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Connecting man to
man to God! Week of Issue 155 CONNECTIONS is
the opt-in newsletter for the men & friends of Minister Frank
Coleman. It's a periodic service that
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"Don't
waste time arguing over foolish ideas and silly myths and legends. Spend your time and energy in the exercise
of keeping spiritually fit. Bodily
exercise is all right, but spiritual exercise is much more important and is a
tonic for all you do. So exercise
yourself spiritually, and practice being a better Christian because that will
help you not only now in this life, but in the next life too." I Tim. 4:7-8 (TLB) CONSIDER "A life
is not important except in the impact it has on other lives." Jackie Robinson JOHN STOTT ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT World
renowned theologian, evangelist, and Commander in the Order of the British
Empire (CBE), the Rev. Dr. John R. W. Stott will retire from public ministry
this summer at the age of 86. Stott, whom Billy Graham calls "the most
respected clergyman in the world today," will speak at one last event in
July before moving to a retirement community for Anglican clergy, according
to an announcement made by Langham Partnership International, the ministry
that Stott founded to grow and equip churches worldwide.... Read more at http://www.johnstott.org/the-impact/?id=f285c27a318bd7b0d74a9b53669e4a33 SPIDER-MAN 3 MOVIE REVIEW "...The
themes are as straightforward as Sunday school lessons: the dangerous allure
of vengeance, the power of forgiveness, the nature of true love. There's even a church standing at the
center of the movie's widening gyre, where Peter wrestles with his sinful nature, that all but guarantees Spider-Man 3 a place on
Christian film-critic top ten lists for 2007.
An admirable act of sacrifice during the climactic battle is sure to
inspire a Christian-market spinoff book: The Gospel According to Spider-Man".... Read this review in full at http://www.christianitytoday.com/movies/reviews/2007/spiderman3.html THE PASSION OF PETER PARKER by Gary
Robinson "Creator
Stan Lee once billed Spider-Man as "The hero that could be you!" As we consider the ups and downs of our own
lives -- the balloons popped and dreams quashed, our fears, worries, and
battles -- we find in the oft-wounded web slinger a kindred spirit. His life never seems to work out right
either. "Surely,
it's this superhero's relative frailty, his being less super and more human
that explains his ongoing popularity. And
for believers, this mixture of power and weakness also illustrates some
important biblical truths.... "In Stan
Lee's prose, "And a lean, silent figure slowly fades into the gathering
darkness, aware at last that in this world, with great power there must also
come-great responsibility!" With
those deathless words, not only was a legend born, but a maverick feature
that broke several super-hero shibboleths: e.g., teenagers are always
sidekicks, super-heroes always act altruistically, and, if such heroes have
personal problems, they keep them to themselves.... "What's
so special, then, about Spider-Man?
It's that his character isn't about the mere wielding of power. He's about faithfulness, about fighting the
good fight. Like the believer's, his
triumphs don't come without cost. True,
Spidey's creed of "great responsibility" is no substitute for faith
in Christ. Yet, his "religion"
carries a reproach, as does ours"....
Read this commentary in full at http://www.christianitytoday.com/movies/commentaries/passionpeterparker.html See the
action of National Hockey League finals at http://www.nhl.com/cup/index.html http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/playoffs2007/index CRICKET WORLD CUP http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Cricket_World_Cup HUNGER FOR GOD "You, O
eternal Trinity, are a deep sea, into which the more I enter the more I find,
and the more I find the more I seek. The
soul cannot be satiated in your abyss, for she continually hungers after you,
the eternal Trinity, desiring to see you with the light of your light. As the hart desires the springs of living
water, so my soul desires to leave the prison of this dark body and see you
in truth." Catherine of MOTHER'S DAY IS MAY 13! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother's_Day STAY-AT-HOME MOTHER'S WORK WORTH $138,095
A YEAR If the
typical stay-at-home mother in the MOTHER'S DAY REFLECTIONS by Kelly
Boggs While moms
deserve appreciation much more than once a year, Mother's Day provides a
special opportunity for children to say, "Thanks mom, I love you!".... http://www.pastors.com/rwmt/article.asp?ArtID=10469 CHAPLAIN SHORTAGE SEVERE FOR ARMY The Army
Chaplain Corps is experiencing its most severe shortage in history.... http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0412/p13s01-lire.html LEADERSHIP TIPS (BUSINESS, FAMILY, LIFE) The Private
Faith of Jimmy Carter The radio
program Speaking of Faith presents a conversation on faith and public life
with Jimmy Carter -- former http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/jimmycarter/index.shtml VERSE TO PONDER "If you
confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God
raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it
is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." Romans 10:9-10 CONSIDER "You can
discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of
conversation." Plato ROBERT E. WEBBER, THEOLOGIAN OF 'ANCIENT-FUTURE'
FAITH, DIES AT 73 Robert E. Webber,
a theologian well-known for his work on worship and the early church, died of
pancreatic cancer April 27 at his home in Sawyer, Mich. At the time of his death, Webber was the
William R. and Geraldyn B. Myers professor ministry at Northern Seminary in http://www.seminary.edu/news/?p=35 COMFORT IN CONFIDENCE "The
great point for our comfort in life is to have a well-grounded persuasion
that we are where, all things considered, we ought to be. Then it is no great matter whether we are
in public or in private life, in a city or a village, in a palace or a
cottage. The promise, "My grace is sufficient for thee," is
necessary to support us in the smoothest scenes, and is equally able to
support us in the most difficult. Happy
the man who has a deep impression of our Lord's words, 'Without Me you can do
nothing' -- who feels with the Apostle...likewise a heartfelt dependence upon
the Saviour, through whom we can both do and bear all things that are [part
of] the post allotted us." John
