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Connecting man to
man to God! Week of Issue 158 CONNECTIONS is
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"[Jesus]
said to them all: 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and
take up his cross daily and follow me.
For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his
life for me will save it." Luke
9:23-24 CONSIDER "At the
end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, not
winning one more verdict or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a
husband, a friend, a child or a parent.
Fathers and mothers, if you have children ... they must come first. You must read to your children, you must
hug your children, you must love your children. Your success as a family ... our success as
a society ... depends not on what happens at the White House, but on what
happens inside your house."
Barbara Bush in her commencement address to Wellesley College Graduates,
1990 MAKING LIFE WORK *
Pursue wisdom *
Take initiative *
Do goodness *
Develop discipline *
Speak truth *
Choose friends wisely *
Marry well *
Cultivate compassion *
Manage anger *
Forge strong families *
Trust God (Insights
from the Book of Proverbs by Bill Hybels, pastor, CONSISTENT OMNIPOTENCE >excerpt
from "Authentic Christianity" (pp. 26-27) by John Stott "The
idea that there may be something which God 'cannot' do is entirely foreign to
some people. Can he not do anything
and everything? Are not all things
possible to him? Is he not
omnipotent? Yes, but God's omnipotence
needs to be understood. God is not a
totalitarian tyrant that he should exercise his power arbitrarily and do
absolutely anything whatsoever. God's omnipotence is the freedom and the
power to do absolutely anything he chooses to do. But he chooses only to do good, only to work according to the perfection of his
character and will. God can do
everything consistent with being himself.
The one and only thing he cannot do, because he will not, is to deny
himself or act contrary to himself. So
God remains for ever himself, the same God of mercy and of justice,
fulfilling his promises (whether of blessing or of judgment), giving us life
if we die with Christ and a kingdom if we endure, but denying us if we deny
him, just as he warned, because he cannot deny himself...." HOW TO LEAD A MAN TO CHRIST by Patrick
Morley, [email protected] If you are
not sure a man has already come to Christ, ask him, "(Name), has there
ever been a time in your life when you have personally put your faith in
Christ to forgive your sins and receive the gift of eternal life?" If 'yes,' ask
him to describe it. If he can give a
clear testimony, congratulate him. If not, proceed as though he answered
'no.' If 'no,' say,
"May I take a few minutes and explain what Christians believe about who Jesus
is, why He came, and what believing in Him means?" Then, look up
the following verses and read them together.
Make sure he reads the words for himself, whether silently or out
loud. (Idea: Mark Bible pages with
Post Its. Number them 1, 2, 3, and so
on. Idea: Leave out or add verses as
you are led. Idea: Write these verses
on the inside cover of your Bible.) 1.
Who is Jesus? He is the Savior, John 4:25-26 He is God,
Hebrews 1:3, Colossians 1:15, Colossians 2:9, John 14:9, John 10:30 He is the
only way to the Father, John 14:6 2.
Why did Jesus come? To seek the lost, Luke 19:10 To save sinners, 1 Timothy 1:15 To demonstrate God's love, Romans 5:6-8 To atone for our sins, 1 John 4:9-10 To become the source of eternal salvation,
Hebrews 5:8-9 3.
What does belief in Jesus mean? We receive eternal life, John 3:16, John
11:25-27, Romans 6:23 We receive
forgiveness of sins, 1 John 1:8-9 We
become children of God, John 1:12 4.
How do you become a follower of
Jesus? We become Christians through
repentance and faith, Ephesians 2:8-9 . Tell your
man, "Nothing we do can ever make us good enough for God to love
us. Instead, He loves us because He
made us and Jesus died for our sins.
