MSM CONNECTIONS
For the week of 08/29
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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"Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith." Hebrews 10:22a (NIV)
CONSIDER
"What is said in the passage [James 2:14 ff.] is like a two coupon train or bus ticket. One coupon says, "Not good if detached" and the other says, "Not good for passage". Works are not good for passage; but faith detached from works is not saving faith." Charles C. Ryrie (1925- )
ON THE SUBJECT OF
EXPERIENCE
"We should be careful to get out of an experience only the wisdom that is in it -- and stop there; lest we be like the cat that sits down on a hot stove-lid. She will never sit down on a hot stove-lid again, and that is well; but also she will never sit down on a cold one anymore." Mark Twain
"Experience is that marvelous thing that enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again." F.P. Jones
"Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so." Douglas Adams, Last Chance to See
SOAK IN THE SILENCE
by Ryan Stone
"...Being around people constantly wears me out. Crowded places and busy cities are the epitome of what I don't enjoy. Everyone has to be somewhere fast and now. I've spent the beginning part of my life in that world. I never had a chance to be quiet. Every moment was consumed with constant noise. There was no time for peace or for God. I drowned Him out. I used everything and anything to make it to where I couldn't hear my own Creator and Savior. I know I missed out on moments that should've have been spent in solitude listening for anything to guide me.
"Now my nights are spent quietly on my porch writing and reading about what God has sent me. Every night I try to go on my porch and listen to the crickets and write down how God wants us to apply His Word. I sit and toil over a passage or writing and discover how He wants me to use it the next day, when the calm disappears and the noise sets in...."
Read this devotional in full at
http://www.relevantmagazine.com/article.php?sid=4221
LISTENING FOR GOD
How an ancient method of prayer can deepen your teenager's faith. Today's teenagers live at hyperspeed. Their days are jammed with school, work, friends, sports, homework, dates, church, and a few moments of sleep. The frantic pace of teen life has led youth pastors such as Tony Jones to search for ways to help teenagers be still and know God. Several years ago, Jones, then the pastor for youth and young adults at Colonial Church in Edina, Minnesota, began using a centuries-old form of prayer called the "Lectio Divina" as a way of helping his junior and senior high students step out of their mile-a-minute days and into the presence of God. The practice was so well-received that Jones wrote a book about it called Read, Think, Pray, Live (NavPress), which helps teenagers discover the beauty of the Lectio Divina. Christian Parenting Today recently talked with Jones about this unique way of praying and why it can change the way your teenager experiences God.
Q: Let's start with the basics. What is the Lectio Divina?
A: Lectio Divina is an ancient method of contemplative prayer that involves four basic stages: Lectio: a selection or reading; Meditatio: thinking over or meditation; Oratio: speaking or praying; and Contemplatio: contemplation. I know it sounds intimidating, but I've been using it with students for several years, and we have been blown away by how we sense God speaking to us as we pray.
Read this interview in full at
http://www.christianitytoday.com/cpt/2004/003/5.32.html
13 BAD ARGUMENTS FOR
SAME-SEX MARRIAGE
Now that gay marriage is our most talked-about domestic policy issue, it's time to rebut faulty arguments that bedevil it. While we could provide biblical and theological grounds for what follows, we will focus on the practical and social effects of changing society's first and most basic institution.
Bad argument No. 1
"Gay marriage is a basic human right."
There are huge differences between constitutional rights with few restrictions (such as the rights to life or free speech) and other rights with important restrictions, which do not carry the right of universal access. We already recognize that not everyone has the right to enlist in the army, but that one must be of the proper age, physical condition, citizenship, and philosophy -- anarchists and pacifists need not apply. We also agree that certain persons do not have the right to marriage-children, multiple partners, family members, and those already married.
Bad argument No. 2
"Gay marriage is a civil right."
This is based on the false assumption that homosexuality is the same sort of human difference as race. But while the difference between sexual orientations is profound (one desires the opposite sex and procreates while the other does neither), racial difference has no intrinsic bearing on love and marriage. This is why philosophically opposed African American leaders such as Shelby Steele and Jesse Jackson agree that "gay marriage is simply not a civil rights issue."
Bad argument No. 3
"Opposition to gay marriage is discrimination."
