|
MSM CONNECTIONS For the week of The Men’s Ministry e-mail newsletter
of New
Our mission: Our mission is to lead
men to Jesus Christ and provide opportunity
for Christian men to grow in their faith ISSUE 96 ===== /\ ===== MSM
CONNECTIONS is the
opt-in newsletter for the men of New Joy Divine Full Gospel Church.
It's a periodic service that helps connect you with God and with other men at
NJD. If you'd like its delivery to your email address stopped, scroll down
and follow the instructions at the end of this message. Also let me know if
you change your email address and want to keep subscribing to MSM
CONNECTIONS. ===== /\ ===== Jesus said, "You have your heads in
your Bibles constantly because you think you'll find eternal life there. But you miss the forest for the trees. These Scriptures are all about me! And here I am, standing right before you,
and you aren't willing to receive from me the life you say you
want." John 5:39-40 (Msg)
CONSIDER "At the Day of Judgment, we shall
not be asked what we have read, but what we have done." Thomas a Kempis
(1380-1471), Of the Imitation of Christ, I.iii.
[1418]
REMEMBERING TOM FOX by Celeste Kennel-Shank "Some said they wanted revenge.
Others said they were trying to forgive those who took his life. Others came
to pray tribute to their former friend and colleague. In a discussion led by Tom Fox's colleagues
and professors from Eastern Mennonite University's Center for Justice and Peacebuilding on Saturday night in Washington, D.C.,
participants pondered peace issues, response to Fox's death, and the
possibility of reconciliation with those labeled enemies".... Read the full article [Christian Peacemaker Teams member Tom
Fox was found dead near
WHERE JUSTICE AND FORGIVENESS CONVERGE by "On my flight from Chennai to
SLOW DOWN by Michael Zigarelli You've seen the scene. Perhaps even experienced it close up, like
I did. There I was, driving down the
road, prudence personified behind the wheel. All of a sudden, some product of the me-first culture comes flying out of a gas station and
cuts me off, barely missing my bumper.
I hit the brakes, but not the horn.
Honking displeases God, you know.
But then I notice something else displeasing: On the back of the
minivan that just cut me off was a little fish: This driver's a Christian and
is boldly proclaiming that to the world -- or at least the world behind his
four-wheeled weapon. Normally, it's a great thing to profess
fearlessly what we believe. We need
much more of that among believers. But
when we're marring the cause of Christ because of our hurry, some things are
better left unprofessed. We see
similar speed-induced setbacks around the neighborhood when, for the sake of
time, we avoid those who live next door.
Who has time for small talk these days, much less a barbeque?.... Read this article in full at http://www.bpnews.net/bpcolumn.asp?ID=2184
COUNTERCULTURE SHOCK by Martin E. Marty "The 'Chicago Reader' lets me
assess the young adult culture weekly; the free newspaper in your city will
give you access to the same. Please be
patient while, for effect, I string together words and images at the heart of
that culture. You'd expect to find:
rock band, logo, T-shirt, rock festival, mullet haircut, punk, God,
skateboard, hip-hop, tattoo parlors, podcast, sportswear brands, "the
new shagginess," indie-rock ethos, rebel,
"key to cool," etc. Aren't
these the official (if in a few cases somewhat dated) icons of that young
adult culture? "'Sightings' sighted them all, not
in the Reader, but in a New York Times two-page feature, "Rebels With a
Cross: The new counterculture is a Christian movement with music, clothes and
alternative churches of its own" (March 2). Author John Leland capably, if a bit
breathlessly, looked in on self-defined "rebels,"
"subversives," and "nonconformists" of the -- yes -- "counterculture." Do your own comparing: What Leland writes
about is not "counter" at all; it's "the" culture, but
with some Jesus terms and Christian T-shirt slogans (we are shown a sample:
"My God Can Kick Your God's Butt.")
