Connecting man to man to God!

Week of February 18, 2007

"Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs."  1 Corinthians 13:4-5

     CONSIDER

"Whatever we do counts.  If we do not serve what coheres and endures, we serve what disintegrates and destroys."  Wendell Berry

     NOBLE MASCULINITY

An interview with Robert Lewis

The most obvious thing in Robert Lewis's office is the sword.  A full three feet long, it looks like Excalibur, the sword Arthur pulled from the stone, thereby becoming king. "The men gave that to me," he says.  "It's attached to the frame by magnets, so I can draw quickly if I need it."

Leadership editors Marshall Shelley and Eric Reed met with Lewis to talk about his notable work with men and their families.

Q: What is noble masculinity?

A: I love that term.  Guys stick out their chest when I say the word noble.  We still live in a time of dumbed-down masculinity.  Nobody knows what it means to be a man, or if it's okay to be a man.  I think guys want to step up and be men, in the way that knights were men.

It started one night in 1989 when three of us and our families had supper together.  Our children were playing around us, and one of the wives said, "How are you going to raise these boys to be real men?"

It was a simple question, but it stopped the conversation.  Among us we had seven boys, two about to enter puberty.

Someone else asked, "What is a man?"  Amazingly, we couldn't answer that most basic question.  Just silence.  Three pastors, and we had not a clue.  But it started us talking.

Not long after, my family and I spent the summer in Poland.  Our church partners with a seminary there, and it was just after the fall of the Berlin Wall.  My two boys and I would take trips into the countryside where we visited huge castles overgrown by the forests.  One, right on the German border, was hanging off a cliff.  Inside we found armor from the Teutonic Knights.  They had feathers attached to their armor so when they galloped into battle, it gave off a terrifying whistle to their enemies.  The scene captured our imaginations.

When I returned home, I began studying about knights.  Knights grew out of a dark age, a time when there were no noble men.  The knights were called to stand above the age, and to stand for something.  I knew these were values I wanted to teach my sons....  Read this in full at

http://www.christianitytoday.com/biblestudies/areas/biblestudies/articles/070207.html

     BEHIND ENEMY LINES

"Enemy-occupied territory -- that is what this world is.  Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed, you might say landed in disguise, and is calling us all to take part in a great campaign of sabotage.  When you go to church you are really listening-in to the secret wireless from our friends: that is why the enemy is so anxious to prevent us from going."  C.S. Lewis, quote found in The Book of Worship (Bethany House, 2007)

     ON HEAVEN

"For the Christian, heaven is where Jesus is.  We do not need to speculate on what heaven will be like.  It is enough to know that we will be for ever with Him.  When we love anyone with our whole hearts, life begins when we are with that person; it is only in their company that we are really and truly alive.  It is so with Christ.  In this world our contact with Him is shadowy, for we can only see through a glass darkly.  It is spasmodic, for we are poor creatures and cannot live always on the heights. But the best definition of it is to say that heaven is that state where we will always be with Jesus, and where nothing will separate us from Him any more."  William Barclay, The Gospel of John

     PASTOR OFFERS LESSONS FROM SUPER BOWL ADS

A Texas pastor gave members of his congregation an unusual assignment -- watch the Super Bowl and don't leave the room during the commercials.  "I think the Super Bowl's a cultural event in our society," said the Rev. Dr. Ken Diehm, pastor of First United Methodist Church of Grapevine, near Dallas.  "And so, I think it provides the church an opportunity to comment on what is going on in that culture."

Diehm believes there are lessons to be learned in the much-hyped ads.  For the past several years, his post-game sermons have focused on the advertising.

First was a Sierra Mist ad featuring a man -- who has his beard combed over his head - being fired.  "It's a funny commercial, talking about how we judge one another by our appearance," he said.  Diehm said most people spend about an hour a day on their physical appearance.  "You put that much time into how you appear, but how much time are you putting into your soul, and making your faith with God stronger?" he asked.

Another commercial promoted a Honda sports utility vehicle, with the word "crave" morphing into the SUV model name "CR-V."  "Commercials and advertisements seek to get us to crave things we'd never even thought of before," he said.  "We judge people by what they drive; and somehow we think if someone drives a better car, then they're a better person. And I think that's in conflict with how God calls us to live."

Diehm said more commercials this year dealt with social issues, and applauded one that celebrates Black History Month.  "The Frito-Lay commercial, it's about ... celebrating, I think, the moment that two black coaches were coaching the Super Bowl," he said.  "And I'm going to talk for a few minutes about how we struggle to look past skin color."

