The church for people who aren't into church

Www.themeetinghouse.org
Vince lead pastor

Wide awake.  Week 2
Our being wants relationships. There are seasons of dryness.

Vaporub was mommy's quick fix for colds. And rectal temperature.  That prevented us from pretending we were sick. We didn't know there were other options for dealing with colds.

Used to try to have 1/2 our devotions.  That was not working for me.

Went on a canoeing trip. Went out swimming in the buff and got caught by a family of canoers.
That was a time of worship and feeling close to God.

Galatians 4.13 For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don't use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. 14 For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: "Love your neighbor as yourself."5:14 Lev 19:18. 15 But if you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another.

As we walk with the spirit there is freedom to choose to walk in the spirit.

Fruit of the spirit is love joyfulness peace...
A life in Jesus is spiritual fruit.
Are you missing something?  Gary Thomas lists 9 types of people by temperament. Naturalists.  Traditionalists.  Ascetics. Activists. Caregivers.  Enthusiasts. Contemplatives. Intellectuals. Lifestyle learning.  Sensates. Taste touch smell sight. Rembrandt's Prodigal son painting.

Online tool. Read the book.  Or do the test. http://common.northpoint.org/sacredpathway.html
Read summary of the book http://www.garythomas.com/books/sacred-pathways/

Wake up all believers.

Religion Poisons Everything?

Politics Poisons Everything?
Business Poisons Everything? MONEY Poisons Everything?

"The dividing line between good and evil runs right through the human heart." Solzhenitsyn

Life after God.  Coupland. I need God.  I need him to help me.

Everything Poisons Everything?

Without God nothing makes sense.  Jesus was anti religion.

5 simple things. 
1. Humans designed for relationships. Not rules regulation doctrine
2. Humans have incredible value made in the image of God. Not random atoms.
3. There are real choices to be made that makes a real difference. Not better by ethics
4. There is such a thing as real love.  Jesus came to save
5. There is a big story. We can't just think that everyone can invent their own way.
It all centers on Jesus.
God is generous and there is room for everyone in God's house.

Q&A
Why are Christians so self righteous? They shouldn't be because the Bible says we are all filthy.

God relates to us personally.  There are fundamental major differences between Christianity and other religions. Islam teaches the opposite to the Bible. Love is not part of Islam. Very different. To say all religions are the same makes you very self righteous and arrogant.  All these people that believe what they believe don't agree with you.
We need help.

Mike - what happens to Christian soldiers that just killed someone and then got killed.
Just wars theory.  Sometimes wars are inevitable. Sometimes killing is not murder.

Christ is the only One that can give deep soul satisfaction.  Too often in our age of consumption we keep being hungry because we chase the wrong things.

If you join Christ he promises you'll have trouble but the rewards are well worth it.

In Islam persecution of Christians is real.  We tend to water it down.

Tamara worked with atheists soldiers.  Be good for goodness sake. We need to watch that the secular humanists and atheists don't steal biblical values.

Dr Leff, atheist philosopher says we are all the same. Why can't I decide to poison everything.  Good does not exist without a higher powers.

Do we have better thinking now than 3000 years ago? We are so specialized that we don't connect the dots.

Freedom from or freedom to achieve our purpose.

Craig Evans. Acadia. Good scholar. Paul and James wrote occasional letters. He died for his faith.  James dealt with the Jewish Christians. Paul with the the Greeks. So their letters are different.  Check the book of Acts. They agreed.

Attitudes sometimes masquerade as ideas.

Sort your ideas into show stoppers and rattlers. If you want to be an atheist what are the problems. Physics converts people into theists.
Pakistani pastor was tortured. Christians in the west are afraid of being laughed at.  We need a revival of confidence.

Reasons for suffering. Job was not rewarded. Naomi was not rewarded.

Intellectual lens can deal with it.  Christ deals with it. He comes too late.  Jesus wept. He was angry at death.

When we look to Jesus it's unique,  rare, to see a God of love.  Because of that we can trust him. Job did not talk about God he spoke to God. Our God is not silent. He went to the cross.

The God of the Bible wants to be understood. That's why we need good translations.

Hidden in Christ. Life

Luke 15 Tim Keller writes about it in the book "The Prodigal God"
Both sons wanted the father's stuff. The older son needed to repent of his goodness.

Colossians 2.20 why do I so often live the old life?

Why do we need markers to show we are so nice?
Why do we think our house has to look like we don't live here? Why do we have to clean up before we can have visitors?

Part of living with Jesus is to repent of our righteousness. Develop a Habit of joyfulness thankfulness. confess the deep dark secret.

Colossians 1-4 are the best verses in the Bible.  You have been raised to a new life.  A gift given to all those who embrace it. Life eternal. God breathed life into us

It's a new beginning.  Cake for your born again date.  We could have cake in church every Sunday. do you recognise that you are new?  Seek things that are from above.  Reorientation of life.

