Connecting man to man to God!

Week of December 10, 2006

"The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."  John 1:14 (NKJV)

     CONSIDER

"Do not pray for easy lives; pray to be stronger.  Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers; pray for powers equal to your tasks.  Then the doing of your work shall be no miracle, but you yourself shall be a miracle.  Every day you shall wonder at yourself, at the richness of life which has come to you by the grace of God."  Phillips Brooks

     KRAMER'S SINS -- AND OURS

by Edward Gilbreath

"By now you've probably seen the incriminating video of actor Michael Richards onstage at a Los Angeles comedy club.  After being heckled by a couple of black men in the audience, Richards snaps, cutting loose with a lengthy rant that features not only a generous helping of the N-word but also a vicious reference to lynching ("Fifty years ago, we'd have you upside down ... ").

"Richards was great as Jerry Seinfeld's zany neighbor Cosmo Kramer.  He imbued the character with just the right mix of lunacy, earnestness, and desperation.  His nervous twitches and nonsensical outbursts made him a loveable nutcase -- certifiably crazy, yet somehow charming in his madness.  That's why it was so shocking to see him erupting into hateful rage during his standup routine.  Everyone expects Kramer to be "out of control," but not like this.

"Seeing Richards's explode was like learning that a favorite performer has died.  No one wants to believe a guy whose talents you've enjoyed for so long is actually a bigot.  Yet there it was; the cell-phone video doesn't lie.  But can someone honestly dissect bigotry from the malicious use of racial epithets? Probably not.  Racism, like other sins, would ask us to call it by a less harmful-sounding name.  In the final analysis, however, sin is sin.  And, frankly, who among us hasn't found himself astonished by the degree of depravity within?  "I do not understand what I do.  For what I want to do I don't do, but what I hate I do," said the apostle Paul in a tongue twister reminiscent of, well, Cosmo Kramer (Rom. 7:15).

"As an African American, I suppose I should be infuriated by Richards's tirade.  Yet I cannot help feeling sympathy for the man.  I'd like to give him the benefit of the doubt.  Call me gullible, but I believed him when he said he was sorry.  I think he was telling the truth when he said he had no idea where that rage was coming from"....  Read this in full at

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2006/novemberweb-only/148-32.0.html

     WRAPUP: SUMMIT CALLS GLOBAL CHURCH TO BRING JUSTICE TO AIDS CRISIS

When 5,500 people die of AIDS every day, the need is not for charity but for justice, says Bono, and the church must do something about it.  "That's a lot of our brothers and sisters to be losing for no good reason," the activist and front man for megaband U2 told the crowd at the 2006 Global Summit on AIDS and the Church.  "One thing we can probably agree on is that God is where the poor live," he said via video.  "God is in the slums and the cardboard boxes.  God is in the cries heard under the rumble of war.  God is with us if we are with them, which is to say God expects us to treat everyone as equal.  Equal in the eyes of God -- that's really what these issues are about."

Virtually every speaker at the two-day event at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., spoke to the enormous potential Christians have in confronting HIV/AIDS.  Their message?  The global church has both an opportunity and an obligation not only to reduce HIV/AIDS but to eradicate it.  The second-annual Saddleback event is the loudest voice yet in rallying evangelicals against the ravages of AIDS.

For their part, Rick and Kay Warren assured reporters the AIDS cause isn't the "trend of the week" for them.  Their obvious ease and knowledge with the topic of AIDS complemented the racially mixed and age-diverse crowd, not to mention the ample Hawaiian shirts and body piercings also present.  All told, more than 2,000 people from 39 states and 18 countries attended the event, which included speeches from Episcopalians, Catholics, government officials, U.N. leaders, medical doctors and social activists....  Read this in full at

http://www.abpnews.com/www/1549.article

     MANLINESS IS NEXT TO GODLINESS

A contrarian movement is gaining momentum on the fringes of Christianity.  In daybreak fraternity meetings and weekend paintball wars, in wilderness retreats and X-rated chats about lust, thousands of Christian men are reaching for more forceful, more rugged expressions of their faith....  Read this in full at

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-godmen7dec07,0,5040895.story?coll=la-home-headlines

     CHURCHES REACHING MEN THROUGH OUTDOORS MINISTRIES

More ministers like William Johnson in Montana are realizing the importance and popularity of outdoor recreation, as well as the ministry potential.  Johnson's congregation, Gallatin Valley Baptist Fellowship in Manhattan, Mont., hosts sportsmen's rallies for hunters and fishermen in his area.  "The weekends are the only times when men who hold full time jobs get to enjoy these activities," Johnson said.  "They place recreation as a higher priority than coming to church on Sunday mornings.  If we offer a rally during the work week, they make time to come."  The rally allows Johnson and other church members to meet many men who have never been involved in a church.  It also offers an opportunity for men in the church to use their passions for God.  "It's helped us gain the image that we meet people where they are instead of just inviting them to come join us," Johnson said.  Additionally, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary is partnering with God's Great Outdoors, Inc. to offer the Trail to Adventure Training Conference on the seminary campus Wake Forest, N.C., Jan. 5-6.  Pastors, lay leaders, and other interested individuals can learn ways to implement outdoor ministries.  Read this in full at

http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=24538

     ADVENT: A SEASON OF ANTICIPATION

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/religion/story/C45A4F971C97DCFC862572380021FA79?OpenDocument

also see

http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/120306/met_6598491.shtml

