Connecting man to man to God!

Week of September 17, 2006

"Live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble."  1 Peter 3:8

     CONSIDER

"Avoid idleness, and fill up all the spaces of thy time with severe and useful employment: for lust easily creeps in at those emptinesses where the soul is unemployed and the body is at ease; no easy, healthful, idle person was ever chaste if he could be tempted; but of all employments, bodily labor is the most useful, and of the greatest benefit for driving away the Devil."  Jeremy Taylor (1613-1667)

     NEW SURVEY SAYS AMERICA IS STRONGLY RELIGIOUS

About 20% of Americans have read one of the 12 Left Behind novels or Rick Warren's The Purpose Driven Life.  Nearly 50% have seen Mel Gibson's feature film, The Passion of the Christ.  About 40% say that born-again or Bible-believing best describes their religious identity.  Those are some results from the new Baylor Religion Survey, one of the most comprehensive studies of religion in America (the survey's margin of error is + or - 4%).  Baylor University's Institute for Studies of Religion (ISR) released initial survey findings last week.  Conventional wisdom holds that America's religious landscape has grown more secular over time.  But Baylor sociologists are citing survey findings that support their long-held hunch that decades of other surveys have painted a picture of the landscape that's imprecise at best....  Read this in full at

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2006/137/21.0.html

Also see

Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion

http://www.baylor.edu/isreligion/splash.php

The survey

http://www.baylor.edu/isreligion/index.php?id=40634

     DESPAIR NOT

by Stephen L. Carter

"As the late Presbyterian minister Frank Crane once said, "Depression, gloom, pessimism, despair, discouragement, these slay ten human beings to every one murdered by typhoid, influenza, diabetes, or pneumonia."  For Christians, of course, the hope of the gospel should temper our response to a broken world.  Still, we are human, and we worry.  Some of us are depressed by the war, others by the opposition to the war.  Some are worn down by economic news.  Some mourn the direction of American culture.  Others are exhausted by theological battles within their denominations.....To be sure, the media's relentlessly sour and often silly reporting hardly helps the public attitude. But it is important for Christians not to confuse the existence of bad news with our reaction to the bad news"....  Read this article in full at

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2006/009/30.118.html

     ANALYST: EVANGELICALS 'HERE TO STAY' IN FOREIGN POLICY

Evangelicals will play a key role in the future of American foreign policy, a leading analyst writes in the latest issue of Foreign Affairs, a nonpartisan journal published by the Council on Foreign Relations.

"As more evangelical leaders acquire firsthand experience in foreign policy," Walter Russell Mead, the council's Henry A. Kissinger Fellow writes, "they are likely to provide something now sadly lacking in the world of U.S. foreign policy: a trusted group of experts, well versed in the nuances and dilemmas of the international situation, who are able to persuade large numbers of Americans to support the complex and counterintuitive policies that are sometimes necessary in this wicked and frustrating -- or, dare one say it, fallen -- world."

Evangelicals have for years been involved in international humanitarian efforts, Mead writes, citing the efforts of pastor and author Rick Warren, who has led his Southern California church to take on the global AIDS crisis.  They also have taken on roles in the fights against human trafficking, sexual enslavement, and even global warming.

"Evangelicals constantly reinforce the message of Christian responsibility in the world," Mead writes.  "Partly as a result, evangelicals are often open to, and even eager for, social action and cooperation with non-believers in projects to improve human welfare, even though they continue to believe that those who reject Christ cannot be united with God after death"....  Read this summary in full at

http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=23959

     MAKING MYTH REAL

by Richard C. Salter

September 22 will mark the 45th anniversary of a moment par excellence in American civil religion: Congressional approval to fund the U.S. Peace Corps.  By 1966, over 15,000 volunteers were in the field.  The organization downsized after the initial push, but it has always placed several thousand volunteers in the field per year, and by now 180,000 Americans have served....  So what makes the Peace Corps a part of American civil religion?  Studies of American civil religion often focus on events, rituals, or spaces that somehow bind Americans together as a whole under the rubric of something deemed sacred.  Memorial Day, for example, was understood by W. Lloyd Warner as a national holiday that knit together local communities under shared values.  Or, as Robert Bellah analyzed it, John F. Kennedy's inaugural address was a ritual transition that safely recreated the nation under new leadership and with a new unifying mission.  But like any religion, American civil religion is more than ritual; it also articulates and grounds a vision of reality.....  Read this in full at

http://marty-center.uchicago.edu/sightings/archive_2006/0914.shtml

     SONIC MEMORIAL PROJECT

To mark the 5th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, here is a special re-broadcast of a Peabody-award winning documentary that chronicles the sounds and voices of the World Trade Center and its surrounding neighborhood....

http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/sonicmemorial/index.html

     LEADERSHIP TIPS (BUSINESS, FAMILY, LIFE)

Take the Hit: The Breakfast of Champions and Great Leaders

by Mark Goulston

Stress is good for you.  When you're under it, you're still able to hold onto your goals and drive toward them.  It strengthens you, helps you focus, tests your mettle, and shows the world and more importantly you what you're made of.

