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Connecting man to man to God! Week of Issue 176 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. "The
effect of righteousness will be peace, and the
result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever." Isaiah 32:17-17 CONSIDER "The
church exists by mission just as fire exists by burning." Emil
Brunner THE STORY OF THE MISSIONAL CHURCH by
Stephen A. Hayner At
the 2006 Conference of the Presbyterian Global Fellowship, Hayner gave an account of the missional
church through the ages. By so doing, he reinforced the notion that one
cannot understand the church without mission and one cannot understand
mission without the church.... Read
this pdf document at http://www.presbyterianglobalfellowship.org/files/SHayner_MissionalChurch.pdf WORLD COMMUNION SUNDAY OCT. 7 The
day has taken on new relevancy and depth of meaning in a world where
globalization often has undermined peace and justice -- and in a time when
fear divides the peoples of God's earth.
On this day we celebrate our oneness in Christ, the Prince of Peace,
in the midst of the world we are called to serve -- a world ever more in need
of peacemaking.... http://www.ncccusa.org/unity/worldcommunionsunday.html SOME IN October
14 across the United States several hundred Christian congregations plan to
tell their faithful to skip coming to church -- and head out into the
community to help those in need.... Read
this in full at http://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSN1446832220070924 Faith
in Action http://www.PutYourFaithInAction.com STUDY: Young
Americans today are more skeptical and resistant to Christianity than were
people of the same age just a decade ago, says a new study. Negative perceptions toward the Christian faith
outweigh the positive as a growing percentage of younger Americans associate
with a faith outside Christianity. Only 16% of non-Christians aged 16 to 29
years old say they have a "good impression" of Christianity.... Read this in full at VIEW OF GOD CAN PREDICT VALUES, POLITICS A
recent survey by *
The Authoritarian God (31.4%
of Americans overall, 43.3% in the South) is angry at humanity's sins and
engaged in every creature's life and world affairs. He is ready to throw the thunderbolt of
judgment down on "the unfaithful or ungodly." Those who envision
God this way are religiously and politically conservative people, more often
black Protestants and white evangelicals.
They want an active, Christian-values-based government with federal
funding for faith-based social services and prayer in the schools. They're also the most inclined to say God
favors the *
The Benevolent God (23%
overall, 28.7% in the *
The Critical God (16%
overall, 21.3% in the East) has his judgmental eye on the world, but he's not
going to intervene, either to punish or to comfort. Those who picture a critical God are
significantly less likely to draw absolute moral lines on hot-button issues
such as abortion, gay marriage or embryonic stem cell research. For example, 57% overall say gay marriage
is always wrong compared with 80.6% for those who see an authoritarian God,
and 65.8% for those who see God as benevolent. For those who believe in a
critical God, it was 54.7%. *
The Distant God (24.4%
overall, 30.3% in the West) is no bearded old man in the sky raining down his
opinions on us. Followers of this God see a cosmic force that launched the
world, then left it spinning on its own. This has strongest appeal for Catholics,
mainline Protestants, and Jews. It's
also strong among "moral relativists," those least likely to say
any moral choice is always wrong, and among those who don't attend church. Only
3.8% of this group say embryonic stem cell research
is always wrong, compared with 38.5% of those who see an authoritarian God, 22.7%
for those who see God as benevolent and 13.2% who see God as critical but
disengaged. http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2006-09-11-religion-survey_x.htm Baylor
Religion Survey http://www.baylor.edu/isreligion/index.php?id=40634 VERSE TO PONDER "Do
not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer
and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God." Philippians 4:6 CONSIDER "Repent
and believe in the gospel, Jesus says.
Turn around and believe that the good news that we are loved is gooder than we ever dared hope, and that to believe in
that good news, to live out of it and toward it, to be in love with that good
news, is of all glad things in this world the gladdest thing of all." Frederick
Buechner, Secrets in the Dark SPORTS CALENDAR National
Hockey League season started Sept. 29 Baseball
Championships begin Oct. 11 Men's
Table Tennis World Cup runs Oct. 12-14 http://www.ittf.com/competitions/competitions2.asp?Competition_ID=1659&category=WC Rugby
World Cup ends Oct. 20 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Rugby_World_Cup World
Series begins Oct. 24 National
Basketball Association season starts Oct. 30 The
Super Bowl will be A MAN AND WORSHIP by
Pat Morley Here
are 10 practical suggestions for a richer worship life. Some of these, no
doubt, you already do. Some of these may not ring your bell at all. Remember, this is not a magical list of things
you can do to worship God, but they will give you more of a continuous
worship experience and, therefore, daily renewal. The list is by no means
exhaustive. 1.
