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Connections Connecting man to
man to God! Week of Issue 143 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. "God, by
his mighty power at work within us, is able to do far more than we would ever
dare to ask or even dream of -- infinitely beyond our highest prayers,
desires, thoughts, or hopes."
Eph. CONSIDER "Although
the threads of my life have often seemed knotted, I know, by faith, that on the other side of the embroidery there is a
crown." Corrie
Ten Boom WHAT MAKES YOUR SPOUSE FEEL LOVED? by Nancy C.
Anderson We tend to
think we know what it means to express "love" -- flowers, candy,
cards, jewelry and expensive dinners, right?
That pretty much sums up what most couple do on Valentine's Day to
show love to their mates, so it must be the formula that works. But what if these standard methods don't
speak to your mate's heart? What if
your attempts at showing love fall flat?
One day, I asked my husband, Ron, to make a list of things he wished I
would do for him: things that would make him feel loved. It was an amazing
revelation. I made a wish-list, too, and when we started doing the things on
each other's list, our marriage moved from frustrating to fulfilling.... Read this in full at http://beta.crosswalk.com/1376689/ A PRAYER STILL FOR TODAY O God of earth and altar, Bow down and hear our cry; Our earthly rulers falter, Our people drift and die; The walls of gold entomb us, The swords of scorn divide; Take not Thy thunder from us, But take away our pride. From all that terror teaches, From lies of tongue and pen; From all the easy speeches That comfort cruel men; From sale and profanation Of honor and the sword; From sleep and from damnation, Deliver us, good Lord! Tie in a living tether The prince and priest and thrall; Bind all our lives together, Smite us and save us all; In ire and exultation Aflame with faith, and free, Lift up a living nation, A single sword to Thee. Gilbert K. Chesterton (1874-1936) [1906] TONY DUNGY, AT NFL'S PINNACLE, POINTS
STILL HIGHER TO GOD Tony Dungy
closed out a soggy night riding the back of his players with his fists
clinched, pointing to the sky, after his Indianapolis Colts captured Super
Bowl XLI, 29-17, over the Chicago Bears Sunday night in In the awards
ceremony in Dolphin Stadium, CBS announcer Jim Nantz
asked Dungy to comment on the significance of being the first African
American head coach to lead a team to a Super Bowl victory. "I'm proud to be representing African
American coaches," Dungy said.
"It means an awful lot to our country." But Dungy continued: "More than
anything -- and I've said it before -- [Chicago Coach] Lovie
Smith and I [are] not only the first two African-Americans, but Christian
coaches, showing that you can win doing it the Lord's way," Dungy told Nantz while holding the Vince Lombardi Trophy given to
each year's NFL champion.... Read this
in full at http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=24896 TONY DUNGY SETS ASIDE TIME FOR A SUPER
BOWL BREAKFAST http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=24894 BLACK VIRTUE: SUCCESS BEYOND THE SUPER
BOWL by Anthony B.
Bradley This year's
Super Bowl was widely hailed as an advance for black Americans because, for
the first time, two black coaches faced off in the game. But, as Anthony Bradley observes, coaches
Tony Dungy and Lovie Smith pointed to an even
greater achievement: They did it "the Lord's way".... Read this in full at http://www.acton.org/ppolicy/comment/article.php?article=366&fromemail COLTS PUNTER SIGNS CHRISTIAN RECORD
CONTRACT Hunter Smith,
punter for the Indianapolis Colts, just won a Super Bowl this past Sunday in
Florida, but has now moved in a new direction -- signing a record contract
with Christian label INO Records. The
football player's group, Connersvine, is an
acoustic duo consisting of Smith and Chris Wilson, who both lead worship at
the Every Nation Church in http://www.christianpost.com/article/20070207/25666.htm IS THERE ROOM IN THE PEW FOR HIM? Most
churchgoers are women, but some Christian men soldier on, striving to attract
male worshippers with a virile approach to religion.... Read this in full at VARIETY, SMALL GROUPS, SPIRITUAL
PRACTICES MAKE PRAYER COUNT Counting the
number of people signed up for an intercessory prayer ministry or listing
answers to prayers may provide some means of charting progress, but those are
secondary standards of measurement, says Ted Elmore, a member of 121
Community Church in Grapevine, Texas, who works as a church consultant. "How many people are delighting in
God? By praying, we learn communion
with God," he said. "We may
not get answers to our questions, but we become a people who are contented
with God. The measure of effective
prayer is whether people are walking in communion with God and growing in
their contentment with God."
