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Connections Connecting man to
man to God! Week of Issue 139 CONNECTIONS is
the opt-in newsletter for the men & friends of Minister Frank
Coleman. It's a periodic service that
helps connect you with God and with other men. 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 CONNECTIONS. "Be
imitators of God as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as
Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and
sacrifice to God." Ephesians
5:1-2 CONSIDER "A
relaxed, easygoing Christian is miles more attractive and effective than the
rigid, uptight brother who squeaks when he walks and whines when he
talks." Charles R. Swindoll, Man
to Man THE SCANDAL OF FORGIVENESS By Stan
Guthrie We should not
demand that those who have been terribly wronged quickly offer "cheap
grace." Forgiveness and healing
often take time. Yet sooner or later,
forgive we must. Our Savior, Jesus,
forgave his unrepentant enemies from the Cross and taught us to pray,
"Forgive us our debts as we have forgiven our debtors." While we cannot pardon others' sin as God
does through Christ's death, we are called to forgive. What then is forgiveness? Lewis Smedes, who
was a professor of theology and ethics at Fuller Theological Seminary,
defined forgiveness as an inner response to evil that (when possible) finds
fulfillment in outward reconciliation.
Smedes identified three stages: * Suffering.
Contra Jacoby, forgiveness does not mean we
passively and unemotionally accept evil.
No, the very concept acknowledges that evil has been done and that
suffering has resulted. Smedes wrote, "Forgiveness happens only when we
first admit our hurt and scream our hate." * Spiritual
surgery. "In the creative violence of love," Smedes
wrote, "you reach into the unchangeable past and cut away the wrong from
the person who wronged you; you erase the hurt in the archives of your
heart." * Starting over.
Smedes noted, "It is the beginning of a new
journey together. We must begin where we are, not at an ideal place for
reunion. ... Nasty questions are unanswered. The future is uncertain; we have
more hurts and more forgiving ahead of us."... Read this in full at http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/january/15.58.html THE TUNE OF GRACE "Occasionally
a grace note sounds, high, lilting, ethereal, to interrupt the monotonous
background growl of ungrace. Grace comes free of charge to people who do
not deserve it and I am one of those people.
I think back to who I was -- resentful, wound
tight with anger, a single hardened link in a long chain of ungrace learned from family and church. Now I am trying in my own small way to pipe
the tune of grace. I do so because I
know, more surely than I know anything, that any
pang of healing or forgiveness or goodness I have ever felt comes solely from
the grace of God. I yearn for the
church to become a nourishing culture of that grace." Philip Yancey, What's So Amazing About
Grace? OUR ENERGY "Grace
is not static. It is the active energy
of God that enables Christians to be all we were called to be when Christ
saved us." Tony Evans, The
Victorious Christian Life RELIGION REBOUNDS AT YMCA More branches
are showing a spiritual side, with ministry services and Christian rock. About 13% of the more than 2,600 YMCA
branches across the country have set up special committees to promote
Christianity. Hundreds of Y leaders
convene each year to swap ideas on how to "lift up the C in the
YMCA." Some Ys
in http://www.latimes.com/news/la-na-ymca24nov24,1,2521182.story CHRISTIANS FLEX A MANLY ATTITUDE "Thank
you, Lord, for our testosterone!" is an apt anthem for a contrarian
movement gaining momentum on the fringes of Christianity. In daybreak fraternity meetings and weekend
paintball wars, thousands of Christian men are reaching for more forceful,
more rugged expressions of their faith....
