Connecting man to man to God!

Week of February 4, 2007

"The Lord is king!  Let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad!  Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne."  Psalms 97:1-2

     CONSIDER

"In his holy flirtation with the world, God occasionally drops a handkerchief.  These handkerchiefs are called saints."  Frederick Buechner

     MERE MISSION

N.T. Wright is a world-renowned New Testament scholar and bishop of Durham in the Church of England.  He's also a keen observer of culture.  Christianity Today senior writer Tim Stafford caught up with Wright as he drove from meetings at Windsor Castle to his diocese in Durham.  They talked about communicating the gospel in a post-Christian society.

Q:  Your book Simply Christian speaks to people outside the faith, in what must be a conscious imitation of C.S. Lewis's Mere Christianity.  What made you want to write to that audience?

A:  I suppose I've always wanted to say to my contemporaries in the wider world, "This stuff matters; it's life transforming; it's world transforming."  Much of my academic life has been spent exploring underlying issues, particularly about the central events in the gospel.  But now it really is time to say, "So what does it mean?"

Because I've done all that historical work, my view of the gospel and how it works out in the real world has been deepened and enriched in all kinds of ways that I would never have guessed 25 years ago when I was starting out writing about Jesus.  So in Simply Christian there's a lot about justice, what it means to be human in the mandate to work, the putting to rights of God's world, generating beauty, alleviating poverty, working with ecology.  Thirty years ago I would have said those were secondary issues.

There's an old evangelical saying, "If he's not Lord of all, he's not Lord at all."  That was always applied personally and pietistically. I want to say exactly the same thing but apply it to the world.  We're talking about Jesus as the Lord of the world-not the Lord of people's private spiritual interiority only, but of what they do with their money, with their homes, with the wealth of nations, and with the planet....  Read this in full at

http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/january/22.38.html

     GIVING AND FORGIVING IN A CULTURE STRIPPED OF GRACE

Miroslav Volf, Director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture and Henry B. Wright Professor of Theology at Yale Divinity School, spoke at the Calvin College January series.  He said human beings function as takers, getters, and givers, and that it's in giving where forgiveness enters into the human equation....  Listen to this lecture at

http://www.calvin.edu/january/2007/volf.htm

     NFL PRO BOWL

Saturday, Feb. 10

http://www.nfl.com/probowl

CBS Sports TV coverage

http://cbs.sportsline.com/

     AMAZING GRACE SUNDAY

Feb. 18: Let's join with churches around the world who'll be proclaiming the freedom of Christ with the song Amazing Grace

http://www.amazinggracesunday.com/

     AMAZING GRACE & THE LAST SIN EATER

Columnist Cal Thomas points out a growing connection between faith and Hollywood.  He particularly points out two major movies coming soon with overt Christian messages -- Amazing Grace (due out 2/23) and The Last Sin Eater.

http://www.sacbee.com/110/story/112192.html

     AMAZING GRACE MOVIE SITE

http://www.amazinggracemovie.com/

     READ THE WILLIAM WILBERFORCE BIO

http://tinyurl.com/236c6j

     TEEN IGNITES MOVEMENT TO ABOLISH MODERN-DAY SLAVERY

Discover how to "Be the Change": official companion book to The Amazing Change campaign

http://tinyurl.com/29ju2z

     FACING THE GIANTS ON DVD NOW

The DVD version of Facing the Giants includes Bible study curriculum along with other special features.

http://www.facingthegiants.com/

     AN UPSIDE-DOWN WORLD

by Christopher J. H. Wright

The map of global Christianity that our grandparents knew has been turned upside down.  At the start of the 20th century, only 10% of the world's Christians lived in the continents of the south and east.  Ninety percent lived in North America and Europe, along with Australia and New Zealand.  But at the start of the 21st century, at least 70% of the world's Christians live in the non-Western world -- more appropriately called the majority world.  More Christians worship in Anglican churches in Nigeria each week than in all the Episcopal and Anglican churches of Britain, Europe, and North America combined.  There are more Baptists in Congo than in Britain.  More people in church every Sunday in communist China than in all of Western Europe.  Ten times more Assemblies of God members in Latin America than in the U.S.

The old peripheries are now the center.  The old centers are now on the periphery.  Philip Jenkins brought this shift to popular attention in The Next Christendom.  Yet many Christian leaders of the global South resent the implication in Jenkins's title.  They have no desire to be another "Christendom" -- wielding monolithic territorial and political power.  Nor do they wish to be any kind of threat to the West, but rather to help Western Christians in the struggle to shift from survival mode to mission mode -- in their own lands....  Read this in full at

http://www.christianvisionproject.com/2007/01/an_upsidedown_world.html

     DON'T FORGET! VALENTINE'S DAY

Feb. 14

     EXPRESSING LOVE FOR YOUR MATE

by Dr. David B. Hawkins

Walking through the park on an early Spring day, I saw a couple eating a sack lunch and talking excitedly with one another.  They were young, and I presumed by their frequent touching, constant eye contact and genuine interest in what the other has had to say, they were in love.  "Ah, love is so nice," I thought to myself.  "Here is a couple who truly love one another and is able to show it."

