What is your next step? Live it out!

47 www.EasTview.org students attend MBCI.

MBCI is putting on The Sound of Music http://mbci.mb.ca/music-arts/ in the near future. Get your tickets now!

Musical Sunday with 50 students in choir, chamber choir, and 50 piece big band! Fabulous blessed music!
Love Everlasting with Grace abounding love overflowing for you and me!

Sing unto the Lord a new song. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

Pastor Del Enns
MBCI is a blessing.
What is next? We just came through the advent season. Now what?

There is sin in our nature. We always want to fix things. Including the sin problem. We think we are morally good. Depression and anxiety are our biggest problem. 11,000,000 Canadians will go see a doctor or shrink this year to try to solve that problem.
There is hope in Jesus. He can solve that problem. He is greater than we are and when he comes in he wants to change you. When grace is extended to you pass it on to someone else. But you can't do that if you have not received the grace of God.

Crete was a pirate island. Paul started a church there. Titus worked there.

Saw Les Miserables recently. The bishop only had a few possessions. ValJean stole the silverware. Take the candlesticks and become an honest man. I redeem your soul for God. He goes to the original scene of crime and accepted the grace of God into his life.

Who am I and why have you brought us this far? John Newton found God after living a life of a slave trader.
The Lord has promised good to me God will be forever mine.

Epiphany. The grace of God appeared.

The Pirates of the Mediterranean became Christians when they were changed by the grace of God.

Deny ungodliness and evil desires. Disown them. Live sensibly with self control.

Are your passions controlling you? Live sensibly! Righteously. Do nothing from empty conceit.

Do you respect and honour others even if they are different?

People can't become good without the love of God. The more you get to know Christ the more you extend forward. Newton influenced Wilberforce to abolish slavery. Newton said just before he died. I am satisfied with the Lord's will.

We are on a mission with purpose. Are you satisfied that you understand your mission for God?

The Dream Concert

WSO music

Audrey Voth Memorial Service

Dave Ens
Paradox a mix of emotions as we remember Audrey. Her faith has become sight. We mourn. She left us too soon. She was loved. We face a mix of emotions.
Songs:
Hosanna in the highest
Break my heart for what breaks yours
Be thou my vision O Lord of my heart
All is well whatever is His way all is well with my soul He is God in control I know I'm in His hands though seasons change we exalt His name
Audrey planned this service. Joy Klassen read the obituary. She was 57 years old.
It was good to walk with Audrey. She said I have had a good life. She grew up in Winkler. Then they moved to Winnipeg.
Audrey married Wes. He died young and she was a widow. Her dad helped her.
They started attending Breaside EMC Church. Ryan was a true gift from God. They spend many weeks camping with friends.
She loved gardening. She loved music. She worked as an accountant for many years.
Her life with Arnold brought her so much joy.
She had great compassion for children with cancer. She had an overwhelming sense of peace. Audrey means Noble strength. She way aptly named.
She wanted everyone to know that God is still in control.
Audrey's brother:
We kept in touch and were so grateful for Audrey's prayers.
Songs:
It is well with my soul
When sorrows like sea billows roll
Rick Hiebert:
She was in our caregroup where we did a study of the fruit of the spirit. See the YouTube Video
There is wonderful joy ahead.
Dave Ens:
Her body was wasting away but her eyes radiated peace and joy.
Where do you place your hope and trust?
We often struggle to rearrange life. Our bodies don't go the way we want them to. Things fail us. There is only one hope that doesn't fade. What God hopes for us in the future doesn't fade.
The people Peter wrote to had lots of problems in this world. Peter's words tell us to have a living hope.
So much of our life fails but God's promises don't. When we walk through fire the flames will not hurt you.
Freedom comes from holding life loosely. Letting God's will to be what it is and trusting him anyway. God comes to be with us. Trust Him. Trust your family to God.
Wait for the Lord. Put your hope in God's love and goodness.
Song:
Steve Dave Sandy
When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound I'll be there when the roll is called up yonder

