Connecting man to man to God!

Week of July 30, 2006

"I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on [God's] laws."  Psalm 119:30

     CONSIDER

"Oh!  How seldom the soul is silent, in order that God may speak."  Francois Fenelon

     DESPERATE PRAYING: PSALM 86

by Lee Brase

A young man I know was put in jail for just reasons.  He phoned to tell me that while he was there, he found a Bible and began to read it.  He was unfamiliar with its content, so just started reading in Psalms.  His comment to me was, "Whoever wrote this knew exactly how I feel."  I, too, have experienced this while reading the psalms.  Have you?  Psalm 86 is one of those psalms that seems to express "exactly how we feel" when things aren't going well.  As a prayer, it's a wonderful model for helping us express our thoughts and feelings to God.  Let's look at its three sections....  Read more at

http://www.navpress.com/EPubs/DisplayArticle/2/2.30.13.html

     MEN ARE FROM MARS HILL

Mark Driscoll was, in many eyes, immortalized in Donald Miller's book Blue Like Jazz as Mark the Cussing Pastor.  As pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, Driscoll is a leader among "emerging" churches.  His sermons are peppered with language not often heard in churches, and he attracts a young, stylish crowd. Culturally hip, but theologically conservative, Driscoll is the author of Confessions of a Reformission Rev.  Christianity Today news intern Jason Bailey had a conversation with Driscoll via e-mail.

Q: What are some of the major blind spots of megachurches?

A: The major blind spot of megachurches is that they tend to be very effeminate with aesthetics, music, and preaching perfectly tailored for moms.  Manly men are repelled by this, and many of the men who find it appealing are the types to sing prom songs to Jesus and learn about their feelings while sitting in a seafoam green chair drinking herbal tea-the spiritual equivalent of Richard Simmons.  A friend of mine calls them "evangellyfish" with no spiritual vertebrae.  Statistically, traditional churches are in steep decline, contemporary churches will dominate in the foreseeable future, and emerging churches are just beginning to sort out what the future holds for them.

Read this interview in full at

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2006/127/52.0.html

     ARE CHURCHES 'TOO FEMINIZED' FOR MEN?

Author David Murrow says a typical guy feels as comfortable in church as Tom Sawyer in Aunt Polly's parlor.  "He must watch his language, mind his manners and be extra polite," Murrow writes in his popular 2005 book, Why Men Hate Going to Church.  That's because the altar flowers and felt banners, mostly female Sunday school teachers and blue-haired ladies playing the organ, all make church feel like a "woman's thing."  And unless a man enjoys serving on a committee or passing out bulletins, he may feel there's not much for him to do, so he steers clear.

Today's contemporary worship services aren't much better: Their soft praise-and-worship songs and emphasis on relational needs are better suited to the needs of women than men, says Murrow, who is a member at a nondenominational church in Anchorage, Alaska.  "If church was a place where men could be real and not religious, you'd see a lot more of them," he concludes.

More than 90% of American men believe in God, and five out of six call themselves Christian, according to the Barna Research Group.  But only 2 out of 6 attend church on a given Sunday....  Read this in full at

http://tinyurl.com/z7tnx

     LEARN TO BE A MENTOR TO YOUNGER MEN

by Tom Chapin

When you look at the men in the local church from 18 to 100 years old, you see an enormous gap, specifically with 18- to 25-year-olds.  We have a generation of incredible young men who are facing some of the toughest transitions in life; transitions into college, manhood, marriage, career, financial independence, and fatherhood.

Now 35, I look back at my wedding pictures in near shock at how young I was.  At 23 years old, I stood before my bride-to-be, my family, friends, pastor, and God at the altar of commitment and covenant and repeated words and concepts I had no clue if I could live up to.  And I didn't.  I failed miserably in marriage.  I struggled insecurely through career opportunities.  I flunked out of college over and over, and I had zero discipline when it came to handling my finances.

The big question is, "Could this have been avoided?"  I say, "Absolutely, without a doubt."  In bright red ink Jesus said, "In this world you will have trouble."  In other words, the troubles, the struggles, the pain, and the confusion were and are inevitable.  But the outcomes of those troubled circumstances could have been very different if I had just one older man, with learned experience, make a small investment in my life and help guide me through the fog....  Read this in full at

http://www.pastors.com/article.asp?ArtID=9424

     ANNE LAMOTT ON JESUS: 'I DIDN'T WANT HIM'

The writer and 'hip intellectual agnostic' says it was mortifying when she first experienced Jesus.  Anne Lamott, the "bad girl" of born-again Christianity, is still figuring out spiritual truth while keeping her progressive values and sense of humor.  Her books include the best-selling "Operating Instructions" (on having a baby solo), "Traveling Mercies" (on her journey as a Christian), and "Bird by Bird" (a classic on writing).  In a 2-part interview, she spoke with Beliefnet about what she says--and feels--when she prays.

Q: How do you pray?

A: I say "help me, help me!"  Or I say "Hi God," I say "Hi Jesus."  I get on my knees first thing in the morning.  Actually I lie in bed for a little while with my dog and cat, my main prayer partners.

