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Connections Connecting man to
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"Be
joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this
is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 CONSIDER "The
primary object of prayer is to know God better; we and our needs should come
second."
BE CONFIDENT "Because
joy is the nature of God flowing inside of me, I can be confident that it
will always be available regardless of the sufferings or circumstances I face. As Charles Spurgeon says, 'The rill will
continue as long as the spring runs; and the joy of a Christian is one that
never can alter, because the cause of it never alters.' The Holy Spirit indwells every believer, but
each of us chooses whether or not to live out the joy he offers." Rich Wagner, The Myth of Happiness NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER May 3 TEN COMMANDMENTS DAY May 6 http://www.tencommandmentsday.com/ MOTHER'S DAY May 13 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother's_Day GLOBAL DAY OF PRAYER May 27 WHAT ARE THE 10 COMMANDMENTS? ·
I am the Lord your God. You shall have no other gods before me ·
You shall not make yourself an idol ·
You shall not make wrongful use of the
name of your God ·
Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy ·
Honor your parents ·
You shall not murder ·
You shall not commit adultery ·
You shall not steal ·
You shall not bear false witness ·
You shall not covet your neighbor's wife
or house Exodus 20:2-14 WHAT IS PRAYER? Prayer is co-operation with God. It is the purest exercise of the faculties
God has given us -- an exercise that links these faculties with the Maker to
work out the intentions He had in mind in their creation. Prayer is aligning ourselves
with the purposes of God... Prayer is commitment. We don't merely co-operate
with God with certain things held back within. We, the total person, co-operate. This means that co-operation equals
commitment. Prayer means that the total you is
praying. Your whole being reaches out
to God, and God reaches down to you... Prayer is communion. Prayer is a means, but often it is an end
in itself. There are times when your
own wants and the needs of others drop away and you want just to look on His
face and tell Him how much you love Him... Prayer is commission. Out of the quietness
with God, power is generated that turns the spiritual machinery of the world.
When you pray, you begin to feel the
sense of being sent, that the divine compulsion is upon you... Source: EFFICACY PRAYER "Even if
all the things that people prayed for happened, which they do not, this would
not prove what Christians mean by the efficacy of prayer. For prayer is request. The essence of request, as distinct from
compulsion, is that it may or may not be granted. And if an infinitely wise Being listens to
the requests of finite and foolish creatures, of course He will sometimes
grant and sometimes refuse them. Invariable
"success" in prayer would not prove the Christian doctrine at all. It would prove something more like magic --
a power in certain human beings to control, or compel, the course of nature." C. S. Lewis (1898-1963), "The Efficacy
of Prayer," in The World's Last Night: And Other Essays, p. 4 [1960] TRUE PRAYER "When a
man has had so much benefit from the gospel, as to know his own misery, his
want of a redeemer, who he is, and how is he to be found;
there everything seems to be done, both to awaken and direct his prayer, and
make it a true praying in and by the Spirit.
For when the heart really pants and longs after God, its prayer is a
praying, as moved and animated by the Spirit of God; it is the breath or
inspiration of God, stirring, moving and opening itself in the heart. For though the early nature, our old man,
can oblige or accustom himself to take heavenly words at certain times into
his mouth, yet this is a certain truth, that nothing ever did, or can have
the least desire or tendency to ascend to heaven, but that which came down
from heaven; and therefore nothing in the heart can pray, aspire, and long
after God, but the Spirit of God moving and stirring in it." William Law (1686-1761), The Spirit of
Prayer [1749] AMBITION VS. PRAYER "I have
come to see that I do not limit my mind simply enough to prayer that I always
want to do something myself in it, wherein I do very wrong and wish most
definitely to cut off and separate my mind from all that, and to hold it with
all my strength, as much as I can, to the sole regard and simple unity. By allowing the fear of being ineffectual
to enter into the state of prayer, and by wishing to accomplish something
myself, I spoilt it all." Jeanne
Francoise Chantal (1572-1641) 2007 PRAYER FOR Written by Dr.