Newton in a letter to William Wilberforce CHRISTIAN BOOK SUMMARY Serve God,
Save the Planet: A Christian Call to Action by J. Matthew Sleeth, M.D., is
now summarized in detail at ChristianBookSummaries.com. The author calls Christians to practical
environmental activism. It's Sleeth's
opinion that Christians have rallied behind one or two sociopolitical issues,
but have long ignored God's directive to be good stewards over the planet. He contends that we're to take God's call
to environmental stewardship seriously, arguing that our environment is in
trouble -- and so are we. The
assertion is that we must modify our lives to obey God's mandate to steward
the earth more responsibly. Read the
summary at http://www.christianbooksummaries.com/archive.php?v=3&i=22 IF YOU CAN... ...start the day without caffeine... ...get going without pep pills... ...always be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains... ...resist complaining and boring people with your troubles... ...eat the same food everyday & be grateful for it... ...understand when your loved ones are too busy to give you any
time... ...overlook it when those you love take it out on you when,
through no fault of yours, something goes wrong... ...take criticism and blame without resentment... ...ignore a friend's limited education and never correct him... ...resist treating a rich friend better than a poor friend... ...face the world without lies and deceit... ...conquer tension without medical help... ...can relax without liquor... ...sleep without the aid of drugs... ...say honestly that deep in your heart you have no prejudice
against creed, color, religion or politics... ...then, my friend, you're almost as good as your dog! AN INTEGRATED FAITH by Bruce
Clemenger, president of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada "Recently
the CBC ran a story on charitable giving titled "Canadians Are Generous,
But a Few Do the Most." According to Statistics Canada, the top 25% of
donors contribute 82% of money donated and the top 11 percent of volunteers
contribute 77% of hours donated. And
the chief characteristics of these donors?
They attend religious services weekly and have a university degree. Religion does matter and has consequences. "In
particular, the decline of Christian influence in western culture has
consequences for our society's compassion for others, as Francis A. Schaeffer
used to say. He predicted compassion
would be increasingly replaced by utilitarianism. Caring for others because they are created
in God's image and objects of His love would be replaced by caring for others
to assuage our own discomfort or to appease our consciences so that our own
personal peace is not disturbed. Worldviews
matter; and thoughts and ideas do influence action. "This
year marks the 30th anniversary of the release of Francis Schaeffer's book
and film series How Should We Then Live?".... Read this in full at http://www.faithtoday.ca/article_viewer.asp?Article_ID=206 CONSIDER "As a
mother, my job is to take care of what is possible and trust God with the
impossible." Ruth VERSE TO PONDER "Without
faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must
believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." Hebrews 11:6 THIS WEEK'S HYMN: O FOR A THOUSAND
TONGUES TO SING by Charles
Wesley O for a
thousand tongues to sing My great
Redeemer's praise, The glories
of my God and King, The triumphs
of His grace! My gracious
Master and my God, Assist me to
proclaim, To spread
through all the earth abroad The honors of
Thy name. Jesus! the
name that charms our fears, That bids our
sorrows cease; 'Tis music in
the sinner's ears, 'Tis life,
and health, and peace. He breaks the
power of canceled sin, He sets the
prisoner free; His blood can
make the foulest clean, His blood
availed for me. He speaks,
and, listening to His voice, New life the
dead receive, The mournful,
broken hearts rejoice, The humble
poor believe. Hear Him, ye
deaf; His praise, ye dumb, Your loosened
tongues employ; Ye blind,
behold your Savior come, And leap, ye
lame, for joy. In Christ
your Head, you then shall know, Shall feel
your sins forgiven; Anticipate
your heaven below, And own that
love is heaven. Glory to God,
and praise and love Be ever, ever
given, By saints
below and saints above, The church in
earth and heaven. On this glad
day the glorious Sun Of
Righteousness arose; On my
benighted soul He shone And filled it
with repose. Sudden
expired the legal strife, 'Twas then I
ceased to grieve; My second,
real, living life I then began
to live. Then with my
heart I first believed, Believed with
faith divine, Power with
the Holy Ghost received To call the
Savior mine. I felt my
Lord's atoning blood Close to my
soul applied; Me, me He
loved, the Son of God, For me, for
me He died! I found and
owned His promise true, Ascertained
of my part, My pardon
passed in heaven I knew When written
on my heart. Look unto
Him, ye nations, own Your God, ye
fallen race; Look, and be
saved through faith alone, Be justified
by grace. See all your
sins on Jesus laid: The Lamb of
God was slain, His soul was
once an offering made For every
soul of man. Awake from
guilty nature's sleep, And Christ
shall give you light, Cast all your
sins into the deep, And wash the Æthiop
white. Harlots and
publicans and thieves In holy
triumph join! Saved is the
sinner that believes From crimes
as great as mine. Murderers and
all ye hellish crew In holy
triumph join! Believe the
Savior died for you; For me the
Savior died. With me, your
chief, ye then shall know, Shall feel
your sins forgiven; Anticipate
your heaven below, And own that
love is heaven. >from
CyberHymnal at http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/o/f/ofor1000.htm
GOD FAQ Question 123: Which is the fifth
commandment? Answer: The fifth commandment is, Honor
thy father and thy mother; that thy days may be long upon the land which the
Lord thy God gives thee. http://www.shortercatechism.com/
ON PRAYER "To men who think praying their main
business...does God commit the keys of his kingdom, and by them does he work
his spiritual wonders in this world."
E.M. Bounds
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.]
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. Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader quiz http://www.fox.com/areyousmarter/features/?week=1 Refresher - a good business site for
executives http://www.refresher.com/ceo.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.) Jesus is God's love expressed 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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