The Meeting House

Inside out
The inner coco
Tim Day lead pastor
Stress can lead us to do stuff creature desires
Eph 5.21
Relationships
Submit to one another.husbands love your wives as Christ loved the church.
6.1,4 children obey your parents. Servants and masters treat each other with respect
Paul uses the concept of love triangles. You, the other person, and Jesus.
Jesus helps me see clearly. Jesus loves the other person. Route our perspectives through Jesus. Reframe the other person. Jesus' perspective helps us to see the value of the other person.
Love is the foundation for the ground floor of trust. Like respect invest in you. Show you like them. Love you if it changes I'll let you know. Respect. We had an agreement. You have a good point. As opposed to but but but
I want to do something to invest in you. Do it because they are important to you.
Trust is like a switch. Hope is on top. Uncertain
We live in hope. 1Cor.13 faith is another word for trust
Dr Blake Martin and Allison the experts for the series
Every organism wants to survive. The social skills help the group survive. Pass on our genetic material. Have babies. Attachment love involves oxytocin a brain chemical. Designed by God. People don't want to see all of us. We wear masks. And that leads to relationship failures. We put up walls. Bring Jesus in to reframe. The purpose of memory is to predict the future. We reencode memory and change it. Forgiveness changes your hope for the future. What you practice you get good at. Bad memories make it impossible to see the hope for the future. Trauma can be in all sorts of things.

We don't need 100 friends. Trauma can be so thick you need a professional to help create a sliver of trust with those who have wronged you. Affirm those who are willing to share their trauma.
Where is shame holding back my relationship?
What are first steps I can take?

Anyone else going to Toronto?

130113 What Is The Next Step? Become like Him

This is my story and I'm sticking with it! This is my story this is my song: praising my saviour all the day long!

Wonderful Savior wonderful God! Who can compare?

www.EasTview.org
Elton DaSilva:

We just went through the season of Christmas and we know the story. Are we fans of Jesus or followers of Christ?
What does it mean to be more like Christ?
Colossians has 3 languages. Natural. Putting on dressing up with what fits. Do you pretend or perform? That may not be a natural fit.
Christ is all that matters. Barbaric slave or free.
Take on the nature of Christ:
Grow in knowledge.  Pursue. There may be things that do not fit. What not to wear show puts people in front of the 360 mirror. God wants to put you in front of His 360 mirror. The show puts all the old clothes in the garbage. God wants to throw your garbage away. Let Him give you a new wardrobe.
My old man is dead but I carry the coffin with me in case I want to revive him. Let God point you in the right direction. Let your spouse or friends help you.

Imitate Christ. To do that you must face the right direction. Get friends to help you.

Next step: allow Christ to lead you into intimacy with Him.

Cousin Jake L. Dueck memorial celebration

Larry Eidse
Became a Christian when Jake gave his testimony in church. Jake invited Larry to an Easter sunrise service. Jake has been a wonderful friend and influence.

Quartet
Bern Shellenberg: Amazing Grace
There is coming a day with no clouds. What a glorious day that will be when my Jesus I will see. The one who died for me.

3 daughters share
1931 born fatherless
Became a successful farmer who learned to trust God. Wanda Denise Candice
He treasured his sons-in-law. Farming was a good livelihood. The girls learned to do all the farm chores. Without fault he enjoyed working with the girls regardless of what they wrecked.
He lived his live faithful to God. He was generous. When the church burnt down he worked hard to rebuild it. He was on the MDS service for 20 years. He loved to go fishing.
Denise got a bike and she learned to ride it the same day.
Always made friends with neighbouring campers.
Travelled all over the world. Enjoyed Palm Springs for many years.
Taught his daughters to grow up.
Always faithful resourceful family man.
Heaven is a place where joy never stops.

Grandchildren
Grandpa Dueck hugged us hard. We had absolute respect for him. He played Rook well. He loved us.
He took us to the pancake place and drove home on his bike hands-free.

Song. In the sweet by and by we shall meet on that beautiful shore.

Brent Unrauh
We remember with joy and grief. He was patient. He allowed his daughter to move far away. With each son-in-law the games became more raucous in friendship and humour.

Proverbs has so much wisdom. Take care of the farm and then fix the house.