Read this in full at http://www.dispatch.com/news/religion/faith-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/12/22/20061222-C4-00.html FROM Churches with
rising attendance numbers have a lot in common with one another - a lot more
than denomination, location, or even theological approach. According to a new study, success stories
often involve men, drums, a joyful environment, and a concerted effort not to
be too "reverent." That's
the conclusion of a December report from the Hartford Institute for Religion
Research, a nonprofit research group at Hartford Seminary in http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0103/p01s01-ussc.html LEADERSHIP TIP (BUSINESS, FAMILY, LIFE) "Humility
in leadership can be achieved if one learns to view his role as a simple
service to others. Indeed, this is the
very essence of leadership: giving energy, not receiving it. And perhaps the surest way to ensure such
an outward flow of energy is to think of oneself always as serving one's
subordinates. Finally, and (provided
you have the faith) most helpful of all: See God as the doer. Give him the credit for any good that you
do. Offer your work as a service to
Him." J. Donald Walters. The Art
of Leadership VERSE TO PONDER "Seek
good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with
you, just as you say he is. Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the
courts." Amos 5:14-15 CONSIDER "We may
not understand how the spirit works; but the effect of the Spirit on the
lives of men is there for all to see; and the only unanswerable argument for
Christianity is a Christian life. No
man can disregard a religion and a faith and a power which is able to make
bad men good." William Barclay
(1907-1978), The Gospel of John [1975] (Vol.1), p. 122 GLOBAL SHIFT IN CHRISTIANITY TOPS LIST
OF RELIGIOUS DEVELOPMENTS Beyond daily
headlines, the most important religious development around the turn of the
3rd millennium Anno Domini
is probably the ongoing, inexorable shift of Christianity's population and
dynamism away from the West and toward a markedly different style in
developing nations of the "Global South." Gordon-Conwell
seminary's Center for the Study of Global Christianity says 62% of the
world's 2 billion Christians live in http://www.christianpost.com/article/20070107/24831.htm SPIRITUAL AWAKENINGS IN THE MOVIES by Phil
Boatwright Occasionally,
a motion picture comes along that conveys a profound concept significant for
Christians. Allow me to suggest a few
films -- young and old -- that aided in my spiritual growth. A prayer of mine for this coming year is
that you will find movies that not only entertain, but contribute to your
spiritual well-being. In my last
column "The Best Movies of 2006," I featured both
"TSOTSI" (Rated R for language and violence) and "Facing the
Giants" (PG, no objectionable content), so I won't repeat my
descriptions of those two powerful films.
Suffice it to say, both reminded me that any life can be transformed
by God's love and that we have been placed on this planet not to garner
temporal treasures, but to develop that which lives throughout eternity. In 1939's
"The Hunchback of Notre Dame," and decades later in Disney's
animated version, a lowly gypsy girl enters a cathedral to pray for her
suffering people. She is surrounded by
finely dressed, haughty aristocracy, each praying for their individual desires. That motif has always stuck with me. From time to time that image pops into my
mind, reminding me that if I put more attention on the needs of others, God
won't forsake my own. When it comes
to the biblical teaching concerning the pardoning of others,
"Schindler's List" (Rated R for language, some sexuality and
violence) and "Places in the Heart" (PG) spring to mind. In "Places in the Heart," a
repentant adulterer is finally forgiven when his wife, moved by the pastor's
sermon, takes her husband's hand, signifying the restoring of a relationship
through Christ's love. In
"Schindler's List," the adulterous Schindler vows his
unfaithfulness will end, whereupon he is absolved. Both these touching moments take place in a
church, further symbolizing a spiritual recovery.... Read this in full at http://www.bpnews.net/bpfeature.asp?ID=2505 TEENAGE ACTIVITIES Three out of
every four teenagers have reportedly experimented with witchcraft or
psychic-related activities. The most
popular of these activities include: using a Ouija
board, reading books about witchcraft or Wicca, playing games involving
sorcery or witchcraft, having a "professional" do a palm reading,
or having their fortune told. PRAYING FOR PARKING IS EVIL by Patton
Dodd "As
supplication goes, praying for parking is, for those who pray,
a mark of shame. It's on par with
praying that The Gap has the right size jeans or that your TiVo's hard drive doesn't crash during "Grey's
Anatomy." It's a prayer of tedium
-- for those too bored to pray for things that matter. It's a prayer of luxury -- for that blessed
1% whose wealth can put them in a car and give them cause to drive to the tony shopping district where parking is the only
scarcity. Worse, praying for parking
is poor theology".... Read this
in full at http://www.beliefnet.com/story/209/story_20908_1.html SIMPLE RULE FOR DIETING "Apparently,
there is some relationship between how often you open your mouth and how
often you put food into it. To reduce
your caloric consumption, try keeping your lips together, especially when you
are in the presence of a cheese cake."
W. Bruce Cameron IS THE BIBLE THE STORY OF HEAVEN ON
EARTH? Is the Bible
just a big book of worldly experience that hints at divine echoes, or did it
drop "down from heaven in black leather binding complete with
maps?" http://www.mlive.com/news/grpress/index.ssf?/base/news-34/116806877356730.xml&coll=6 OPENING PRAYER IN THE Rev. Barry
Black, Chaplain of the U.S. Senate offered the following prayer as members of
the Senate gathered for the start of their session on Eternal
Spirit, whom to find is life and whom to miss is
death, from age to age you provide hope to those who trust you. In a changing world, you are
changeless. Lord, you have given us
the gift of a new year, with all of its possibilities and promises. Empower the
Members of this new 110th Congress to use this season of opportunity for Your
glory. As they labor with You, help
them to place our country's needs ahead of perceived political
advantages. Lead them from mistrust to
trust. Use them to help bring peace to
our world. Show them the priorities
that best honor You and inspire them to act promptly. May they strive to achieve and maintain
ethical and moral fitness. When they feel discouragement, remind them
that You are working for the good of those who loveYou.