I just talk to God, and say, "Thank you" for the morning's beautiful weather - it's sunny or rainy or whatever -- and [because] I'm alive, and warm, and safe, and I have these cute animals.

I just talk casually and lovingly.  Then I get on my knees and I say some prayers.  I usually ask prayers for Sam, who is 16-and-a-half and driving, and people who are struggling right now with their health.

I pray a lot differently in church, which is to pray more communally.  Often crying out during the prayers just from my own heart, if something is really troubling me, or if I'm just feeling a great need to express praise.

I talk to God a lot very casually as a friend during the course of the day.  But I don't know if I could get a credit for praying, a full credit.  Maybe a partial credit....

Read this interview in full at

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/191/story_19163.html

     TWO KINGDOMS

"Participants in the kingdom of the world trust the power of the sword to control behavior; participants of the kingdom of God trust the power of self-sacrificial love to transform hearts.  The kingdom of the world is concerned with preserving law and order by force; the kingdom of God is concerned with establishing the rule of God through love.  The kingdom of the world is centrally concerned with what people do; the kingdom of God is centrally concerned with how people are and what they can become.  The kingdom of the world is characterized by judgment; the kingdom of God is characterized by outrageous, even scandalous, grace."

Gregory A. Boyd in The Myth of a Christian Nation: How the Quest for Political Power Is Destroying the Church

     MEDIEVAL CHRISTIAN BOOK DISCOVERED IN IRELAND BOG

A thousand-year-old Book of Psalms has been discovered by a construction worker in a bog in Ireland.  The eagle-eyed worker was using a backhoe to dig up potting soil in central Ireland earlier this month when he spotted the leather-bound book.  Experts called to the site were amazed to find an ancient Psalter Book of Psalms lying in the mud.  The archaeologists won't say exactly where the book was found until they are finished investigating the site.  About 20 pages long and written in Latin, the book has been dated to between A.D. 800 and 1000.  It's the first early medieval text to be discovered in Ireland in 200 years, the archaeologists say.  The book was found open to Psalm 83, in which God hears of nations' attempts to wipe out the name of Israel.  Read more at

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/07/060726-ireland-psalms.html

     LEADERSHIP TIPS (BUSINESS, FAMILY, LIFE)

Your Genius

Just where creativity comes from may forever remain a mystery, but economist David Galenson has somehow managed to codify creative people into just two kinds, writes Daniel H. Pink, author of "A Whole New Mind," in Wired (Jul 06).  One class of creatives David calls "conceptual innovators," and he defines them as those who "make bold, dramatic leaps in their disciplines" and "do their breakthrough work when they are young."  The other class of creatives is pegged as "experimental innovators," who pursue creativity through "trial and error and thus do their important work much later in life."  David validated his theory, "that creativity comes in two distinct types -- quick and dramatic, or careful and quiet" by selecting "42 contemporary American artists" and researching "the auction prices for their works.  Then, controlling for size, materials, and other variables, he plotted the relationship between each artists' age and the value of his or her paintings ..."  Read this in full at

http://reveries.com/?p=598

     VERSE TO PONDER

"[The Lord says,] "'Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right."  Isaiah 41:10

     CONSIDER

"It is in the process of being worshipped that God communicates his presence to men."  C.S. Lewis

     SECULARIZATION OF UNIVERSITIES HURTS SOCIETY

The replacement of religion with secularization in American universities has left students unable to make sense of the world in which they live, a retired history professor from the University of Florida says in a new book.

"The secular university is increasingly marginal to American society," C. John Sommerville writes in "The Decline of the Secular University" released by Oxford University Press.

Higher education once was dominated by religious guidance that gave students valuable insight into the nature of humanity, its distinctiveness from other life forms and the basis of morality, Sommerville writes, but that has given way to a commitment to political correctness that fails "to connect with people's most urgent questions."

Peter Steinfels examined the book in The New York Times July 8, noting that Sommerville says universities have lost significant influence as students today are turning to popular culture, talk show pundits and bloggers for answers to their deepest questions.

Terms like justice, freedom, truth, responsibility, sanity, purpose, evil and human rights are still used in secular universities, Sommerville notes, but none of them can be sufficiently understood apart from religion.

Sommerville's goal, as Steinfels put it, is to invite "religious voices into the discussion" on university campuses and allow religiously committed scholars "to be themselves in their academic roles."

In the book, Sommerville considers that many university programs teach students how to make money, but very few offer to help students learn how to spend their money.

Steinfels, The Times writer, mentioned surveys from the Higher Education Research Institute at UCLA that show 80 percent of college faculty claim they are "spiritual persons" to some degree but only 30 percent believe that universities should help with students' "spiritual development." The studies also showed that many students wouldn't mind discussing the purpose of life and spiritual matters.

"Clearly, there is a gap between what undergraduate students are looking for and what professors, regardless of their religious convictions, feel they can or should try to provide," Steinfels wrote.