Preparation I
asked David Delk, president of Man in the Mirror, "What
do you think are the most practical things I could suggest to these men?" He astutely observed, "I don't care what
else you tell them, but just tell them to take two breaths before they start."
This is the idea of preparation. For
example, when you're lying in bed before you roll out in the morning, prepare
yourself for the day. Turn your
thoughts to God and maybe say a prayer. On your way to church on Sundays,
before you leave the house, think about what you're going to do. Help your family think about it too! 2.
Creation You
could use a lot of different words for this, but this is the idea of
contemplating God's creation, His general revelation (amplified in chapter 1). I love to sit out in the backyard before
daybreak and look up into the star-saturated sky and just imagine God taking
His hand, dipping it into a bowl of liquid light, and flicking His fingers
against the curtain of the night. How
do you understand that? I can't. So, instead, I fall down and worship. Contemplating the majesty of creation can
lead you to a transcendent moment that leaves you with a deeper sense of awe
and reverence of our great God. 3.
The Bible The
Bible is where we gain knowledge of the gospel of Jesus Christ, of faith and
repentance and obedience, and how we might live our lives. You might consider having a regular place
in your home where you go. I know that
when I go to that place, I am going to meet with God there because I am going
to look into His Word. Through study,
I'm going to allow Him to speak to me in private through His Word. 4.
Prayer There
are all kinds of ways to pray. There
are set prayers, and there are spontaneous prayers. I would encourage you to have a running
conversation with God. Most people
have a running conversation with themselves.
"I wonder whether I should go to that party tonight? I wonder whether I should buy this product? I wonder whom I should see for my next sales call? I wonder, I wonder,
I wonder . . . "
Maybe you could turn those thoughts into prayers and have a
running conversation with God -- a form of continuous worship that could lead
to continuous renewal, not to mention continuous guidance. 5.
Books Richard
Baxter wrote in 1656, "See that in every family there are some useful,
moving books besides the Bible. If
they have none, persuade them to buy some. If they be not able to buy them,
give them some if you can. If you are
not able yourself, get some gentlemen or other rich persons that are ready to
do good works to do it and engage them to read them at night when they have leisure
and, especially, on the Lord's day."
If you want to have new thoughts about God, you can do that by reading
the Bible, but also by reading good Christian literature. I have always been amazed at how a man will
get hold of a book, and then God will use the book to get hold of the man. 6.
Music Another
window into worship is through music. Many days I pop a CD of worship music
into my car's CD player. Almost
instantly, I find myself in a state of worship as I drive along. Instant worship leads to instant renewal. So whether you're a salesman between
appointments, a lawyer on your way to a deposition, or a computer
programmer in your cubicle, put on the headphones and enjoy music that
inspires you to worship and praise and adore our great God. 7.
Journaling Experiment
with jotting down your thoughts. Carry
a pencil or pen with you. Me, I like
typing into my computer. I keep an annual
journal, but I don't have any pattern, rhyme, or reason to it. But whenever I have a thought that I think
is worth recording, I put it in my journal, and it helps me sort out my thinking. A lot of times we have thoughts, then we
lose them completely and they're gone forever. So writing them down is a great
way of capturing our worshipful thoughts. 8.
Public Worship (Church) Worshiping
together in community makes God more tangible. Caring about brothers and sisters in Christ
honors God. Richard Foster, in his
book Celebration of Discipline, has a chapter on the discipline of worship. One thing he suggests,
and I've been doing it ever since, is to arrive at church, look around, and find
people who have drooped shoulders and, under the leading of the Spirit, pray
for them. I pray for the pastor; I
pray for the worshipers; I pray for the experience. It's interesting how much I get up for
worship by helping others get up for worship. 9.
Family Worship If
you are married, don't neglect leading your wife and children into a deeper
holiness and experience of worshiping God.
Gather your family in the morning to pray for the day. Take five minutes and share how you saw God
work the day before. Ask everyone for
prayer requests. Dedicate the day to His glory and praise. When you gather for meals, be sure to ask
God's blessing and offer thanks. It's
a wonderful example, and certainly captures the Greek concept of worship --
"to kiss, the way a dog licks its master's hand." 10.