http://www.umc.org/site/apps/nl/content3.asp?c=lwL4KnN1LtH&b=2429867&ct=3557453

     LEGAL GROUP URGES NFL TO REVISE POLICY FOR CHURCH SUPER BOWL PARTIES

The Rutherford Institute, a non-profit law firm that largely offers assistance to various Christian causes, has contacted the National Football League (NFL) to help arrange a compromise over this year's church Super Bowl controversies.  As part of the negotiations, churches would be allowed to view the Super Bowl in large groups in the next year without being in danger of breaking copyright laws.  The discussions are a result of a string of complaints from Christians around the nation that were not allowed to watch the Super Bowl as part of their church gatherings.  Churchgoers argued that the NFL was creating a double standard, allowing for-profit businesses to show the games while snubbing local congregations....  Read this in full at

http://www.christianpost.com/article/20070215/25833.htm

     LENT BEGINS FEB. 21

"It is not enough to celebrate Easter and say, Christ is risen.  It is useless to proclaim this unless at the same time we can say that we have also risen, that we have received something from heaven.  We must feel appalled when the tremendous events that took place the death and resurrection of Jesus are proclaimed again and again and yet actually nothing happens with us.  Shame on us Christians who always want to have it nice and soft, with a bit of God in our lives!  Christs future is not one single point in an absolute remoteness for which we are to wait, a mere coming event.  This is hardly thinkable, for we would probably all go to sleep over it. Christs future is now, or it is not at all."  Christoph F. Blumhardt

     ENDING SLAVERY...IN THE 21ST CENTURY

by Zach Hunter

Modern slavery 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.  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

     AMAZING GRACE MOVIE OPENS FEB. 23

http://www.amazinggracemovie.com/

and

http://www.christianitytoday.com/movies/news/blog-070129.html

     AMERICAN LIFESTYLES MIX COMPASSION AND SELFISHNESS

Americans define themselves by their capacity to "do good" for others as well as their willingness to indulge themselves.  According to a new survey by The Barna Research Group, adults are more likely to claim acts of kindness and responsible civic behavior than to admit to self-oriented activities.  Americans frequently engage others in conversations about faith and spirituality.  More than 44% say they discussed a specific spiritual issue or belief in the last month with someone who belongs to a different faith.  But the study also demonstrates millions of Americans engage in routines that benefit themselves, often flouting moral boundaries to do so.  Faith commitments sometimes play a role in what people do -- but less often than might be assumed.  In comparing the lifestyle choices of born again Christians to the national norms, there were more areas of similarity than distinction....  Read this in full at

http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdateNarrow&BarnaUpdateID=264

     WHAT ARE THE ODDS

"The odds of just 8 Old Testament prophecies of Jesus coming true is one in 100 million billion.  That's millions more than the total number of people who have ever lived.  If you had this many silver dollars, it would cover the state of Texas two feet deep!"  Lee Strobel, The Case for Christ (Zondervan, 1998)

     STOLEN KIDS TURNED INTO TERRIFYING KILLERS

Warlords are forcing children in conflicts around the world to become killing machines -- nothing more than what one child advocate calls "cannon fodder."  Some children are kidnapped from their schools or their beds, some are recruited after seeing their parents slaughtered, some may even choose to join the militias as their best hope for survival in war-torn countries from Colombia, and across Africa and the Middle East, to south Asia.  Once recruited, many are brainwashed, trained, given drugs and then sent into battle with orders to kill.  There is no escape for what the United Nations and human rights groups estimate are 250,000 child soldiers today.  These children, some as young as 8, become fighters, sex slaves, spies, and even human shields....  Read this in full at

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/africa/02/12/child.soldiers/index.html

     SIGN THE 'NO CHILD SOLDIERS DECLARATION'

https://www.worldvision.org/Worldvision/guest.nsf/nochild_soldiers?OpenForm&campaign=1256080&cmp=KNC-1256080

     LEADERSHIP TIP (BUSINESS, FAMILY, LIFE)

"Lose your integrity, lose your leadership."  Dr. Ronnie W. Floyd

     VERSE TO PONDER

"This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."  1 John 4:10

     CONSIDER

"My trust is not that I am holy, but that, being unholy, Christ died for me.  My rest is here, not in what I am or shall be or feel or know, but in what Christ is and must be, -- in what Christ did and is still doing as He stands before yonder throne of glory."  Charles Spurgeon

     REBEL FOR GOD

"Was Jesus really a rebel?  Yes, but Jesus didn't rage against some abstract machine, he called people to an old way, the way revealed in the prophets.  The way of doing life that Jesus championed had never been done because it had always been resisted.  Jesus rocked the boat, and defied the status quo, modeling courageous resistance of the prevailing winds.  But in our contemporary culture, rebellion is considered good in its own right -- and a thrilling one at that. We're out to transgress. But we don't really have any agenda beyond rebellion itself. Was Jesus really a rebel? Sure.  But our version of rebellion is a shallow impression."  Paul Grant, Blessed are the Uncool (InterVarsity, 2006)

     NEW ORGANIZATION AIMS TO UNITE 5 CHRISTIAN 'FAMILIES'

After 5 years of discussion and prayer, church leaders recently met in Pasadena, Calif., to officially launch a new ecumenical body -- Christian Churches Together in the USA (CCT).  Its mission: "to grow closer together in Christ in order to strengthen our Christian witness in the world."  Joining are 36 denominations representing more than 100 million churchgoers within 5 'families' -- Catholics, Evangelicals and Pentecostals, Mainline Protestants, Orthodox, and racial or ethnic churches....

