Connecting
man to man to God
In
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“Then
[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 “There are no crown wearers in heaven who were not cross bearers here below.” C. H. Spurgeon (1834-1892), under "Cross Bearers" in Gleanings among the Sheaves [1869] A JESUS FOR REAL MEN: WHAT THE NEW MASCULINITY MOVEMENT GETS RIGHT AND WRONG. by Brandon O'Brien "The stallions hang out in bars; the geldings hang out in church." This observation from David Murrow strikes a little close to home for someone like me. I always thrived in my congregation but was never certain I fit the mold of masculinity I saw modeled around me. So as much as I resent Murrow's sentiment, it nevertheless rings true: In many churches, a certain type of man is conspicuously absent. The disparity in men's and women's attendance in American churches has made men the target of specialized ministry over the last two decades. Promise Keepers kicked off the men's movement in 1990 by challenging stadiums full of men and boys to fulfill their duties to God and their families. Today a growing body of literature is leveling its sights on the church, suggesting that men are uninvolved in church life because the church doesn't encourage authentic masculine participation.... Read this in full at http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/april/27.48.html ARE YOU A COURAGE GIVER? by Kathleen S. Holkeboer So often when we say, "She is such an encouragement," we mean, "She makes me feel good." True biblical encouragement goes much further than that. It means putting courage into another person. Encouragement is a key function of a discipler. All of us need people in our lives who will instill courage so we can walk faithfully with our God. The following questions can help you evaluate how well you are bringing encouragement to those you disciple.... http://www.navpress.com/EPubs/DisplayArticle/1/1.113.26.html CRUCIFYING OUR WILL: PRAYING THROUGH THE STRUGGLE TO LET GO by Richard Foster As we are learning to pray we discover an interesting progression. In the beginning our will is in struggle with God's will. We beg. We pout. We demand. We expect God to perform like a magician or shower us with blessings like Father Christmas. We major in instant solutions and manipulative prayers. In time, however, we begin to enter into a grace-filled releasing of our will and a flowing into the will of the Father. It is the prayer of relinquishment that moves us from the struggling to the releasing. We learn the prayer of relinquishment in the school of Gethsemane. Gaze in adoring wonder at the scene. The solitary figure etched against gnarled olive trees. The bloodlike sweat falling to the ground. The human longing: "Let this cup pass." The final relinquishment: "Not my will, but yours be done" (Lk. 22:39-46). We do well to meditate often on this unparalleled expression of relinquishment.... http://www.navpress.com/EPubs/DisplayArticle/2/2.27.2.html NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER IS MAY 1 http://www.ndptf.org/ UTAH JAZZ: HUMBLE HERO KORVER LIVES LIFE OF FAITH, CHARITY The NBA forward is the living, breathing, high-sock-wearing, 3-point-shooting embodiment of Pella, Iowa, and its Third Reformed Church, where his father has been senior pastor for 15 years.... http://origin.sltrib.com/sports/ci_9036763 NEW BOOK SUMMARY ONLINE The Faith: What Christians Believe, Why They Believe It, and Why It Matters by Charles Colson and Harold Fickett Living as a fully devoted follower of Christ requires a keen understanding of what faith is. The great, historical central truths of Christianity are just as true and transformative today as they have ever been… Read this book’s detailed summary at http://www.christianbooksummaries.com/library/v4/cbs0410.pdf USING NARNIA TO TOUCH LIVES The much anticipated release of the second Chronicles of Narnia film, Prince Caspian, is just around the corner (May 16). While generations of believers have grown up loving the magical world of Narnia, many of the deeper spiritual overtones in the story can escape the casual observer. Narnian themes of living in a fallen world, sin, and redemption speak into the hurting hearts and battered lives that surround us.... http://www.dare2share.org/articles/using-narnia-to-touch-lives MAKING YOUR MARRIAGE A COVENANT: INTERVIEW WITH PHIL WAUGH New Man eMagazine talked with Phil Waugh, director of Marriage Covenant Movement. Waugh and the organization are on a mission to teach couples to ditch the marriage-as-contract mind-set and start thinking of marriage as a holy covenant. New Man: Can you describe the Covenant Marriage Movement? Phil Waugh: The covenant marriage movement is a nonprofit faith-based organization with a mission to lead couples to a full understanding of God’s design for marriage. We encourage people to realize the fulfillment of God’s purpose for their lives in marriage. Our organization was birthed by 18 different ministries and now consists of 80 ministries and foundations. All of these ministries have chosen to be cooperative.... http://www.newmanmagazine.com/e-magazine/042408/making-marriage-convenant.php LEADERSHIP TIPS (BUSINESS, FAMILY, LIFE) The 7 Foundations of Jesus’ Leadership by Rick Warren There are no perfect leaders. I’m not a perfect leader. Neither are you. But Jesus is. There’s no better teacher on leadership than Jesus. What made him such as effective leader? Lots of reasons. In this article I’ll give you 7 of them…. Read this in full at http://www.pastors.com/RWMT/default.asp?id=349&artid=11150&expand=1 VERSE TO PONDER “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.” Psalm 1:1-2 (NIV) CONSIDER “I have no rest, but in a nook, with the Book.” Thomas à Kempis (1380-1471) SCHOLARS FIND TREASURE TROVE OF GREEK NEW TESTAMENT MANUSCRIPTS Normally, 2 or 3 New Testament manuscripts handwritten in the original Greek are discovered each year. Last summer, the Center for the Study of New Testament Manuscripts (CSNTM) found a cache of them during a trip to Albania. The Center, based in the Dallas suburb of Frisco, Texas, devotes itself to the high-resolution digital preservation of these early copies of the New Testament. CSNTM executive director Daniel Wallace, author of The Basics of New Testament Syntax, says, "To discover as many as 39 manuscripts in one place is almost unheard of".... http://www.alrcnewskitchen.com/eblast/others/080325_dts.htm Also see “Interview: NT Scholar on Discovery of Giant Trove of Bible Manuscripts” http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080419/31927_Interview%3A_NT_Scholar_on_Discovery_of_Giant_Trove_of_Bible_Manuscripts.htm A FRIENDSHIP TESTED BY FAITH Stan Guthrie is an evangelical Christian. His good friend Yeheil Poupko is a rabbi and a Jewish scholar. For all intents and purposes, they've accepted each other's differences. But the issue of evangelism has threatened to drive them apart. The two friends share how they've reconciled such a deep and passionate issue. Listen to this conversation at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=89938078 RUSSIA EMBRACES ITS CHURCH, DISTANCING WESTERN FAITHS Just as the government has tightened control over political life, so, too, has it intruded in matters of faith. The Kremlin's surrogates in many areas have turned the Russian Orthodox Church into a de facto official religion, warding off other Christian denominations that seem to offer the most significant competition for worshipers. They have all but banned proselytizing by Protestants and discouraged Protestant worship through a variety of harassing measures, according to dozens of interviews with government officials and religious leaders across Russia.... http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/04/24/europe/24church.php Also see The New York Times: "Video: A Crackdown on Russian Protestants" http://video.on.nytimes.com/?fr_story=d5569fb9c477f1e35e9a372490f81450ace293d9 DON'T FORGET ETERNITY, KIMBALL URGES Though it's right for the church to fight for social justice, Christians must never focus on conditions in this world so much that they fail to tell people about the eternal life available through Christ, Dan Kimball said April 11 during the Shift student ministry conference at Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Ill. Kimball, author of They Like Jesus but Not the Church, and a leading voice in the emerging church movement, was among several speakers advocating more traditional views at a conference that often focused on social justice and adapting Christianity to confront the 21st century.... http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=27869 DOCTRINE UNDER GREAT DURESS IN POSTMODERN ERA, THEOLOGIANS SAY Friends, fans, and bearers of doctrine and theology assembled last week to confront the many skewed representations of the gospel they've seen even among evangelicals and to reaffirm the centrality of doctrine in a postmodern era. During the April 15-17 conference in Louisville, Ky., John MacArthur, author and pastor-teacher of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, Calif., called the doctrine