Work Broadcaster
Roy Firestone once interviewed Hakeem Olajuwan. "Your teammates say that you'll go out and
practice and shoot hook shots for hours and hours and hours. They say that during a scrimmage that you
will go for loose balls like it's the NBA finals. You're one of the best there has ever been
in this game. Why don't you just lie back and take it easy?" He
said, " He's
a Muslim. He's not a Christian, and
yet God in His providence has given him the insight that our work is meant to
be an act of worship. The
bottom line is this: Worship is a personal expression of being overwhelmed by
God's goodness and greatness. Worship includes
any activity that enhances or expresses your understanding of God's supremacy
and your submission to Him. Your communication of that concept is limited
only by your creativity. You can do it
any way you want. You can do it in public
or in private. I
recommend you worship God every day. Make
it a habit. Go through your day
seeking opportunities to worship God, to praise Him, to exalt Him, to revere
Him. Practice worshiping Him about everything
-- every family argument, every late – paying customer, every complaining
employee, every person you see and greet on a daily basis. Worship can be a scary word, yet it's a relatively
simple thing to do. Just let your soul
commune with God in a greater way every day. Lord,
when things are going really well, it's easy to lose our focus on worshiping
You, when that should be the very cause of worship. Lord, when we feel hollow and think life is
pointless, the way out of that must certainly be to come into Your presence and
commune with You. No matter what our
circumstances, the way we satisfy the soul's deepest hunger is always the
same-we must learn to worship our Creator.
Lord, I'm not sure what You want to do in our lives, but I know You want
to do something. So I pray You'd help
each of us respond to Your promptings.
Help each of us to continue to grow as worshipers of You, the one true
God. In Christ's name, Amen. NEW BOOK SUMMARY ONLINE So
You Want To Be Like Christ? by Charles Swindoll is
now summarized online. The book's
message: "Discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness" (I
Timothy 4:7). Paul used athletic terms
to coach his protégé Timothy in the ways of God-centered living. Becoming like Christ is not an easy
process; it requires discipline, conditioning, focus, and change. When a person faithfully disciplines
himself in the eight essentials, his spiritual journey flourishes into
godliness.... http://www.christianbooksummaries.com/ Buy
it here: http://www.christianconnectionbooks.com/content/search/product/view_item.php?dcn=32911&sm= CONSIDER "There
is nothing of which men are so fond, and withal so careless, as life." Jean La Bruyere VERSE TO PONDER "We
also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces
perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope." Romans 5:3-4 THIS WEEK'S HYMN: FULL SURRENDER Words:
Rebecca S. Pollard, 1903 Music:
Daniel B. Towner Savior,
'tis a full surrender, All
I leave to follow Thee; Thou
my Leader and Defender From
this hour shalt ever be. Refrain I
surrender all! I
surrender all! All
I have I bring to Jesus, I
surrender all. As
I come in deep contrition, At
this consecrated hour, Hear,
O Christ, my heart's petition, Let
me feel the Spirit's pow'r! Refrain No
withholding-full confession; Pleasures,
riches, all must flee; Holy
Spirit, take possession! I
no more, but Thou in me. Refrain Be
this theme my song and story, Now
and until life is o'er; This
my rapture, this my glory, Till
I reach the shining shore. Refrain Oh,
the joy of full salvation! Oh,
the peace of love divine! Oh,
the bliss of consecration! I
am His, and He is mine. Refrain >from
CyberHymnal at http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/f/u/l/fullsurr.htm ON PRAYER "Do
not pray for easy lives; pray to be stronger men. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers;
pray for powers equal to your tasks. Then
the doing of your work shall be no miracle, but you yourself shall be a
miracle. Every day you shall wonder at
yourself, at the richness of life, which has come to you by the grace of God." Phillips Brooks (1835-1893) 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. MAKE MONEY MEET PEOPLE! Meet
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networking service where business people are matched with other business
people to do BUSINESS! It's the MySpace for business people! To register for
a free business profile, visit: http://www.directmatches.com/goglobal SHARE YOUR FAVORITE WEBSITES Tell
us what sites you find enjoyable and why. List
of misquotations http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/List_of_misquotations 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.) Evangelism
is one beggar telling another beggar where to get the bread. (D. T. Niles) 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 · Become a Leisure Travel Consultant email: [email protected] phone:
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