Connecting man to man to God!

Week of June 24, 2007

"Sing to God, sing praise to his name, extol him who rides on the clouds - his name is the Lord - and rejoice before him. A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling."  Psalm 68:4-5

     CONSIDER

"The story of the Bible isn't primarily about the desire of people to be with God; it's the desire of God to be with people."  John Ortberg, God Is Closer Than You Think

     HOMER SIMPSON: BEST FATHER?

Homer Simpson would hardly seem to be in the running for father of the year.  And yet, according to the results of a new study of how college students view their fathers, Homer's doing a better job than most. Janice Kelly, a communication researcher at Marymount Manhattan College, showed episodes from eight sitcoms (including The Simpsons, The George Lopez Show, My Wife and Kids and Everybody Loves Raymond) to 108 college students.  She then asked them to compare TV fathers to their own in areas such as guidance, support, acceptance of other family members and oppositional behavior (such as belittling their children).  Across the board, TV dads fared better than their real-world counterparts.  Students identified job stress and economic pressures as the main issues that seemed to impede their dads' ability to connect with them.  Given that, some have suggested these shows should do a better job of depicting the real economic pressure families face today.  But Robert Thompson, director of the Bleier Center of Television and Popular Culture, doesn't expect the networks to take that advice anytime soon.  "Working families are having a hard enough time balancing child care and jobs.  Do you want to sit down and watch [more realistic programming] at night? Most people would run away screaming."  Thompson also voiced his concern about TV dads being held up as role models.  "It's disturbing to think that kids might judge their dad as worse than Homer Simpson," he says.  "Ward Cleaver was one thing -- nobody could measure up -- but sitcom dads are flawed at best." [usatoday.com, 6/13/07]

http://www.pluggedinonline.com/cultureclips2/a0003286.cfm

     GROWING UP W/O DAD

According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2005 report, more than 19 million children in the United States -- about 25% of the total -- live in households without a father.  But in the African American community, that figure rises to 56%.  "Father absence in the African American communities across America has hit those communities with the force of 100 hurricane Katrinas," says Phillip Jackson, executive director of the Chicago-based Black Star Project, an organization that focuses on helping children in predominantly minority schools.  Slightly fewer children in Hispanic households, 31%, are growing up in homes without dads, while among whites the figure is 22%.  Roland Warren, president of the National Fatherhood Initiative, says fatherless kids "are two or three times more likely to use drugs, become teen parents, be connected with the criminal justice system, to fail in school or to live in poverty." [Reuters, 6/14/07 stats]

http://www.pluggedinonline.com/cultureclips2/a0003286.cfm

     RELIGIOUS INVOLVEMENT IS HIGHLY BENEFICIAL FOR DADS, STUDY SAYS

Choosing religion over recreation could be a way for men to become better fathers -- especially in faith-based communities.  According to a research study by David Dollahite, professor of family life at Brigham Young University, and Loren Marks, assistant professor at Louisiana State University, being involved in a religious community can give men a sense of belonging and support when it comes to raising children.  Religious involvement can also give men a sense of meaning and accountability in their fathering role, with the knowledge that if they fail they will have God to reckon with.

"I would never say, 'You can't be a good dad without religion,' but what the research shows, in hundreds of studies by nonreligious people, was that there is added value in religious involvement that makes a difference in many ways," Dollahite said.  "It's hard to quantify that and replace it.  People who aren't religious can try to ... replicate (elements of a religious family lifestyle) and that can certainly, probably, help, but there's something else going on."

