MSM CONNECTIONS
For the week of 08/22
The Men’s Ministry e-mail newsletter of
Our mission: Our mission is to lead men to
Jesus Christ and provide opportunity for
Christian men to grow in their faith
and minister to others.
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MSM CONNECTIONS is the opt-in newsletter for the men of New Joy Divine Full Gospel Church. It's a periodic service that helps connect you with God and with other men at NJD. 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 MSM CONNECTIONS.
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"Keep on loving each other as brothers. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it." Hebrews 13:1-2 (NIV)
CONSIDER
"It's hard to remember that Jesus did not come to make us safe, but rather to make us disciples, citizens of God's new age, a kingdom of surprise. What does it profit you to give God one thing if he asks of you another? Consider what it is God wants, and then do it. You will as a result better satisfy your heart than with that toward which you yourself are inclined." St. John of the Cross, The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross
EVANGELICAL MEN
In the popular imagination, conservative evangelical fathers are power-abusing authoritarians. A new study says otherwise. Here's an interview with sociologist W. Bradford Wilcox of the University of Virginia.
Q: You quote feminist sociologists Julia McQuillan and Myra Marx Ferree as saying that evangelicalism is "pushing men toward authoritarian and stereotypical forms of masculinity and attempting to renew patriarchal relations." How does your work challenge their conclusions?
A: McQuillan and Ferree -- and countless other academics – need to cast aside their prejudices about religious conservatives and evangelicals in particular. Compared to the average American family man, evangelical Protestant men who are married with children and attend church regularly spend more time with their children and their spouses. They also are more affectionate with their children and their spouses. They also have the lowest rates of domestic violence of any group in the United States.
Journalists such as Steve and Cokie Roberts and Christian feminists such as James and Phyllis Alsdurf have argued that patriarchal religion leads to domestic violence. My findings directly contradict their claims.
Domestic violence is an important problem in our society, but we should not confuse the matter by blaming conservative religion. The roots of domestic violence would seem to lie elsewhere.
Now, it's true that evangelical fathers take a stricter approach to discipline than most other fathers. For instance, they spank their children more than other fathers do. But their disciplinary approach is balanced by their involved and affectionate approach to fathering. In my view, this neotraditional style of fathering can in no way be called "authoritarian or stereotypical." Indeed, I describe it as innovative in my book....
Read this interview in full at
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2004/008/26.44.html
PLAN AHEAD
September is National Preparedness Month
HAPPENINGS IN
AUGUST
August 20-29 - Little League World Series (Williamsport, PA)
August 27-29 – Men Servants Ministry (MSM) 2004 Men’s Conference
http://www.geocities.com/newjoydivine/page7.html
August 30-September 2 - Republican National Convention (New York, NY)
August 30-September 12 - U.S. Open tennis tournament (Flushing, NY)
http://www.usopen.org/home/default.sps
CONSIDER
"When our Lord began his ministry he announced a manifesto, far more comprehensive, thoroughgoing, and revolutionary than any socialism, which spoke of the good news to the poor, release for prisoners, and recovery of sight to the blind. The Church must learn to stand solidly behind all efforts to bring fuller life to people." John W. Sadiq (1910-1980)
THE LEADER-MAKING
CHALLENGE
by Warren Bird
In churches that use multiple sites or multiple venues, "Intentional leadership development must be there, otherwise nothing else works," says Peter Roebbelen, senior pastor at Chartwell Baptist Church, which has been multi-site since 1993. He's not alone in his assessment. The need for leadership development consistently scores the highest marks on surveys of pressing issues for churches using a multi-site or multi-venue approach, regardless of their size or geography.
Here are 10 practical ideas for multi-site leadership development:
1. Remember that most leaders are already present -- able to be grown from within the congregation. The most common advice from seasoned leader-making churches is to raise the leaders you need from within your congregation. A home-grown approach is increasingly common in all types of churches today, and especially so in churches that do multiple venues and multiple sites.
2. Use small groups to develop leaders. At New Life Community Church in Chicago, "Home groups are our main focus for leadership development," says John Palmieri, one of New Life's long-time satellite pastors. "We call our pipeline a leadership farm system." It works like this:
1. New believers are placed in a mentoring relationship
2. Next possible step: apprentice in home group
3. Next possible step: home group leader
4. Next possible step: team leader over a couple of groups
5. Next possible step: pastoral internship for one year of pastoral training.
Read the rest at
http://www.pursuantgroup.com/leadnet/explorer/exp_0804a.htm
PK EMPHASIZES ITS MORAL
STAND
(Agape Press) The leaders of Promise Keepers (PK) say the men's ministry is moving from a movement to a mission as it encourages men to have more of an impact on society for Christ. PK, the men's ministry known for its arena and stadium events, recently began taking biblical stands on issues such as same-sex "marriage," p*rnography, abortion, and other issues. Bishop Joseph Garlington, a frequent speaker for PK, says it's vital for men to impact society for Christ when fellow citizens of that society are fighting against deeply rooted spiritual convictions. "God doesn't just give you a voice just to move through the earth and be silent," the bishop says. PK is holding 18 conferences this year.
