"... stupid people spend their money as fast as they get it."  Proverbs 21:20b (TEV)

     CONSIDER

"To deny oneself is to be aware only of Christ and no more of self, to see only Him who goes before and no more the road which is too hard for us."  Dietrich Bonhoeffer

     AN EVANGELIST IN CENTRAL CHINA

According to this report, people in China are flocking to religions in an effort to fill the spiritual vacuum left by weakened communist ideology.  In part four of NPR's series "A Nation of Individuals," reporter Rob Gifford profiles Zhang Aiguo, a 40-year-old Christian evangelist in central China.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4775649

     INTERFAITH STREAMING MEDIA WEBSITE LAUNCHED

Faith & Values Media, the nation's largest coalition of Jewish and Christian faith groups dedicated to media production and distribution, has launched FaithStreams.com, the first Web-based interfaith service to incorporate streaming video and video-on-demand (VOD). FaithStreams.com offers a 24-hour distribution vehicle for a wide range of video material, including dramas, documentaries, worship, panel discussions, music, and magazine shows.  Content will be provided by more than 30 members of Faith & Values Media, as well as by Faith & Values Media itself.  FaithStreams.com will provide a free 24-hour stream of scheduled programming, repeating in six-hour blocks, with VOD available on a subscription basis.  Both streamed video and on-demand programs will be high-resolution, with a larger picture available to VOD subscribers.

http://www.faithstreams.com

     BOAT LIBRARY

With a crew of volunteers from Christian churches around the world, the MV Doulos serves as a floating bookstore to bring humanitarian aid and books, including Bibles and Christian literature, to the poorest people across the globe.  Read this report from one of the ship's stops in Sudan.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week843/feature.html

     A DIRECTORY OF MISSIONS RESOURCES FOR MINISTRY LEADERSHIP

MisLinks is a web-based missions directory -- a treasury of valuable online resources available at the click of a mouse.  Find practical missions information -- fundraising, relief and development, short term missions; church/ministry resources -- church planting, evangelism, ministry tools; mission topics -- cross-cultural teaching/learning, spiritual conflict, a theology of missions; academic research -- conferences, journals, publishers, religions, schools; and general information -- search engines, libraries, phone books, news, Web help, video resources.

http://www.mislinks.org/

     OH THE IRONY

"Sesquipedalian" means given to the overuse of long words.

     THE 'FRAGILE MOSAIC' OF ESTABLISHING CIA COVERS

Los Angeles Times reporter Greg Miller discusses the "fragile mosaic" of deception necessary to shield the identity of CIA operatives such as Valerie Plame.  An investigation is under way to determine who in the Bush administration leaked her name to reporters.  NPR weekend Sunday host Liane Hansen spoke with Miller in this report

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4757713

     A SPOOKY SUMMER CAMP, RUN BY THE CIA

The intelligence services of the U.S. are looking for a few good men and women and are taking steps to make sure they can find them in the future.  Trinity College is running a "spy camp" for high-school kids this summer.  The kids will learn about intelligence work and spy craft in weeklong sessions.  The camp is free, but you can't tell anyone what you learn.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4756368

     CAPTURING THE LOW GROUND

This highly significant article[1] from Dr Wade Bradshaw of L'Abri Fellowship[2] explains how non-Christians view the Christian message today, and how our approach must change to accommodate it.  He defends the value and necessity of apologetics. (Courtesy of Web Evangelism Bulletin[3])

[1] http://www.facingthechallenge.org/bradshaw.htm

[2] http://www.labri.org/

[3] http://guide.gospelcom.net/resources/bulletin.php

     ARTICLES FOR A STRONG FAMILY

Bible points to signs of healthy families

http://www.pastors.com/article.asp?ArtID=4103

The ministry of parenthood

http://www.pastors.com/article.asp?ArtID=8247

Nine life preservers for families with 'wild' teens

http://www.pastors.com/article.asp?ArtID=8252

Good news for men about their teens!

http://www.pastors.com/article.asp?ArtID=8255

Building a successful family: Guard your tongue

http://www.pastors.com/article.asp?ArtID=8268

     MEALTIME CHATTER STRENGTHENS FAMILY AND CHURCH RELATIONSHIPS

by Nate Adams

The way a family learns to do mealtimes at home is usually the by-product of past experiences.  We all bring with us certain traditions from our childhoods, like where Dad sits, who says grace, how food is distributed, and whether you serve the food out of serving bowls or cooking pans.