Repentance is a 180º turn.  Not just sorry. Set your mind on things above.

We live in a world that shapes us. Do you create space for God on your life? To dialogue about God with others?  Care group?

Your story is what has shaped you to who you are. Somewhere you had an encounter with God and your life is changed.  The past is redeemed by Grace. Your life is now defined by the grace of God! Your life is a gift.  Live to show it!

Hidden in Christ. Victorious

Dave Ens
Col 2
Live your life abounding in thankfulness. What are you thankful for?

In Christ. 2 short words that make a giant difference.
It's about losing myself in Christ.
Dating is: I like being with you. Marriage is I'm giving myself to you. I'm doing what you want me to do. Being in Christ is I'm relinquishing my rights.

Is Christ at the centre of your life? Colossians were under pressure to conform to the religious demands of the Jewish leaders.

Discontent is a big deal in our society. We "must have" all the stuff.

Jesus asks us about the simplicity of following him.

Jesus triumphed over everything.  He has won the victory.  He defeated the enemies on the cross.

The evil powers thought they had the victory when they hung Christ on the cross. But he rose from the grave.

Col 2 you were raised with Christ.  He erased the record against us.

Greed envy lust are not the real thing.  Christ is the REAL one.
Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face.

Hidden in Christ. Jesus

Dave Ens www.EasTview.org
Mark 10 a man RUNS to Jesus asking what do I have to do to grab unto the good life.

Jesus asked him a question back. Have you done everything right? Yep! I'm a good guy.

Sell everything? The issue is not money. One thing is important. Follow me. Jesus said. It's that simple.

We talk about stuff. It all boils down to FOLLOW JESUS. Leading people to Christ and on to maturity in him is ONE process.

We will use the book of Colossians as our guide in the next number of weeks as we unwrap what it means to follow Jesus.

Paul starts the book with a beautiful prayer.

We always pray for you, and we give thanks to God, the Father of our
4 Lord Jesus Christ. For we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all of God's people,
5 which come from your confident hope of what God has reserved for you in heaven. You have had this expectation ever since you first heard the truth of the Good News.

9 So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.

We don't live the fullness of what God has done.

May you be made strong. Rescued forgiven made free by what God has done through Christ.

Colossians 1:15
The song the church sang right after Christ's resurrection. Jesus is the image of God. The fullness of God. By making peace through the blood.

Christ Is Supreme

Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,
for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can't see—such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him.

He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.

Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So he is first in everything.
For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ,
and through him God reconciled everything to himself. He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ's blood on the cross.

To get to know God get to know Jesus.

The one who created you is the one who saves you. He does not leave us alone.

Colossians is a chewy book. Lots to digest.

You are invited to follow Jesus

Rejoicing in God’s Justice

Rejoicing in God's Justice Delbert Enns   Luke 1:26-38 www.EasTview.org

This is a hectic stressful time. Loneliness, losses, mourning, grief, bankruptcies, all happen this time of year.

What is justice? If it works for me that's justice?

Is this season worth celebrating?

Truly God is good. Psalm 73:1-5 In the midst of trouble, God is good. If you feel things are disconnected remember Mary had her issues. Nothing good can come from Nazareth. I'm not from Jerusalem. Joseph, what a wonderful man! He stuck with me. I was proud to be at his side. When Jesus came all I had was a feeding trough. I admired him, my redeemer who would change everything.

Joseph could have had Mary killed.

You might be feeling you were born on the wrong side of the river. Things may be all wrong. Maybe nothing makes sense in your life.

Something happened that changed everything. Luke 1:26- The Annunciation. You will have a son whose kingdom will never end. The son of God. Nothing is impossible with God. I am the Lord's servant. Did Mary know what would happen?

We think the advent is for me. It's not about me and my pity party. It's about others. Mary's life was rearranged. She understood that this child was not here to be selfish. To walk humbly.

Joseph. He was also transformed. Your mess up is not just your own. Others are also involved. It affects others.

God's justice is for everyone. Not just for me. Joseph was willing to walk with Mary even though she was pregnant with someone else's child.

The shepherds got messed up. Herrod's life was messed up. The Jews were looking for a political redeemer messiah.

Mary was mentally confused deeply upset when the angel gave her that message. I'm a virgin she said. Why me?

Hush hush does not work. Call to God. Yell at him. He is not offended. He will hear your cry.

The Holy Spirit will overshadow you and give you peace in the quietness.

When you are in a traffic jamb pray for the others on the road. God is trying to talk to you. God has a rescue plan for them too.

Jesus took on the form of a servant. Mary said I'm your servant. This is the King of Kings.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9HodA8jUCk

Hug someone now. You need at least 3 hugs to know you are loved.

What hope we hold. Song.
Praise his name Emmanuel!