Let's not mistake rational restriction for unconstitutional discrimination. Just as we rightly restrict marriage against polygamists, there is no constitutional reason why we cannot continue to restrict marriage to what all civilizations have defined for millennia: the union of a man and woman. This does not deny anyone the "equal protection of the laws," since this restriction applies equally to every individual.
Read the rest at
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2004/009/18.51.html
TOP 10 SECRETS TO
STAYING MARRIED
James Watkins, Christian humorist and writer, shares with readers his secret formula for staying married -- to the same spouse -- for 30 years! In light of the world's recent focus on the Olympics (for which Watkins has a funny word or two[1]), any celebrating-30 couple in today's society deserves a gold medal! Writing in his usual winning way, Watkins, known for his creative talent to find fun and inspiration in everyday living, combines the silliness and sensibility for which he excels. Top Ten Secrets to Staying Married 30 Years[2] gives readers interesting advice to "lower your standards" and "learn to play the saxophone together." Read them at
http://watkins.gospelcom.net/shorolympics.htm#judging
http://watkins.gospelcom.net/shorfam.htm#30
5 THINGS TO DO 5 YEARS
OUT FROM RETIREMENT
1. Study up on retirement issues. Visit the Social Security website at www.ssa.gov.
2. Develop a written financial inventory.
3. Check your asset allocation.
4. Contribute as much as you can to your retirement accounts.
5. Talk with your spouse about retirement. Retirement is a major change in life, so spend time discussing retirement with your spouse.
Read about this in full at
http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=18766
also see
Online retirement planning
http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=18764
Investing for retirement
http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=18765
PALINDROME :)
from the Google blog:
"On the last palindromic date, 20:02 02/20 2002, I was, like any good computer geek, reminded of the palindrome that appears on page 170 of the computer manual Common Lisp, the Language (2nd ed):
A man, a plan, a canoe, pasta, heros, rajahs, a coloratura, maps, snipe, percale, macaroni, a gag, a banana bag, a tan, a tag, a banana bag again (or a camel), a crepe, pins, Spam, a rut, a Rolo, cash, a jar, sore hats, a peon, a canal -- Panama!
"A quick search reminded me that the record for such a palindrome, established in 1984 by Dan Hoey, was only 543 words. I immediately thought I could (and therefore should) write a program to beat that. I wrote an algorithm that searches a dictionary and figured out how to put the words together in a sentence that starts with "A man, a plan" and ends with "a canal, Panama." It took me until 1:00 a.m. that night of 02/20 (and some minor bug-bashing the next day) to produce this result – to my knowledge, still the longest palindromic sentence ever created."
http://www.google.com/googleblog/
WORLD POPULATION TO
GROW 50% BY 2050
The world's population will grow by nearly 50% by the year 2050, according to an annual study by the private Population Reference Bureau, reported in an August 17 Associated Press story. Despite the overall increase, the study projects that many industrialized nations will see dramatic population declines, including Japan (which will lose 20% of its population in the next 45 years), Russia, Germany, and Italy.
According to AP, "The United States is the biggest exception among developed countries, with its population forecast to rise by 43% from 293 million now to 420 million at mid-century. Still, most of the world's population growth will come in developing nations, even though these less developed countries generally have much higher rates of HIV and AIDS infections and infant mortality.
"China, currently the world's most populous nation at 1.3 billion, would see an overall 10% increase between now and 2050 to over 1.4 billion in 2050, but its peak population is anticipated to be reached by 2025 with declines thereafter. By 2050, India is expected to overtake China, rising almost 50% from under 1.1 billion now to 1.6 billion at mid-century. Nigeria's population is expected to nearly triple in size to 307 million, while Bangladesh would double to 280 million." To read the full story go to
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5732657/?GT1=4529
(Source: PreachingNow at Preaching.com)
VERSE TO PONDER
"Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands." Deuteronomy 7:9 (NIV)
CONSIDER
"One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar." Helen Keller
TIPS TO AVOID INTERNET
IDENTITY THEFT, E-MAIL SCAMS
Criminals around the world are discovering tools that let them spy on hundreds of thousands of people over the Internet. And they're stealing credit card numbers, bank account passwords, and other sensitive information in greater numbers than ever.
http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=3845410
THIS WEEK'S HYMN: LABOR
ON
Words: Christopher R. Blackall.
Music: W. Howard Doane (1832-1915)
In the harvest field there is work to do,
For the grain is ripe, and the reapers few;
And the Master's voice bids the workers true
Heed the call that He gives today.