     LOVE IS SUPREME

"After all, Brethren, the whole end of Theology is love.  It seems hard to realize that that is so, but so it is.  If your theology does not make you more loving, it has not Christianized you and to that extent is not a Christian theology... All ecclesiasticism and all doctrinalizing are in order to form character, and the soul of character is love.  Preach the truth in love, and for the development of love."  Nathaniel J. Burton (1822-1887)

     SCHOOL TEACHER ARRESTED

A public school teacher was arrested today at John F. Kennedy International Airport as he attempted to board a flight while in possession of a ruler, a protractor, a set square, a slide rule, and a calculator.

At a morning press conference, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said he believes the man is a member of the notorious Al-gebra movement.

He did not identify the man, who has been charged by the FBI with carrying weapons of math instruction.  "Al-gebra is a problem for us," Gonzales said.  "They desire solutions by means and extremes, and sometimes go off on tangents in search of absolute values.

They use secret code names like 'x' and 'y' and refer to themselves as 'unknowns', but we have determined they belong to a common denominator of the axis of medieval with coordinates in every country.  As the Greek philanderer Isosceles used to say, 'There are 3 sides to every triangle'."

When asked to comment on the arrest, President Bush said, "If God had wanted us to have better weapons of math instruction, he would have given us more fingers and toes."

White House aides told reporters they could not recall a more intelligent or profound statement by the president.

     CONSIDER

"A person will worship something, have no doubt about that.  We may think our tribute is paid in secret in the dark recesses of our hearts, but it will out.  That which dominates our imaginations and our thoughts will determine our lives, and our character.  Therefore, it behooves us to be careful what we worship, for what we are worshipping we are becoming."  Ralph Waldo Emerson

     VERSE TO PONDER

"If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin."  1 John 1:7

     THIS WEEK'S HYMN: O WORSHIP THE KING

Words: Robert Grant, 1833

Music: Johann Haydn (1737-1806)

O worship the King, all glorious above,

O gratefully sing His power and His love;

Our Shield and Defender, the Ancient of Days,

Pavilioned in splendor, and girded with praise.

O tell of His might, O sing of His grace,

Whose robe is the light, Whose canopy space,

His chariots of wrath the deep thunderclouds form,

And dark is His path on the wings of the storm.

The earth with its store of wonders untold,

Almighty, Thy power hath founded of old;

Established it fast by a changeless decree,

And round it hath cast, like a mantle, the sea.

Thy bountiful care, what tongue can recite?

It breathes in the air, it shines in the light;

It streams from the hills, it descends to the plain,

And sweetly distills in the dew and the rain.

Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail,

In Thee do we trust, nor find Thee to fail;

Thy mercies how tender, how firm to the end,

Our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend.

O measureless might! Ineffable love!

While angels delight to worship Thee above,

The humbler creation, though feeble their lays,

With true adoration shall all sing Thy praise.

>from CyberHymnal at

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/o/w/owtking.htm

     GOD FAQ

Question 83: What is the communion in glory with Christ which the members of the invisible church enjoy in this life?

Answer: The members of the invisible church have communicated to them in this life the first fruits of glory with Christ, as they are members of him their head, and so in him are interested in that glory which he is fully possessed of; and, as an earnest thereof, enjoy the sense of God's love, peace of conscience, joy in the Holy Ghost, and hope of glory; as, on the contrary, sense of God's revenging wrath, horror of conscience, and a fearful expectation of judgment, are to the wicked the beginning of their torments which they shall endure after death.

http://www.shortercatechism.com/

     SPIRITUAL WINGS

Receive daily meditational ponderments capsulized as simple one-liners in your e-mailbox as yet another path to spark the soul in thought. Includes a daily spiritual acronym; a weekly spiritual affirmation, a weekly spiritually oriented artwork, a weekly spiritual sharing, a weekly spiritual prayer, a weekly spiritual poem, a weekly spiritually oriented joke, and a weekly spiritually oriented cartoon. Ecumenical, nondenominational.

-"May the road always lead, where you need to be."

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SpiritualWings/

     ON PRAYER

"He prays well who is so absorbed with God that he does not know he is praying."  Francois de Sales (1567-1622)

     PRAY FOR PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS TODAY
http://christiansin crisis.net/

     PRAY FOR A COUNTRY TODAY
http://www.gmi.org/ow/index.html

     DAILY BLESSING PACT
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
Business Growth

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.]

     CLASSIFIEDS

Are you looking for something or do you have something to sell?  Let me know and I'll put it in this newsletter.

WANTED:
Honest contractor to offer professional advice on a problem with water seepage in the basement.
Options needed.
Contact: Frank Coleman @ frankcoleman @yahoo.com or 773-410-1483

     SHARE YOUR FAVORITE WEBSITES

Tell us what sites you find enjoyable and why.

Mission of Mercy

http://www.missionofmercy.org/home/index.cfm

Newspaper front pages

http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages/

Generous Giving

http://www.generousgiving.org/

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.)

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.

Min. Frank Coleman, Editor

[email protected]

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