Wonder at God

Welcome to Eastview!  We're glad you're here! At Eastview, we are committed to "Leading people to Christ and on to maturity in Him."  Worship Services: 9:15 & 11:15am
Messages are recorded and video is available online: www.eastview.org/sermons
Today: Advent @ Your Door Steps   Wonder at God Delbert Enns   Luke 2:8-21
Third Sunday of Advent   
Next Week: Advent @ Your Door Steps   Rejoicing in God's Justice Delbert Enns   Luke 1:26-38 Fourth Sunday of Advent       

Eastview Christmas Eve Service Times   Monday, Dec 23, 6:30pm            Tuesday, Dec 24, 5:00pm & 6:30pm 

Songs this Morning: Joy To The World    Frederic Handel For All You've Done Reuben Morgan Come Thou Fount Robert Robinson Offering  Paul Baloche Music Team: Adam Bergman, Heidi Boon, Jesse Hamm

Bulletin
http://www.eastview.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/bulletin-Dec-15.pdf

How many Charlie Browns do we have? What is Christmas all about? How many Linuses do we have?

Where is the wonder of the season? We go through the rigamarole of Christmas and feel miserable.

How did Joseph feel? His girlfriend was pregnant with someone else's child. How did Mary feel? Subject to stoning.

Luke 2. How did the shepherds feel? Good news for all! These shepherds were chosen to be the first ones to hear the good news.
Shepherds had a noble calling. King David was a shepherd. By the time of Jesus's birth they were despised and considered ceremonially unclean.
They got fantastic good news. They were outside.
Jesus said: healthy people don't need a doctor. Sick people do.

If you want to understand 1 Cor 1 says few of you were wise when God called you. God calls the marginalized.

Claudia, a healer preacher, wanted to preach to the assembled 4,500 when Delbert heard that there were 2,500 people wanting to come in. They let them in and a small boy was in that group and he was worshipping God.

The shepherds did the ordinary things of life when God showed up. Jesus does that.

Jesus asked Peter and his team to go fishing after they had wasted all night and caught nothing. Peter said if you say so I'll do it! When they were overloaded with fish, Peter fell at Jesus' feet and worshipped him!

The Christmas story changes people's lives. Mega joy comes to those who are touched by God. Don't believe Satan's lies.

The great news comes to the community. God chose me!

Peter got a new assignment. Become fishers of mankind!

Have you shared the message of the messiah to those who don't know Him? Invite them to come to Jesus.

Invite people to the Christmas eve service.

This Table - written 20 years ago

Broken. 

Cut from side to side. 

Life is like that

sometimes. 

Through a series of foolish errors we are broken. 

Or

we break others. 

That hurts. 

We

learn.  We remember.  We heal in time.

This coffee table is in the centre of our living room.  We see it every day.  We use it every day.  We put things on it.  It carries our loads.  But its glass top is broken.  Four pieces of glass where there was one.  Held together with glass mending glue.  Three lines run through it.  Reminding us.

Renee, this glass broke when you sat on the cutting board that should never have been left on this table.  No one picked it up and put it away. 

You know you should not sit on the coffee table. 

We know that cutting boards do not belong on coffee tables.  We know that people should not sit on cutting boards. 

But you did. 

The pressure point of the cutting board edge on the glass broke the glass tabletop. 

You learned a lesson. 

You were sorry.  You cried.  But the glass was broken.

Your daddy saw what you did.  He forgave you and mended the glass with mending glue.  But the lines remain.  Reminding us of our lives. 

Your mom and dad experienced much pain and brokeness when one by one your brothers Kris and Jason went to be with the Lord.  God has healed us but the scars remain. 

Sometimes they still ache.  You will experience pain in your life.  Let this table remind you that God heals.

He heals when others hurt you deliberately or accidentally.  He heals when you hurt yourself.  Be careful where or who you sit with in life.

 

This table reminds us of God.  Three lines run through it from side to side.  They remind us of the trinity of God.  God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. 

Running through our lives and mending us. 

Like the almost invisible table top glass holds the coffee cups, God holds us.  He needs to be in the center of our social lives. 

As we share the coffee and donuts, we need to keep God in the center of the Living Rooms of our lives.

This table reminds us of our family.  Four pieces of glass held together by love.  Four children, Justin, Renee, Alayna, and Karalee. 

Fragile. 

Transparently honest. 

Innocent.  Clean. 

 

Life is fragile. 

Be careful not to get broken. 

Broken by the allures of sin or the slights of others. 

Make sure you read wholesome books and keep wholesome friends.  They mold your lives.

 

Be transparently honest with God.  Keep asking Him to cleanse you. 

Read His Word

 and

commune with Him daily.  Stay tuned in to Him so He can guide you

around and

over the thunderstorms of life.

 

Clean.  That's what we all want.  But life will throw dirt on you. 

You will stumble and get dirt all over you. 

Let God clean you

every day, moment by moment. 

If you let the dirt and the splatters of sin harden in your heart, then it may take a razor to scrape it off. 