     MY CHRISTMAS GIFT LIST

by Dave Burchett

When I was a kid the holidays seemed to politely wait their turn in line.  Thanksgiving would take the baton from Halloween and then pass it along to Christmas.  Now the Holidays clamor for attention like a spoiled child at the mall. I have been receiving Christmas catalogs for weeks and the stores are already filled with Christmas displays. By the way, you will note that I am a proud user of the term Christmas for the December 25th event that is known on the federal calendar as Christmas Day.  That was a bonus mini-rant. No charge.

So as I bought Halloween candy today I thought about what I want for Christmas this year. I started with a list of things I really, really want.

1. Everything at the Bose store

2. A high definition television

3. The latest version of my Trio phone (I don't have the Windows version for heaven's sake!)

4. Several pounds of books

5. Dozens of DVDs

Then I listed everything I really, really need.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Yep.  I don't need a single thing for Christmas.  I give bags of clothing I no longer wear to charities every year.  We have more stuff in our house than we can figure out how to store.  My television is in color and has a sharp picture.  Not high def...but high enough for now. My phone does, unfortunately, still receive calls.  I have more books than I can read and more DVD's than I have time to watch.  I still want the stuff from the Bose store but Jesus never said this journey would be easy.  So here is my request for this year to my Sons and the stunning Mrs.Burchett.  Pool the money you would have spent on me and go the website of World Vision.  Then click on the Gift Catalog and give a gift to people who really, really do need things.  There you can find a need for whatever stirs your heart, from animals to education to fresh water provision.  Nothing would make me happier.  Here is just a sampling from the catalog....  Read this in full at

http://daveburchett.com/archive/2006/10/31/4626.aspx

     LEADERSHIP TIPS (BUSINESS, FAMILY, LIFE)

Preparing our children to change their world

by Timothy Smith

"Sometimes our kids can throw us a curve as we try to raise them with moral guidelines.  As Christian parents, we want to pass on lasting values to our kids.  To do this, we need a perspective that is transcultural and not simply a product of our culture.  We need a perspective that has a long-term view and is not obsessed with a short-term payoff.  We need a biblical model, one based on principles that outlast the trendy voices of our current culture.  Biblical parenting is more than modifying our children's behavior.  It's much deeper than that.  It's more than raising compliant, well-mannered kids to be nice.  As Christian parents, we are not to simply socialize our children into civil human beings; we are to train them to advance the Kingdom of God.  It's not simply about manners and proper decorum in public; it's about training our children to be conditioned and prepared to take on life's challenges.  Raising moral and prepared kids takes careful, intentional work"....  Read this in full at

http://www.pastors.com/article.asp?ArtID=10061

     VERSE TO PONDER

"This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.  No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends.  You are my friends if you do what I command you.  I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father."  John 15:12-15

     CONSIDER

"Many promising reconciliations have broken down because, while both parties came prepared to forgive, neither party came prepared to be forgiven."  Charles Williams

     WHAT DOES SPIRITUAL WARFARE MEAN TO YOU?

The most insidious type of spiritual warfare is not the spooky demonic type in my opinion.  It manifests itself more in the Uncle Screwtape and nephew Wormwood type of warfare.  Temptation is spiritual warfare. So is gossip. So is bitterness.  So is lack of forgiveness.  "Ordinary" kinds of sin, like a sinful thought life, need to be considered as spiritual warfare.  Whether the besetting source of the temptation or gossip is a demon or our own sinful nature matters not.  In either case, our response is to cry out in prayer for help....

http://www.thinkchristian.net/?p=1002

     FORGIVE

"Given enough time, the small roots of bitterness in our own hearts can grow so strong and so powerful, they can destroy our lives.  You and I must choose to forgive those offenders that hurt us. We must choose forgiveness over bitterness.  Otherwise, we incarcerate our hearts in self-made prisons-dark, deserted, and desolate.  Pulling up the weeds of bitterness might take a long time. Remember, forgiveness is a process, a journey.  But you and I can start the process with the willful decision to forgive.  God will help us along our journey to complete forgiveness, one step and one day at a time."  Denise George, Cultivating a Forgiving Heart

     CHRISTIANS HAVE NEW OPTION FOR MOVIES

by Phil Boatwright

Films with Christian themes are once again popping up at cineplexes throughout America.  And it's not just well-meaning Christians making these movies for the Sunday evening church services.  New Line Cinema just released "The Nativity Story."  And now, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment is breaking sacred ground by forming a new distribution label to house its growing portfolio of faith-based programming.  FoxFaith is an entertainment initiative that will seek out and distribute movies targeted to the Christian community and anyone seeking inspirational entertainment.