Church members' deeper walk with God is demonstrated through attitudes
and actions. Praying people are eager
to serve, willing to forgive and full of grace, he insists.... Read this in full at http://www.abpnews.com/www/1672.article LEADERSHIP TIPS (BUSINESS, FAMILY, LIFE) "To
avoid criticism do nothing, say nothing, be nothing." Elbert Hubbard (1856 - 1915) 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." Psalms 40:16-17 CONSIDER "How
much longer am I going to think about my hair more often than about things in
the world that matter?" Anne Lamott, Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith OF FEAR & FAITH by Chris Seiple On the
surface, to fear is to feel helpless.
We fear this life because it brings things beyond our control. Fear manipulates. Fear is self-referential. At a deeper level, however, to fear is to
be in awe. We fear God because He is
unfathomable, this Creator who controls everything. Awesome fear worships. It is reverential. Faith is the
fulcrum that balances these two kinds of fear, enabling a bridge between who
we are (self-centered) and who we could be (God-centered). For the Christian, faith rests not "on
men's wisdom, but on God's power," (1st Corinthians 2:5), and "the
hope of eternal life, which God, who does not lie, promised before the
beginning of time" (Titus 1:2)....
Read this in full at http://www.globalengage.org/media/article.aspx?id=2502 PROTECT THE COMMON GOOD "Any
trend to produce programs and products -- including animated films and video
games -- which in the name of entertainment exalt violence and portray
antisocial behavior or the trivialization of human sexuality is a perversion,
[and] all the more repulsive when these programs are directed at children and
adolescents. ... I appeal to the leaders of the media industry to educate and
encourage producers to safeguard the common good, to uphold the truth and to
protect individual human dignity, and promote respect for the needs of the
family." Pope Benedict XVI,
weighing in on the violence and media debate THE LAST SIN EATER The Last Sin
Eater is now in theaters. Taken from
Francine Rivers' book of the same name, the movie focuses on the redemptive
story of one 10-year-old girl growing up in 19th century http://www.foxfaithmovies.com/thelastsineater/ Q&A WITH
BRIAN BIRD, CO-PRODUCER OF THE LAST SIN EATER http://www.pastors.com/article.asp?ArtID=10233 WHO WAS WILLIAM WILBERFORCE? by Kevin Belmonte By any
measure, William Wilberforce was a most remarkable man and, indeed, he has
been described as "the greatest reformer in history." His legacy influenced the lives of kings
and presidents and touched the poor and downtrodden in nations throughout the
world. Wilberforce
was born in the port city of http://www.pastors.com/article.asp?ArtID=10234 HOW WILLIAM WILBERFORCE CHANGED THE
WORLD by Eric Metaxas The
opposition that Wilburforce and his small band
faced was incomparable to anything we can think of in modern affairs. It was certainly unprecedented that anyone
should endeavor, as if by their own strength and a bit of leverage, to tip
over something about as large and substantial and deeply rooted as a mountain
range. From where we stand today --
and because of Wilberforce -- the end of slavery seems inevitable, and it's
impossible for us not to take it largely for granted. But that's the wild miracle of his
achievement - that what to the people of his day
seemed impossible and unthinkable seems to us, in our day, inevitable....
Read this in full at http://www.pastors.com/article.asp?ArtID=10235 HOW THE BRITISH SLAVE TRADE ENDED by Kevin Belmonte http://www.zondervan.com/Cultures/en-US/Product/Book/Articles/How+the+British+Slave+Trade+Ended.htm ENDING SLAVERY...IN THE 21st CENTURY by Zach
Hunter (15 years old) Modern
slavery takes many ugly forms. It can
be anything from whole families getting into medical debt and having to work
in a brickyard till they die; to little girls working in brothels; to kids
being forced to roll cigarettes all day long.