That could hurt. 

Keep the glass clean. 

 

Always Remember. 

God loves you.

Your mom and dad love you. 

We will guide you to the

best of our ability. 

We

care about

you.

Advent: Wisemen seeking God

www.EasTview.org
Song: You are calling us all by name.
You choose the humble and raise them high
You choose the weak and make them strong  
You heal our brokenness inside 
And give us life
The same love that set the captives free
The same love that opened eyes to seeIs calling us all by name
You are calling us all by name
The same God that spread the heavens wide
The same God that was crucified Is calling us all by name 
You are calling us all by name
It's a really nice song; why sing it over ad nauseam?

Oh come all you faithful
O come let us adore him

Fabulous choir music. We anticipate the Christmas eve choir programs Dec23 6:30, & Dec 24 5:00 & 6:30. Worth putting on your calendar!

A new king was born. 400 years of silence broken by the cries of the son of God.

Dave Ens

"Earth's crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God; But only he who sees, takes off his shoes – The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries."– Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Interconnectedness. God is present in all our times.

People are seekers. The Wiseman were seekers.
They had expectation - 2 years the Wiseman followed the special star. (Maybe it was 2 months?)

Am I keeping up with Jesus? God is working. Are you watching for it? The Wiseman stopped to see Herod. (Was that wise?)

When they finally found Jesus they had a God moment. Finally they found the promised messiah! They were overcome with joy!

Jesus is difficult to see because we have so many preconceptions. We think he is with our team.

We presume to speak for God in spite of the fact we are not good at seeking God's will.

There is something bigger than we are. The seekers in the Bible were often outsiders. The Greeks came to see Jesus. Jesus said come follow me.

Seeking to see stuff is not truly coming to see Him.

Leave things behind to really find Jesus!

Advent Waiting for God

Steve says, Easter is what Christmas is all about so let's sing Easter songs today. Jesus Messiah Lord of All!
Humbly to the earth you came. Born into this world to save. Your name is a strong and mighty tower. Nothing has the power to save but your name.

Elton Da Silva
Jesus's parents brought Jesus to the temple. 2 devoted people recognized him as the Messiah. Simeon and Anna had been waiting for the deliverer for a long time. They recognized God had come!

Do we recognize God in our lives? Are we ready to meet God? Do we recognize God at work at Tim Horton's?  I felt down that day, and when I opened the door, someone opened it and said I know who you are. God told me to come here to encourage you! Never met the man before but God worked something miraculous.

A four year old prayed for the man who is very sick. Who? The man who sold us the car. The next day mom went to encourage him.

God is doing amazing things. Are we missing Him because we have lost our passion? We don't expect him. Do we come just because or are we expecting God in church?

Are we hugging God with excitement like people at the airport?

Consolation Redemption are the 2 words of the text. Jesus brings healing comfort restoration.

God wants your life to be an exciting revelation. The glory of the King is about beauty.

Surrender. The story starts with the old law. There is a junction of the old and the new. The 2 old people are surrendering. Their lives are over. The new has come.

When guests come we surrender a room. It's yours for a season.

We need to surrender and say to Jesus this life of mine is now your temple.

Good Grief: What's Healthy; What's unhealthy

www.RussellCounselling.com www.DrDonRussell.com
There are all kinds of losses where there is no funeral. You get kicked out of the family business but there is no funeral for that.
Our world has been turned upside down.
Could be loss of a job or not getting the job you want.

Grief is a process of:
Orientation 》 Disorientation 》 Reorientation
Grief is fatiguing because it takes up a lot of emotional and mental space inside as we attempt to find a new normal after the old one has been lost. It is only as we digest emotional happenings.
Sometimes there's more than just grief. It can be traumatic. Consider the 2 layers. Trauma adds anxiety, avoidance, nightmares, flashbacks, intrusive thoughts, fatigue, brain freeze, nausea, guilt, should haves, the feeling of I'll never get better......

Unhealthy grieving includes:
Denying or suppressing the cocktail of feeling
Doing a spiritual bypass jumping to God knows. You can't take a spiritual bypass. God gave you the ability to feel
Becoming anxious or depressed for more than a year
Engaging in numbing self medication
Staying stuck in one of the stages of grief, denial, anger, bargaining, depression
Avoiding places or people that remind us of the loss

Take care of yourself. Stress of loss will deplete your energy and emotions.

Face your feelings. In order to heal acknowledge and express the pain or you'll kill yourselves. Not everyone is weepy. That's OK. Talk with people you feel safe with. TALK.

Express your feelings. Write a loss journal. Write a letter to the one who passed. Read it at the grave. Make a scrapbook or photo album. Get involved in a cause.

Don't let anyone tell you how you feel or should feel. Your grief is your own. Let yourself feel whatever you feel. Let yourself grieve without embarrassment or judgement.