He had strong steadfast loyalty to his community church faith. Golf fit him perfectly. Details rules to be followed carefully.

He gave to the poor through MCC.

TO be with Jesus is far better by far. He is there now. John 14 Jesus said trust.

Jake is now getting to know his father for the first time.

I feel God's pleasure when I run. Jake felt God's pleasure in farming.

Song. Blessed Assurance Jesus is mine.

Fellowship lunch.

What's your next step? Know who you are!

Open the eyes of my heart Lord I want to see you high and lifted up holy holy holy

He is calling us all by name
The same God that was crucified is calling us to the cross

Look inside the mystery see the empty cross glorious He stands above the rulers of the earth my eyes have seen the glory of the Lord

Pray for our friends Audrey & Arnold Voth. Audrey is in palliative care at http://www.concordiahospital.mb.ca/ Hospital.

Pastor Del Enns
Son Mark is getting married. The other 2 children are married and our daughter gave us a grandchild. What did I do to deserve this?
Will God be nice to me because I'm nice? Do I score brownie points for going to church?

God's grace is there for all of us.
I'm a recovered task master. We often fail to accept that the journey to grace has a starting point. Sin is an attitude that says it is my life and I will do whatever feels good. We think we are good people. Paul said no one is righteous not even one. No one can ever be made right by following the law. Go see Les Miserables. It's a good movie of grace. Go watch it!
Greek mythology says do something good and the Gods will reward you.
Cleaned the closet. The old suit was full of dust. Sometimes we need to reexamine our lives. Get out of autopilot in our Christian lives and draw closer to God. We tend to shrink the gospel. We need to have a growing awareness of God and a growing awareness of my sinfulness.

We think we need to track our performance and then we pretend that all is good. Self righteousness creeps in. Idols of life creep in: control success security etc

Gospel centered life book.

We were made right with God through faith in Christ and made us righteous through what Jesus did

Real growth happens when the grace of Christ gets bigger and bigger. God is sovereign over all.

We all desire fullness and get side tracked by fleshly lusts. To the degree that Christ fills me I am free. Spend more time with Him.

And remember
Zephaniah 3:17 NLT

For the LORD your God is living among you.
He is a mighty savior.
He will take delight in you with gladness.
With his love, he will calm all your fears.
He will rejoice over you with joyful songs."

Go to www.EasTview.org to watch this excellent message on-line

Sid Reimer's Funeral

Senator Don Plett usher

Dr Harvey Plett "We grieve but not without hope. We'll see him again"

Ps116 precious is the death of God's saints
When Sid's dad died Sid came into the room and dad said Jesus help me. He was a good garage keeper as a boy and became a successful auto dealer. Landmark Motors was an honest dealership.
Sid was a faithful church member and served on many committees. I was on the EMC Golf committee with him for many years.

Death will pass away.

Darrel and Denise and family sang: Some bright morning I'll fly away oh glory hallelujah. Applause.

Obituary
Born in Steinbach.  Blissfully Married 52 years to Corinne. Long list of children and grandchildren. Enjoyed Maui. Miss him so much already.

Granddaughters tribute: so wonderful to spend 3 weeks and watch the blissful marriage. Lots of tears. He will be forever my squishy grandpa. He was smiling Sid and a perfect grandpa. Worked at the garage with him and got free drinks and candy. Learned to drive on grandpa's mower. Went to restaurant Montana's for my 16 th birthday. We will miss you sincerely. We will see you face to face. In this life I will stand. Song by Hillsong
Grandpa's steaks were legendary. He was ever so welcoming. What a great guy! Everybody loved grandpa. He smiled through all his troubles.

Son: Where is Sid? Mostly in church. At the golf course. Steaks to grill. Where is Sid? At Landmark Motors. Around the world with with Corinne. Hockey. Where is Sid? Passing on his faith. Keihei Maui enjoying the sand. Grilling steaks. White wine in one hand, flipping steaks with the other.

