Connecting
man to man to God
For week of August 23, 2009
Issue 266
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
Lord says,] “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be
dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I
will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”
Isaiah 41:10
CONSIDER
“Our misery is that we thirst so little for the sublime
things, and so much for the mocking trifles of time and space.”
Charles Spurgeon
RAMADAN -- A
CHRISTIAN'S PERSPECTIVE
by Anne Fortenberry
Having lived in the Middle East for
the past 10 years, my husband and I experienced many interesting
and even inconsistent behaviors with our Muslim friends during
their holy month of Ramadan. Ramadan lasts for 30 days and occurs
approximately two weeks earlier each year with the exact dates
determined by the sighting of the moon. This year Ramadan began
around Aug. 22.
This is a special month for our Muslim
friends because they believe they can become closer to Allah (God)
only during this time. They further believe they have a better
chance of God hearing and answering their prayers. Everything must
be observed according to the Koran and the teachings of their
prophet, Muhammad. As you might imagine, Muslims are highly
legalistic about observing Ramadan.
No one is allowed to
eat or drink anything from one hour before sunrise until about 30
minutes after sunset. Foreigners like us also must not be seen
eating or drinking during that time or, in some countries, we may
be brought before the authorities and temporarily imprisoned. Even
though we often carry water hidden in a bag or purse, we usually
don't drink in front of our Muslim friends because we realize how
thirsty these folks must be. All restaurants are closed except for
a few located in hotels. In the afternoon, food can be ordered,
but it must be taken home to eat behind closed doors.... Read this
in full at
http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=31128
CHRISTIAN
PSYCHOLOGISTS: INTERNET SEX ADDICTION A 'GLOBAL EPIDEMIC'
Two
Christian psychologists, who have advised a number of churches and
community groups on the sex-related problems that plague society,
have released a book that chronicles the problem of addiction to
Internet pornography among Christians, including pastors, and
describes problems that this type of addiction can create.
Behind Closed Doors, written by Drs. Robert. J. Baird and
Ronald Vanderbeck, also provides solutions for how people can
break the cycle of addiction. “We see this as a global
epidemic that is not going to go away,” says Baird. “We
are trying to rally the faith community across denominational
lines to work together and combat this dark side of things with
useful and real information.”
According to Baird,
more than 35% of the Protestant pastors he was able to include in
a study for his PhD thesis said they have used Internet
pornography.... Read this in full at
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20090819/christian-psychologists-address-dangers-of-internet-sex/index.htm
US EVANGELICAL
GROUP URGES CIVILITY IN HEALTH CARE DEBATE
The National Association of Evangelicals voiced support for
the general idea of a new health care system that would cover more
people, but urged those debating the details of the reform bill to
remain civil. “We call on evangelicals, and all Americans,
to engage in respectful and serious dialogue with our leaders and
with each other, which focuses on issues rather than
personalities” the NAE urges. “Neither the common good
nor the cause of Jesus Christ will be advanced through undignified
shouting matches.” The NAE, which claims to represent 30
million constituents, said it recognizes that the American health
care system is “complex,” reform will “not be
easy,” and people may “disagree” on how to fix
it.... Read this in full at
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20090820/u-s-evangelical-association-urges-civility-in-health-care-debate/index.html
'I DIDN'T FEEL
GOOD ENOUGH FOR GOD'
John Baker is the author of Life’s Healing Choices
(Howard Books, 2007) and the founder of Celebrate Recovery, a
ministry he created in 1991 at Saddleback Church. The program -- a
biblically based approach to recovery from hurts, habits, and
addictions -- is used in thousands of churches nationwide, and
more than 600,000 people have completed the program. Life’s
Healing Choices is the product of Baker’s collaboration with
Pastor Rick Warren, whose 10-week sermon series on recovery formed
the foundation of the book. John Baker recently talked with
PurposeDriven.com deputy editor Patton Dodd about his own journey
to recovery, and about his hopes for others’ journeys.
Q:
How did you end up being the guy who is leading this conversation
about recovery?