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,665194369,00.html

     ABBA

"It was Jesus who made the fatherhood of God visible and real, for He said, "Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father" (John 14:9).  If God were a bully and a tyrant, would He become like one of us, live in our world, share our burdens and difficulties, and finally, bear our sins on the cross?  Would He weep with the sorrowing, receive the children into His arms, feed the hungry, forgive the sinners, and lovingly teach the common people the saving truth about God? His earthly life and ministry can be summed up in one word: love, for God is love.  Today the Holy Spirit in our hearts witnesses of the Father and assures us that we are indeed His children.  Those who trust Jesus Christ have received "the Spirit of sonship," and "by him we cry, 'Abba, Father'" (Romans 8:15; cf. Galatians 4:5-6).  "Abba" is the Aramaic equivalent of our English word "Daddy," and it speaks of love and intimacy."  Warren W. Wiersbe, Life Sentences: Discover the Key Themes of 63 Bible Characters

     MAKE 'EM LAUGH

The director of Bruce Almighty -- and now its sequel, Evan Almighty -- says laughter is theologically good medicine and making comedies is a high calling....  Read this in full at

http://www.christianitytoday.com/movies/interviews/tomshadyac.html

     'EVAN ALMIGHTY' BOASTS POSITIVE MESSAGE

by Phil Boatwright

"Make Thee An Ark."  So instructs the Lord God in Genesis 6:14.  Though I'm sure the Lord Jehovah performed daily miracles, can you imagine the Herculean task Noah had to undertake once he began building that boat?  In the "Bruce Almighty" sequel, "Evan Almighty," the new Noah quickly learns that we shouldn't ask God to help us change the world unless we're willing to take on the mission.

It's a movie and is meant to entertain -- not instruct, proselytize, or signal the end is near.  Indeed, according to star Steve Carell, "Evan Almighty is simply meant to be funny."  But one of director Tom Shadyac's strengths as a comic filmmaker ("Bruce Almighty," "Liar, Liar") is that he realizes the best way to ridicule man's folly is by setting man's goals alongside biblical principles and principals.

Carell reprises his role of newscaster Evan Baxter, but now the self-involved news anchor has become a freshman congressman and moved his family to suburban Virginia.  Having lived a selfish life where he expresses who he is through possessions and position, Evan suddenly realizes that there is more to life than his little world.  It dawns on him that he should seek the Almighty in order to help him change the world. But once that prayer is uttered, Evan's life rapidly changes....  Read this in full at

http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=25941

Also see

"There's Something About That Name" by Ted Baehr

http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=25942

Christianity Today Review

http://www.christianitytoday.com/movies/reviews/2007/evanalmighty.html

     'JESUS' FILM ON VERGE OF REACHING 1,000TH TRANSLATION

The "Jesus" film -- the most translated and widely distributed film in history -- announced Tuesday that it is on the verge of reaching its 1000th translation.  As one of the most effective evangelism tools with more than 6 billon viewers globally over 28 years, the "Jesus" film has been seen and translated far more times than top Oscar-winning films such as "Gone With the Wind," "The Sound of Music," and "The Wizard of Oz."  When the 1,000th translation milestone is reached, the one million primarily Ho speaking people in India will be able to hear the Gospel story in their "heart language."  Already through the film more than 200 million people have accepted Christ as their Savior.  The "Jesus" film was produced in 1979 by John Heyman, in cooperation with Campus Crusade for Christ and distributed initially by Warner Brothers.  The film is often shown in remote, third-world locales using a makeshift screen and portable projector -- often drawing an audience of first-time movie watchers.  The "Jesus" film team says it plans to continue translation of the film well beyond its 1,000 mark, focusing on languages with more than 100,000 speakers.  Read more at

http://www.christianpost.com/article/20070619/28060.htm

     MOST AMERICANS BELIEVE IN GOD

Nearly 9 out of 10 Americans believe in God or a universal spirit, according to a recent Gallup poll, while 81% believe in heaven.  But only 70% of respondents say they believe in the devil, and 69% profess a belief in hell.  Belief in God has actually gone down over the last decade, while belief in the devil has gone up: In the 1990s, fewer than 60% of respondents said they believed in the devil.  Gallup officials caution, however, that earlier polls lumped "the devil" in with a list of things that included witches, ghosts and reincarnation.  It's possible, they say, that the presence of those other entities shaped how respondents answered the question. [galluppoll.com, 6/13/07 stats]