Pastor Mike Plett (spitting image of Harvey):
Sid was always faithful to Corinne. A staunch supporter of the church and me. Sid often said I'm saved by grace and grace alone. We preach our funeral by how we live.
We need true comfort and authority. 2Cor 4. We are perplexed but not destroyed. The one who raised up Jesus will raise us up. We buy products with lifetime warranties. Humans crack and chip. We wear out. We are containers that are intended to be be serving others. Smiling Sid brought sunshine wherever he went.
We will all die sooner or later. He expected to be through the cancer by the end of the year. The treatments went as expected but his shelf life was up. He went to heaven.
We are like the jars of the dead sea scrolls. The jars were  worthless but the scrolls were priceless.
Jesus called death sleep. He is life. Sleep is wonderful. When we go to sleep in Jesus we wake up to a glorious sinfree life. Reunion with loved ones. If you have accepted him as Lord you'll see him again. You will see Jesus face to face and party with him.
We have a choice. Sid chose to believe in Jesus and that gave him meaning and purpose in life. He is now enjoying God's presence forever. To accept Jesus's offer is an act of your will.

Song: Because He Lives
I can face tomorrow
Death gives way to victory

Harvey: come and fellowship. Share
Victor Engbrecht solo:
The marketplace is empty work on earth is all suspended as the king comes through the gate
I can hear the chariots rumble regal robes are now unfolding the choir is in place the King is coming praise God he's coming for me. Praise God.
Tears. Applause.

What are we waiting for?

www.EasTview.org
Never doubt in the dark what God has told you in the light.
Hold unto the truth revealed to you. Hang on. Don't become a spiritual whiner. Jesus invites you into a covenant relationship.
Luke 6:20 the poor get blessed. Those who walk in rags will be blessed.
There are conditional covenants. The Lord of all has a unilateral unconditional everlasting covenant of love and forgiveness that you can accept or reject. Jeremiah
People let you down. We disappoint each other.
Paul had promised to visit twice. 2Cor 1:15-16 He couldn't keep his promise. Say yes mean no?
V18 God's Word does not waiver between yes and no. What he says he'll do.
Integrity. I can do everything through Christ who strengthens me.
Do you send desperate smoke signals to God? Are you open and honest with Him?
You say
Impossible
God says all things are possible
There are many such problems that God has a positive answer for.
Deut 29 covenant. God will establish you. In a place best suited for you.
2 million people wandered aimlessly for 40 years. 30 train car loads of manna provided by God daily.
Never try to explain God if you can't trust him in obedience. Quiet time.
Lies vs truth
Tired.. I will give you rest
Nobody loves me... God does
Can't go on... God's grace is sufficient
Communion

Yearbook

The deal is signed

The $100,000 tree!

Christmas in the Graveyard

Very very cold! And lonely!

Casting Call Christmas Eve

Justin had to work late closing the store. Hope he makes it out. He came in an hour late. But he came! I'm looking forward to our traditional cheese fondue tonight!

It came upon a midnight clear! Wonderful to sing together!

Casting Call
Who wants to act in this live nativity scene?
You want to audition? Can you play the angel? Joseph?

You want to be Mary? Nothing is impossible to God. Just look at Jesus.

Too much cheap acting and not enough worship. Alayna walked out.

King without a king's life and yet he is the king of kings. God with us.

A strange way to save the world. Song.

Let's find a different Christmas Eve service next year. Anyone know of a good one?

Pastor Delbert: God chose ordinary people. 2012 is a reference to the birth of Jesus. St James brother of Jesus. St Paul built the church. We have so many references to Jesus.

Jesus never wrote a book. He was not from an important family. Yet he changed the world. We can't imagine a world without Jesus. Everything hinges on Jesus's birth. Everything that happens in this world is recorded in reference to Jesus's birthday.

Jesus spoke the most powerful words anyone has ever spoken: I am the truth. No one comes to the Father excerpt through me! Do you know Him personally? You can know him tonight. If you know him your heart is celebrating this day in the year of our Lord.

Reimer Family Christmas today

Camp Arnes is a good place to relax. My phone is out of range. This weekend is grandma's gift to the family. Not all the family could make it.

What are we waiting for? NEW?

www.EasTview.org
Christmas eve services: Casting Call
Tonight at 6:30
Tomorrow 5:00 & 6:30 p.m.
Don't miss it!