As a
challenging and promising future beckons, guide their steps and supply their
needs. Lead the new leaders of our
legislative branch with Your sure hand.
May they follow You without hesitation. We pray in Your Sovereign Name. Amen. OPENING PRAYER IN THE Chaplain
Daniel Coughlin offered the following prayer at the opening session of the
House of Representatives on Lord God, You
are the eternal author of all creation and every age. You are the same yesterday, today and
forever. Be present to us now. Be gracious and bless all those duly
elected by their districts who gather today to form the House of the people
as the 110th Congress of the Together, may
they know forthright debate and civil discourse,
enact quality legislation and persevere in representing the diversity and the
will of the people in addressing the priority issues facing the nation as a
whole. Bless the
families of these representatives, granting them forbearance and understanding
of the public service implied by this undertaking. Lord, may the
110th Congress of the United States read the signs of the times and seize
this moment to create a history that will reflect the values of Your kingdom,
here on earth and thereby unite this nation and reveal to peoples around the
world the dignity and the glory of being the free children of God. For to You be the honor, the power and the
glory now and forever. Amen. UNSTUCK "I know
way too many people whose lives, spiritually and emotionally speaking, are
just stuck. They're drowning deep and desperate, all because they've ignored
God's loving warning signs, God's boundaries, and lived life like we all just
show up accidental-like and float around like a feather on a breeze. Would you allow a guy who's been where you
are to let you in on some good news? There is a God who can rescue you from
that stuck-ness! An incredibly loving
and powerful God who can pull you out of anything, anywhere, if you're
willing. He wants to give you a
purpose and a destiny. He's not a
"whatever" kind of God. He's
the Destiny Maker, and he wants to pour his love and leadership into your
life." Mike Breaux, Making
Ripples MAKE THE MOST OF TIME "If you
want to reclaim more time for your marriage, you can do so by minimizing your
financial worries. And you do that by
working your way out of debt and then building up your savings. You don't have to be a miser. If you do it right, you'll hardly notice
the amount that will be going into your savings. In fact, you will even save time in the
process of saving money. How? By doing it automatically. David Bach, author of The Automatic
Millionaire, says you must have a system that will pull money out of your
paycheck directly and automatically -- the way the federal government
does. And that's easy to do. Go to your employer and say, "I want
you to take money directly out of my paycheck, and I want you to put it
automatically into my retirement account." Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott, Your
Time-Starved Marriage: How to Stay Connected at the Speed of Life VERSE TO PONDER "Teach
us to number our days right, that we may gain a
heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12 CONSIDER "All
your life an unattainable ecstasy has hovered just beyond the grasp of your
consciousness. The day is coming when you will wake to find, beyond all hope,
that you have attained it, or else, that it was within your reach and you
have lost it forever." C.S.
Lewis, The Problem of Pain THIS WEEK'S HYMN: WHILE WITH CEASELESS
COURSE THE SUN Words: John
Newton, 1779 Music: Samuel
Webbe, Sr., 1792 While with
ceaseless course the sun Hasted
through the former year, Many souls
their race have run, Never more to
meet us here; Fixed in an
eternal fate, They have
done with all below; We a little
longer wait, But how
little -- none can know. As the wingèd arrow flies Speedily the
mark to find; As the
lightning from the skies Darts, and
leaves no trace behind; Swiftly thus
our fleeting days Bear us down
life's rapid stream; Upwards,
Lord, our spirits raise, All below is
but a dream. Thanks for
mercies past receive, Pardon of our
sins renew; Teach us,
henceforth, how to live With eternity
in view: Bless Thy
Word to young and old, Fill us with
a Savior's love; And when
life's short tale is told, May we dwell
with Thee above. >from
CyberHymnal at http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/w/w/wwcctsun.htm GOD FAQ Question 107:
Which is the second commandment? Answer: The
second commandment is, Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any
likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth
beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down
thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God,
visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and
fourth generation of them that hate me; and showing mercy unto thousands of
them that love me, and keep my commandments. 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/ PRAY FOR PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS TODAY PRAY FOR A COUNTRY TODAY DAILY BLESSING PACT I
am agreeing in prayer with you for God’s blessings to overtake you! 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. SHARE YOUR FAVORITE WEBSITES Tell us what
sites you find enjoyable and why. Setting
Captives Free http://www.settingcaptivesfree.com Amazing
Grace: The Official Movie Web Site http://www.amazinggracemovie.com/ Light Source 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.) A New Year's
resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other. Thanks for welcoming CONNECTIONS
into your in-box! We offer 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. Quick Links... · Download & Share Your Favorite Music · Visit my blog - comment & share your thoughts email: [email protected] phone:
1-773-410-1483 To subscribe to CONNECTIONS, send a
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