Connecting man to man to God
For week of July August 3, 2008
Issue 218


"The word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." Hebrews 4:12 (NIV)


CONSIDER
"He who hath heard the Word of God can bear his silences." St. Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556)


THE GOSPEL AT THE GAMES
by Lisa Parro
Christian ministries have traditionally sent representatives to the Olympics to share the gospel, and that mission field has frequently been ripe for harvest. The field in Beijing, for this summer's Olympic Games, will also be ripe, but evangelistic efforts won't be nearly as overt due to China's official ban on foreign missionaries. Making the field even more challenging is the fact that China recently deported hundreds of foreign nationals for participating in religious activities not permitted under Communist law. Additionally, only Chinese chaplains approved by the Chinese government will be allowed to minister in the Olympic Village.

Attempts to share the good news at these Games will have to be carried out subtly. Still, international evangelist Luis Palau believes Chinese authorities will mostly look the other way. Unless Christians try to assemble a large rally without government permission, Palau doesn't think those sharing their faith will be punished. And he thinks plenty of Chinese seekers will be listening. "Young people in Beijing are very open to talking to foreigners," Palau says.

Published reports indicate the Chinese government-approved church plans to distribute 20,000 Bibles in English and Chinese to Olympic athletes and visitors. More than half a million people are expected to attend the Games-including 10,500 athletes representing over 200 nations.

As for the ban on foreign missionaries in the Olympic Village, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes won't be sending chaplains to the Games, but is instead encouraging Christian athletes and coaches to spread the gospel by developing relationships with people. They're also working with current and former Olympic athletes, including retired swimmer Josh Davis (see "More Precious Than Gold" on p. 19 of our print edition), a three-time gold medalist with a long history with FCA and Campus Crusade for Christ's Athletes in Action.... Read this in full at
http://www.christianitytoday.com/tc/2008/004/3.25.html


IN CHINA, THEY BEAT CHRISTIANS WITH CROWBARS
by J. Lee Grady
Some diplomatically minded evangelicals think this is not the time to rock the boat about China's shameful record of religious repression. Franklin Graham told reporters in China earlier this year that believers should refrain from talking about their faith throughout the athletic contest. He thinks that we can best help China's church by muting any evangelism efforts aimed at reaching athletes or the Chinese people.

But Bob Fu, who once led an underground house church in China and now leads the China Aid Association from an office in Philadelphia, has called Graham's suggestion "offensive and inappropriate." He told Charisma recently: "When an unjust law demands [Chinese Christians] to go against their faith and Jesus' teaching of the Great Commission, they cannot and will not concede to a 'faith moratorium' in order to please an atheistic government during the Olympic Games".... Read this in full at
http://fireinmybones.com/index.php?col=073108~In%20China,%20They%20Beat%20Christians%20With%20Crowbars


FINDING STRENGTH IN THESE HARD TIMES
by Patrick Morley, PhD
A lot of men are facing hard times today -- the economy, marriage struggles, children kidnapped by a self-absorbed culture. What is the battle you must fight today? Where will you find your strength? Will you depend on superior force or strategy? Will you depend on God? Or will you be divided and pray to God while you rely on your own best thinking?

A civil war broke out between Abijah of Judah and Jeroboam of Israel. Abijah mustered 400,000 troops, but Jeroboam fielded 800,000 warriors. Jeroboam secretly sent part of his army behind Judah to ambush them. A fierce battle was fought that day. In the end, Abijah's smaller force decimated Jeroboam's larger army. In fact, 500,000 men of Israel were killed that day.

The difference? Jeroboam depended on superior troop strength and strategy. He assumed he would overwhelm Abijah by force. But Abijah and his troops put their trust in God: "So you see, God is with us" (2 Chronicles 13:12).
And the result?
* "God defeated Jeroboam...." (13:15)
* "...and God handed them over...." (13:16)
* "So Judah defeated Israel.because they trusted in the LORD...." (13:18)
The Big Idea: To have the Lord on your side is better than having the right strategy.

Prepare wisely for the battles you must fight today. Don't put your trust in your own capabilities -- whether strength or strategy. Instead, realize that having the Lord on your side is better than having the right strategy. God will fight for you, if you let Him.
http://www.maninthemirror.org/


DEVOUT HEISMAN WINNER DECLINES SPOT IN 'PLAYBOY' LINEUP
One year after winning college football's highest honor, University of Florida star Tim Tebow was pulled from consideration for Playboy's pre-season All-American team because the magazine conflicts with his Christian beliefs, a school official confirmed. Tebow, who last year became the first sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy, comes from a family of missionaries and is a devout Baptist. Assistant Sports Information Director Zack Higbee said he chose not to nominate his quarterback for the Playboy spread based on what he knew about Tebow's spirituality. "I've been working with Tim since his first day here and I know his priorities and his family," Higbee said. "He has that trust in me to make the decision." As a teenager, the home-schooled Tebow made annual trips to the Philippines, where his father, a minister, runs an orphanage. This year, he went on separate missions to the Philippines, Croatia, and Thailand.... Read this in full at
http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2008-07-30-tebow-playboy_N.htm


