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Connecting man to man to God! Week of Issue 171 CONNECTIONS is
the opt-in newsletter for the men & friends of Minister Frank
Coleman. It's a periodic service that
helps connect you with God and with other men. If you'd like its delivery to your email
address stopped, scroll down and follow the instructions at the end of this
message. Also let me know if you
change your email address and want to keep subscribing to CONNECTIONS. "We urge
you, beloved, to admonish the idlers, encourage the fainthearted, help the
weak, be patient with all of them."
1 Timothy 5:14 CONSIDER "What lies dead
and deformed in the letter on the dead parchment comes to life when what is
read is put into practice." Peter
of TURNING DOWN DORITOS AND BEER by Bill Perkins In that moment
he had to make a quick decision-and the decision would be based on how he
viewed himself. If he saw himself as a bundle of nerves and unsatisfied
appetites he'd take the beer and hope he'd get the girl too.... Read this in full at MTV SURVEY REFLECTS PRO-FAMILY IDEALS A groundbreaking
survey from an unlikely source backs up what family groups have been saying
about kids all along and reveals teens are on the right track when it comes
to their role models, family, and sex.
The MTV/Associated Press poll shows what really makes teens tick is
time with family. Four areas of the
survey particularly rang true with family advocates. *
Family ties *
Heroes welcome *
The faith factor *
Sex spells unhappiness Read this in
full at http://www.citizenlink.org/content/A000005317.cfm "What we
call church is often a conspiracy of cordiality. Pastors learn to pacify rather than preach
to their Ananiases and Sapphiras. We say we do it out of
"love." Usually, we do it as
a means of keeping everyone as distant from everyone else as possible. You don't get into my life and I will not
get into yours." JOINT DECLARATION ON THE FREEDOM OF
RELIGION AND THE RIGHT TO CONVERSION Two important
Christian and Muslim groups have signed a joint declaration supporting the
right to convert between religions without fear of harassment as a basic
religious freedom. The Church of
Norway Council on Ecumenical and International Relation and the Islamic
Council of Norway, which have met regularly since 1993, say they believe this
is the world's first such joint declaration by national religious
organizations.... http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/08/22/europe/EU-GEN-Norway-Religious-Freedom.php LIFE'S MEANING “The object of
life, according to Jesus, is breathtakingly simple: Be rich toward God. Don't spend your life playing Master of the
Board. It's a sucker's game. You can't beat the house. But you can be rich toward God. Your life -- with God's help -- can be a
source of pleasure to the God of the universe. You can make God smile. When the game is over, all that will matter
will be God's assessment of our lives.
Venture capitalists and RELIGIOUS BOOKS TOP CHOICE OF READERS Religious books
were the top choices among the most avid readers -- women and seniors --
according to a new Associated Press-Ipsos
poll. One one-in-four U.S. adults say
they read no books at all in the last year, while the average respondent
claimed to have read 4 books during that time. The Bible and religious books were read by
two-thirds of the respondents, making it the top category, followed by
popular fiction, histories, biographies and mysteries, all at about
half. Of those who reported not reading
any books, the study reports they were more likely to be older, less
educated, less religious minorities in rural areas. Women were also reported to have read more
than men in every category except history and biography.... Read this in full at http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-08-21-reading_N.htm?csp=34 COMPANIES INCORPORATE FAITH INTO THEIR
NAMES, BUSINESS MODELS As it has become
more politically and socially acceptable to be vocal about one's faith,
companies both large and small are putting religion in their business
practices. The faith-based movement is
getting bigger all the time, with companies from Coca-Cola Co. to Procter
& Gamble holding marketing summits on how to target the faithful. For smaller companies, faith is something
intrinsic in how they do business....
Read this in full at LEADERSHIP TIPS (BUSINESS, FAMILY, LIFE) "When it
comes to change, there are three seasons of timing: People change when they
hurt enough that they have to, when they learn enough that they want to, and
when they receive enough that they are able to." John Maxwell VERSE TO PONDER "If we
live, we live in the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether
we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's.