This is the fourth in a series of ten qualities needed to determine if you are really ready for love -- the ability to express love, in words and action, for your mate.  At first glance, this quality may seem far too simplistic.  Who is unable to express love for their mate?  Isn't that Requirement Number 1?  Yes.  There is hardly any relationship that will proceed past the first date unless someone clearly expresses a desire to see that other person again.  Then, after the first couple of dates, someone must take the risk of sharing their wish for seeing the other again -- and again, and again.

Here's where problems arise.  There can be a distinct, and disruptive, break in the action.  You might feel loving, and genuinely care about the other person, but if you cannot show it, in language that is meaningful to them, you are in for a rude awakening.  It's not enough to feel loving.  We must be sensitive to the others "love language."  You know the routine.  For one person, love means gassing up their car and making sure the kids are picked up from soccer practice on time.  For another it means a surprise weekend away.  The critical issue is that you become sensitive to learning your mate's love language.  A love relationship requires an ability to constantly set one's agenda aside to be alert for ways to meet your mate's love needs....  Read this in full at

http://www.crosswalk.com/community/singles/1375973.html

     THE TEN MOST REDEEMING FILMS OF 2006

What do a shy-but-brilliant speller, a dead Mexican guy, a street thug from Soweto, a compassionate spider, an anti-Nazi young woman, and the baby Jesus have in common?  They're all in movies ChristianityTodayMovies.com has voted the 10 most redeeming films of 2006.   What is meant by "redeeming" films?  They're all stories of redemption -- sometimes blatantly, sometimes less so.  Several of them literally have a character that represents a redeemer; one even includes THE Redeemer.  With others, you might have to look a bit harder for the redemptive thread, but it's certainly there.  Some are "feel-good" movies that leave a smile on your face; some might leave you uncomfortable, even disturbed, and asking, "How should I process that?"  But you won't be able to shake it from your memory, either....  Read this in full at

http://www.christianitytoday.com/movies/commentaries/tenredeemingfilmsof2006.html

     LEADERSHIP TIPS (BUSINESS, FAMILY, LIFE)

"If you have to remind people that you're the leader, then you're not the leader."  Rick Warren

     VERSE TO PONDER

"May all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation say continually, "Great is the Lord!"  As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me.  You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God."  Psalm 40:16-17

     CONSIDER

"Like the eye which sees everything in front of it and never sees itself, faith is occupied with the Object upon which it rests and pays no attention to itself at all.  While we are looking at God, we do not see ourselves -- blessed riddance.  The man who has struggled to purify himself and has had nothing but repeated failures will experience real relief when he stops tinkering with his soul and looks away to the perfect One."  A. W. Tozer (1897-1963), The Pursuit of God [1948]

     BURMA 'ORDERS CHRISTIANS TO BE WIPED OUT'

The military regime in Burma (also known as Myanmar) is intent on wiping out Christianity in the country, according to claims in a secret document believed to have been leaked from a government ministry.  Titled "Programme to destroy the Christian religion in Burma", the incendiary memo contains point by point instructions on how to drive Christians out of the state.  The text, which opens with the line "There shall be no home where the Christian religion is practised", calls for anyone caught evangelising to be imprisoned. It advises: "The Christian religion is very gentle -- identify and utilise its weakness"....  Read this in full at

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/01/21/wburma21.xml

     A PRAYER TO LIVE BY

 O God, grant that today

     I may not disappoint any friend;

     I may not grieve any loved one;

     I may not fail anyone to whom I have a duty;

     I may not shame myself.

 Grant that today

     I may do my work with honesty and fidelity;

     I may take my pleasure in happiness and purity.

 Grant that today

     I may lead no one astray;

     I may not make goodness and faith harder for anyone.

 Help me today

     to be a help and example to all;

     to bring strength and encouragement wherever I am:

 Through Jesus Christ my Lord, Amen.

     William Barclay (1907-1978)

     GIVING THANKS

"In Africa there is a fruit called the 'taste berry,' so called because it changes a person's taste buds in such a way that everything eaten after it tastes sweet.  Giving thanks is the 'taste berry' of Christianity.  When our hearts are full of gratitude, nothing that comes our way will be unpalatable to us.  Those whose lifestyle is marked by thanksgiving will enjoy a sweetness of life unparalleled by any other."  Robert Strand, The Power of Thanksgiving

     ON SATISFACTION

"You say, 'If I had a little more, I should be very satisfied.'  You make a mistake.  If you are not content with what you have, you would not be satisfied if it were doubled."  Charles Haddon Spurgeon

     ON GRATITUDE

"Truly grateful people can't be stopped.  They bubble and overflow, refreshing others.  Their habitual gratitude serves as a springboard to give a reason for the buoyant hope bouncing within them.  They attract those who are stuck in the cares of this world and woo them to the eternal Good."  Ellen Vaughn, Radical Gratitude

     HOW TO FIND THE RIGHT MENTOR

by Sam Simmons

Single-mentor thinking is built on expectations that are no longer realistic.  Rarely is a leader able to give carte blanche time availability to a mentoree.  The apprentice approach to mentoring may have worked a century ago but is less likely today given the time pressures of modern culture.