Does not a counterculture have to inconvenience someone? This one may elicit some
"kids-will-be-kids" shrugs among adults, but as Leland describes
them, they are as market-oriented as are those against whom they think they
are rebelling. Fine. It's their form of
witness.".... Read this in full
at
RECLAIMING THE USE OF SYMBOLS IN WORSHIP by Mark Sayers The Challenge to the church as it looks
around and discovers that we've moved away from a word-based culture is to
re-discover the art of using symbol in mission, worship and spirituality. This is made even more urgent by an
overdose of visual stimulation in our world today as pointed out by Henri Nouwen: "Posters, billboards, television, video
cassettes, movies and store windows, continuously assault our eyes and
inscribe their images upon our memories.
Still we do not have to be passive victims of aworld
that wants to entertain and distract us.
We can make some decisions and choices. A spiritual life in the midst of our energy
-- draining society requires us to take conscious steps to safeguard that
inner space where we can keep our eyes fixed on the beauty of the
Lord".... Read this in full at http://www.theooze.com/articles/article.cfm?id=61&page=1
FAITH 'REVOLUTIONARIES' STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD Defined as born again people who've made
their faith in God the highest priority in their life, who believe that their
faith has greatly transformed their life, and who often express and
experience their faith through alternative forms the church, researcher
George Barna has released additional data about the beliefs, practices, and
lifestyle of revolutionaries in comparison to those who fit a more tame
spiritual profile. Revolutionaries possess some attributes
that fail to distinguish them from other born again Christians. For instance, they're just as likely to
embrace new technology, view movies just as often, a similar proportion of
them are overweight, and equivalent percentages of the two groups consider
themselves to live a simple life, to feel at peace, and to be in control of
their life. Even in the spiritual
realm, they have identical profiles when it comes to the frequency of fasting
and how often they talk to non-believers about faith matters. However, Barna also outlined 4 areas in
which revolutionaries are substantially different than other born again
adults, and vastly different from adults who are not born again.... Read this in full at
LAST WEEK WAS ST. PATRICK'S DAY Who was Saint Patrick? What did he do? Really?
Did he really chase the snakes out of
LEADERSHIP TIPS (BUSINESS, FAMILY, LIFE) Conversations From The Corner Office CEOs, company founders, head
honchos. Whatever you call them, the
men and women who hang out in the corner office are just like the rest of us
in some ways. But in other ways,
they're very different. After all, you
don't create a successful business or make it to the top of a major company
unless you have extraordinary drive, energy, ambition, and passion. Not to mention intelligence and strong
opinions. So for the next year,
Marketplace is going one-on-one with some of the leaders of the world's great
companies to talk about what drives them, what their passions are, how they
look at the world, their jobs, their families -- and how they put it all
together in a way that adds up to success.... http://marketplace.publicradio.org/segments/corneroffice/
'TEN COMMANDMENTS' NOW ON DVD by Phil Boatwright Cecil B. DeMille's
Oscar-winning classic "The Ten Commandments" will debut as a
three-disc collector's edition DVD on March 21 from Paramount Home
Video. Nominated for six Academy
Awards and winning for best special effects, DeMille's
1956 remake stars Charlton Heston as Moses leading God's
chosen people from an enslaved existence in DeMille was a taskmaster and a hard man, but he had a strong faith and
he spent much of his artistic life bringing biblical truths to the general
movie-going public. Born in 1881, he
was the son of an artistic man torn between being a minister and a
playwright. Obviously, the great
filmmaker inherited both these traits.
Not always respected by his peers due to his gargantuan scenic
extravagances, which often overshadowed the films' dramatics, DeMille always amazed and entertained audiences with his
spectacles ("The Squaw Man," "King of Kings," "The
Greatest Show on Earth," "The Plainsman," "Union
Pacific," "Sign of the Cross," "The Crusades" and
"Unconquered").... Read this
in full at http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=22758
O BROTHERS, WHERE ART THOU? The absence of single men is emerging as
one of the key trends in Christian dating.
Here's the problem through the eyes of two expert observers -- and
some suggestions for fixing it.... http://www.christianitytoday.com/tc/2006/002/1.28.html
VERSE TO PONDER "'My thoughts are not your
thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,' declares the Lord.