Refrain
Labor on, labor on,
Keep the bright reward in view,
For the Master has said
He will strength renew;
Labor on till the close of day.
Crowd the garner well with its sheaves all bright,
Let the song be glad, and the heart be light,
Fill the precious hours ere the shades of night
Take the place of the golden day.
Refrain
In the gleaner's path may be rich reward,
Tho' the time seems long, and the labor hard;
For the Master's joy, with His chosen shared,
Drives the gloom from the darkest day.
Refrain
Lo! the Harvest Home in the realms above
Shall be gained by each who has toiled and strove,
When the Master's voice, in His words of love,
Calls away to eternal day.
Refrain
>from CyberHymnal at
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/l/a/labor_on.htm
DISCOVERING A LIVING
FAITH
It's not enough to know the great Sunday school stories about the Magi, Peter, John the Baptist, Judas, the Rich Young Man, blind Bartimaeus, the dying thief, Cleopas, the Samaritan woman, the adulterous woman, and doubting Thomas. True, the biblical narratives are intriguing. But what lessons can we learn from each character's faith and failings, victories and vices? In the completely redesigned The Words Bible study reading room, you'll find nearly a dozen new Living Faith Bible devotional articles. The articles show what life-changing affirmations we can import from the lives of biblical scoundrels and heroes of the faith. Each article includes three bonus features: details from a 15th or 16th century painting (portraying that person), notable quotations (on a life theme), and "Further Study" sections by Lee Cantelon.
CHRISTIAN BOOK SUMMARY
Loving God With All Your Mind: Thinking as a Christian in the Postmodern World by Gene Veith, Jr. is now summarized online. Veith's premise is that Christians need not be intimidated by contemporary secular thought in educational institutions or in public forums. He explains the differences between modernism and postmodernism, exposes the strengths and weaknesses of postmodernism, and then expounds on the supremacy of biblical principles. He gives thinking Christians tools for not only surviving in an intellectual arena, but even thriving. Read the summary at
http://www.christianbooksummaries.com
ON PRAYER
"Make room in your heart to pray. Nail your love of security and your fear of failure to the Cross. Pray for boldness in place of blindness. Repent of sameness, lameness and tameness. Put out the things that quench the Spirit. Leave the safety of the placidly predictable. Remove attitudes and opinions that keep you passive and passionless. Flee from the danger of wanting to be thought well of by everyone. Make room in your heart to pray. " Terry Teykl, author and pastor
CRITICAL PRAYER
REQUESTS FOR STRATEGIC NATIONS
We're praying for our fellow believers in a different nation each week.
Please pray for...NEPAL
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/np.html
The Church in Nepal has flourished in the midst of pressure as a remarkable indigenous movement. It has grown in numbers, diversity and maturity, but with growth and greater freedom there are issues which need prayer:
a) Denominationalism -- many foreign-based denominations as well as indigenous networks of churches have been established. Pray that the Church may be kept from divisions, doctrinal disputes and error. Pray specifically for the Nepal Christian Society (NCS) as it seeks to provide a forum for prayer, sharing, unity and cooperative ministries.
b) Persecution, though less severe than in the 1980s, is still real. This is not only from the Hinduist extremist movements but also socially from families and communities and, in some areas, from the Maoist guerrillas. Pray for grace and perseverance for believers and that Christians may be accepted and appreciated for their contribution to the country's well-being. Pray also for efforts by the NCS and others engaged in securing the legal and religious rights of Christians with regard to arbitrary arrests, evangelism, property, discrimination, etc.
c) Partnership between churches and foreign agencies. Support in finance and personnel is appreciated, but all too often there has been inadequate local cooperation and communication. Remote control through finance has serious moral and spiritual consequences. Pray for wisdom and sensitivity for all parties involved.
http://www.gmi.org/ow/index.html
PRAY
* Bro. Travis Collins
* Bro. Carl Modica
* Bro. Robert Turner
* Bro. Antonio Dawkins
* Elder William Moore
* Bro. Eddie Watson
* Minister Byron Dickens
* Bro. Byron Hayes
[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.
Crypt Raider (game)
http://www.miniclip.com/crypt/cryptraider.htm
Christian History Institute
Institute for Religious Research
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.)
We've got a reason to celebrate: Jesus saves!
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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