For this end Christ died and lived again, so that he might be Lord of
both the dead and the living. Why then
do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? Or you, why do you despise your brother or
sister? For we will all stand before
the judgment seat of God." Romans
14:8-10 CONSIDER "Great
peacemakers are all people of integrity, honesty, and humility." Nelson Mandela CHRISTIAN BOOK SUMMARY The book How Christianity
Changed the World by Alvin Schmidt is now extensively summarized online. According to Schmidt, Christianity deserves
credit for many of the social, scientific, and cultural advances made in the
Western world over the past 2000 thousand years. The Book's Message: Jesus Christ -- His
birth, life, death, and resurrection -- has had a profound influence on human
life. Without doubt, Christianity has
impacted the world, making it a better place and enriching our everyday
living. Read more at: http://www.christianbooksummaries.com/ Purchase this
book here: http://www.christianconnectionbooks.com/content/search/product/view_item.php?dcn=55215&sm= STARBUCKS SPIRITUALITY by Brett
Lawrence Daniel Hill
holds a steady part-time job working one or two shifts a week at
Starbucks. It's hardly a career-track
position, and it's not that he needs the extra cash or battles a secret
caffeine addiction. It's the
people. Purple hair, belly-button
rings, tattoos, black-painted fingernails -- those people. For Hill, whose day job is ministering on
staff with http://www.christianitytoday.com/biblestudies/areas/biblestudies/articles/070815.html A MAN MUST LEARN Four things a man must learn to do If he would make his record true: To think without confusion clearly, To love his fellow men sincerely, To act from honest motives purely, To trust in God and heaven securely. ... Henry van Dyke (1852-1933) ON CHEATING AND HYPOCRISY "We're a nation
of cheaters. We chase wrinkles away
with Botox, get our stomachs stapled, our fat
suctioned out, our noses resculpted, our teeth
whitened, our hair transplanted, our assets filled out with implants. We
fudge our taxes, swipe pens from the supply cabinet, take 10 over the speed
limit, and scarf down pills and potions for everything from restless leg
syndrome to erectile dysfunction. There's very little some of us won't do to
get an edge. ... But, d--mit, our athletic heroes
better not cheat. Does anyone detect a note of hypocrisy in this? Does anyone
who reviles Barry Bonds as a cheater admit to even the tiniest flaw in his or
her own personal code of ethics?"
-- MSNBC sports columnist Mike Celizic, in
the wake of Bonds' record-breaking (and controversial) home run on Aug. 7
[msnbc.com, http://www.pluggedinonline.com/cultureclips2/a0003371.cfm ON SHELLS AND SKELETONS "A troubling
phenomenon recurs among young Christians reared in solid homes and sound
churches. After living their early
years as outstanding examples of Christian faith, many become spiritual
dropouts. Did they fail because they
concentrated on the exterior, visible Christian life? Did they learn to mimic certain behaviors,
nuances of words, and emotional responses?
Crayfish-like, did they develop a hard exterior that resembled everyone
else's and conclude such was the EAT, DRINK, AND BE HUNGRY by John Koessler "Blessed
are those who hunger? Hunger and
thirst signal need. They are symptoms
of emptiness and unfulfilled desire. How can they be a source of blessing? The fact that Jesus says he is talking
about hunger and thirst for righteousness clarifies little. He seems to have put the emphasis in the
wrong place. Why not, "Blessed
are the righteous?" Hunger
implies a lack of righteousness.
Jesus' proposal is so radical, it turns our notions of God and
righteousness and blessing on their heads.
He blesses what most of us would curse".... Read this in full at http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/august/18.35.html BAPTISM "When
Martin Luther got up in the morning and put water on his face, he would say,
"I am baptized!" It was a
way of reminding himself that living out his baptism was a key to
discipleship ... For us as well as for Martin Luther, the baptismal covenant
is to be lived out in daily discipleship. The call to discipleship is a call
to be part of a community of faith. When a traveling rabbi in the first
century said: "Come, follow me," it was not only an invitation to
respond personally but to become a part of the "school of
disciples" following that rabbi."