'As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than
your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.'" Isaiah 55:8 and 9 (NIV)
CONSIDER "Eternity is not something that
begins after you are dead. It is going
on all the time. We are in it
now." Charlotte Gilman
CHRISTIAN BOOK SUMMARY Do you ever stop and wonder why our
souls long for whatever will give us the greatest amount of pleasure? Larry Crabb, in his
book Shattered Dreams, explains that the only place we'll ever discover the
kind of pleasure we're seeking is in an intimate relationship with God. We need to experience God. And sometimes we draw closest to Him while
navigating life's most violent storms.
The book is summarized at http://www.christianbooksummaries.com
EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE EVALUATIONS 1. "Since my last report, this
employee has reached rock-bottom and has started to dig." 2. "I would not allow this employee
to breed." 3. "This employee is really not so
much of a has-been, but more of a definite won't be." 4. "Works well when under constant
supervision and cornered like a rat in a trap." 5. "When he opens his mouth, it
seems that it is only to change feet." 6. "This young lady has delusions
of adequacy." 7. "He sets low personal standards
and then consistently fails to achieve them." 8. "This employee is depriving a
village somewhere of an idiot." 9. "This employee should go far,
and the sooner he starts the better." 10. "Got a full 6-pack, but lacks
the plastic thingy to hold it all together." 11. "A gross ignoramus - 144 times
worse than an ordinary ignoramus." 12. "He doesn't have ulcers, but
he's a carrier." 14. "I would like to go hunting
with him sometime." 15. "He's been working with glue
too much." 16. "He would argue with a
signpost." 17. "He brings a lot of joy
whenever he leaves the room." 18. "When his IQ reaches 50, he
should sell." 19. "If you see two people talking
and one looks bored, he's the other one." 20. "A photographic memory but with
the lens cover glued on." 21. "A prime candidate for natural
de-selection." 22. "Donated his brain to science
before he was done using it." 23. "Gates are down, the lights are
flashing, but the train isn't coming." 24. "He's got two brains cells, one
is lost and the other is out looking for it." 25. "If he were any more stupid,
he'd have to be watered twice a week." 26. "If you give him a penny for
his thoughts, you'd get change." 27. "If you stand close enough to
him, you can hear the ocean." 28. "It's hard to believe he beat
out 1,000,000 other sperm." 29. "One neuron short of a
synapse." 30. "Some drink from the fountain
of knowledge; he only gargled." 31. "Takes him 2 hours to watch
60-minutes." 32. "The wheel is turning, but the
hamster is dead.
ARE EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANS REALLY HAPPIER THAN THEIR NEIGHBORS? Evangelical Protestants are the happiest
people in http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2006/110/32.0.html
CONSIDER "The sacred page is not meant to be
the end, but only the means toward the end, which is
knowing God Himself." A.W.
