"Stay with God! Take
heart. Don't quit. I'll say it again: Stay with
God." Psalm 27:14 (Msg) CONSIDER "Spend one hour a day in adoration of your Lord and never
do anything you know is wrong, and you'll be all
right." Mother Teresa RECOVERING OUR "We live the Christian life out of a rich tradition of
formation-by-resurrection. Jesus'
resurrection provides the energy and conditions by which we "walk before
the LORD in the land of the living" -- the great psalm phrase
(116:9). The resurrection of Jesus
creates and then makes available the reality in which we are formed as new
creatures in Christ by the Holy Spirit.
The do-it-yourself, self-help culture of (Excerpt taken from "Living the Resurrection" by
Eugene H. Peterson, (c) 2006.) NATIONAL DAY OF
PRAYER - MAY 4 "Oh Heavenly Father, You have made Yourself known to us as
a nation by Your mighty works throughout our history. From the beginning, You have been with us
through many wars and conflicts; Your right arm has saved us. We have been amazingly and graciously
blessed. "Today, we confess our sin of not responding to Your right
to rule in our lives and our nation.
Too often we have despised and rejected Your will while imposing our
own, and we are now facing the consequences of our disobedience. Draw us back to Yourself that we may return
to Your ways once again. Without You
we can do nothing. You have promised
that if we honor You, You will once again honor this great nation. That is our fervent prayer. For Your honor and glory we pray,
Amen." NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER WEBSITE PRESIDENTIAL PRAYER TEAM'S GUIDE (pdf) WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT PRAYER? CHURCH LEADER INTERNET PORTAL prayer links WHAT MAKES PRAYER
WORK? Prayer is the bridge between Heaven and Earth. It is the conduit through which the
spiritual realm is brought into our everyday lives. Prayer is the way our spirits breathe. Just as our lungs require oxygen and are
designed to seek it out, so our spirits require the presence of God and are
designed to seek Him out. Without His
presence, we are left gasping for meaning and desperately seeking our purpose
in life. We find ourselves trying our
best to pray because it is as needful as air for our lungs. Prayer is the method God uses to provide
not only our daily needs from food to shelter but also comfort,
strength and guidance. The late E.
Stanley Jones, missionary and preacher, wrote, "Prayer ... is the
opening of a channel from my emptiness into His fullness." (Abundant
Living).... Read this in full at CONFRONTING MYTHS:
ARE YOU OPERATING ON FALSE ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT PRAYER? by Karen Wingate "Prayer, like other popular Christian topics, can become a
victim of myth. Our human tendency to "map out" everything
according to our own way of thinking often turns into notions or ideas that
are blatantly false. No doubt you've
heard-or even said, as I have-phrases about prayer that fall into this
category. Are we truly aware of what
we are hearing or saying? Here are
some of the myths I often hear, along with a biblical explanation of how they
veer away from God's truth."....
Read this in full at DOES PRAYING
ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING? by Martin E. Marty `If you're ill, don't let anyone pray for you--it could be
hazardous to what's left of your health." Or: "If you're praying for those who
are ill, don't tell them, because they will get `performance anxiety' or fear
that things are desperate, and will get sicker." Those are two flip conclusions that some
have drawn from news reports about a recent scientific experiment testing the
power of prayer by anonymous people out of the sight line of coronary-bypass
surgery patients, who are the focus of their prayer.....More at 10 MOST COMMON
PRAYER MISTAKES... Find the 10 most
common prayer mistakes and how to correct them. Order your book at
this website: FURROWED BROWS INC. by Andy Crouch "The culture war's biggest casualties may be Christian joy
and hope. There was violence and
disintegration in the day of Jesus, too. Jesus was hardly shy about confronting
the patterns of sin in his culture-though he was consistently harder on the
pious than he was on the pagans. But
everywhere Jesus went, life blossomed. The sick were healed, lepers were
touched, daughters and sons were plucked from the mouth of the grave. Jesus
left behind him a trail of leaps and laughter, reunited families, and
terrific wine, as well as dumbfounded synagogue leaders, uneasy monarchs, and
sleepless procurators. His witness against violence, amidst a culture in
rebellion against the good, was neither withdrawal nor war. It was simply
life: abundant, just, generous life. And, ultimately, a willingness to let
the enemies of life do their worst, confident that even death could not
extinguish the abundant life of God.".... Read this in full at WARRIORS OF THE
FUTURE WILL 'TASTE' BATTLEFIELD In their quest to create the super warrior of the future, some
military researchers are looking at tongues.
By routing signals from helmet-mounted cameras, sonar and other
equipment through the tongue to the brain, they hope to give elite soldiers
superhuman senses similar to owls, snakes and fish. Researchers at the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition
envision their work giving Army Rangers 360-degree unobstructed vision at
night and allowing Navy SEALs to sense sonar in
their heads while maintaining normal vision underwater -- turning sci-fi into
reality.... VERSE TO PONDER "Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that
one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who
live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and
was raised again." 2 Corinthians
5:14-15 CONSIDER "The will directs the tongue or the hand to act, and the
evil word is spoken, or the evil deed done.
Every time we sin, it is the whole of us that sins,
and not just a part. The body is only the
instrument of the mind and the will.