LEADERSHIP TIPS (BUSINESS, FAMILY, LIFE)
Can You Hear God Now?
What is it that distinguishes spiritual leadership from other kinds of leadership? At the heart of spiritual leadership is discernment -- the capacity to recognize and respond to the presence and activity of God both personally and in community.... Read this in full at
http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/2008/003/1.90.html


VERSE TO PONDER
"Let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother's way. As one who is in the Lord Jesus, I am fully convinced that no food is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for him it is unclean. If your brother is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother for whom Christ died." Romans 14:13-15 (NIV)


CONSIDER
"True it is that every man willingly followeth his own bent, and is the more inclined to those who agree with him. But if Christ is amongst us, then it is necessary that we sometimes yield up our own opinion for the sake of peace. Who is so wise as to have a perfect knowledge of all things? Therefore trust not too much to thine own opinion, but be ready also to hear the opinion of others. Though thine own opinion be good, yet if for the love of God thou foregoest it, and followest that of another, thou shalt the more profit thereby." Thomas a Kempis (1380-1471), Of the Imitation of Christ, I.9 [1418]


COWBOY CHURCHES LASSOING AMERICA
The "cowboy churches" that are springing up throughout the United States are about more than worshiping God while wearing boots and cowboy hats. They are about finding ways to be relevant in the rodeo-circuit, country/Western culture.

In many ways, congregations that identify with the so-called "Western Heritage" movement are like traditional ones, with minor differences. For example, boots placed at the back of the worship space as receptacles sometimes replace collection plates and offertories. Baptisms often take place in horse troughs. And, of course, country/Western, Southern gospel and bluegrass music often feature prominently in worship services.

Ron Nolen, founder of the Texas Fellowship of Cowboy Churches, said that some traditionalists have criticized cowboy churches for building rodeo arenas. But Nolen believes that's no different than a traditional church building a "family life center" or gymnasium. He said that, while the appearance may be different, the message is the same: Christ, and Christ alone.... Read this in full at
http://www.abpnews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3444&Itemid=53


RETIRED ARMY GENERAL ATTEMPTS TO SET RECORD STRAIGHT IN NEW AUTOBIOGRAPHY
Lt. General William Boykin retired from the Army in 2007 after a 36-year military career, which included being a founding member of the Army's elite Delta Force, and later commander of the U.S. Army Special Forces. But while Boykin dodged more than a few bullets during his Special Forces escapades, he says his unashamed faith and relationship with Jesus Christ made him a target of the media in 2003 and 2004. He made national headlines for speaking at evangelical churches while in uniform. "I was demonized by so much of the media for things that actually I had not said nor done," he says. "...I was characterized as a religious fanatic who hated Muslims and who was trying to essentially initiate the next phase of the Great Crusades," Boykin describes.

The retired general says he had another reason for wearing his uniform while sharing his faith at the pulpit. "If we're going to go out in these communities and ask moms and dads to encourage their young men and women to join the military, to go off to war, certainly I can go out in uniform and show them that the senior leadership in the military is very proud of the young men and women who wear that uniform," he explains. His autobiography is titled Never Surrender: A Soldier's Journey to the Crossroads of Faith and Freedom.
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Security/Default.aspx?id=183900


MEN BECOME HAPPIER THAN WOMEN BY MIDLIFE
Women start out as happy young adults but by midlife wind up the sadder sex, says a new study on satisfaction related to financial circumstances and family life, which past research has shown play a significant role in well-being and happiness. Researchers analyzed decades of national data on 47,000 men and women to create a statistical model that shows women's happiness decreases, while men's increases, exceeding women's by age 48. "Our approach looks at the aspirations people have and how well they fulfill them," says economist Anke Plagnol, at the University of Cambridge in England, the study's lead author. "Satisfaction depends on how far people fulfill their aspirations," she says.... Read this in full at
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-07-29-happier-gender_N.htm


NEW ONLINE BOOK SUMMARY
The book Crazy Love by Francis Chan with Danae Yankoski (David C. Cook) is now summarized in detail online. The book's message: God is our source of love and he relentlessly pursues us. His love is immeasurable, and though our minds are finite, when we grasp the smallest fraction of who God really is-the Creator of all that we see and the galaxies that we can't, the Savior who gave His Son to die in our stead, and the Spirit who catches every tear-we'll live out the radical life of love He's mapped out for us in His Word. While American Christianity may have conditioned us to think and live complacently, God's Word doesn't make room for our comfortable, safe interpretations. As I encourage you to look through the Scriptures yourself, I'm confident that you'll find what I've found on my spiritual journey-there's only one kind of love that God wants and accepts from His followers, and it's all-out crazy.
http://www.christianbooksummaries.com/