Charles R. Swindoll "Almighty
God, we pause to reflect on Your character as we seek wisdom for such a time
as this. ·
In these unsafe days, You remain all-powerful
and able to protect; ·
In these uncertain times, You remain all-knowing,
leading us aright; ·
In the unprecedented events we're facing,
You remain absolutely sovereign. "Our
times are in Your hands. Therefore,
our dependence on You, is total, not partial . . . our need for Your
forgiveness is constant . . . our gratitude for Your grace is profound . . . our
love for You is deep. "We ask
that You guard and guide our President and all who serve the people of these LESSONS FROM THE by Michelle
Van Loon "It was
the most difficult year of our 23-year marriage. Our 19-year old daughter had imploded
spiritually after going away to college.
Her pregnancy and hurried courthouse marriage to an unbeliever left us
frozen in sorrow and confusion. The
pain saturated our household. Our two younger sons were grieving their
sister's situation while navigating their own teenage challenges. Add to that a heaping dose of church
leadership stress (my husband was an elder and I served on staff). There's no way we would have made it
through that year without spiritual life support. That life support was the prayers of others".... Read this in full at http://www.navpress.com/EPubs/DisplayArticle/2/2.46.6.html?aCode=NL100307 LEADERSHIP TIPS (BUSINESS, FAMILY, LIFE) "Many
churches are filled with sincere, talented, godly people who would love to
leverage their spiritual gifts in order to impact the world for Christ. The question is this: Will the men &
women who have been entrusted with leadership gifts take their gifts
seriously, develop them fully, and deploy them courageously, so that the
willing and gifted believers in their churches can work together to make a
difference in the world? Romans 12:8
tells those of us who have the gift of leadership that we better sit up and
take notice; we better lead with diligence.
Why? Because the church, the
bride of Christ, upon which the eternal destiny of the world depends, will
flourish or falter largely on the basis of how we lead. Paul goes on to say that leaders must: ·
yield themselves fully to God ·
cast powerful, biblical, God honoring
visions ·
build effective, loving, clearly focused teams. ·
fire up Christ followers to give their
absolute best for God ·
insist with "pit bull" determination,
that: ·
The gospel be preached ·
The lost be found ·
The believers equipped ·
The poor served ·
The lonely enfold into community ·
And God gets the credit for it all Scripture
tells us exactly what happens if leaders will do what God has called and
gifted them to do. The forces of
darkness will be pushed back. The Evil
one, who has had his way in the world for far too long, will be forced to
give ground. And the church will fulfill the redemptive purposes for which
Christ called her into being." SOURCE: Bill Hybels, Courageous Leadership VERSE TO PONDER "Do not
be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with
thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard
your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7 CONSIDER "If we
would talk less and pray more about them, things would be better than they
are in the world: at least, we should be better enabled to bear them." John Owen (1616-1683) STUDY: FAITH IS GOOD FOR KIDS Kids with
religious parents are better behaved and adjusted than other children,
according to a new http://www.livescience.com/humanbiology/070424_religion_kids.html PROTECTING YOUR MIND FROM EVIL by Rick
Warren Your mind is
a special gift from God. It can
potentially store 100 trillion thoughts.
And it is a tool that God wants to use in your ministry to fulfill his
purposes. Yet there are a lot of
people fighting for access to that mind of yours. Years ago I read a book on advertising by
Jack Trout and Al Reece called Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind. The
book opened my eyes to all the people fighting for our attention. The fact is
people are intentionally planning, 24-hours a day, to get our attention. That's why we have to be choosy. We have to control what -- or who -- we
allow into our minds. What's true of
computers is true with humans -- garbage in, garbage out. Here are 5 things every church leader - and
every believer - needs to guard his or her mind against.... http://www.pastors.com/rwmt/default.asp?id=308&artid=10485&expand=1 RECENT MURDER AT NASA SPOTLIGHTS
VICTIM'S FAITH As David
Beverly and William Phillips had lunch together Friday, April 20, with
another colleague, Beverly told Phillips about his faith in Jesus Christ. Later in the afternoon, back at their
office at NASA's http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=25490 SURVIVING A JOB LOSS by Howard
Dayton "Job
loss ranks high as a stress-maker. Losing a job is emotionally upsetting. Anger may surface, because this major life-change
often leaves a person feeling totally out of control. Job loss is critical
for men, because they often base self-esteem on the ability to be successfully
productive. The days when job security
depended on not much more than regularity and a certain degree of competence
is a thing of the past. Buyouts, mergers, and loss of market share have left
many individuals and families across our nation suffering from job loss. Perhaps you are one of them"... Read this in full at http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=25497 RESTAURANT AND TAKE-OUT SAFETY Your
refrigerator probably holds a few leftover doggie bags or ready-made meals. But before you go reaching for the half-filled
Chinese cartons, read Restaurant and Take-Out Safety. It gives important food safety tips to
follow when eating leftovers, including reheating instructions for hot and
cold meals.... http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/health/eatingout-safely/eatingout-safely.htm CHRISTIAN BOOK SUMMARY Prayer: Does
It Make Any Difference?, by Philip Yancey, is now
summarized in detail at ChristianBookSummaries.com. Why do prayers often go unanswered? Why doesn't God intervene more with the problems
of the world? Does God really listen
when we pray? For centuries believers
have struggled with questions like these.