Gallup also teamed up with USA Today to ask Americans what they believed about the origins of life.  Regarding creationism (the conviction that God created human beings in their present form in the last 10,000 years), 66% said they thought this explanation is "definitely" or "probably true."  Fifty-three percent said they thought evolution (the idea that human beings developed over millions of years from less-advanced life forms), was definitely or probably true.  And 25% espoused both views simultaneously, holding the opinion that creationism and evolution are both definitely or probably true. [galluppoll.com, 6/8/07; usatoday.com, 6/8/07 stats]

http://www.pluggedinonline.com/cultureclips2/a0003286.cfm

     PAPERS SHOW ISAAC NEWTON PREDICTED THE WORLD'S END YET TO COME

Three-century-old manuscripts by Isaac Newton calculating the exact date of the apocalypse, detailing the precise dimensions of the ancient temple in Jerusalem and interpreting passages of the Bible -- now on exhibit -- lay bare the little-known religious intensity of a man many consider history's greatest scientist.

In one manuscript from the early 1700s, Newton used the cryptic Book of Daniel to calculate the date for the apocalypse, reaching the conclusion that the world would end no earlier than 2060, 1,260 years after the foundation of the Holy Roman Empire in western Europe in 800 AD.

"It may end later, but I see no reason for its ending sooner," Newton wrote.  However, he added, "This I mention not to assert when the time of the end shall be, but to put a stop to the rash conjectures of fanciful men who are frequently predicting the time of the end, and by doing so bring the sacred prophesies into discredit as often as their predictions fail."

In another document, Newton interpreted biblical prophecies to mean that the Jews would return to the Holy Land before the world ends.  The end of days will see "the ruin of the wicked nations, the end of weeping and of all troubles, the return of the Jews captivity, and their setting up a flourishing and everlasting Kingdom," he posited....

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/science/06/18/newton.papers.ap/index.html

Exhibit: Newton's Secrets

http://jnul.huji.ac.il/dl/mss/newton/

     LEADERSHIP TIPS (BUSINESS, FAMILY, LIFE)

"While the low performer comes to believe that the easy road is found by avoiding a challenge, they are, in truth, missing out on the pure pleasure of accomplishment.  I think that's what Pearl Buck was getting at when she said, 'The secret of joy in work is contained in one word -- excellence.  To know how to do something well is to enjoy it.'  Ask anyone who has mastered the art of embracing a challenge.  In fact, you don't even need to ask.  You can see it on their face.  They find great joy in accomplishment."  Les Parrott, PhD, 3 Seconds: The Power of Thinking Twice

     VERSE TO PONDER

"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy." Ephesians 5:25-26

     CONSIDER

"Let every year make you a better person."  Benjamin Franklin

     Rx FOR EXCESS: SERVE GOD, SAVE THE PLANET

by Andy Crouch

"As our family sits together, eyes closed, we say grace.  Today it's Timothy's turn.  'God, thank you so much for all we have,' he begins in what turns into a typically prolix 9-year-old's prayer.  Eventually he is done - 'in Jesus' name, Amen' -- and I turn the key.  We have just filled up our car with gasoline"....  Read this in full at

http://www.christianitytoday.com/bc/2007/003/8.31.html

     PRAYER IS SOCIAL ACTION

by John Robb with Larry Wilson

World Vision worker and writer John Robb wrote an article on transformational prayer ten years ago that we suspect will sound fresh for years to come.  For years, he writes, Christians have divided themselves over the most effective means of transforming our world: verbal proclamation of the gospel -- witnessing -- or social action.  In truth, the two cannot be separated.  Without both, there is simply no Good News.  And one thing ties them both together: prayer to a God of temporal justice and eternal salvation....  Read this in full at