If stress increases to the point of overwhelming you and overloading your ability to cope effectively, it crosses over into distress.  At that point, you let go of your goals and instead focus on finding relief.  If you don't find that relief, you run the risk of stress inducing disappointment, which spirals into devastation and frustration.  Then you're left with retaliatory anger, and/or fear that will turn into panic....  Read this in full at

http://www.fastcompany.com/resources/leadership/goulston/090106.html

     VERSE TO PONDER

"Rejoice in the Lord always.  I will say it again: Rejoice!"  Philippians 4:4

     CONSIDER

"God did not need to make me.  He would have gotten along quite nicely without me.  There is nothing I will ever add to God's glory, nothing in him that is empty that I can fill, no need in him that I can help meet.  God is perfect."  Dan Schaeffer, Discipleship Journal (July/August 2006)

     CHRISTIANITY IS TO BE LIVED

"It is fatally easy to think of Christianity as something to be discussed and not as something to be experienced.  It is certainly important to have an intellectual grasp of the orb of Christian truth; but it is still more important to have a vital, living experience of the power of Jesus Christ.  When a man undergoes treatment from a doctor, he does not need to know the way in which the drug works on his body in order to be cured.  There is a sense in which Christianity is like that.  At the heart of Christianity there is a mystery, but it is not the mystery of intellectual appreciation; it the mystery of redemption."  William Barclay (1907-1978), The Gospel of John [1975] (Vol.1)

     "GOODBYE, THEOLOGIANS"

by C. Peter Wagner

Let's do away with the term "theologian."  Why?  The idea that certain members of the body of Christ are theologians while the rest are non-theologians is traditional thinking embedded in the old wineskins of the church.

First, those called to lead the church and to equip the saints for the work of ministry are called apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers (see Eph. 4:11).  Theologians are not on the list.  In fact, the word "theologian" isn't even in the concordance.

Yet, the church has a long tradition of recognizing, and even honoring, theologians as a rather elite category of leaders.  This is related to the unfortunate habit of separating clergy from laity or the idea that those who are employed by the church are "in ministry," while believers in the workplace do something on a lower spiritual level.  While many scold us for this antiquated terminology, few are raising the related question as to whether the category of "theologian" fits the new wineskin. I, for one, don't think it does....  Read this blog at

http://www.ministrytodaymag.com/blog/2006/09/guest-commentary-goodbye-theologians.html

     ESPN REPORTER GRATEFUL FOR NEW BIRTH

by Tim Ellsworth

Chris Mortensen has a job most football fans would kill for.  As an NFL reporter for ESPN, Mortensen gets paid good money to watch football, to talk about football, to write about football.  He's on ESPN's "Sunday NFL Countdown," "Monday Night Countdown," and "SportsCenter."  He's at the Super Bowl.  He's in Hawaii for the Pro Bowl.  He even gets to work from home and can live wherever he wants.

"I am very grateful to have been blessed with everything I've been blessed with," Mortensen said.  "That's had a great humbling effect on me."  The humility is something relatively new for Mortensen, who admits that in his past, few people would have used the word "humble" to describe him.  But that's just one of the changes that have taken place in Mortensen's life over the past few years since he became a Christian....  Read this article in full at

http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=23942

     MECHANIC'S TOOL GUIDE (part 1)

HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate expensive parts not far from the object we are trying to hit.

MECHANIC'S KNIFE: Used to open and slice through the contents of cardboard cartons delivered to your front door; works particularly well on boxes containing seats and motorcycle jackets.

ELECTRIC HAND DRILL: Normally used for spinning steel Pop rivets in their holes until you die of old age, but it also works great for drilling mounting holes in fenders just above the brake line that goes to the rear wheel.

PLIERS: Used to round off bolt heads.

HACKSAW: One of a family of cutting tools built on the Ouija board principle. It transforms human energy into a crooked, unpredictable motion, and the more you attempt to influence its course, the more dismal your future becomes.

VISE-GRIPS: Used to round off bolt heads.  If nothing else is available, they can also be used to transfer intense welding heat to the palm of your hand.

OXYACETYLENE TORCH: Used almost entirely for lighting various flammable objects in your garage on fire.   Also handy for igniting the grease inside a brake drum you're trying to get the bearing race out of.

WHITWORTH SOCKETS: Once used for working on older British cars and motorcycles, they are now used mainly for impersonating that 9/16 or 1/2 socket you've been searching for the last 15 minutes.

DRILL PRESS: A tall upright machine useful for suddenly snatching flat metal bar stock out of your hands so that it smacks you in the chest and flings your drink across the room, splattering it against that freshly painted part you were drying.

WIRE WHEEL: Cleans rust off old bolts and then throws them somewhere under the workbench with the speed of light.  Also removes fingerprint whorls and hard-earned guitar calluses in about the time it takes you to say, "Ouc...."

HYDRAULIC FLOOR JACK: Used for lowering a motorcycle to the ground after you have installed your new front disk brake setup, trapping the jack handle firmly under the front fender.

EIGHT-FOOT LONG DOUGLAS FIR 2X4: Used for levering a motorcycle upward off a hydraulic jack.

http://www.mikeysFunnies.com

     STAYING HEALTHY ON THE GO

by Tamara Quintana

Most of us live our lives in the jet stream.  But we still need to take the time to be healthy.  Eating on the go often means making poor food choices.  To make better choices, keep these things in mind:

-- Stay away from fast food restaurants and buffets.  Eating healthy is all about making wise choices: portion control, grilled instead of fried, salad dressing on the side, fresh vegetables instead of fries, fresh fruit for dessert, etc.

-- Eat 3 to 5 times a day.  Be sure to eat breakfast -- it doesn't have to be big, just a protein, a carb and a dairy will kick-start your day.  Grab an extra yogurt or fruit before you leave home for a mid-morning snack.  Eat lunch.  Have an afternoon snack and then eat a light dinner.

-- Drink plenty of water.

EXERCISE

Take every opportunity to exercise when you're on the go.

-- When traveling by car, take frequent walk breaks at parks, rest stops, tourist sites, etc.  If traveling by plane, check in if necessary, and then walk around until time to board.

-- However you're traveling, it is important to exercise your legs.  While sitting, blood can collect in the lower part of your body and create deep vein thrombosis (blood clots). Just moving each heel up and down for a minute will pump the blood to the upper portion of your body.

-- Most hotels have some type of exercise facility.  If not, exercise in your room with a jump rope, exercise bands, or a DVD.

SLEEP

It can be difficult to get a good night's sleep when you are away from home.

-- Exercise more than 1 to 2 hours before bedtime.

-- Don't eat a big meal just before going to bed.

-- Bring your pillow from home.  Sometimes that's all you need.

-- Bring some "white noise" to drown out unfamiliar noises.  This might be radio music played very low or actual "white noise" that you can pick up in stores like Sharper Image.

     CONSIDER

"I think that most Christians would be better pleased if the Lord did not inquire into their personal affairs too closely.  They want Him to save them, to keep them happy, and to take them off to heaven at last, but not to be too inquisitive about their conduct or services."  A. W. Tozer (1897-1963)

     VERSE TO PONDER

"Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble."  Psalm 119:165

     THIS WEEK'S HYMN: COME, THOU FOUNT OF EVERY BLESSING

Words: Robert Robinson, 1758

Music: John Wyeth, 1813

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,

Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;

Streams of mercy, never ceasing,

Call for songs of loudest praise.

Teach me some melodious sonnet,

Sung by flaming tongues above.

Praise the mount!  I'm fixed upon it,

Mount of Thy redeeming love.

Here I raise my Ebenezer;

Here by Thy great help I've come;

And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,

Safely to arrive at home.

Jesus sought me when a stranger,

Wandering from the fold of God;

He, to rescue me from danger,

Interposed His precious blood.

O to grace how great a debtor

Daily I'm constrained to be!

Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,

Bind my wandering heart to Thee.

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,

Prone to leave the God I love;

Here's my heart, O take and seal it,

Seal it for Thy courts above.

O that day when freed from sinning,

I shall see Thy lovely face;

Clothed then in blood washed linen

How I'll sing Thy sovereign grace;

Come, my Lord, no longer tarry,

Take my ransomed soul away;

Send thine angels now to carry

Me to realms of endless day.

>from CyberHymnal at

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/c/o/comethou.htm

     GOD FAQ

Question 90: What shall be done to the righteous at the day of judgment?

Answer: At the day of judgment, the righteous, being caught up to Christ in the clouds, shall be set on his right hand, and there openly acknowledged and acquitted, shall join with him in the judging of reprobate angels and men, and shall be received into heaven, where they shall be fully and forever freed from all sin and misery; filled with inconceivable joys, made perfectly holy and happy both in body and soul, in the company of innumerable saints and holy angels, but especially in the immediate vision and fruition of God the Father, of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of the Holy Spirit, to all eternity. And this is the perfect and full communion, which the members of the invisible church shall enjoy with Christ in glory, at the resurrection and day of judgment.

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

"The more praying there is in the world, the better the world will be, the mightier the forces against evil everywhere. Prayer, in one phase of its operation, is a disinfectant and a preventive.  It purifies the air; it destroys the contagion of evil. Prayer is no fitful, short-lived thing. It is no voice crying unheard and unheeded in the silence.  It is a voice which goes into God's ear, and it lives as long as God's ear is open to holy pleas, as long as God's heart is alive to holy things. God shapes the world by prayer."  Andrew Murray, 19th century pastor and author

     PRAY FOR PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS TODAY
http://christiansincrisis.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.

     SHARE YOUR FAVORITE WEBSITES

Tell us what sites you find enjoyable and why.

Church Leader Internet Portal

http://www.zondervan.com/cultures/en-US/ZCS/CLIP

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.)

To lift your soul, first bend your knees.

Min. Frank Coleman, Editor

[email protected]

Thanks for welcoming CONNECTIONS into your in-box!

Quick Links...

·  Web Tools

·  Here's How to Download & Share Your Favorite Music

email: [email protected]

To subscribe to CONNECTIONS, send a message to [email protected] with "subscribe MSM" in the subject line.