All that God made, including the body with all its desires and
instincts, is good in itself. But it
has to be kept under control and used in the right way." Stephen Neill (1900-1984), The Christian
Character [1955] SHOULD EVANGELICALS
SUPPORT BUSH'S FOREIGN POLICY IF HE CAN'T GUARANTEE RELIGIOUS FREEDOM? by Rob Moll Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, said,
"How can we congratulate ourselves for liberating HUMILITY IN THE by G.K. Chesteron What we suffer from today is humility in the wrong place. Modesty has moved from the organ of
ambition. Modesty has settled upon the
organ of conviction; where it was never meant to be. A man was meant to be doubtful about himself, but undoubting about the truth; this has been
exactly reversed. Nowadays the part of
a man that a man does assert is exactly the part he ought not to assert --
himself. The part he doubts is exactly
the part he ought not to doubt - the Divine Reason. Huxley preached a
humility content to learn from Nature.
But the new skeptic is so humble that he doubts if he can even
learn. Thus we should be wrong if we had
said hastily that there is no humility typical of our time. The truth is that there is a real humility
typical of our time; but it so happens that it is practically a more
poisonous humility than the wildest prostrations of the ascetic. The old humility was a spur that prevented
a man from stopping; not a nail in his boot that prevented him from going
on. For the old humility made a man
doubtful about his efforts, which might make him work harder. But the new humility makes a man doubtful
about his aims, which will make him stop working altogether. At any street corner we may meet a man who utters the frantic
and blasphemous statement that he may be wrong. Every day one comes across somebody who
says that of course his view may not be the right one. Of course his view
must be the right one, or it is not his view.
We are on the road to producing a race of men too mentally modest to
believe in the multiplication table.
We are in danger of seeing philosophers who doubt the law of gravity
as being a mere fancy of their own.
Scoffers of old time were too proud to be convinced; but these are too
humble to be convinced. The meek do
inherit the earth; but the modern skeptics are too meek even to claim their
inheritance. (From ORTHODOXY, the chapter titled "The Suicide of
Thought") ACING THE JOB
INTERVIEW How to land that next big spot. http://www.forbes.com/2006/04/12/ace-job-interview-cx_sr_0412interview.html?partner=alerts LEADERSHIP TIPS
(BUSINESS, FAMILY, LIFE) In the Boardroom with Wayne Huizenga,
Jr. A businessman, a community leader, a familyman,
Wayne Huizenga spent a few minutes with Jason
Christy to explain life, being a Christian and being a successful business
person. Q: What are the three
platforms or pillars -- the Huizenga way of doing
things -- on which you've built your business? A: "They would be
the three that I learned from Wayne Sr. The first would be honesty and
integrity. The second pillar would be
to surround yourself with people that know more than you do. And the third
pillar would be that when you do a deal, make sure that it's good for both
parties.".... Read more at ST. PETER'S BASILICA:
500TH ANNIVERSARY The Vatican is marking the 500th anniversary of St. Peter's
Basilica with an exhibit featuring Michelangelo's model of the church dome
and an ancient inscription reading "Peter is here" -- a reference
to the tomb of the apostle Peter on which the basilica is believed
built.... Read more at Google images of St. Peter's Basilica WIDE OPEN HEARTS "The Christian's life is lived in the open, not in a pious
cubby-hole. As Christ gives Himself to
feed us, so we have to incarnate something of His all-loving, all-sacrificing
soul. If we do not, then we have not
really received Him. That is the plain
truth. It has been said that there are many ways and degrees of receiving
the Blessed Sacrament. It really
depends on how wide we open our hearts.
A spiritually selfish communion is not a communion at all." CONSIDER "For most followers of Christ we will never be asked to die
for him, but he does expect us to live for him." Byron Maynard VERSE TO PONDER "'Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?' The sting of death is sin, and the
power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He
gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Corinthians 15:55-57 THIS WEEK'S HYMN: DID
YOU THINK TO PRAY? Words: Mary A. Kidder, 1876 Music: William O. Perkins Ere you left your room this morning, Did you think to pray? In the name of Christ our Savior, Did you sue for loving favor, As a shield today? Refrain O how praying rests the weary! Prayer will change the night to day; So when life seems dark and dreary, Don't forget to pray. When you met with great temptation, Did you think to pray? By His dying love and merit, Did you claim the Holy Spirit As your guide and stay? Refrain When your heart was filled with anger, Did you think to pray? Did you plead for grace, my brother, That you might forgive another Who had crossed your way? Refrain When sore trials came upon you, Did you think to pray? When your soul was bowed in sorrow, Balm of Gilead did you borrow At the gates of day? Refrain >from CyberHymnal at http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/d/i/didyouth.htm GOD FAQ Question 70: What is justification? Answer: Justification is an act of God's free grace unto
sinners, in which he pardons all their sins, accepts and accounts their
persons righteous in his sight; not for any thing wrought in them, or done by
them, but only for the perfect obedience and full satisfaction of Christ, by
God imputed to them, and received by faith alone. http://www.shortercatechism.com/ PRAY FOR PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS TODAY PRAY FOR A COUNTRY TODAY DAILY BLESSING PACT PERSONAL FINANCIAL Settlements "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.]
CLASSIFIEDS 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 http://www.thechristianconnection.net 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. Crown Financial Ministries online financial tools http://www.crown.org/tools/default.asp Retirement Planner http://cgi.money.cnn.com/tools/retirementplanner/retirementplanner.jsp Cubox (puzzle
game) http://www.nickelarcade.com/cubox_.html 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.) There's a blessing in prayer, in believing prayer, When our Savior's Name to the throne we bear. |
|
|
|
|
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CONNECTIONS is a periodic newsletter of announcements, news,
recommendations, articles, and other information helpful to men in our
spiritual growth. Thanks for welcoming 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 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 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. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ |