Connecting
man to man to God
For week of July 5, 2009
Issue 259
The
Men’s Ministry newsletter of Path Of Life Ministries.
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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"The
Sovereign Lord is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a
deer, he enables me to go on the heights.” Habakkuk
3:19
CONSIDER
“The
real act of discovery is not in finding new lands, but in seeing
with new eyes.” Marcel Proust
WHAT
DO I HAVE LEFT?
“Your
body is not you. Your job is not you. Your success, reputation,
and possessions are not you. What your parents, boss, peers,
friends, or enemies think of you is not you. Your circumstances
and limitations are not you. Psychologist Dan Baker puts it like
this: ‘There is a you in you nobody put there.’ We
will all, like Daniel, spend some time in Babylon (see Daniel
1:1-7). Sometimes dreams will go unfulfilled, health will
disappear, hopes will fade. The key question is never, ‘What
have I lost?’ It is ‘What do I have left?’"
John Ortberg in When the Game Is Over It All Goes Back in the
Box
CHAPLAIN
FROM 'HOOD' TO HILL
by
Julia Duin
Six years ago the Rev. Barry Black was appointed the
62nd chaplain to the US Senate, bringing with him a trifecta of
firsts -- first black chaplain, first Seventh-day Adventist, and
first military chaplain to ascend to the post.
His office
is on the third floor of the Capitol; a marvelous piece of Senate
real estate that overlooks the western terrace, where presidents
are inaugurated.
"If you can't pray for the nation
with a view like this, you've got serious problems," he jokes
as we gaze over the sweep of manicured lawns on the National Mall
to the Washington Monument less than 20 blocks away.
Mr.
Black, 60, pastors what's in effect a megachurch: 7,000 people
including 100 senators, their employees and families. He leads
five Bible studies a week, including one that attracts 200 people
to a venue in the Dirksen Senate Office Building. He counsels,
offers spiritual mentoring classes, officiates at prayer
breakfasts and comes up with original prayers that open the daily
Senate sessions.... Read this in full
at
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jun/25/chaplain-from-hood-to-hill/
READY
AND WILLING
“You
don't need to have all the answers to every theological question.
You don't have to master a polished gospel presentation that you
mechanically recite whether people want to hear it or not. You
don't have to pretend you're the next Billy Graham. All you have
to do is authentically follow Christ in your own life and ask him
to ambush you with opportunities, then trust that he's going to
use you in spite of (and sometimes even because of) your
shortcomings, foibles, and quirks.
“Simply put, our
role is this: to be ready and willing -- because God is always
able. After all, he is the great evangelist; we're merely the
tools that he uses to fulfill his mission of redeeming the world,
one individual at a time.” Lee Strobel and Mark Mittelberg
in The Unexpected Adventure: Taking Everyday Risks to Talk with
People about Jesus
INTERVIEW
WITH RICHARD CIZIK'S REPLACEMENT AT NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
EVANGELICALS
by
Dan Gilgoff, US News and World Report
The National Association
of Evangelicals, the nation's largest evangelical group, announced
its new Washington lobbyist yesterday, about six months after its
longtime DC representative, Richard Cizik, resigned under
pressure. Cizik had long been in the cross hairs of
Christian-right leaders over his high-profile activism on global
warming, but the nail in the coffin was a radio interview in which
he expressed support for legalized gay civil unions. Now, a
longtime manager with World Relief, Galen Carey, will run the
NAE's Washington office. I caught up with Carey, just after the
NAE announced that it had hired him. Excerpts:
Q: What are
your top priorities for the NAE?
A: My first priority will be
to get to know the NAE and hold some in-depth dialogues to learn
what issues are most important. My role is to represent the
churches that are part of it as well as I can. The Health of the
Nation Document lays out the seven issues of common evangelical
interest.
Q: What are the issues closest to your heart?
A:
I've spent the last 25 years working on issues related to refugees
and the poor both domestically and overseas. Those issues fit
under the NAE's rubric. That's not to say I don't care about other
issues, but there will be more of a learning curve there.... Read
this in full
at
http://faithinpubliclife.org/content/news/2009/06/interview_with_richard_ciziks_1.html
RECOVERING
FROM 'THE YEAR OF LIVING BIBLICALLY'
A.J.