More importantly, single-mentor thinking can hold back a young person from taking responsibility for his or her own personal development.  As long as a potential mentor is viewed as the key to moving forward, the temptation is to put off personal assessment and development until the right mentor says "yes."

When the ideal mentor declines, the temptation is to become the victim and assume a "woe-is-me" attitude.  "If only I could get that mentor."  "Now my development is on hold because he is too busy."  "Imagine what God could do through my life if I had him as a mentor."  Instead of dreaming with God about the possibilities, young people are tempted to hit the pause button while they wait, wish, and hope.

Over the last two decades, I've worked with hundreds of young people Tom faced with the challenge of finding the right mentor.  I'm convinced that the more work you do before you contact a potential mentor, the more likely it is that you'll find the right one.  Before you pull out that cell phone to make another call to a potential mentor, complete these steps first....  Read this in full at

http://www.pastors.com/rwmt/default.asp?id=286&artid=10020&expand=1

     MONTHLY MENTORING NEWSLETTER

These mentoring newsletters come from a secular company, but they provide insight that can be helpful in your mentoring relationships.  On this link, you'll find an archive of past newsletters and a sign-up form to have new ones sent to you.

http://www.3creek.com/resources/newsletters/newsletters.htm

     THE DIGITAL FAMILY: MAPS AND DICTIONARIES BECOMING OBSOLETE

Families today rely on modern technology to function more than ever before, rendering former household staples such as road maps and dictionaries obsolete, as well as reducing the importance of spelling skills, according to a new Nickelodeon research study titled "The Digital Family."  Key findings of the study also indicate that kids and parents place a higher premium on "downtime," and that TV has become their medium of choice to relax.  And, contrary to popular belief, parents are embracing technologies just as much as kids, and view cell phones as an essential part of managing their lives, while also providing kids more freedom....  Read this in full at

http://sev.prnewswire.com/entertainment/20070123/NYTU05023012007-1.html

     CONSIDER

"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a great battle."  Philo of Alexandria

     VERSE TO PONDER

"Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand."  Ephesians 6:12-14

     THIS WEEK'S HYMN: HUSH, ALL YE SOUNDS OF WAR

Words: William H. Draper (1855-1933)

Music: Cyril Barker

Hush, all ye sounds of war, ye nations all be still,

A voice of heav'nly joy steals over vale and hill,

O hear the angels sing the captive world's release,

This day is born in Bethlehem the Prince of Peace.

No more divided be, ye families of men,

Old enmity forget, old friendship knit again,

In the new year of God let brothers' love increase,

This day is born in Bethlehem the Prince of Peace.

>from CyberHymnal at

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/h/a/a/haysowar.htm

     GOD FAQ

Question 110: What are the reasons annexed to the second commandment, the more to enforce it?

Answer: The reasons annexed to the second commandment, the more to enforce it, contained in these words, 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; are, besides God's sovereignty over us, and propriety in us, his fervent zeal for his own worship, and his revengeful indignation against all false worship, as being a spiritual whoredom; accounting the breakers of this commandment such as hate him, and threatening to punish them unto divers generations; and esteeming the observers of it such as love him and keep his commandments, and promising mercy to them unto many generations.

http://www.shortercatechism.com/

     ON PRAYER

"Heavenly Father, the one worthy of our praise and piety, we pray to you as the God of perfection.  You alone are worthy of our prayers.  We are not sinless, Father, but we are serious.  We want to please you.  We want no impediments to prevent our prayers from reaching your heart.  Prepare us, Father, through your Holy Spirit.   Bring us personally to where we must be if we are to be heard by you.  Make us godly people, and when we are not, make us ashamed.  We genuinely love you, Father, as we love your Sprit and your Son, in whose name we pray.  Amen."  Woodrow Kroll, pastor and Director of Back to the Bible, in his book, Empowered to Pray

     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.

Wing Clips: A place where you can download video clips for free

http://www.wingclips.com/

Speak Up Against Reckless Driving: A campaign to encourage teens to speak up when they don't feel safe with their friends at the wheel

http://www.urthespokesperson.com/

Break the Cycle: A site that engages, educates and empowers youth to build lives and communities free from dating and domestic violence. (February 5-9 is National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week)

http://www.breakthecycle.org/index.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.)

Change is the only constant.

Min. Frank Coleman, Editor

[email protected]

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