But life is lived every day.
Jesus' first act after the resurrection was to make breakfast. God is there in the everdayness of our lives.
3 years ago Dave ran the 1/2 marathon and as he prepared for it he started getting excited. Then he started running. The PAIN. Where had all the air gone? That illustrates the disparity between the magazine and real life.
The Christian life is like that.
Over the next 3 weeks we will be going through the book of Mark looking at the evaydayness of life and see how Jesus walked through life. Mark has Jesus moving quickly through life.
The whole city of Capernaum was at the house where Jesus was doing what Jesus does. ''In the morning while it was still dark" Jesus spends time alone with God. He has these spiritual habits in order to be who God wants him to be. Do we have those habits?
Do we think God wants us to run the marathon of life without training? Or does God want us to develop the habit of spending time with Him in preparation for the marathon of Life with Him now?
Give God the space to develop you. Work alongside him. In line with his desire.
Heart (will)
mind knows what we should do
soul knows what God wants. Personality
Body does what it wants. We get angry when we don't get our way. Fasting is a way of getting the body under control.
When you couple fasting with time with God you will change.
Silence is a good habit. Learn to listen to God, wife, friend.
Disciplines (habits) are developed over time (17?)
We will have Spiritual Disciplines messages for the next 3 weeks. Bring a lunch next week so we can discuss this further.

From The Duecks to the Koops


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Sunday, January 09, 2011

One Heart Winnipeg

Celebrating One Lord One Church One Harvest
joining congregations together

Greater things are still to be done in this city

THE MUSIC WAS WAY TOO LOUD. After I stuffed Kleenex in my ears it was OK. They should distribute ear plugs to those who value their hearing. We do that at work. Remind everyone to bring ear plugs next time. That's better than Kleenex. No use talking to the sound man. He is operating the biggest and baddest sound board in Winnipeg and wants every one to know he's got the POWER.

It's hard to sing with ear plugs.
Holy Holy Holy all the saints adore Jesus; casting down their golden crowns. Holy Holy Holy

The puppets sang Praise God Tonight. Isaac was supposed to introduce the puppets.

Alleluia for the Lord God Almighty reigns. (Kara does not like my ear plugs. White is too visible.)
You are Holy Lord God Almighty. Worthy is the Lamb.

Prayer time: 30 more seconds. Pray for Winnipeg and Canada. 12800 people did.

Pastor Bruce Martin introduced Dr Brian Stiller.
Good morning Winnipeg. The Stiller clan came from Sweden and moved to Minnedosa.
What are the issues we face today? No other city has a combined worship service like this.
Every city has issues. Secularism is trying to suppress the church.

Is affection for Jesus Christ corny or weird?
5 barley loaves for 12000. How will that help any one? How do you feed them?

Jesus sees what others miss. Brother Cal Stillar won a prestigious medical award. Sandos pharma was looking for soil samples from around the world. A young scientist discovered what others missed.

You and I are made in the image of God. Everyone is "Made in His image"
What's in your hand. A shepherd's staff? To keep from stumbling. To rescue the fallen.
200 years ago a young MP went to visit John Newton.
To stop the slave trade took him all his life.

You begin with what you have.
Pain is the patagogical (learning) moment of God. What do you have? Give it away to find out what you have.
Seed only comes back when you give it away.
There are 2 kinds of people. Givers and takers. Where are you?
Lillian and Brian have been married 48 years. By being givers. That lifts self- absorption. Increases capacity to give more love.
It is not a zero sum game. When I give I get more.
Wilberforce had the gift oratory.
The homeless man has become a radio announcer. He gave his voice.
Give it away NOW. We had no money when we got married.
Begin with what you have. Give away your sorrows and your failures.
God will transform
Expand your business. Begin with what you have and give it away
An 80 year old grandma started visiting a prisoner. Soon others wanted her to visit them too. She did not know what she had till she gave it away.

Communion led by an Anglican priest. Grace and love like a mighty river flowed from above.

When I survey the wondrous cross on which the prince of glory died. Oh the cross bids me come and die and find that I might truly live.

Jesus wants to give you the gift of eternal life. You will never be able to earn it. It is a GIFT. Pray now; Thank you for being my Saviour. I'm sorry for the wrong things I've done. I now receive your gift. Be my Savior and friend.
We rejoice. You have been born again.

I can hear the thunder in the distance. Lay your burdens down. Revive us with your fire.

Started at 11am ended 12:55

Sunday, January 02, 2011

Nothing But The Blood

They actually sang 2 lines from and old hymn.
Happy New Year!
Could not get up on-time to go to the 10am service at our church so we went to a church with an 11:15 service.
www.RiverWood.cc
1500 people showed up in 4 services for Night Before Christmas.
Next Sunday at MTS Centre
Zacchaeus (Luke 19) was a wee little man....
The story works well for children. Nice story of repentance. That misses the real point.
Jesus was passing through Jericho on his way to Jerusalem. It was a taxation and balsam production city. The tax guy was rich.
They were not popular. They were self-employed contractors who collected whatever they wanted, paid the contracted amount to the Romans and kept the rest. So they got filthy rich and hated.
Z wanted to see this famous man Jesus but did not dare to mix with the crowd. He climbed a tree.
When Jesus got there, he called Z "the righteous one" and invited himself for dinner. The crowd got indignant and complained about Jesus going to spend time with this scrum man. Arrogant and proud people take offence.
Zs life is turned around. Grammar can be tricky? The tense in the original is present. I "give" half I "repay" what I ripped off.

Jesus is about acceptance. Jesus came to Z because he is the outcast. Not to save the country club crowd but the least of them.

Who is the Z in your life? The scapegoat? The rejected in our society. We are called to be acceptors not rejecters. A Dr had to remove a tumour from a young woman's face. In the process he cut a nerve that left her face twisted. Her husband loved her anyway. He accepted her.

The point of the story is that Jesus searched Z and said there is no room for judgement.