"Over the years we've developed an entire network of producers and we're getting more involved at the script level versus just buying a film," Steven Feldstein, vice president of corporate and marketing communications for FoxFaith, told me.  "It started years ago with the Frank Peretti movie, 'Hangman's Curse.'  And actually, a little before that.  But to the extent of dedicating considerable resources to the FoxFaith initiative, that has really happened in the last couple of years.  We had identified the marketplace as underserved and set about to serve it.  The success of 'The Passion of the Christ' confirmed what we already knew"....  Next up for Fox Faith is "Thr3e," a thriller about a young seminary student caught in the middle of a murder mystery.  "Thr3e" opens Jan. 5 and is taken from a novel by renowned Christian writer Ted Dekker.  Additional information about specific titles and programs can be found at www.foxfaithmovies.com and foxfaith.com....  Read this article in full at

http://www.bpnews.net/bpcolumn.asp?ID=2473

     THIS IS YOUR BRAIN ON VIOLENCE

For nearly 35 years, Americans have lived with videogames-and the controversy surrounding them. Proponents say the games are fun and even help teach kids how to use logic to solve problems. Critics say the more violent games-including some that reward players for killing innocent bystanders and police-increase aggressive thoughts and antisocial behavior.

A new brain-imaging study from Indiana University -- the first of its kind -- suggests that playing violent videogames may indeed change the way a person feels and acts.  In the study, researchers found that teenagers who played a violent videogame exhibited increased activity in a part of the brain that governs emotional arousal.  The same teens showed decreased activity in the parts of the brain involved in focus, inhibition and concentration.  The study randomly assigned 44 physically and psychologically normal 13- to 17-year-old boys and girls (with boys outnumbering girls more than two to one) to two groups.  One group played a violent wartime videogame for a half hour while the other played a nonviolent, car-chase video game.  Researchers then used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to look at the kids' brains....  Read this in full at

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15938244/site/newsweek/

     VIOLENCE AND TV

Steven Spielberg, director of such bloody films as Munich and Saving Private Ryan is no stranger to big-screen violence.  Still, he doesn't like what he's seeing on the small screen these days and believes that some of today's most popular TV shows are inappropriate for children.  The director recently told the board of directors of the International Emmys, "I'm a parent who is very concerned [about prime-time TV violence]. ... Today we are needing to be as responsible as we can be, not just thinking of our own children but our friends' and neighbors' children."  Spielberg singled out CBS' CSI and NBC's Heroes as two shows that regularly depict excessively graphic violence.  [Source: Reuters, 11/20/06]

     THE GAP BETWEEN THE VERY RICH AND VERY POOR IS GROWING

If the world's population was reduced to 10 people, 1 person would hold $99 and the remaining 9 would share $1, according to a new study by the World Institute for Development Economics Research.  "The super-rich are even more grotesquely rich than 50 years ago," says institute director Anthony Shorrocks.  According to the study, 2% of the richest people own more than 1/2 the world's wealth -- and almost all of them live in 1st-world countries.  90% of wealth is concentrated in North America, Europe, and increasingly, parts of Asia....  Read this in full at

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6211250.stm

     CONSIDER

"Is it not almost unbelievable that the Creator, on whose freedom and power we all depend, should allow himself to be bound, and to lie in helpless weakness in the straw?"  John Stott

     VERSE TO PONDER

"Whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be slave of all.  For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many."  Mark 10:43-45

     THIS WEEK'S HYMN: BEHOLD THE GREAT CREATOR MAKES

Words: Thomas Pestel (1584-1659)

Music: 15th Century

Behold the great Creator makes

Himself a house of clay,

A robe of virgin flesh He takes

Which He will wear for ay.

Hark, hark, the wise eternal Word,

Like a weak infant cries!

In form of servant is the Lord,

And God in cradles lies.

This wonder struck the world amazed,

It shook the starry frame;

Squadrons of spirits stood and gazed,

Then down in troops they came.

Glad shepherds ran to view this sight;

A choir of angels sings,

And eastern sages with delight

Adore this King of kings.

Join then, all hearts that are not stone,

And all our voices prove,

To celebrate this holy One

The God of peace and love.

>from CyberHymnal at

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/b/e/beholdtg.htm

     GOD FAQ

Question 102: What is the sum of the four commandments that contain our duty to God?

Answer: The sum of the four commandments containing our duty to God is, to love the Lord our God with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our strength, and with all our mind.

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

"A satisfying prayer life elevates and purifies every act of body and mind and integrates the entire personality into a single spiritual unit.  In the long pull we pray only as well as we live."  A. W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God

     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.

63 Christmas gift ideas for $10 or less

http://www.betterbudgeting.com/articles/money/63giftsunder10dollars.htm

Baptismal Cannonball

http://www.ysmarko.com/?p=1141

Online Bible Search

http://www.zondervanbiblesearch.com

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 can be only understood backwards, but it must be lived forward.

Min. Frank Coleman, Editor

[email protected]

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