Jacobs describes himself as an agnostic Jew, but after publishing
his book about living by biblical laws for a year, he has been
invited to several Christian churches and events. The author of
The Year of Living Biblically spoke with Christianity Today about
speaking to Christians, the evangelical subculture, and how
rituals are not rational.
Q: How does it feel to be invited
to places like the National Pastors Convention to tell Christians
about their faith?
A: You're going to make me commit the sin of
pride? I'm not supposed to do that. I hadn't thought about it. Now
I'm intimidated. Before it was okay. Now I feel terrible.
No,
I'm very flattered. I have gotten lots of emails saying that it
strengthens people's faith, and that's great. It's weird, because
on the other side I've gotten some agnostics, secular people who
say, "Your book showed me how some of the rules in the Old
Testament are so crazy. Thanks for reconfirming that." It's
interesting that people take away different things from the book.
I love breaking down the walls between the secular and the
religious.... Read this in full
at
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/juneweb-only/126-23.0.html
DON'T
GIVE UP ON YOUR CALLING
“William
Carey came to India to save millions, but he actually led only a
handful to Christ with his words. When he lost the support of his
friends in England, when his family suffered tragedy, when he
failed to gain converts, he did not give up on his calling. Rather
than admit failure, he sought a new way to reach the lost of
India. Using his language skills, he translated the Bible into
scores of Indian languages and dialects. It was this
behind-the-scenes effort that opened India to missionary work. It
also set the pattern for the Bible to become the most translated
and published book in the world.
“A historian once
noted this about the man who personally led so very few to Christ:
"Taking his life as a whole, it is not too much to say that
he was the greatest and most versatile Christian missionary sent
out in modern times." Ace Collins in Stories behind Men of
Faith
THE
DANGER OF ‘QUIET’ SINS
“Men
perish with whispering sins, nay with silent sins, sins that never
tell the conscience that they are sins, as often as with crying
sins; and in hell there shall meet as many men that never thought
what was sin, as that spent all their thoughts in the compassing
of sin.” John Donne (1573-1631), Works of John Donne, vol.
I, London: John W. Parker, 1839, Sermon XIV, p. 276
ON
THE BASS CIRCUIT, CHAPLAIN CHRIS WELLS FISHES FOR MEN
The
guy in the flashy boat whips his arm forward, casting the
sun-glistened lure through the spring air with a whistling sound.
The lure splashes among the cattails lining the shallow banks of
the lake. As the line is reeled in slowly, there's the
unmistakable jerk and a seven-pound bass explodes out of the
water, ready for battle.
A seemingly idyllic life on the
surface, the professional bass fisherman's life is rife with
pressure and temptation.
For every big-name pro like Kevin
VanDam, Bill Dance or Roland Martin, plenty of guys finish out of
the money or barely make enough to squeak by. Addictions and
issues with families and lonely lives also are common for an
angler on the road. Chris Wells sees it all.... Read this in full
at
http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=30273
AS WE
WAIT AND TRUST
“Money
problems, sickness, and emotional difficulties stress a marriage.
But nothing is quite so devastating as unmet expectations. The
longer those go unfulfilled the less tolerance spouses have for
each other and the more tension builds. The only way to deal with
the problem is for couples to be honest with each other, reset
their priorities, and then decide how best to meet those needs
over time.
“Likewise, as we continue to bring our
needs to God, we can have faith and not lose heart when he fails
to immediately provide what we need. For during the waiting time
he may be giving us far better gifts than those we have asked for
-- gifts that can ease our selfishness, build our marriages, and
strengthen our families. As we wait and trust, we begin to
experience love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (see Galatians
5:22-23).” From Couples' Devotional Bible
SELF
DISCIPLINE
“In
vain does any man pretend that he will be a martyr for his
religion, when he will not rule an appetite, nor restrain a lust,
nor subdue a passion, nor cross his covetousness and ambition, for
the sake of it, and in hope of that eternal life "which God
that cannot lie hath promised.' He that refuseth to do the less is
not like to do the greater. It is very improbable that a man will
die for his religion, when he cannot be persuaded to live
according to it. He that cannot take up a resolution to live a
saint, hath a demonstration within himself, that he is never like
to die a martyr.” John Tillotson (1630-1694), Works of Dr.
John Tillotson, v. IV, London: J. F. Dove, for R. Priestley, 1820,
Sermon LXXVII, p. 451-452
QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS ON CELEBRITY WORSHIP
When
sex symbol Rudolph Valentino died at the age of 31 in 1926, riots
broke out as tens of thousands of mourners tried to cram
themselves into a public viewing in New York. It was, says Emory
University's Gary Laderman, "a new kind of sacred attachment,
one based on fame and looks, personality and stardom." Call
it the birth of the First Church of Celebrity Worship.
Laderman's
new book, "Sacred Matters: Celebrity Worship, Sexual
Ecstasies, the Living Dead and Other Signs of Religious Life in
the United States," probes America's obsession at the altar
of celebrity. Pop icon Michael Jackson's death at age 50, he said,
brings that faith into "sharp relief.” .... Read this
in full
at
http://blog.beliefnet.com/news/2009/06/questions-and-answers-on-celeb.php
WHY
SHOULD CHRIST-FOLLOWERS READ FICTION?
by
Mary E. DeMuth
Two years before I penned my first novel, Chuck
Colson discussed the power of fiction to change culture. He
chronicled the success of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, how a simple
story did more to abolish slavery than any didactic treatise. He
writes, “Uncle Tom’s Cabin is a reminder that one of
the reasons we read fiction is because fiction helps train the
moral imagination.” This fueled my desire to aspire to
something so great, to write words that captured readers’
imaginations....Beyond experiencing escapist entertainment or
appreciating an underlying message, what are some compelling
reasons for Christ-followers to delve into a novel? Here are
ten:.... Read this in full
at
http://www.breakpoint.org/listingarticle.asp?ID=11853
LIVING
FULLY UNTIL WE DIE
Today,
hospice is an accepted part of American medicine. One out of three
terminally ill Americans uses hospice care. People increasingly
assume that hospice is part of the dying process. They also assume
a key hospice principle: that people should be cared for in such a
way that they can live fully until they die. Few realize that the
modern hospice movement is young and that Christian faith
motivated its founder.
The modern hospice movement is
rooted in a much older idea of hospitality. Indeed, the term comes
from the same Latin root as hospital and hostel. Places of
hospitality were not confined to the Latin-speaking world,
however. Greeks, Indians, Romans, early Christians, and Muslims
all built places where pilgrims and travelers, particularly the
sick, could rest and find care. In modern times, Christians showed
their commitment to hospitality for the hurting by building
hospitals and, at the end of the 19th century, the first
institutions dedicated solely to caring for the dying. Called
hospices, these institutions lacked the fully formed philosophy
that would characterize the modern movement, they but did offer
inspiration to the movement's founder, Dame Cicely Saunders....
Read this in full
at
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/thepastinthepresent/storybehind/livingfully.html
LEADERSHIP
TIPS (BUSINESS, FAMILY, LIFE)
The
Leadership Summit is August 6-7. Speakers include Tony Blair,
Bono, Chip & Dan Heath, Tim Keller, Bill Hybels, Harvey Carey,
Henry Cloud, and
more.
http://www.willowcreek.com/events/leadership/2009/
VERSE
TO PONDER
[Jesus
said,] “Wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to
destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and
narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”
Matthew 7:13-14
CONSIDER
“The
older I get, the surer I am that I'm not running the show.”
Leonard Cohen
THE
NEW COVENANT PROMISE
“The
foundational promise God made through the prophets and recorded in
the Old Testament is the promise of a new covenant, or new
testament (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 36-37). Central to this
covenant would be a decisive activity on God's part to deal with
the problem of human sinfulness. This happened in the death of
Jesus Christ upon the cross. In the horror and suffering on the
cross, Jesus absorbed God's wrath against sin in his own body and
in our place.
“Much of the New Testament describes
the passion of Christ and reflects on its significance for us.