A: I was born in a small midwestern town
and had a great childhood. My parents were members of a small
Baptist church. I asked Christ into my heart at age 13, but as I
went through high school, I thought I had to be the best at
everything I did because deep down inside it never felt good
enough for my parents, my girlfriends, my coaches, my teammates,
my classmates, teachers . . . you name it.
If I wasn’t
good enough for them, how in the world could I ever be good enough
for God? I struggled with . . . almost non-existent self-esteem. I
tried to cover up by over-achieving. It’s not a very
comfortable way to live. . . but I did that for a lot of years.
I went to the University of Missouri, and (when I left for
college) I packed that non-existent self-esteem right along with
me and joined a fraternity. With my first drink of alcohol I felt
like I finally fit in, like I finally belonged, like I was one of
them . . . and that emptiness, that pain, started to go away. I
was majoring in business administration and minoring in partying.
I met my wife at a fraternity-sorority football game that
I arranged; I was president of the fraternity and she was
president of her sorority. We got married in our senior year
because of the war—Vietnam was in full swing and I knew I’d
be called into the service, so we got married and I joined the Air
Force and was chosen to be a pilot.
The war ended and I
went into business. I had achieved every one of my life,
financial, and career goals by the time I was 30 years old. There
was a song that was popular then . . . “Is That All There
Is?” The pain and emptiness just kept increasing along with
the drinking, and it worked for a lot of years. But finally I
crossed the line.
The day that I crossed the line was the
day I realized I couldn’t stop drinking. I can remember
going into a bar and praying, “God please don’t let me
drink today,” and . . . what I ended up doing was drinking.
What I would try to do is just not feel, if that makes any sense.
So I was emotionally unavailable for my kids and my family for a
lot of years and . . . my wife and I ended up with a 13-month
separation.... Read this in full at
http://www.purposedriven.com/article.do?method=articlePage&contentId=201725
MORE FORGO
CLERGY-LED FUNERALS FOR THOSE BY SECULAR 'CELEBRANTS'
A
growing number of people want to celebrate a loved one's life at a
funeral or memorial service without clergy — sometimes even
without God. And that's giving rise to the new specialty of
pastoral-style secular celebrants who deliver unique personalized
eulogies without the rituals of institutional religion.
"Today,
of all the ceremonies we deal with, I'd say 50% are religious or
clergy-led, 20% celebrant-led and 30% are having no ceremony or
one led by family," says William McQueen, president of the
Cremation Association of North America.... Read this in full at
http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2009-08-19-non-religious-funerals_N.htm
ATHEISTS ARE
(HAPPY) PEOPLE TOO, STUDY SAYS
Atheists, agnostics or otherwise nonreligious people can be
just as content and well-adjusted as their religious counterparts,
according to a new study.
"The common assumption of
greater religiosity relating to greater happiness and satisfaction
is overly simplistic," said Luke Galen, an associate
professor of psychology at Grand Valley State University in
Allendale, Mich., and author of the new report.
The
Non-Religious Identification Survey was launched online, with
primarily US responders, according to Galen. In exploring
"irreligious" people, the study claims to have
complicated the stereotype that they are less emotionally stable
or happy with their lives than believers. Most of nonreligious
people are male, well-educated, often unmarried and living alone,
according to the report.... Read this in full at
http://blog.beliefnet.com/news/2009/08/atheists-are-happy-people-too.php
DOES LIT 101 LEAD
TO UNBELIEF?
As
college students return to campus in the coming weeks, a new study
suggests that some could be in danger of losing their religion.
Economics professor Miles Kimball and researchers from the
University of Michigan Institute for Social Research determined
that certain academic majors can influence students’
religiosity—positively or negatively—over time.
More
than 26,000 U.S. students responded to questions regarding
importance of religion and religious attendance over a six-year
period, beginning in high school and continuing through the year
after college graduation.
Compared to survey participants
who did not attend college, education majors showed the most
dramatic increase in religious attendance and religious
importance, followed by students in vocational and clerical
programs, then business majors.
Biology, engineering,
physical science and math majors all show an increase in religious
attendance and a decrease in religious importance. Humanities and
social science majors’ religious attendance dips slightly,
and religious importance plunges.
http://www.religionnews.com/index.php?/rnstext/does_lit_101_lead_to_unbelief/
A CONVERSATION
WITH PHIL VISCHER
In the early 1990s, Phil Vischer and his Big Idea Productions
carefully watched the developing trends in family entertainment.
This culture-watching led to the enormously successful home video
series VeggieTales. But shortly after releasing its first feature
film, Jonah, Big Idea declared bankruptcy and sold all its assets
to Classic Media LLC. Since then, Vischer has written Me, Myself
and Bob (Thomas Nelson), about the faith lessons of Big Idea's
collapse, and has returned to watching cultural and technological
trends to discover how to best help Christian parents in this
much-changed media landscape.
Q: How has Hollywood
changed?
A: It's a different world. So many doors are open.
It's very easy to pitch your idea thanks to the movie The Passion
of the Christ....It's a very strange world in the sense that
everyone in Hollywood is looking for Christian movies. However, no
one knows what a Christian movie is. This confusion has created a
cottage industry of Christian experts working on behalf of studios
to help them find Christian movies or help them figure out how to
make Christians come to their movies. It's like Hollywood
discovering that Lithuanian movies are wildly popular -- but no
one in Hollywood speaks Lithuanian. So, suddenly there's an
industry of Lithuanian translators who watch movies and tell
Hollywood if they are any good. Right now, we have people making a
decent living telling studios, "Oh, this is a good Christian
movie and here's how to get it to them." It's a bizarre
time.... Read this interview in full at
http://www.christianitytoday.com/bc/2009/julaug/platformagnostic.html
SCIENTISTS PURSUE
ARTIFICIAL HUMAN BRAIN
Swiss scientists predict they may be able to build a human
brain with computers by the year 2020.
Henry Markram, head
of the Blue Brain project in Switzerland, said at a July
conference in Oxford, England, he plans to construct an electronic
human brain in 10 years, the Daily Mail reported Aug. 11. The Blue
Brain research team has been working for the last five years on
constructing a mammalian brain with the use of supercomputers,
Markram said.
There are some ways, however, in which "a
brain is quite unlike a computer," Michael Hanlon wrote in
the Daily Mail. Computers cannot "think," he said.
In
the past, scientists have assumed a "soul" permeates the
brain, but now most neuroscientists think "feelings of
self-awareness, pain, love and so on are simply the result of the
countless billions of electrical and chemical impulses that flit
between its equally countless billions of neurons," Hanlon
wrote.
If a brain somehow were to be created, Hanlon said,
it would present a variety of ethical quandaries, such as: If a
brain "could be said to know it exists, then do we assign it
rights? Would turning it off constitute murder? Would performing
experiments upon it constitute torture?"
Southern
Baptist bioethicist C. Ben Mitchell said the Blue Brain project,
and other such efforts, will fall far short in a vital way.
"I
have little doubt that we will one day be able to make very
human-like machines, but only God can make a person in His own
image," said Mitchell, Graves professor of moral philosophy
at Union University in Jackson, Tenn., and a consultant to the
Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission.
"Computers
may mimic the brain but not a soul," he told Baptist Press.
"There's more to being human than what's going on in the
head."
http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=31126
GRANNY IS THE
MOTHER
Lauren
gave birth to a boy who actually was her grandson. She acted as a
surrogate mother for her daughter, Sharon, who was unable to bear
a child. Sharon provided the egg. Sharon's husband Paul provided
the sperm.
While it might appear Paul and Sharon would be
considered legally the father and mother of Michael, now 2, since
he is a product of their genetic material, Judge Garry Watts
decided in early August there was no basis in law for such a
ruling. Instead, Watts determined Michael's birth certificate
should say Lauren is his mother and Lauren's partner, Clive, is
his father, though he is of no biological relation to the boy.
Watts issued his ruling in early August when Paul, Sharon
and Lauren went to court in the state of New South Wales in
Australia to clarify Michael's birth certificate, according to The
Australian. There is no surrogacy law in New South Wales that
covers such cases, so Watts based his decision on a statute that
holds a woman who gives birth is the mother of the child,
regardless of the circumstances.
"The law is lagging
behind reproductive technologies because the culture is ambivalent
about the stakeholders," Southern Baptist bioethicist C. Ben
Mitchell said. "In an age of strident individualism, children
and families often lose. Confusion about the identity of the
father and mother always ends up penalizing the child."
http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=31126
LEADERSHIP TIPS
(BUSINESS, FAMILY, LIFE)
Several years ago Warren Bennis wrote the excellent book
Managing People Is Like Herding Cats. In his chapter on Leading
Change, he reminds us that talking about "a clear and
compelling vision" is important, but vision needs to be
linked to real-life activities.
Leaders, he says, "must
take this vision into account when doing everything that they do
-- when thinking about recruiting and reward systems, when
considering empowerment, when changing the structure, when
pursuing new markets, and when making decisions.
"The
only way a leader is going to translate vision into reality -- an
ability that is the essence of leadership -- is to anchor and
implement and execute that vision through a variety of policies,
practices, procedures, and systems that will bring in people and
empower them to implement the vision."
Michael Duduit,
Editor, PreachingNOW, http://www.preaching.com/
VERSE TO PONDER
“I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on
your laws.”
Psalm 119:30
CONSIDER
“I believe in Christianity as I believe in the sun- not
only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.”
C. S. Lewis
NIH'S NEW CHIEF
PLEDGES TO LEAD RESEARCH AGENCY 'AS A SCIENTIST'
Newly
sworn-in National Institutes of Health chief Francis Collins, who
founded an institute in May aimed at nurturing the coexistence of
science and religion, announced Monday he had resigned from his
foundation to focus on his research chief duties. "I want to
reassure everyone I am here to lead the NIH as best I can, as a
scientist," Collins said, noting Internet and editorial page
concerns about Collins, as an evangelical Christian, leading a
science organization.
Collins, 59, may have stepped back
from religion, but he then stepped into the health care debate: He
called for more research comparing the effectiveness of medical
treatments. "I think NIH should be right in the middle of
that," Collins says. "Not by providing political advice,
because that's not what we do, but by providing evidence that is
going to be useful in assisting decision-makers." .... Read
this interview in full at
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2009-08-17-nih-collins_N.htm
835 PROFESS FAITH
AT STURGIS MOTORCYCLE RALLY
As motorcycle engines roared, more than 4,200 leather-clad
motorcyclists and their friends at the 69th annual Sturgis
Motorcycle Rally heard a 3-minute testimony of how Christ could
radically change their lives. Just for listening, they also were
given a chance to win a brand new, black Harley-Davidson
motorcycle.
For the 4th year in a row, the Sturgis
Motorcycle Giveaway sponsored by the Dakota Baptist Convention and
North American Mission Board used volunteers from across the
nation to give personal testimonies Aug. 3-8 about how they met
Christ and to invite rally-goers to invite Him into their lives.
By the end of the week, 835 people made professions of faith in
Jesus Christ.
For one week in August each year, the small,
quiet towns of the South Dakota Black Hills transform as
approximately 500,000 motorcyclists and wannabes descend on the
region for the bike rally. The atmosphere promotes raucous parties
and sinful living, but it is into such darkness that God calls
Christians to shine the light of Christ. In 2006, the DBC decided
to do something about the sea of lostness.... Read this in full at
http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=31093
MAX LUCADO
EMBOLDENS CHRISTIANS TO FEAR LESS
Bestselling author Max Lucado is declaring war on fear. "I
really believe Jesus wants us to lead lives in which we fear
less," Lucado says. His newest book is Fearless: Imagine Your
Life Without Fear. Michael Hyatt, CEO of publisher Thomas Nelson,
anticipates it will be one of the biggest bestsellers of the year.
"Since the initial development of Fearless, both retailers
and customers have noticed an exciting buzz around the book
because its message is both timely and relevant," Hyatt said
as he launched a social media campaign for the book. "If
there’s one emotion that is nearly universal, this is it."
.... Read this in full at
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20090814/max-lucado-emboldens-christians-to-fear-less/index.html
SEE YOUR TIME AS
AN INVESTMENT
To realize the value of ONE YEAR, ask a student who has failed
his exam and has to repeat a grade.
To realize the value
of ONE MONTH, ask a mother who has given birth to a pre-mature
baby.
To realize the value of ONE WEEK, ask an editor of a
weekly newspaper.
To realize the value of ONE DAY, ask a
daily wage laborer who has eight kids to feed.
To realize
the value of ONE HOUR, ask someone who is on his deathbed.
To
realize the value of ONE MINUTE, ask a person who has missed the
train.
To realize the value of ONE SECOND, ask a person
who has survived an accident.
To realize the value of ONE
MILLISECOND, ask the person who has won a silver medal in
Olympics.
Treasure every moment you have...
FAITH-BASED
ORGANIZATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL LAUNCHED
The American Society for Industrial Security International
(ASIS) is bringing together security and cultural professionals
from various religious communities for the Faith- Based
Organization Security Council (FBO Council), an interfaith
sub-council started earlier this year as part of the
organization's Cultural Properties Council. The FBO Council will
address the security risks and needs of houses of worship and
faith-based organizations to develop best practices and standards.
"The Faith-Based Organization Council is a result of
incidents of violence and other crimes against houses of worship
and faith-based organizations," said Jeffrey Hawkins,
executive director of the Christian Security Network, and head of
the FBO Council. "We want to have all faiths represented so
we can effectively develop comprehensive standards and guidelines,
and tackle issues that all religions are facing now and in the
future."
The organization will identify the major
risks that houses of worship and faith-based organizations face,
including violent crimes, arson and internal theft, and develop
standards and guidelines to combat them. One of the first projects
of the council is a resource guide for houses of worship and other
faith-based organizations. The guide will provide insight and
instruction for developing safety teams, assessing risks,
identifying potential dangers and protecting high-profile
religious leaders.
http://www.christiansecuritynetwork.org/
90% OF US BILLS
CARRY TRACES OF COCAINE
The term "dirty money" is for real. In the course of
its average 20 months in circulation, US currency gets whisked
into ATMs, clutched, touched, and traded perhaps thousands of
times at coffee shops, convenience stores, and newsstands. And
every touch to every bill brings specks of dirt, food, germs, or
even drug residue.
Research reinforces previous findings
that 90% of paper money circulating in US cities contains traces
of cocaine. Scientists say the amount of cocaine found on bills is
not enough to cause health risks.
Money can be
contaminated with cocaine during drug deals or if a user snorts
with a bill. But not all bills are involved in drug use; they can
get contaminated inside currency-counting machines at the bank.
Cocaine binds to the green dye in money. Wash your hands after
handling money.... Read this in full at
http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/08/14/cocaine.traces.money/index.html
BULLETIN BLOOPERS
~ Please welcome Pastor Don, a caring individual who loves
hurting people.
~ Come out this evening for a time of
prayer and sinning.
~ A woman's blouse was found at a
table in the middle of the servant appreciation dinner. If you
lost your blouse, please come to the church office.
~
Overeaters Anonymous meeting will be held at 8 p.m. in the large
room.
~ The ladies in the style show will meet with their
dresses down in front after morning worship.
~ A worm
welcome to all who have come today.
~ Sermon Outline:
I.
Delineate your fear
II. Disown your fear
III. Displace
your rear
~ Next Friday we will be serving hot gods
for lunch.
~ If you would like to make a donation, fill
out a form, enclose a check, and drip in the collection basket.
CONSIDER
“A small decision now can change all your tomorrows.”
Robert Schuller
VERSE TO PONDER
“I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your
righteous laws.”
Psalm 119:7
ON
PRAYER
"Man
is at his greatest and highest when upon his knees he comes face
to face with God."
Martyn
Lloyd-Jones
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.
The
Trash Vortex in the North Pacific Ocean
http://oceans.greenpeace.org/en/the-expedition/news/trashing-our-oceans/ocean_pollution_animation
Radio
Station Locator
http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/home
Bible
Research
http://www.bible-researcher.com/
Photo
of a humming bird
http://jpgmag.com/photos/1840098
(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.)
When's the best
time to plant a tree? 15 years ago. When's the second-best time?
Today.
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
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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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