Dwight Vogel, By Water and the Spirit ACTUAL HEADLINES * Something Went
Wrong in Jet Crash, Expert Says * Police Begin
Campaign to Run Down Jaywalkers * Iraqi Head
Seeks Arms * Teacher
Strikes Idle Kids * Miners Refuse
to Work after Death * Juvenile Court
to Try Shooting Defendant * War Dims Hope
for Peace * If Strike
Isn't Settled Quickly, It May Last Awhile * Cold Wave
Linked to Temperatures * * Typhoon Rips
Through Cemetery; Hundreds Dead * Man Struck By
Lightning Faces * New Study of
Obesity Looks for Larger Test Group * Kids Make
Nutritious Snacks >from Humorama newsletter MAKE THE REST OF YOU LIFE THE BEST OF
YOUR LIFE Today is the
first day of the rest of your life, I heard them say, But what about
all the mess from yesterday. I grew up in a
broken home, My Daddy left us
all alone. I got this
physical thang, that is a real drain, No one
understands all of my discomfort and pain. My spouse doesn’t
treat me right. We always fuss
and fight. Me and my spouse
went through a nasty divorce Heck, I can’t
find anyone to take the marriage course. The list goes on
and on, oh how we can complain I lost my job or
my boss drives me insane, But check this
out and say it three times a day Say it silence,
say it private, say it aloud, say it this way. I love my life. The
rest of my life, will be the best of my life. Say it with
faith, say it with belief, say it with pride, Keep saying it,
until you feel it deep on the inside. Peace and
Blessings, The Kool Brother Visit The Kool Brother here: http://www.myspace.com/kool_brother WORLD BEARD AND MOUSTACHE CHAMPIONSHIP The hairiest and
one of the most fiercely competitive global competitions, the World Beard and
Moustache Championship, opens in the English seaside town of Beard Team http://www.worldbeardchampionships.com/ also See the photo
gallery at http://www.worldbeardchampionships.com/Gallery/gallery.html CONSIDER "If you
were not strangers here the dogs of the world would not bark at
you." Samuel Rutherford VERSE TO PONDER "You must
not distort justice; you must not show partiality; and you must not accept
bribes, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and subverts the cause of
those who are in the right."
Deuteronomy 16:19 THIS WEEK'S HYMN: GOOD THOU ART, AND
GOOD THOU DOST Words: Charles
Wesley, 1763 Music: George Merritt,
before 1890 Good Thou art,
and good Thou dost, Thy mercies
reach to all, Chiefly those
who on Thee trust, And for Thy
mercy call; New they every
morning are; As fathers when
their children cry, Us Thou dost in
pity spare, And all our
wants supply. Mercy o'er Thy
works presides; Thy providence
displayed Still preserves,
and still provides For all Thy
hands have made; Keeps, with most
distinguished care, The man who on
Thy love depends; Watches every
numbered hair, And all his
steps attends. Who can sound
the depths unknown Of Thy redeeming
grace? Grace that gave
Thine only Son To save a ruined
race! Millions of
transgressors poor Thou hast for
Jesus' sake forgiven, Made them of Thy
favor sure, And snatched
from hell to Heaven. Millions more Thou
ready art To save, and to
forgive; Every soul and
every heart Of man Thou
wouldst receive: Father, now
accept of mine, Which now,
through Christ, I offer Thee; Tell me now, in
love divine, That Thou hast
pardoned me! >from
CyberHymnal at http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/g/t/gtaagtdo.htm
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http://www.regent.edu/acad/global/publications/rgbr/ Play Checkers
Against the Computer http://www.cs.ualberta.ca/~chinook/ The Phrase
Finder All links to websites are provided as a service, and
do not imply endorsement by our church. 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 · Visit my blog - comment & share your thoughts email: [email protected] phone: 1-773-410-1483 To subscribe to CONNECTIONS, send a message
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