When Jesus of Nazareth began his three-year public ministry, he
announced that he had come in fulfillment of this new covenant
promise. During the last supper as he distributed the bread and
wine to his disciples, he remarked, ‘This cup is the new
covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you’ ( Luke
22:20). Jesus was truly ‘the lamb of God who takes away the
sin of the world’ (John 1:29). The 27 books of the New
Testament provide testimony of God's work in and through Jesus to
fulfill this new covenant promise.” Clinton E. Arnold in How
We Got the Bible
CHURCHILL
DOWNS CHAPLAIN SEES FAITH BLOSSOM
The
"Run for the Roses" is well-known at Churchill Downs,
but for assistant chaplain Yurian Cabrera, the "roses"
of the Kentucky Derby come second to seeing faith blossom at the
famed racetrack's fruit of ministry. Cabrera, a 29-year-old native
of Cuba, is a church planting missionary and part-time pastor of
Iglesia Bautista Senda de Luz in Louisville.
Serving as a
chaplain at the racetrack is yet another of his passions. "I
just love the smell, the track, the horses and, most of all, the
people who work here," Cabrera smiled broadly, a dark goatee
highlighting bright cheeks.
Early in the mornings, he
relays a "Minute with God" over Churchill Downs' PA
system in both English and Spanish as a devotional for track
workers. "It is a very brief reminder that God is real and
that He cares about the workers here at the track," Cabrera
said. More than 700 Hispanics, mostly from Mexico, Central America
and Cuba, work in some capacity at the track. Many live within the
stable area, or "backside" of the track, with others in
nearby apartment buildings.... Read this in full
at
http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=30802
GOD
WALKS INTO ETERNITY CREATING
“There
are few more dizzying realities of life than cooperating with God
to produce another human being. This aspect of the marital
experience should be particularly meaningful for Christians (and a
key reason why having difficulty conceiving can be so painful to
so many couples). The picture of God as Creator is central to his
authority, identity, and purpose. In fact, the Bible is framed
around the fact that God is Creator.
“The first thing
we learn about God in the book of Genesis is that he created the
heavens and the earth (see Genesis 1:1); the last image of the New
Testament shows God creating a new heaven and a new earth. When
God says, ‘I am making everything new!’ (Revelation
21:5), the word ‘making’ is in the present tense --
it's an ongoing process. God walks into eternity creating.”
Gary Thomas in Sacred Marriage: What If God Designed Marriage To
Make Us Holy More Than To Make Us Happy? (DVD)
THE
JUSTIFICATION DEBATE: A PRIMER
Two
of the world's most prominent pastor-theologians on justification
-- and what difference it makes.
Since Christianity Today's
August 2007 cover story, "What Did Paul Really Mean?"
John Piper and N.T. Wright have taken the debate on justification
from the academy to the masses. Here’s where the two
evangelicals differ.
John Piper: Pastor of Bethlehem
Baptist Church in Minneapolis. Author of The Future of
Justification: A Response to N.T. Wright.
N.T. Wright:
Bishop of Durham, Church of England. Author of Justification:
God's Plan and Paul's Vision.
The Problem
Piper: God
created a good world that was subjected to futility because of the
sinful, treasonous choice of the first human beings. Because of
this offense against the glory of God, humans are alienated from
their Creator and deserve his just condemnation for their
sins.
Wright: God created a good world, designed to be
looked after and brought to its intended purpose through his
image-bearing human beings. This purpose was thwarted by the
sinful choice of the first human beings. Because of human
sinfulness, the world needs to be put to rights again and its
original purpose taken forward to completion. God's purpose in
putting humans "right" is that through them, the world
can be put to rights.... Read this in full
at
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2009/june/29.34.html
AN
INDESCRIBABLE CONNECTION WITH GOD
“I
have a friend who went through deep waters several years ago. He
described the weeks and months that followed as the darkest days
of his life. Feeling as though he was drowning in depression and
grief, he sought the Lord with a desperation beyond anything he
had ever experienced. As a result, he learned a new way to pray in
those days -- on his face on the living room carpet, arms
outstretched, as dependent as a little child.
“Looking
back on those days, my friend recalls how narrow his world had
become, with the suffocating darkness pressing in from all sides.
His Bible became as thin as a half dozen of his favorite psalms.
But he also remembers an indescribable connection with God, as if
a larger channel had been opened between them. It resulted in a
new sense of God's presence and an ability to discern His voice.
His new standard for prayer was his nose buried in the carpet
fibers, his arms out in front of him, palms up. He learned that
the lower he placed himself before God, the more he expressed his
utter dependence on the Lord for everything, the sooner God's
miraculous work of healing and restoration began in his
life.
“Hard-pressed and hedged in? Just remember that
where the Spirit of the Lord is ... wherever the Spirit of the
Lord is, there is freedom. And hope. And light. And even beauty.”
Joni Eareckson Tada in A Lifetime of Wisdom: Embracing the Way God
Heals You
'BIBLE
ACROSS AMERICA' CONCLUDES 9-MONTH QUEST FOR 31,173 SCRIBES
The
first NIV Bible penned by 31,173 individuals has finally been
completed following a nearly 9-month effort that organizers
originally thought would take about five. Since its launch
on Sept. 30, 2008, the “Bible Across America” tour has
been gathering handwritten verses from people from all ages and
walks of life to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the bestselling
NIV Bible, the most-used English language translation today.
At
first, organizers expected to gather all verses over the course of
five months as a team of four traveled across the country in a
42-foot RV. However, as the Feb. 12 deadline drew near, only
15,000 verses had been collected, prompting organizers to extend
the 15,000-mile journey for another 3,500 miles.
With the
effort having concluded on June 24, it was not immediately known
whether copies of the completed Bible would be published before
the end of the year, though some reports place the publishing date
at around October or November.... Read this in full
at
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20090630/-bible-across-america-concludes-9-month-quest-for-31-173-scribes/index.html
A
MANN'S WORLD
Public
Enemies movie director Michael Mann often blurs the line between
the good guys and the bad in the moral crossfire between cops and
robbers.... Read this in full
at
http://www.christianitytoday.com/movies/commentaries/throughascreendarkly/mannsworld.html
HOPE
“[The
Christian] refuses to give his heart to, or be taken in by, the
values and pleasures of this passing world. He does not hesitate
to use all that is good and beautiful and true, partly because he
knows that his God gives him "richly all things to enjoy,"
and partly because he knows that in all life's impermanent
beauties and pleasures, there is the promise of the real and
permanent which he is thoroughly convinced will exceed his wildest
expectations.
“But even the Christian, for all this
satisfying and hopeful conviction, does not know the meaning of
the mystery of life, and if he is wise he does not pretend to. He
has enough light to light him on his way, but there are a great
many gaps in his knowledge. When he says, "one day we shall
understand", he is by no means always uttering a pious
platitude. Quite frequently he is voicing a solid conviction, a
genuine facet of hope. At present his vision is severely limited,
and that is probably just as well if his sanity is to be
preserved. But when he is free from the limitations of temporal
life, he has every hope of being able to know as surely as he is
at present known.” J. B. Phillips (1906-1982), New Testament
Christianity, London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1956, ch. 5
CONSIDER
“Nothing
that you have not given away will ever be really yours.” C.
S. Lewis
VERSE
TO PONDER
“Bear
with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have
against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.”
Colossians 3:13
ON PRAYER
“The
story of every great Christian achievement is the history of
answered prayer.” E. M. Bounds
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!
Http://www.ChristianConnectionTravel.com
Books,
Music & More!
http://www.ChristianConnectionBooks.com
Get
your domain name here!
http://www.GoGlobalDomains.com
Let
me show you how to earn money as you
travel!
http://www.earnGlobalVacations.com/
It's
as easy as 1-2-3!
SHARE YOUR FAVORITE
WEBSITES
Tell
us what sites you find enjoyable and why.
Photo
contest winners capture America the beautiful
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/2009-06-25-picture-america-winners_N.htm?csp=Travel
Cute
photo of giraffe licking a
squirrel
http://animals.timduru.org/ids/albums/squirrel/Picture12.jpg
Volcano
eruption captured from
space
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/06/recent_scenes_from_the_iss.html
Best
of History Websites
http://www.besthistorysites.net/
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.)
If
it weren't for the last minute, nothing would get done.
Min. Frank
Coleman, Editor
[email protected]
Thanks
for welcoming CONNECTIONS into your in-box!
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CONNECTIONS is a periodic newsletter of
announcements, news, recommendations, articles, and other
information helpful to men in our spiritual growth. Thanks for
welcoming CONNECTIONS into your in-box!
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The
CONNECTIONS 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.
Path Of Life Ministries is located at 6459 S. Campbell Ave.
Chicago, IL 60629.
Visit our website at:
http://www.pathoflifeministries.net/
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