In fact, there are actually more slaves in the world today than there
were during the entire transatlantic slave trade!... Read this in full at http://www.zondervan.com/Cultures/en-US/Product/Book/Articles/Ending+Slavery.htm UNITED METHODIST MEN PROMOTE HUNGER
AWARENESS United
Methodist Men are asking families to fast one meal during the first week of
June and donate the cost of the meal to feed the hungry. The denominational men's organization also
encourages all churches to use June 3 or June 10 as Hunger Awareness
Sunday.... http://www.umc.org/site/apps/nl/content3.asp?c=lwL4KnN1LtH&b=2072505&ct=3524695 HAVE A HEALTHY HEART ALL YEAR Learn more
about heart disease and the ways you can prevent it with the free Heart
Health package of publications from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration,
the http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/press/nfchearthealth07.htm THE PORN PASTORS: XXXCHURCH.COM (ABC News
Nightline) They're on a crusade to bring salvation to an unlikely industry,
but their biggest critics are Christians....
Read and view this report at http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/Beliefs/story?id=2841065&page=1 THE NEW MAN REPORT: SECRET SIN What secret
sin is in your life? You may not have
a public scandal, but when your sin is revealed it will hurt your family and
those around you just as much. And it
may damn your soul to hell. This is a
wake-up call. There is help available
for you. Whether through prayer,
counseling, ministry of deliverance or accountability, stop hiding your sin
and bring it into the open where God can deal with it.... See helpful
resources at http://www.newmanmag.com/newmanreport/2006/12/secret-sin.html CONSIDER "Every
act of love is an act of peace, no matter how small." Mother Teresa VERSE TO PONDER "He who
pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity, and honor." Proverbs 21:21 THIS WEEK'S HYMN: A LITTLE BIT OF LOVE Words &
Music: Edwin O. Excell, 1904 Do you know
the world is dying For a little
bit of love? Everywhere we
hear the sighing For a little
bit of love; For the love
that rights a wrong, Fills the
heart with hope and song; They have
waited, oh, so long, For a little
bit of love. For a little
bit of love, For a little
bit of love, They have
waited, oh, so long, For a little
bit of love, From the poor
of every city, For a little
bit of love, Hands are
reaching out for pity, For a little
bit of love; Some have
burdens hard to bear, Some have
sorrows we would share; Shall they
falter and despair For a little
bit of love? For a little
bit of love, For a little
bit of love, Shall they
falter and despair For a little
bit of love? Down before
their idols falling, For a little
bit of love, Many souls in
vain are calling For a little
bit of love; If they die
in sin and shame, Someone
surely is to blame For not going
in His Name, With a little
bit of love. With a little
bit of love, With a little
bit of love, For not going
in His Name, With a little
bit of love. While the
souls of men are dying, For a little
bit of love, While the
children, too, are crying, For a little
bit of love, Stand no
longer idly by, You can help
them if you try; Go, then
saying, "Here am I," With a little
bit of love. With a little
bit of love, With a little
bit of love, Go, then
saying, "Here am I," With a little
bit of love. >from
CyberHymnal at http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/l/i/t/littlebl.htm GOD FAQ Question 111:
Which is the third commandment? Answer: The
third commandment is, Thou shalt not take the name
of the Lord thy God in vain: for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that
takes his name in vain. http://www.shortercatechism.com/ ON PRAYER "Many in
our country know the power of prayer.
Prayer changes hearts. Prayer
changes lives. And prayer makes us a
more compassionate and giving people.
When we pray we surrender our will to the Almighty, and open ourselves
up to His priorities and His touch."
George W. Bush, 55th National Prayer Breakfast, http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/02/20070201.html 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. Guess the
Logo 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.) Most auto
accidents are caused by mechanical faults -- like the loose nut behind the
steering wheel. 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:
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