Plan ahead for grief triggers: Anniversaries, birthdays, holidays, .. Be prepared for an emotional wallop and know it's normal. Give yourself permission to me cranky. Agree on strategies to honor the person you loved.

I so want to say something to take your pain away but Mr Fixit in me just can't. I must learn that the most important thing is to sit and listen.

Does the church help people who grieve? I would love to be out of business but I'm not.

We know Jesus is the answer but sometimes we are too superficial. The deep corners of the soul don't get touched.

An accepting congregation is a beautiful thing. People need to be open to each other's junk.

Getting angry at God is part of grief. God does not need defending. God can take it. It doesn't make you a bad person. Just read the Psalms. Your feelings need expression. I get it. That's a strong feeling.

We are fearfully and wonderfully made. God knows us in the deepest places.

How do you help children grieve? Language appropriate. Diluted to their level. Prayer is not a slam dunk. You may not eat dessert before you eat your vegetables.

What's mental health got to do with the church?

Mennville EMC north of Riverton.

Scripture reading by Roger Friesen:
Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.

DrDonRussell.com
Privileged to be here this morning. Beautiful drive this morning from Landmark.

Deals with people issues. Jesus has understanding about mental health.
Bullying and postpartum depression news is all around us.

1 of 5 people will have serious mental issues. All of us are touched by mental issues. Costs $51,000,000,000 in Canada.

Jesus speaks to us.  Romans 8:22 Creation is groaning. Great crowds came to Jesus with all kinds of issues.

In the beginning no one had mental issues.

In the end Jesus will make everything right again.

We make sense of it because we live in a fallen broken world.

Don't just sit and wait. Do something. Don't say the dreadful phrase: it is what it is.

We treat mental issues like they used to treat leprosy. Jesus has something to say about it. Leave something for the poor. Be extra gracious to the disadvantaged in society. We need to draw the 'thems' into our circle of friends. That includes the gay. If Jesus came to Steinbach would he shoot hoops with the cool jocks, or would he find the bullied? What did he say to the prostitute in John 8? What was Jesus writing when the self righteous wanted to stone her?

When clients talk about depression, I say I get that.

Shame bad is bad. Adam and Eve were not ashamed to be naked. The fall created shame. But now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. Rom 8

There are bad simplistic answers that hurt
1. Mental illness is demonic.
2. Psychobable
3. Medical problem.

We are fearfully made. Spirit. Body. Mind. Mental illness impacts all 3 areas of the person.

Exercise improves the body and mind.
Talk about it. Open the conversation. Love and acceptance goes a long way. It makes it far more manageable. Know where to find resources. Be the bridge.

So can I help myself?
Reach out. Ask for help.
Practice mental hygiene. Anchor yourself in biblical truth.
Practice spiritual disciplines. Read Ephesians. Practice gratitude. That is mood altering. Just as good as any drug.
Dialog with God. Talk to him about your crankiness.
The Lord is near. With thankfulness present your requests to God. Focus on the good.

Started an anger management group some years ago. One person dropped out. Then he came back after spending time in psych ward. They used to call them asylums. A safe place to rest. Not doing anything. Just resting.

Make the church an asylum. A place to rest.

The Marvel of Earth's Canopies

The Marvel of Earth's Canopies
by Professor C. Theo Schwarze
A fascinating book on the harmony of science and the Bible
This book is out of print
Click on the image to read it on line

Choices are OPTIONAL. Consequences are NOT.

Malachi 3
There was a small group who feared the Lord. God wrote their names in a Book of Remembrance. The Book of Life.
V17. They will be my people. My own special treasure my jewel. Recorded by name.
Do you know that you are the special treasure of God? If not, get right with God today!

Baptism and new member's Sunday:
Val has 7 grandkids. Wants to be baptized. Attended an Anglican church. Married 40 years. Lived in Flin Flon and Selkirk. Went to Roman Catholic church. Sherry was baptized at EasTview. Husband was diagnosed with cancer 20 years ago. Ted was doing well. They had an accident. Then she had cancer. Tough times brought me closer to God. God loves me and he has a perfect plan. The struggle is to learn to trust God.

Kelly was raised in a Christian home. Never got baptised. Got married very young. Moved to northern Manitoba. Forgot to attend church thinking she had spirituality. Mom got sick and wanted to go home to heaven. After 6 months she got better. Started to attend EasTview 6 months ago.

Scott grew up in Selkirk in a Lutheran church. Worked 6 days a week before having children. Had a tough time getting pregnant. Thought they lost that 1st child. Carter was born. 3 years later our second son was born.

Greg born in Winnipeg. Baptized as a baby in a united church.

Kelly always considered herself a Christian. United church. Then EKMB. Now wants to be join EasTview. Attended NK Alliance and got baptized there.

Cindy married 21 years with 2 children. Accepted Jesus at camp and war baptized there. Jesus is my rock and salvation. EasTview is now our spiritual home.