Then we go to school and usually learn to eat cafeteria style, where self-service is the rule. Every tray is an island, and every island joins an archipelago of other self-serving islands at a huge table.  School can also teach us all kinds of new mealtime customs, such as whether we avoid belching at the table all the time or only in mixed company....

By the time all of our children were past the baby and toddler age and in school, I started to notice a significant change in our family mealtimes.  Generally speaking, mealtimes seemed to become quicker and quieter.  Just getting us all to the table at the same time was a challenge.  Once we were at the table, it seemed to be a race to see how quickly we could gobble down dinner and get back to whatever we were doing....

Read this article in full at

http://www.christianitytoday.com/tc/2005/003/15.47.html

     LEAVE A SPIRITUAL INHERITANCE

by Don Whitney

"A good man," Proverbs 13:22 says, "leaves an inheritance to his children's children."  Leaving a material and financial inheritance in a wise manner is good stewardship and can be a great blessing to your heirs.  But have you considered ways to leave an inheritance to your family that will have a more direct spiritual impact on them?

Our spiritual lives aren't lived for ourselves only.  We also bear responsibility to influence others spiritually, especially the members of our own families.  To that end, here are a few items to leave as spiritual time capsules with the belief that they will bless many generations of your descendants.

* Prayers

* Journals

* Books

* Daily planners

Read this article in full at

http://www.bpnews.net/bpfeature.asp?ID=1864

     NON-RELIGIOUS KIDS FIND REFUGE IN 'GODLESS' CAMP

(ABCNews) - Camp Quest is a secular camp operated in Butler County, Ohio by a group incorporated in Kentucky.  It's for kids who come from families who are atheist or agnostic.  For these kids, Camp Quest provides a refuge from a society where God feels omnipresent.  Lawyer and author Edwin Kagin, an atheist, founded the camp 10 years ago, and chooses to focus on subjects that steer clear of religion....

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Business/story?id=971881&page=1

     'DA VINCI CODE' AUDIO WORKSHOP

Audio recordings of "The Da Vinci Code" Workshop at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary have been posted to the seminary's website.  The March conference at the Kansas City, Mo., campus was organized to help equip Christians to respond to the bestselling book, which claims that Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene and promotes the Gnostic gospels, or the "gospels" which were not included in the canon of Scripture.  All 10 sessions of the two-day workshop are available online:

-- Overview: Alan Branch, assistant professor of Christian ethics.

-- The Da Vinci Code and the Council of Nicea

-- The Da Vinci Code and the Knights Templar

-- Logical Fallacies in The Da Vinci Code

-- The Da Vinci Code and the Gnostic Gospels

-- Was Jesus Married?

-- The Deity of Christ in the New Testament

-- Ethical Implications of Dan Brown's Worldview, Part 1 and 2

-- Sharing Jesus Christ with Our Friends Who Read The Da Vinci Code

http://www.mbts.edu/Resources/workshop_davincicode.htm

     UNPACKING 'THE CODE'

What's true in Dan Brown's 'Da Vinci Code' and what's pure historical fiction?

More than two years after it was published, "The Da Vinci Code" remains a huge bestseller -- and a point of contention among evangelical Christians, most of whom consider it blasphemous.  Still, "The Da Vinci" juggernaut moves forward.  In the last couple of weeks, Sony Pictures, the studio behind the Ron Howard-directed adaptation (http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/thedavincicode/) of Dan Brown's novel, has released a short "Da Vinci Code" trailer (http://www.apple.com/trailers/sony_pictures/da_vinci_code/), which is playing in theaters before the new Star Wars movie.  The trailer debuted just as Britain's Westminster Abbey http://www.westminster-abbey.org/ announced it would not allow Howard's movie to film there because the abbey considers the book theologically unsound.

Bart Ehrman has written widely on early Christian documents.  Like a lot of Americans, he loved reading "The Da Vinci Code," but Ehrman also immediately noticed factual errors ("howlers," he calls them).  Focusing on ten issues -- including the role Constantine played in the formation of the Bible and the evidence for Jesus' marriage to Mary Magdalene -- Ehrman gives readers a lesson in how the Bible is scrutinized by scholars, without a theological wrist-slap.

Q: What did you think of "The Da Vinci Code"?

A: I liked "The Da Vinci Code" as a work of fiction.  But the thing that troubled me is that the fiction is allegedly based on historical fact.  Dan Brown begins the book by laying out what he calls historical facts, and he includes the statement that all descriptions of art, architecture, sacred rituals, and documents are factual.  The difficulty I had reading through "The Da Vinci Code" with that in mind was that most of the descriptions of ancient documents, in fact, are not factual -- they're part of his fiction.  But people reading the book aren't equipped to separate the fact from the fiction.