of human unwillingness and inability perhaps the most attacked doctrine in Christianity. "The idea that sinners are completely helpless to redeem themselves or to make any contribution to that redemption from sin and divine judgment is the most attacked because in the big picture it is the most despised doctrine," MacArthur told the thousands of pastors. "Consequently, it is the most distinctively Christian doctrine contrary to all non-Christian views of man".... http://www.christianpost.com/article/20080419/32023_Doctrine_Under_Great_Duress_in_Postmodern_Era%2C_Theologians_Say.htm FUNNY SIGNS Sign in a hair salon window: "Curl up and dye" Sign at a combination gas station/restaurant: “Eat here! Get gas!” Sign at a tattoo parlor: "Tattoos done while you wait!" Sign at a tire shop: "Re-tire before you go bald!" Sign at a garbage disposal company: "Satisfaction Guaranteed or Double Your Garbage Back" Sign at a septic tank company: "We want your stinkin' business" Sale sign in a camping shop: "Now is the discount of our winter tent..." (A play on the Shakespearean line "Now is the winter of your discontent") Sign on a car wash marquee: "Our vacuums really suck!" Sign at a plumbing store: "A flush is better than a full house" Sign at a lawn mower shop: "Mow Town" http://www.mikeysFunnies.com SLASH YOUR FOOD BILL Everyone’s feeling the shock of higher grocery prices these days: you run in to buy a few basics, and $60 later you leave the store wondering where your money went. In fact, grocery bills have risen about 5.7% in the past two years. The reasons are complex, but for the most part, economists blame water shortages; increased production of biofuels such as ethanol, which is made from corn; and higher oil prices. Here, a step-by-step guide to bagging some serious grocery bargains.... http://www.aarp.org/money/consumer/articles/slash_your_food_bill.html CONSIDER “The center of trouble is not the turbulent appetites -- though they are troublesome enough. The center of trouble is in the personality of man as a whole, which is self-centered and can only be wholesome and healthy if it is God-centered.” Archbishop William Temple (1881-1944) VERSE TO PONDER “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed -- not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence -- continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” Philippians 2:12-13 THIS WEEK'S HYMN: ARE YE ABLE? Words: Earl B. Marlatt, 1926 Music: Harry S. Mason, 1924 “Are ye able,” said the Master, “To be crucified with Me?” “Yea,” the sturdy dreamers answered, “To the death we follow Thee.” Refrain Lord, we are able. Our spirits are Thine. Remold them, make us, like Thee, divine. Thy guiding radiance above us shall be A beacon to God, to love and loyalty. Are you able to relinquish Purple dreams of power and fame, To go down into the Garden, Or to die a death of shame? Refrain Are ye able, when the anguish Racks your mind and heart with pain, To forgive the souls who wrong you, Who would make your striving vain? Refrain Are ye able to remember, When a thief lifts up his eyes, That his pardoned soul is worthy Of a place in paradise? Refrain Are ye able when the shadows Close around you with the sod, To believe that spirit triumphs, To commend your soul to God? Refrain Are ye able? Still the Master Whispers down eternity, And heroic spirits answer, Now as then in Galilee. Refrain >from CyberHymnal at http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/a/r/aryeable.htm ON PRAYER “I hear men praying everywhere for more faith, but when I listen to them carefully, and get to the real heart of their prayer, very often it is not more faith at all that they are wanting, but a change from faith to sight. Faith says not, "I see that it is good for me, so God must have sent it," but, "God sent it, and so it must be good for me." Faith, walking in the dark with God, only prays Him to clasp its hand more closely.” 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. SHARE YOUR FAVORITE WEBSITES Tell us what sites you find enjoyable and why. The Pocket Testament League: Timeline of New Testatment distribution http://www.pocketpower.org/museum/ Test Your Religion IQ http://www.chron.com/channel/houstonbelief/religiousiq/ 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.) I slept like a baby last night: I woke up every two hours crying! Min. Frank Coleman, Editor [email protected] Thanks for welcoming CONNECTIONS into your in-box! Get Archives of all past issues here: http://www.geocities.com/newjoydivine/connections/archives_08.htm Check out my blog |