We become a Christian by confessing that we are sinful and putting
faith in Jesus to forgive our sins and give us the gift of eternal life. Prayer is the way we talk to God. Here's a suggested prayer "Lord
Jesus, I need you in my life. I
confess that I am sinful and that I need a Savior. Thank you for dying for my sins. Thank you for offering me the gift of
eternal life. By faith I now put my
trust in you to forgive my sins and give me the gift of eternal
salvation. I invite you to change me and
make me the man you want me to be. Amen." After reading
the prayer out loud, ask him if this prayer expresses the desire of his
heart. If he says, "Yes,"
then ask him to pray it out loud after you one phrase at a time. Congratulate him. Offer to help him grow. Invite him to church. Encourage him to share what he has done with
loved ones. See if he'd feel
comfortable sharing it right away with someone in your presence. Make it a celebratory moment -- on earth as
it is in heaven. CONSIDER "We must
be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God. God will be constantly crossing our paths
and canceling our plans by sending us people with claims and petitions. We
may pass them by, preoccupied with our more important tasks, as the priest passed
by the man who had fallen among thieves, perhaps -- reading the Bible. . . . . it is part of the discipline of humility
that we must not spare our hand where it can perform a service and we do not
assume that our schedule is our own to manage, but allow it to be arranged by
God." Dietrich Bonhoeffer (Life Together) LEADERSHIP TIPS (BUSINESS, FAMILY, LIFE) ARE YOU THE
BOSS OR THE LEADER? by Steve Sileo The
boss. Most people just love to hate 'em! For many, the word
alone conjures up images of a controlling power freak.... Some may not
recognize the difference in values between the worldly "boss"
mentality and the biblical "leader" mentality. If someone were to ask me what each
typically connotes, I might spell it out like this: A boss
creates fear A leader creates trust (1 Thess. A boss serves
himself A leader serves others (1 Cor. A boss aims
to make himself successful A leader aims to make others successful (1
Tim. 4:6) A boss says,
"I" A leader says, "we" (1 Cor. 3:5-9) A boss fixes
blame A leader fixes mistakes (Phm.
18-19) A boss knows
how A leader shows how (Ex. A boss makes
work a grind A leader makes work worthwhile (Nehemiah) A boss drives A leader leads (Jn.
A boss wields
authority A leader empowers people (2 Tim. 2:2) A boss relies
on the power of authority A leader relies on the power of servanthood
(Mt. (c)2001 Steve
Sileo Read the rest
of this article at http://www.pastors.com/rwmt/default.asp?id=51&artid=1698&expand=1 VERSE TO PONDER "This is
how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our
brothers." 1 John 3:16 CONSIDER "I am
only one, but I am one. I cannot do
everything, but I can do something.
What I can do, I should do and, with the help of God, I will do!" Everett Hale, Chaplain of the United States
Senate and grandnephew of Nathan Hale, U.S. Revolutionary War patriot MEMORIAL DAY (5/28) "Memorial
Day in the http://www.christianitytoday.com/holidays/memorial/ For a history
of Memorial Day, and other information, go to THE I pledge
allegiance to the flag of the TOTAL COMMITMENT "'What
Thou wilt, when Thou wilt, how Thou wilt.'
I had rather speak these three sentences from my heart in my mother
tongue than be master of all the languages in THE SYMBOLS OF THE CHRISTIAN CATACOMBS
OF The early
Christians lived in a mainly pagan and hostile society. During Nero's persecution (A.D. 64) their
religion was considered "a strange and illegal superstition." The Christians were mistrusted and kept aloof, they were suspected and accused of the worst
crimes. They were persecuted,
imprisoned, sentenced to exile or condemned to death. Unable to profess their faith openly, the
Christians made use of symbols, which they depicted on the walls of the
catacombs and, more often, carved them on the marble-slabs that sealed the
tombs. Like the
ancient, the Christians were very fond of symbolism. The symbols were a visible reminder of
their faith. The term "symbol " refers to a concrete sign or figure, which,
according to the author's intention, recalls an idea or a spiritual
reality. The main symbols are: the
Good Shepherd, the "Orante", the monogram
of Christ and the fish. The Good
Shepherd with a lamb around his shoulders represents Christ and the soul
which He has saved. This symbol is
often found in the frescoes, in the reliefs of the
sarcophagi, in the statues and is often engraved on the tombs. The "orante": this praying figure with open arms
symbolizes the soul, which lives in divine peace. The monogram
of Christ is formed by interlacing two letters of the Greek alphabet: X (chi)
and P (ro), which are the first two letters of the
Greek word "Christòs" or Christ. When this monogram was placed on a
tombstone, it meant a Christian was buried there. The
fish. In Greek one says IXTHYS (ichtùs). Placed
vertically, the letters of this word form an acrostic: Iesùs
Christòs Theòu Uiòs Sotèr = Jesus Christ, Son
of God, Savior.