Choir
A Mighty Fortress is our God. A really good musical arrangement.
Praise the name of Jesus.
He's My Rock in Him will I trust.
His kingdom is forevermore

The baptismal water is too cold. Val God has never left you. I baptize you in the name of the Father Son and Holy Spirit.

Today is the right day to be baptized. This is the day that the Lord has made.
Do you confess that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior?

Congregational songs.
He became sin who knew no sin.
Love so amazing Jesus Messiah Lord of all. All our hope is in you.
Jesus Messiah name above all names Blessed Redeemer
In Christ Alone my hope is found
O precious is the flow that makes me white as snow. Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Choir
Be still and listen to God

Pastor Delbert. You are God's special treasure. Pray to be included in God's special chosen ones. Meditate on God's Word day and night. Be planted firmly so you can celebrate for all eternity.

Let's read the covenant together.

Song. You choose the humble. The same love that set the captives free is calling us all by name.

Blessed are the merciful

http://www.knoxtoronto.org/
5pm worship gathering
Ken Mitchell music
Paul Johansen Pastoral Care
Let us honor those gave so much and remember the One who gave his all.
Song. Your grace is enough.
Lord have mercy on us.
Gospel Encouragement. Passing the Peace
Hosanna Praise is rising
Kids Church. This is multi generational church.

God be with you.... and also with you!

Www.AdventConspiracy.org to make Christmas more meaningful. Worship fully. Spend less. Give more. Love all.
The average Canadian spends $1200 each Christmas much of it on gifts no one needs.

Pastor Paul
Merci bouquet!
Mercy me
Lord have mercy on me a sinner.
Bob Dillon when his career was flagging produced a CD entitled O Mercy. Everything is broken is a title that talks about the brokenness of the world.
Mercy is hard to define. Strong emphasis to enter into the brokenness of others. Tenderness meekness kindness
Willingness to forgive. Let others off the hook.
Psalm 28. Hear my cry for mercy.
Daniel prayed for mercy.

Micah. This is what God is asking you to do.
Act justly, love mercy, walk humbly with God.

Blessed are the merciful they will be shown mercy. He saved us because of His mercy.
Les Miserables the book. 83 year old mom just read it. She was moved. Quite a story she said.
Only the grace of God can change us from the inside out.
Lord have mercy for those in the path of the typhoon.
Lord treat us in a way we don't deserve.
For Mayer Ford, Lord have mercy.
We need to show mercy every day.

Did Micah do an about face? Do the right thing but at the end of the day, walking with God is very personal. Mercy comes when you extend mercy.
Ps 103 God knows who we are. How fragile we are.
Paraphrase the beatitudes. Show you understand them.

Song. I'm getting down to the mercy seat.
Here is love vast as the ocean.

God's Word to us

Mennville EMC

Stan Burkholder from Alberta

Sat in on the Sunday School and got a lesson on grief. Not sure how to respond to that.

Praise like never before
130 passages in the Bible on praise.
I have no practical application for grief. How many have sorted out how to praise God?
They had a community advent program. He was supposed to preach on why creation praises God. Why are the colors more majestic for Christians?
When we give God proper recognition we praise him.
Luanna's garden grew all the wrong things. The red beets were red so that was good.
Do the stars do what they are created to do? When they do they praise God.
Gravity does what God created it to do.
120 days a year Stan travels all over teaching. It's a fun job. Every two days his students evaluate him. Some praise him with fluff. Some really appreciate his work.
He was the president of the  lumberman's association. He got real recognition in front of his peers. That felt good.
How can I praise God? How about giving him proper recognition? How does that make the mountains more majestic? When I admire God's handiwork I praise him because I share with him the beauty of creation.

We live in a society of entitlement.  Why? Do you remember the first $ you were given? The first $ you earned. How did you deal with that.
My voice is the gift of God to me. I'm not entitled to it. If I recognize that God gave me my voice and I praise God with it.
Link with grief somehow. Whatever may pass whatever lies before me. In grief when you cry you praise God. Recognize your loss.
Let me singing when the day is done. When the end draws near and my time has come still my soul will sing your praise unending ten thousand years and then forever more.
My praise will be different  each season of my life. When my store burned down I wrote about my firey Christmas.
Got a call from a customer wanting to help. Shared my struggles with him. I was praising God by writing my story.
There are 10,000+ reasons to praise God. When God created us I always tell my students. I got a free trip to Scotland.
When you do what God created you to do you are praising him.
God, thanks for being real and sharing your creation with me. Help me to do what you created me to do.

Essentials by design: Hope

I was depressed forsaken and God healed me. Only through Christ have we been saved.
www.EasTview.org
Delbert Enns
Winnipeg is Canada's murder capital but there is hope!
Just as there was hope for Ephesus there is hope for Winnipeg.
Hope.
1 Timothy 6:12 fight the good fight. Hold tightly to eternal life. The church was facing all kinds of pressures. He was in a battlefield. It was hard.