Tozer
VERSE TO PONDER "Dear children, let us not love
with words or tongue but with actions and in truth." 1 John
THIS WEEK'S HYMN: ONCE MORE THE SOLEMN SEASON CALLS Words: Unknown author; translated from Latin
to English by John Chandler and the compilers of Hymns Ancient and Modern Music: Frederick A. G. Ouseley, 1861 Once more the solemn season calls A holy fast to keep; And now within the temple walls Let priest and people weep. But vain all outward sign of grief, And vain the form of prayer, Unless the heart implore relief, And penitence be
there. We smite the breast, we weep in vain, In vain in ashes mourn, Unless with penitential pain The smitten soul be
torn. In sorrow true then let us pray To our offended God, From us to turn His wrath away And stay the uplifted rod. O God, our Judge and Father, deign To spare the bruisèd
reed; We pray for time to turn again, For grace to turn indeed. Blest Three in One to Thee we bow; Vouchsafe us, in Thy love, To gather from these fasts below Immortal fruit above. >from CyberHymnal at http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/o/m/omsscall.htm
GOD FAQ Question 64: What is the invisible
church? Answer: The invisible church is the
whole number of the elect, that have been, are, or
shall be gathered into one under Christ the head. http://www.shortercatechism.com/
ON PRAYER "I bind unto myself today the power
of God to hold and lead. His eye to watch, His might to stay, His ear to
hearken to my need; the wisdom of my God to teach, His hand to guide, His
shield to ward, the Word of God to give me speech, His heavenly host to be my
guard." St. Patrick of PRAY FOR PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS TODAY http://christiansincrisis.net/ PRAY FOR A COUNTRY TODAY http://www.gmi.org/ow/index.html Use the following list as your daily
prayer guide. Think of a brother or situation that applies and lift them up
in prayer. I am agreeing in prayer with you for
God’s blessings to overtake you! PERSONAL Marital harmony Family unity Children saved Faithful pastor Spirit-filled church Real friendships Relatives redeemed Educational benefits Recreational time Fulfilling career Favor with God and man Be in God’s will FINANCIAL Better Jobs Raises or bonuses Benefits Sales & commissions Settlements Estates & inheritances Investment increase Rebates & returns Checks in the mail Gifts & surprises Money to be found Bills decrease while blessings
increase "And all these blessings shall come
on thee, and overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord
thy God" (Deut. 28:2). [As you
travel on business or vacation, let me know if you'd like the church guys to
pray for your safety and spiritual effectiveness. I'll add your name to the list for the time
you'll be away.] Are you
looking for something or do you have something to sell? Let me know and I'll put it in this
newsletter. Bookstore Entrepreneur Wanted Top income potential, flexible hours, Christian oriented, online required. 1-866-439-1617 Looking for a good book? A new Bible? How about
some inspiring music? We’ve got what you need. Visit our
online Christian bookstore to get the best prices around. Visit us today and
you’ll find a huge inventory, totally convenient shopping and great prices on
the products you’re looking for. Are you using the power of books to grow in
your relationship with God and lead people to Christ? Books really do change
lives. Take this opportunity to bless your congregation so they can go and
bless others. Visit our bookstore today! http://christianconnectionbooks.spreadtheword.com
SHARE YOUR FAVORITE WEBSITES Tell us what sites you find enjoyable
and why. Four big lies of The Da
Vinci Code http://www.pastors.com/article.asp?ArtID=9232 All links to websites are provided as a service,
and do not imply endorsement by our church. (BTW: whenever the URLs in this
newsletter are too long to turn into links on your e-mail program, just copy
the entire URL (two lines or more) and paste it into a temporary email
message. Then delete the return in the
middle of it and copy it again. Then
paste it into your web browser and hit enter.) Life is change. Growth is
optional. Choose wisely. ===== /\ ===== MSM
CONNECTIONS is a
periodic newsletter of announcements, news, recommendations, articles, and
other information helpful to men in our spiritual growth. Thanks for welcoming
MSM CONNECTIONS into your in-box! Who to
contact: Minister
Frank Coleman, Men Servants Ministry Chairman, 773-410-1483, Minister
Arnold Whitehead, Men Servants Ministry Vice-Chairman, 773-846-6090 ===== /\ ===== The
mission of New Joy Divine Full Gospel Church is to be a
Christ-centered, Bible based, Spirit guided church meeting the spiritual,
physical, and emotional needs of its members and the community it serves. The
Men Servants Ministry (MSM) Team offers a variety of activities for men to
interact with other men on our journey of faith in Christ together. Large
group, small group, and one-to-one events encourage relationship building and
spiritual strengthening that result in maximizing the potential we all have
in Christ. Contact Min. Frank Coleman, 773-410-1483, [email protected]
if you'd like to participate in a men's discipleship program. New Visit our
website at: http://www.newjoydivine.org/ ===== /\ ===== To subscribe
to MSM CONNECTIONS, send a message to [email protected] with
"subscribe MSM" in the subject line. To
unsubscribe, send a message to [email protected]
with "unsubscribe MSM" in the subject line. |