http://www.urbana.org/_articles.cfm?RecordId=342

     MOVE TOWARD

"The tendency for most of us when we encounter stuff that creates disease and frustration in our souls is to push it away.  And fast!  We feel the discomfort of holy discontentedness coming on, and reflexively we want to medicate it.  We want to recoil in disgust at the dreadful realities surrounding us.  We want to head to Blockbuster to rent another movie just to stay distanced from it.  But the truth is this: the best thing you can do is to move toward your area of holy discontent until you have clear direction from God as to what action you should take to resolve it.  For example, if the plight of the poor becomes your holy discontent, then increase your exposure to the poor.  I'm serious here: Move toward the poor, not away from them."  Bill Hybels, Holy Discontent: Fueling the Fire That Ignites Personal Vision

     REFINING US

Malachi 3:3..."He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver..."

A silversmith held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up.  He explained to an observer that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

When asked if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined, the silversmith answered yes -- he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire.  If the silver was left a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.  "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?" asked the observer.  The silversmith smiled and answered, "Oh, that's easy...when I see my image in it."

     SHOWING THROUGH

A little boy asked his dad if it's true that God is so big that he holds the entire universe in his hands.  The father assured the lad it's true.  The boy then asked if it's true that God lives in our hearts when we invite him in.  The father again affirmed the boy.  Then the son declared, "If God is truly in our hearts, he can't help but show through us!"

     VERSE TO PONDER

"Fathers, do not exasperate your children, instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord."  Ephesians 6:4

     CONSIDER

"I am not what I ought to be.  I am not what I want to be.  I am not what I hope to be.  But still, I am not what I used to be.  And by the grace of God, I am what I am."  John Newton (1725-1807)

     THIS WEEK'S HYMN: BY FAITH IN CHRIST I WALK WITH GOD

Words: John Newton, 1779

Music: Robert H. Earnshaw, 1856-1929

By faith in Christ I walk with God,

With Heav'n, my journey's end, in view;

Supported by His staff and rod,

My road is safe and pleasant too.

I travel through a desert wide

Where many round me blindly stray;

But He vouchsafes to be my Guide,

And will not let me miss my way.

Though snares and dangers throng my path,

And earth and hell my course withstand;

I triumph over all by faith,

Guarded by His almighty hand.

The wilderness affords no food,

But God for my support prepares;

Provides me every needful good,

And frees my soul from wants and cares.

With Him sweet converse I maintain,

Great as He is I dare be free;

I tell Him all my grief and pain,

And He reveals His love to me.

Some cordial from His Word He brings,

Whene'er my feeble spirit faints;

At once my soul revives and sings,

And yields no more to sad complaints.

I pity all that worldlings talk

Of pleasures that will quickly end;

Be this my choice, O Lord, to walk

With Thee, my Guide, my Guard, my Friend.

>from CyberHymnal at

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/b/f/bficiwwg.htm

     ON PRAYER

"Although we ought always to raise our minds upwards towards God, and pray without ceasing, yet such is our weakness, which requires to be supported, such our torpor, which requires to be stimulated, that it is requisite for us to appoint special hours for this exercise, hours which are not to pass away without prayer, and during which the whole affections of our minds are to be completely occupied; namely, when we rise in the morning, before we commence our daily work, when we sit down to food, when by the blessing of God we have taken it, and when we retire to rest.  This, however, must not be a superstitious observance of hours, by which, as it were, performing a task to God, we think we are discharged as to other hours.  It should rather be considered a discipline by which our weakness is exercised and stimulated."  John Calvin (1509-1564), The Institutes of the Christian Religion [1559], III.20.50

     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.

ASSIST News Service

http://www.assistnews.net

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 family members need our love the most when they deserve it the least.

Min. Frank Coleman, Editor

[email protected]

Thanks for welcoming CONNECTIONS into your in-box!

Quick Links...

·  Start Your Domain Name Search Here

·  Visit my blog - comment & share your thoughts

email: [email protected]

To subscribe to CONNECTIONS, send a message to [email protected] with "subscribe MSM" in the subject line.