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0207/p13s02-lire.html

     REAL PURPOSE

"The purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness.  It's far greater than your family, your career, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions.  If you want to know why you were placed on this planet, you must begin with God.  You were born by his purpose and for his purpose.  Many people try to use God for their own self-actualization, but that is a reversal of nature and is doomed to failure.  You were made for God, not vice versa, and life is about letting God use you for his purposes, not your using him for your own purpose."  Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life

     NEW DOLLAR COIN DEBUTS

A new U.S. dollar coin is now in circulation.  The U.S. government says coins are cheaper to make than bills, and they last longer.  When Congress ordered the new dollar-coin program, perhaps the biggest challenge was that the legislation required the phrases "E Pluribus Unum" and "In God We Trust," along with the year and the mint location, to appear in recessed letters on the edges, rather than the faces, of the coins.  Such lettering allows for a larger portrait, draws attention to the wording and provides something different for coin collectors....  Read this in full at

http://www.usatoday.com/money/2007-02-07-mint-usat_x.htm

and

http://www.usmint.gov/mint_programs/$1coin/index.cfm

     AVOIDING THE BIG ONE

by Linda Greider

Because the symptoms of a TIA, or "mini-stroke," often pass within a few minutes, many people don't get immediate treatment -- a big mistake.  Someone dies every 3.5 minutes from a stroke.  80% of "brain attacks" are preventable.  A ministroke could be the prelude to a full-blown stroke.

Gayle Wegener was enjoying a peaceful snooze in her recliner.  But when she woke up to go to the bathroom, she realized that something was horribly wrong.  For one thing, she couldn't seem to focus her eyes.  And she had a brutal headache, "like someone hammering in the center of my head."

"I tried to get up and I couldn't," says Wegener, 65, of Littleton, Colo.  "I couldn't get my feet to do what I wanted them to do."  She reached for her husband's nearby cane, struggled to her feet and made it shakily to the bathroom.  Within 10 minutes her symptoms had disappeared.

What Wegener experienced was a typical transient ischemic attack-or TIA-sometimes called a "ministroke."  And what she did about it -- nothing -- is typical, too.

It turns out "nothing" is the worst thing to do.  New studies confirm that TIAs are an important warning of more serious things to come.  Almost 10% of people who have a TIA will have a major stroke within a week, and another 20% within three months.  When certain risk factors like advanced age or high blood pressure are present, that figure goes up....  Read this in full at

http://www.aarp.org/bulletin/yourhealth/stroke.html

     CONSIDER

"We can never have enough of nature. We must be refreshed by the sight of inexhaustible vigor, vast and titanic features, the sea-coast with its wrecks, the wilderness with its living and its decaying trees, the thunder cloud, and the rain which lasts three weeks and produces freshets. We need to witness our own limits transgressed, and some life pasturing freely where we never wander."  Henry David Thoreau, Walden

     VERSE TO PONDER

"Let all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you.  Let those who love your salvation say evermore, "God is great!"  But I am poor and needy; hasten to me, O God!  You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord, do not delay!"  Psalms 70:4-5

     THIS WEEK'S HYMN: O BLESSED SON OF GOD

Words: Harry L. Crain, 1906

O blessèd Son of God,

In love and faith we plead,

That Thou wouldst bind our minds and hearts

In Brotherhood of need.

Our Elder Brother Thou,

Whose heritage we share,

Our kindred lives we offer Thee,

In Brotherhood of prayer.

Thou didst the will of Him

Who sent Thee from above;

Thou sendest us, as He sent Thee,

In Brotherhood of love.

To serve Thy kingdom, Lord,

To quiet sin's turmoil,

Do Thou ordain and consecrate

Our Brotherhood of toil.

Thou Man of Galilee,

O wilt Thou live again,

Abide within, control, inspire,

Our Brotherhood of men.

>from CyberHymnal at

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/o/b/s/obsongod.htm

     GOD FAQ

Question 112: What is required in the third commandment?

Answer: The third commandment requires, That the name of God, his titles, attributes, ordinances, the Word, sacraments, prayer, oaths, vows, lots, his works, and: Whatsoever else there is whereby he makes himself known, be holily and reverently used in thought, meditation, word, and writing; by an holy profession, and answerable conversation, to the glory of God, and the good of ourselves, and others.

http://www.shortercatechism.com/

     ON PRAYER

"We must wait on Him moment by moment for the fulfillment of His promised blessings and must trust Him to obtain them for us.  So that in a fuller sense than ever before we are nothing and Christ is all.  The only prayer that accomplishes anything is that which is offered in 'the power and reality of the life of Christ in the soul.'  The Spirit must make intercession in us, if we expect to have power with God."  Hannah Whitehall Smith, American evangelist, writer, and reformer who was a founder of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (1874)

     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.

Introducing the book, back when Tech Support was a little more basic...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRjVeRbhtRU

Living to 100 health calculator

http://www.livingto100.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.)

Our days are happier when we give people a bit of our heart rather than a piece of our mind.

Min. Frank Coleman, Editor

[email protected]

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