http://www.promisekeepers.org/
VERSE TO PONDER
"But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you." Psalm 5:11 (NIV)
CONSIDER
"The world says, The more you take, the more you have. Christ says, the more you give, the more you are." Frederick Buechner
A LONG OBEDIENCE
by Joe McKeever
"I'm quitting," my friend said. He had held that job two whole days and now was walking away. "They want me to work in an office with unbelievers and I just can't function in that kind of atmosphere."
I suspect it's not that at all. Jack's problem is he cannot take a job and stay with it. You and I live in a culture of quitting. People try marriage, find it hard, and quit. They try jobs, find them difficult, and walk away. They take up diets and discover they were expected to exercise their body and their common sense, and they quit. They take up fitness programs for a few weeks, then quit. They start to church and they quit.
Eugene Peterson wrote a book on the Psalms with the intriguing title of "A Long Obedience in the Same Direction," borrowing the line from a German philosopher.
What Peterson calls "a long obedience in the same direction," the Bible calls variously steadfastness, faithfulness and perseverance. It means to get on the road and stay there. To hang in there. To keep on keeping on, as the old folks used to say....
The Christian life is lived regardless. Regardless of circumstances, opposition, feelings, discouragements and hardships. Regardless of emotions, put-downs, doubts and obstacles. Day by day, one step at a time, persevering to the end.
Read this article in full at
http://www.bpnews.net/bpfeature.asp?ID=1519
SUMMER OLYMPICS
August 13-29 - 2004 Summer Olympic Games (Athens, Greece)
http://www.aia.com/intl/athens.asp
http://www.christianitytoday.com/sports/features/athletes/olympics-athletes.html
http://www.npr.org/topics/topic.php?topicId=71
http://www.athens2004.com/athens2004/
http://www.olympic.org/uk/index_uk.asp
http://www.nbcolympics.com/index.html
AUDIO HISTORY OF THE
MIDEAST
Listen to this interesting NPR 6-part series as it explores the long, turbulent history of Western involvement in the Middle East, from the Crusades to the current conflict in Iraq.
http://www.npr.org/news/specials/mideast/the_west/
A LIVING STONE
"Slowly, all through the universe, that temple of God is being built. Wherever, in any world, a soul, by free-willed obedience, catches the fire of God's likeness, it is set into the growing walls, a living stone. When, in your hard fight, in your tiresome drudgery, or in your terrible temptation, you catch the purpose of your being and give yourself to God, and so give Him the chance to give Himself to you, your life -- a living stone -- is taken up and set into that growing wall. Wherever souls are being tried and ripened, in whatever commonplace and homely ways, there God is hewing out the pillars for His temple. Oh, if the stone can only have some vision of the temple of which it is to be a part forever, what patience must fill it as it feels the blows of the hammer, and knows that success for it is simply to let itself be wrought into what shape the Master wills." Phillips Brooks (1835-1893), The Law of Growth [1902]
VERSE TO PONDER
"But Samuel replied: 'Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.'" 1 Samuel 15:22 (NIV)
CONSIDER
"All true knowledge of God is born out of obedience." John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion
THIS WEEK'S HYMN: TRUST
AND OBEY
Words: John H. Sammis, 1887
Music: Daniel B. Towner, 1887
When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will, He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.
Refrain
Trust and obey, for there's no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.
Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies,
But His smile quickly drives it away;
Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear,
Can abide while we trust and obey.
Refrain
Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share,
But our toil He doth richly repay;
Not a grief or a loss, not a frown or a cross,
But is blessed if we trust and obey.
Refrain
But we never can prove the delights of His love
Until all on the altar we lay;
For the favor He shows, for the joy He bestows,
Are for them who will trust and obey.
Refrain
Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet.
Or we'll walk by His side in the way.
What He says we will do, where He sends we will go;
Never fear, only trust and obey.
Refrain
>from CyberHymnal at
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/t/r/trstobey.htm
THE #1 DRUG IN AMERICA
With nearly 90% of Americans consuming caffeine daily, it's time to take a closer look at this drug. Make no mistake about it -- caffeine is a drug. According to Daily Health News contributing editor Andrew L. Rubman, ND, caffeine has many profound effects on the human body... some helpful, others harmful.
WHAT'S GOOD ABOUT CAFFEINE
* Caffeine increases alertness and reaction time. An occasional cup of coffee leaves you feeling cognitively empowered, reports Dr. Rubman.