To truly understand prayer and help solve some of its mysteries, it's
important to see prayer from God's perspective. If we think that prayer is only about God
granting our requests, we are missing the point. Prayer is about conforming to the likeness
of Jesus, growing in our intimacy with God, and becoming co-laborers with Him
on the earth..... Read the summary at http://www.christianbooksummaries.com OPEN YOUR EYES A boy was
taken by his father on a camping trip in the BIBLE STUDY KEEPS TIGERS SPIRITUALLY
NOURISHED If you ask
any of the believers who play for the 2006 American League Champion Detroit
Tigers how they stay strong spiritually, they'll talk about the Bible study
that they do when they are on the road -- usually in Todd Jones' room. They pray for
needs that they or their teammates have and they read and discuss various
Christian books. Last season, they
used the "New Believers Bible" because it has built-in devotions
about practical topics, such as what the Bible has to say about things like
career, marriage, family, finances and more. The study
started long before any of the current players were on the team. When Jeff Totten,
Baseball Chapel leader to the Detroit Tigers, first started with the team in 1991,
former Major League pitcher Frank Tanana was
already leading some of the players in a team Bible study on the road. Totten continued
the practice. He travels several times
each year to lead the study on the road.
When he's not there, pitchers Nate Robertson
and Mike Maroth lead the study.... Read this in full at http://www.bpsports.net/bpsports.asp?ID=5564 CONSIDER "The
life of prayer is just love to God, and the custom of being ever with Him." St. Teresa (1515-1582) VERSE TO PONDER "Be
joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in
prayer." Romans 12:12 THIS WEEK'S HYMN: HAVE YOU PRAYED IT
THROUGH? Words: William
C. Poole, circa 1915 Music: Bentley
D. Ackley Have you
prayed all night, till the break of day, And the
morning light drove the dark away? Did you
linger there, till the morning dew, In prevailing
prayer, did you pray it through? Refrain Did you pray
till the answer came, Did you plead
in the Savior's Name? Have you
prayed all night till the morning light, Did you pray
till the answer came? Did you pray
it through, till the answer came? There's a
promise true for your faith to claim, At the place
of prayer, Jesus waits for you, Did you meet
Him there, did you pray it through? As the Master
prayed in the garden lone, Let your
prayer be made to the Father's throne, If you seek
His will, He will answer you, Are you
trusting still, have
you prayed it through? >from
CyberHymnal at http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/h/a/v/haveypit.htm
GOD FAQ Question 122: What is the sum of the six
commandments which contain our duty to man? Answer: The sum of the six commandments
which contain our duty to man is, to love our neighbor as ourselves, and to
do to others: What we would have them to do to us. http://www.shortercatechism.com/
ON PRAYER "Prayer that is based on
relationship and not transaction may be the most freedom-enhancing way of
connecting to a God whose vantage point we can never achieve and can hardly
imagine. Quoting a psalm, Peter assures
us that 'the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive
to their prayer.' We need not bang a
drum or bring animal sacrifices to get God's full attention; we already have
it." Philip Yancey, Prayer: Does
It Make Any Difference?
PRAY FOR PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS TODAY http://christiansincrisis.net/
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.]
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SHARE YOUR FAVORITE WEBSITES Tell us what sites you find enjoyable and
why. ThinkChristian
blog http://www.thinkchristian.net/ All links to websites are provided as a
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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 pessimist is someone who
complains about the noise when opportunity knocks." Min. Frank Coleman, Editor 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... · Start Your Domain Name Search Here · Download & Share Your Favorite Music · Visit my blog - comment & share your thoughts email: [email protected] phone:
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