Q: Outline the main points of departure between what we know historically and "The Da Vinci Code"?

A: Well, there are big discrepancies and small discrepancies.  Some of the big ones: It's not true that before Constantine, Christians understood Jesus to be human but not divine.  That's absolutely false.  Most people thought Jesus was divine centuries before Constantine.  Second, it's not true that Constantine decided which books to include in the New Testament; he had nothing to do with it.  And the Council of Nicea didn't have anything to do with which books to include in the New Testament....

Read this interview in full at

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/167/story_16783_1.html

     VERSE TO PONDER

"The Lord is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise Him, my father's God, and I will exalt Him."  Exodus 15:2 (NIV)

     CONSIDER

"Make one person happy each day and in forty years you will have made 14,600 human beings happy for a little time at least."  Charley Willey

     BASIC BIBLE DOCTRINE

The Doctrine of Man

I. The Origin of Man

A. The importance of Special Creation:

If man evolved as a product of chance (as evolutionists teach), then the ideas of sin and salvation really make no sense.  If there was no supernatural origin, then why would there be a supernatural destiny (salvation in heaven)?  (If random fate caused a man to be, then random fate must determine a person's character.)  In fact, an eternal destiny for man after death would be no more likely that dogs or dandelions living eternally if evolution were true. Only if man was uniquely created by God and in God's image does it make sense that man is accountable (sin) and has a destiny (salvation or judgment).  The real motive behind the evolutionary theory, it seems, is to eliminate the need for God and His revelation about sin and salvation.

B. The Fact of Creation

1. Presuppositions of Creation

a. The existence of God. The bible assumes the existence of God (Gen.1:1 - although it is also "provable" by various logical arguments - Psalm 19; Rom.1:19 ff. See the handout "Does God Exist?").

b. The eternality of God. For God to create He must Himself exist prior to anything else.  The eternal nature of God answers the nagging question that evolution cannot, "How can something come to be when there was nothing?"

c.  The reliability of Scripture as God's Word.  The way we know about the creation of man and the world is through the scriptures which God revealed. At least seventeen times in Genesis 1 and then throughout scripture, God is said to be the creator.

2. The Process of Creation.  "By faith we understand that the world was made at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible" (Hebrews 11:3, NIV).  The all-powerful God created something out of nothing (sometimes called ex nihilo).  But then God did use previously created materials to form the bodies of living things (Gen.2:7,18-22).

3. The Time of Creation.  Two other views of creationists are presented here in addition to the literal six-day view of creation.

a. The Gap Theory

1) Genesis 1:1 - An original perfect creation of all things (except man).

2) A gap of undetermined time during which Satan fell, a flood and the Ice Age destroyed life, thus creating the fossil record.

3) Genesis 1:2 and following - Six days of "re-creation" including Adam and Eve.

Problems:

1) The suggested arguments from the biblical text are weak (See Ryrie, Biblical Theology, p.183,4).

2) The view arose about the same time as modern geology, seeming to be merely an attempt to harmonize Genesis and geology.

b. The Day-Age Theory

1) The word "day" in scripture can refer to other periods of time that 24-hour solar days (Genesis 2:4; Psalm 20:1, etc.).

2) Perhaps the six "days" of creation were long indefinite periods of time rather that 24 hour days.

Problems:

1) The view seems to minimize the creative power of God; as if He needs more time to do something so great as creation.

2) This view also seems to first accept uniformitarian geology and then try to harmonize scripture to that.

c.  The "literal six-day" or "young earth" view

1) The most normal understanding of the six days of creation are that they were literal 24-hour solar days.

2) The cataclysmic global flood of Genesis 6-8 is responsible for the geological record (See Whitcomb, Genesis Flood, The Early Earth and Dillow, The Waters Above).

3) God created the world with "apparent age."  Plants, animals and man had some appearance of age when God made them.  So it's not surprising that the rest of the universe has "apparent age."

4) Our earth could be as "young" as 6,000 years old (4000 B.C.) according to the chronologies of Genesis (and confirmed by the scientific research of creationists).

5) This view of the earth as "young" instead of "billions and billions" of years old is very different than most modern scientific theory.  But the view is nonetheless scientifically sound.  The Institute for Creation Research and other academic associations have produced many materials supporting the biblical view of creation versus evolution -- a study which goes beyond the scope of this brief outline.

http://www.bible.org/page.asp?page_id=398

     RNS WEEK IN RELIGION

http://www.religionnews.com/Vol3No29.htm

     LEADERSHIP TIPS (BUSINESS, FAMILY, LIFE)

Sneak Peek: A leadership secret from Billy Graham...