Audition for the Wiseman

Dave Ens Pastor
The story is so familiar and often we miss the essence of the story.

The Wiseman traveled from afar and they have some royal connections. They are overjoyed when they find the baby. Gold frankincense myrrh. What is that?
Anna the prophetess and Simeon have a different reaction.
The magi leave quietly. They saw something else. Gold fit for a king. Incense to worship God. Myrrh for his death and burial.
The baby in a manger. Nice food trough. That's the picture we give away. We don't give bloody Easter cards to our friends. Why not?
There is a new way of living now. Jesus came to make things new.
Magi might have seen death on Jesus's face. Is that why they left? For something new to happen, something has to die. There has to be space created for the new light and life. We can't look at the manger and not see the cross.

Isa 9,6 a child has been born. Zeal will change the world. Passion. Happens all over. Anger and jealousy are part of the zeal of the season.
God's zeal comes in a way we don't expect. Rom 5,6 God proves his love. While we were still sinners Christ died for us. The passion of God. The zeal of God.
Christmas starts small. A baby in a small town, shepherds with small influence. God will make all things new.

We recognise the true story when we remember Christ's death.

The birth of Jesus sets hope and joy into motion. The cross makes it real. Rev  21,3 all things new. No more mourning no more tears. No more pain in Newtown CT.
God is in the midst of our suffering.

In us there are things that need to die. So newness can come in.

Herrod sees the baby as a threat. So he in desperation starts to get rid of all perceived threats. He killed all young children and his sons and wife to maintain his status. He found no peace.

We try to change our circumstances but find nothing has changed. God wants to bring newness into our lives. That's what this season is all about.

Do the hard work and allow the baby to look into your heart and let him change you. Put to death what needs to die.

A hotel with a plug-in!!!

Makes a happy customer!
Holiday inn on Bloor St Toronto

Choir Program

Wonderful program. I feel sorry for you if you missed it. Lots of good old fashioned Christmas carols and songs well presented under the humble leadership of Lisa Hamm.

What are we waiting for? A Present Hope

Emmanuel Messiah
www.Eastview.org

Come at 7 pm for the choir Christmas program
Christmas eve Services: Dec 23 6.30p.m. Dec 24 5.30 & 7.00 p.m.

In the beginning was the word and the word was God. He came to bring light. He lived among us.

There is a beautiful simplicity to the Christmas story. The word took up residence in a messy neighborhood. John does not worry about the details. John says there is no darkness that God's light can't overcome.
There is hope for today and for the future. Is the message really true? The Baptist asked Jesus.
Go and tell John what you see and hear. The present hope is still changing things today? Do you know that hope? Navigating our world distracts us. Jesus gave us himself. We make it complicated. God with us is uncomplicated.

Proposition: ask yourself, what is the gauge to judge that this season will be good. Restore that which is broken. What would that look like? What are you going to do?

God has been with us and will continue to be with us.

What are we waiting for? Birth and Rebirth

2000 years ago God sent his son to show us his love.
Www.Eastview.org

Dave Ens:
This is the first Sunday of advent. Advent season started 1400 years ago. Christians recognized that the story was so important they had to prepare for it.

The Christmas season changes the world. Jesus is the reason for the season.

Matth 1:1 the Christmas story starts with a list of names. Matthew was deliberate about writing this genealogy. We tend to tell our stories but leave out some of our less reliable relatives.
There are significant things in this list. Tamar is in the list. She seduced her father in law. She and her son are in Jesus' genealogy.

The trajectory God uses to tell us that these people were entirely inadequate to be in the blood line of Jesus is very deliberate.
The story is full of people who shouldn't be there. They are an embarrassment. But the good news of the gospel is for the worst of us.
Jesus offers a receptive redefinition of who you are. You can get out of your past.

These people needed forgiveness. Jesus redefined them. They are in the company of Jesus.

Jesus didn't come so we could pretend we're ok. There is an invitation to cleanup things in our lives. Jesus wants to give us a new name. And a new life.

Take this opportunity to say to Jesus: happy are those whose sins are forgiven. I acknowledge my sins. God forgave.