Acrostic is a Greek word that means the first letter of every line or
paragraph. The fish is a widespread
symbol of Christ, a motto, and a compendium of the Christian faith. The dove
holding an olive branch symbolizes the soul that reached divine peace. The Alpha and
the Omega are the first and the last letters of the Greek alphabet They signify
that Christ is the beginning and the end of all things. The anchor is
the symbol of salvation and of the soul that has peacefully reached the port
of eternity. The phoenix,
the mythical Arabian bird which, according to the beliefs of the ancient,
after a thousand years arises from its ashes, is the symbol of the
resurrection of the bodies. The martyrs'
tombs, the cubicles, and also the arcosoliums could
be at times decorated with pictures painted with the method of the
fresco. The frescoes represent
biblical scenes of the Old and the New Testament, some of them with a precise
symbolic meaning. The symbols
and the frescoes form a miniature Gospel, a summary of the Christian faith. To learn more
about the Catacombs, go to TEN LEARNING RULES FOR GOLF 1.
Find a good teacher and stick with that
person. 2.
Follow a timetable. Discipline yourself to work on what you've
been told. 3.
Concentrate. 4.
Learn from your mistakes. You'll make them, so you may as well make
them work for you. 5.
Relax.
Take your time, and you'll learn and play better. 6.
Practice the shots you find most
difficult. 7.
Have goals. Remember, golf is a target game. 8.
Stay positive. Golf is hard enough. A bad attitude only hurts you. 9.
Stop practicing when you get tired. That's how sloppy habits begin. 10.
Evaluate yourself after each lesson: Are
you making progress? Golf For
Dummies by PGA Senior Tour champion Gary McCord CONSIDER "The
sun, with all those planets moving round it, can ripen the smallest bunch of
grapes as if it had nothing else to do.
Why then should I doubt His power?" Galileo VERSE TO PONDER "The
fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.'" Psalms 14:1 THIS WEEK'S HYMN: COME, HOLY GHOST, GOD
AND LORD! Words: Martin
Luther, 1524 (Komm, Heiliger
Geist, Herre Gott); composite translation from German to English. Music: KOMM,
HEILIGER GEIST, HERRE GOTT, 15th Century melody Come, Holy
Ghost, God and Lord! Be all Thy
graces now outpoured On each
believer's mind and heart; Thy fervent love to them impart. Lord, by the
brightness of Thy light Thou in the
faith dost men unite Of every land
and every tongue; This to Thy praise,
O Lord, our God, be sung. Hallelujah!
Hallelujah! Thou holy
Light, Guide divine, Oh, cause the
Word of Life to shine! Teach us to
know our God aright And call Him
Father with delight. From every
error keep us free; Let none but
Christ our Master be That we in
living faith abide, In Him, our
Lord, with all our might confide. Hallelujah!
Hallelujah! Thou holy
Fire, Comfort true, Grant us the
will Thy work to do And in Thy
service to abide; Let trials
turn us not aside. Lord, by Thy
power prepare each heart And to our
weakness strength impart That bravely
here we may contend, Through life
and death to Thee, our Lord, ascend. Hallelujah!
Hallelujah! >from
CyberHymnal at http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/c/h/chgalord.htm
GOD FAQ Question 126:
What is the general scope of the fifth commandment? Answer:
The general scope of the fifth commandment is, the performance of those
duties which we mutually owe in our several relations, as inferiors,
superiors, or equals. http://www.shortercatechism.com/
ON PRAYER "May
God open our eyes to see what the holy ministry of intercession is to which,
as His royal priesthood, we have been set apart. May He give us a large and strong heart to
believe what mighty influence our prayers can exert." Andrew Murray
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.
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come abbreviated is such a long word? 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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