7. Turn unthinkable failure into gold.

No one likes to fail, and leaders' failures produce magnified consequences.  However, the goal is not a fail-safe record but a pattern of increasing effectiveness.  In 1950, Billy Graham was allowed to briefly visit with President Truman.  Afterwards, not knowing he was violating diplomatic protocol, he told the press everything he could remember.  Learning of his grievous error, Billy vowed that it would never happen again.  He eventually became a confidant of popes and presidents and prime ministers because he had learned to keep conversations in confidence. "Out of defeat can come the best in human nature." Billy Graham

This is just one of 21 secrets you'll find in THE LEADERSHIP SECRETS OF BILLY GRAHAM.  Available now.

http://www.zondervan.com/Books/Detail.asp?ISBN=0310255783

Also see

Thoughts and Reflections on Billy Graham's Life Principles

http://www.inspiriogifts.com/detail.asp?isbn=0310810604

And visit

http://www.LeadershipSecretsOfBillyGraham.com

     CONSIDER

"Sometimes your medicine bottle has on it, 'shake well before using.'  That is what God has to do with some of His people.  He has to shake them well before they are ever usable."  Vance Havner

     VERSE TO PONDER

"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." Romans 12:12 (NIV)

     THIS WEEK'S HYMN: HAPPY THE HOME WHEN GOD IS THERE

Words: Henry Ware, Jr. (1794-1843)

Music: John B. Dykes, 1866

Happy the home when God is there,

And love fills every breast;

When one their wish, and one their prayer,

And one their heav'nly rest.

Happy the home where Jesus' Name

Is sweet to every ear;

Where children early speak His fame,

And parents hold Him dear.

Happy the home where prayer is heard,

And praise each day does rise;

Where parents love the sacred Word

And all its wisdom prize.

Lord, let us in our homes agree

This blessèd peace to gain;

Unite our hearts in love to Thee,

And love to all will reign.

>from CyberHymnal at

http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/h/a/hapyhome.htm

     GOD FAQ

Question 31: With whom was the covenant of grace made?

Answer: The covenant of grace was made with Christ as the second Adam, and in him with all the elect as his seed.

http://www.shortercatechism.com/

     ON PRAYER

"From birth we have been learning the rules of self-reliance as we strain and struggle to achieve self-sufficiency.  Prayer flies in the face of those deep-seated values.  It is an assault on human autonomy, an indictment of independent living.  To people in the fast lane, determined to make it on their own, prayer is an embarrassing interruption."  Bill Hybels, author and Senior Pastor of Willow Creek Community Church

     PRAY FOR A COUNTRY TODAY

http://www.gmi.org/ow/index.html

     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

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).

PRAY FOR THESE BROTHERS

*        Minister Tony Hampton

*        Minister Timothy Pulliam

*        Bro. Patrick Wilkerson

*        Bro. Byron Hayes

*        Pastor Arnold Pulliam

*        Bro. Gerald Williams

*        Bro. LaMallon Howard

*        Bro. Damien Robinson

*        Bro. Needle Wilson

*        Elder Tim Howard

[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.

Games

http://www.ferryhalim.com/orisinal/

The Ridiculously Thorough Guide to Making Your Own Pizza

http://www.billyreisinger.com/pizza.php

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.)

Be a difference maker!

Min. Frank Coleman, Editor

[email protected]

===== /\ =====

MSM CONNECTIONS is a periodic newsletter of announcements, news, recommendations, articles, and other information helpful to men in our spiritual growth. Thanks for welcoming MSM CONNECTIONS into your in-box!

Who to contact:

Minister Frank Coleman, Men Servants Ministry Chairman, 773-410-1483,

Minister Arnold Whitehead, Men Servants Ministry Vice-Chairman, 773-846-6090

===== /\ =====

The mission of New Joy Divine Full Gospel Church is to be a Christ-centered, Bible based, Spirit guided church meeting the spiritual, physical, and emotional needs of its members and the community it serves.

The Men Servants Ministry (MSM) Team offers 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.

New Joy Divine Full Gospel Church is located at 7625 S. Halsted St. Chicago, IL 60620.

Tel: 773-224-5683. Founded & Pastored by Apostle Aaron L. Royster & Prophetess Mable L. Royster.

Visit our website at: http://www.newjoydivine.org/

===== /\ =====

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

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

THANK YOU FOR READING

MAKE IT A GREAT WEEK!

It is my prayer that, “the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,” Ephesians 1:18

© 2004, 2005 Frank Coleman