Who wants to move away? Who wants to move west? In the last 100 years things have changed.
What does Hollywood think of Winnipeg?
Simpson's says We live here. We were born here. What is your excuse?

While we face many difficulties we have bought into cynicism and negativity.

Too often we say what's in it for me?
Timothy agonize through your struggle of faith. Wrestle with it. Wrestle together. V13 I charge you before God and Christ Jesus to remember when Jesus stood before Pilate he confessed that he was God and that took him to the cross. Hope begins there.
You have hope through Jesus when you die to your own ideas.
Obey without wavering.
Love your neighbor. Stand your ground. Unwavering.

Jesus is coming back. The relationship with Jesus starts when you admit that you are lost. There is no hope without Jesus's promise that he's coming back.
He said we will be coming back. Jesus is immortal. Lord of Lords he lives in light so brilliant that human eyes can never see him.

Paul says that this excites him. Teach those who are rich not to be proud. To be generous to those in need. Instruct para angelo means come walk alongside like an angel. Live and walk alongside with someone that needs you.
V20 guard what God has entrusted to you. Be careful. Walk carefully. Guard yourself! We need each other. May God's grace be with you all.

Lord's supper. The Eucharist. Hope is an active decision. Live it in the community.
Jeremiah 29 work for the peace and prosperity of the city where God has put you.

Jake Plett Memorial service

Oct 18, 2013

Memories from:
Eddie and Erna of Port Colborne.

Sam knew grandpa the least. He was too far away. Grandpa loved the Bible. Tara and Sam work with troubled young people.
Is there anything more beautiful than a young couple? Yes! Old love. A couple holding gnarled hands in love. Growing old in love.
Parkinson's is hard. Rom 8:37 we are more than conquerers. Grandpa has not lost the battle. He was victorious through his savior. He did not fight to stay. He fought the good fight and finished the race. He loved singing. What a wonderful change in my life has been brought since Jesus came into my life. He is singing a new song face to face with Christ his savior.
1 Cor 15 death has lost its sting and life is not in vain.

Nico the singer will sing the song grandpa wrote: Help up the fallen Cheer up the sad Avoid all evil and bad. Hold unto Jesus By Him be led

Rachel. Alviera and Marvin's daughter. Grandpa loved unconditionally. Rides he gave to the great grandkids with the walker.

Dale. Leroy's son. Meaningful verse. Grandpa's faith was very important. Many years of mission work. Matth 25 faithful servant enjoy what God has in store for you.
Kim remembers her grandpa fondly

Garner and Betty Reimer. Loved spending time with them.

Mission Conference Austin EMMC

www.AustinEvangelicalFellowship.com
Loretta. Crisis Pregnancy Centre Brandon
We listen to people with values different than our own. A teenager cried deeply about her post abortion pain.
A young woman found out she would not be able to have children because of an abortion. She is getting married and mourns the loss of her ability to have children.
Jesus loves every person and our hope is that we can help each one to realize that there is redemption. Canada has no restrictions on abortion and 100,000 babies are aborted every year for convenience. We affirm and respect every client. We hope they will affirm the value of their baby.
We provide clothes and help them find housing when needed.
Housing can be very difficult to find when a woman is pregnant.
http://www.cpcbrandon.ca/
Recently a woman shared how she tried to kill herself after an abortion. Guilt of abortion.
Post abortion women find it hard to believe God could ever love them again. It's not too late for her. Love won when Jesus sacrificed himself. His love replaces ashes for beauty.
You don't have to be what you were before.
We pray for Loretta and the staff. May God bless their ministry.

Dedrich Friesen family
Music: The Family Bible. Mother singing Rock of  ages cleft for me.
We want to be a blessing wherever we go. God showed us how much he loves 2000 years ago.
Song. Jesus wants to love you. He will never fail you when the doubts assail you. His love is a boundless love that will last through all eternity.
We have a God that loves us so much that: I pledge allegiance to the lamb.

We went to Bolivia and preached and sang in low German plautdietch. They had heard us on the radio.
Sang one song over and over in low German:
Come you sinners lost and lonely. Jesus blood can make the vilest sinner clean.
Come, ye sinners, lost and hopeless,
Jesus' blood can make you free;
For He saved the worst among you,
When He saved a wretch like me.
Refrain:And I know, yes, I know
Jesus' blood can make the vilest sinner clean,
And I know, yes, I know
Jesus' blood can make the vilest sinner clean.