IN MANY PARTS OF THE WORLD, THE RIGHT TO CHANGE ONE'S BELIEFS IS UNDER THREAT
In the West it is generally taken for granted that people have a perfect, indeed sacred, right to follow their own religious path, and indeed to invite-though never compel-other people to join them. The liberal understanding of religion lays great emphasis on the right to change belief. Earlier this year, a poll found that one in four Americans moves on from the faith of their upbringing.

America's foundation as a refuge for Europe's Christian dissidents has endowed it with a deep sense of the right to follow and propagate any form of religion, with no impediment, or help, from the state. In the 1980s America saw some lively debates over whether new-fangled "cults" should be distinguished from conventional forms of religion, and curbed; but in the end a purely libertarian view prevailed. The promotion of religious liberty is an axiom of American foreign policy, not just in places where freedom is obviously under threat, but even in Germany, which gets gentle scoldings for its treatment of Scientology.

But America's religious free-for-all is very much the exception, not the rule, in human history-and increasingly rare, some would say, in the world today. In most human societies, conversion has been seen as an act whose consequences are as much social and political as spiritual; and it has been assumed that the wider community, in the form of the family, the village or the state, has every right to take an interest in the matter. The biggest reason why conversion is becoming a hot international topic is the Muslim belief that leaving Islam is at best a grave sin, at worst a crime that merits execution (see article). Another factor in a growing global controversy is the belief in some Christian circles that Christianity must retain the right to seek and receive converts, even in parts of the world where this may be viewed as a form of cultural or spiritual aggression....
Read this in full at
http://www.economist.com/displayStory.cfm?source=hptextfeature&story_id=11784873


NEW RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION MANUAL RELEASED
Citing changing demographics and a steady increase in complaints from people of faith, a federal agency last week released an updated compliance manual on religious discrimination in the workplace. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued the guidance after consultation with religious groups, employers, and labor organizations. The number of religious-discrimination charges reported to the agency has more than doubled over the last 15 years. "The goal here is to promote voluntary compliance, to get everyone on the same page, to let them know what the law is," said David Grinberg, a spokesman for the agency. "We want to stop discrimination before it starts." The new manual provides safeguards for workers who request time off for religious observances, and protects workers whose faith requires they wear specific religious garments, such as a hijab, a head covering worn by some Muslim women.... Read this in full at
http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2008-07-30-work-discrimination_N.htm


36 WAYS TO REDUCE WORKPLACE STRESS
Workplace stress accounts for more health problems than any other stressor, so take steps to lighten up. Hang around people who add to your energy and keep away from those who zap it from you. Create a vacation file to keep on your desk to look at when you need a break.... Read this in full at
http://www.rd.com/living-healthy/soothe-workplace-madness/article15928.html


CONSIDER
"Even as great an angel as Michael the archangel did not dare take on Satan alone but called on the Lord to rebuke him. No Christian, then, should ever feel that he is wise enough or powerful enough to engage Satan apart from complete dependence on the Lord." Charles Ryrie


VERSE TO PONDER
"If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it." 1 Cor. 10:12-13


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
"If you were to rise early every morning, as an instance of self-denial, as a method of renouncing indulgence, as a means of redeeming your time and of fitting your spirit for prayer, you would find mighty advantages from it. This method, though it seem such a small circumstance of life, would in all probability be a means [toward] great piety. It would keep it constantly in your head that softness and idleness were to be avoided and that self-denial was a part of Christianity... It would teach you to exercise power over yourself, and make you able by degrees to renounce other pleasures and tempers that war against the soul." William Law (1686-1761), A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life, ch. XIV [1728]


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.

Book your next vacation with us!
ChristianConnectionTravel.com

Books, Music & More!
ChristianConnectionBooks.com

Get your domain name here!
GoGlobalDomains.com

Let me show you how to earn money as you travel!
FrankColeman.com
It's as easy as 1-2-3!


SHARE YOUR FAVORITE WEBSITES
Tell us what sites you find enjoyable and why.

Twitter channel for articles about leadership, the media, and Internet marketing
http://twitter.com/jonpetersen

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.)


Save the earth. It's the only planet with chocolate.
Min. Frank Coleman, Editor
[email protected]


Thanks for welcoming CONNECTIONS into your in-box!


Subscribe!
Subscribe to CONNECTIONS here


Get Archives of all past issues here:
http://www.geocities.com/newjoydivine/connections/archives_08.htm


Check out my blog