* Caffeinated beverages have a laxative effect. An early-morning cup of coffee will help move your bowels.
* Caffeine affects how drugs work. By stimulating enzymes in the liver, it lessens the side effects, and potentially increases the effectiveness of many pharmaceuticals. Caffeine is added to painkillers, such as Excedrin and Anacin, to enhance their function.
* A recent study at the US National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases suggests that caffeine can prevent liver damage. Researchers found that people at high risk due to factors, such as alcoholism, hepatitis or obesity, reduced their risk by consuming caffeinated beverages. According to Dr. Rubman, this is most likely because caffeine expedites the removal of toxic metabolites associated with these conditions from the liver.
WHAT'S BAD ABOUT CAFFEINE
* Too much caffeine leaves you feeling restless and jittery. It can cause nervousness, tremors, nausea, sleep disturbances and a racing heartbeat. What constitutes too much? That varies from person to person, says Dr. Rubman. Use common sense. If coffee or other caffeinated beverages make you nervous and hyper, you're drinking too many of them.
* Regular coffee drinkers are more vulnerable to stress, warns Dr. Rubman. People who suffer from anxiety, depression, panic disorder or premenstrual syndrome should be careful about caffeine consumption, as it can worsen symptoms.
* Caffeine may cause elevated blood pressure and pulse rate. If you have high blood pressure or an irregular heartbeat, ask your health-care provider what constitutes a safe level of caffeine consumption for you.
* Because caffeine increases calcium mobilization from bone and other tissues, excretion in the urine and secretion into the gastrointestinal tract, bone-thinning disorders, such as osteopenia and osteoporosis, may be worsened in some people. Osteopenia is the milder version of bone loss that precedes osteoporosis.
* Caffeine can be addictive. Remember that it is a drug: Rapid withdrawal can result in symptoms, and in coffee's case -- they are headache, restlessness and irritability.
HOW TO SAFELY CONSUME
CAFFEINE
* Be consistently inconsistent. Consume caffeine once a day in varied amounts and take the weekend off. He explains that like any drug or botanical, with overly frequent consumption, caffeine loses its effectiveness.
* Enjoy your caffeine boost early in the day. This will prevent it from disturbing your sleep.
* Consume caffeine apart from meals. Caffeine halts carbohydrate digestion, which means that having a muffin with your morning cup of coffee can lead to flatulence later on in the day as the undigested muffin becomes fodder for the bacteria of the large intestine.
* If you find that you're taking in too much caffeine, don't quit cold turkey. This can lead to severe withdrawal headaches. Decrease your intake slowly but surely.
* People under age 16 should not consume caffeine. While the body is neurologically maturing and behaviors are still in flux, it is better to minimize drug use. Pregnant women should limit their consumption to one cup a day.
* Coffee is not the only source of caffeine. Many sodas, tea, iced tea and chocolate also contain varying amounts.
Moderation is the key, concludes Dr. Rubman. An occasional cup of coffee is a refreshing pick-me-up, but too much caffeine can lead to addiction and other health problems.
http://www.bottomlinesecrets.com/e2/e2_signup.html
ON PRAYER
"Prayer is the creator as well as the channel of devotion. The spirit of devotion is the spirit of prayer. Prayer and devotion are united as soul and body are united, as life and the heart are united. There is no real prayer without devotion, no devotion without prayer." E. M. Bounds, 19th century pastor and author
CRITICAL PRAYER
REQUESTS FOR STRATEGIC NATIONS
We're praying for our fellow believers in a different nation each week.
Please pray for...MOZAMBIQUE
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/mz.html
Mozambique has had religious freedom for the first time in its history. The Catholic monopoly under Portuguese rule was only breached in the southern third of Mozambique. Protestant ministries were restricted or forbidden. Sporadic but severe persecution of evangelical believers occurred. Under Marxism all Christians suffered. Missionaries were expelled, Christian leaders intimidated and imprisoned, and many churches and institutions seized or destroyed. Discriminatory legislation was passed to limit Christian gatherings to recognized church buildings. Then began the growth. At independence in 1975, Evangelicals were 3.7% of the population. By 2000 this was nearly 12%. The Evangelical Alliance of Mozambique was formed in 1993. Pray that this growth may be maintained and the believers become a wholesome leaven in a society that is morally bankrupt and where life is cheap and short.
http://www.gmi.org/ow/index.html
PRAY
* Minister Corey “Keyz” Martin
* Bro. Fred Simms
* Bishop Chester McLaurin
* Min Lamont Smith
* Minister Maurice Collier
* Bro. Danielle Metcalf
* Bro. Michael St. James
[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.
Light a Candle
http://gratefulness.org/candles/enter.cfm
TV Game Shows
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 adventure bound -- follow Jesus.
Min. Frank Coleman, Editor
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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
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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:
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