Message by Mr Friesen.
4 weeks in Bolivia. So amazed that people would invite us to sing. Mom and dad were musicians. My wife and I both had a strong call to missions as children. We felt God wanted us there. Came back to go to Bible school. We got called to Shipyard Belize to establish a church and school. God impressed upon us that we needed to minister in low German. Agatha started translating songs into low German. They sang on the radio in low German to some 40,000 listeners. They need the gospel in low German. Desperately needed.
12 year old girl Terri was babysitting her baby brother. She went out of the house. Then she saw smoke coming out of the house. She rushed into the house to rescue her baby brother. It was hard to pull him out from under the rafters. But she got him out. Why did she do it? "I heard my brother cry!"
How many people do you hear crying? What do you do about it? Are you responding?
Do you see what's most important in the eyes of God?
Mk 12:28 Jesus sums up the whole law: The LORD our God is the one and only LORD.
You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.'

The second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' No other commandment is greater than these."

Others will know you are Jesus' disciples when they see your love. How do we do that?
Matth 25 you visited the lonely and fed the hungry.

There are neighbors here that need love. Recently one life was lost right here in this community.
There are so many ways to show love to your neighbor.

I hope your service starts when you leave this place.

Shawn O'Kelly heard a mother of 5 was going hungry. He bought 3 bags full of groceries and delivered them. When the small child that opened the door saw him he called his mom to come quickly. "Jesus brought us food!"

If we gave 10% of our money to the church and all our love to others, there would be no hungry people.

How long has it been since you heard someone crying? Perhaps it's time.

Song: Each day I'll do a golden deed
By helping those who are in need
My life on earth is but a span
And so I'll do the best I can
Life's evening sun is sinking low
A few more days and I must go
To meet the deeds that I have done
Where there will be no setting sun
While going down life's weary road
I'll try to lift some traveler's load
I'll try to turn the night to day
Make flowers bloom along the way

Mission conference Austin

CSSM will become One Hope Canada. They had a fabulous year at Valley View Bible Camp this year. The horse program was very effective.

Chris and Cheryl Peters were in the Dominican Republic all summer.
Started going there with Green Valley Equipment in 2007 and been going there every year. Good jobs pay $7 a day. Maids get $1 a day. Not everyone has food every day. Building houses out there cost $700 per house.

When they graduate they get a small piece of land and they can grow 2 crops a year and support their families. 80% of women in some communities have HIV. Prostitution is legal. Most girls are pregnant by age 12.

1/2 of the children live in poverty. Sponsorships make a big difference in those villages.

Cultural shock for Jacqui 17 was overridden by the peace of knowing this is where God wanted me.

Got baptized in the ocean was her highlight. Ecstatic to be able to go. Got dengue fever. That was hard.

Jennifer: Want to go again. It was 40 degrees all summer.

Did hospital visitation. Hospitals don't provide food or bedding. Often a few patients became Christians. Cheryl lost 5 babies over the years. She was able to lead a woman (who had lost her baby) to Christ in DR hospital.

Went to visit a man in the men's ward who was comatose. The interpreter prayed for the man and he was healed.

The 40 degree heat was almost unbearable but the smiles and hugs made it all worthwhile. We lived in a gated community with armed guards and thieves were regularly shot with shotguns.

80% of the men are unemployed. The mission teaches them to work.

This last mission for 10 weeks was very challenging. He was teaching engine repair in DR. A course with no material trying to teach uneducated men how to repair engines. Very challenging. Also taught ethics.

Who is the queen in your home? The wife. Who is the king? The man. Who is the king of kings? Jesus. Men should model Jesus in the home. Jesus came to serve. Men ought to serve their wives.

Appreciate that we can share here. It was hard but willing to do it again.

God is good always. Open the eyes of my heart.

The Steinbach youth group went to Mexico through YUGO missions. Need to share Jesus. Evangelism. Reach out across the border. They need groups to create an event. Events draw people. The churches of Mexico request these teams to help them impact their communities. They learn from the teams that come in. Children's ministries
Soccer ministry to boys and girls. Go twice a day. The kids cling to us.
Going there is an easy place to share Christ. Let's go and share Christ here and there.
Women's ministry is very effective. They did a foot washing and ladies came to Christ.
Sports ministry was so powerful. All the guys prepared sermons and testimonies. All the participants were changed for life. There is now a different awareness.

We were there two years ago and God put us on the same soccer field and the community gang leaders said they would start going to church.
Safety is covered. We need to disciple. Jesus wasn't safe. When we go into uncomfortable territories God can change us and those around us. Let's mobilize our kids to go out make a difference. Our youth are showing the way. That's exciting!
Youth get 15-20 hours of preparatory training before leaving.
Dave was the Designated Old Guy (DOG) drove the big motorcoach bus. Through the narrow streets of the city. Shared his story. Cancer. Scared. Peace. Shared the gospel. Connected with people.

Curtis. This was his second trip. Scared spitless to share God's story. It was a blast to do this.

Allie. Her second trip. Maximum we had 12 kids at the site. That was hard. Would have liked to have more kids.  We had 24 people trying to teach those kids.

We worked with the churches. One of the kids on the trip had the opportunity to win a provincial championship but chose to go on this trip. Amazing!