MSM CONNECTIONS
For the week of 07/04
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.
===== /\ =====
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.
===== /\ =====
"[By] trusting me [Jesus], you will be unshakable and assured, deeply at peace. In this godless world you will continue to experience difficulties. But take heart! I've conquered the world." John 16:33 (Msg)
CONSIDER
This outer world is but the pictured scroll
Of worlds within the soul;
A colored chart, a blazoned missal-book
Wherein who rightly look
May spell the splendors with their mortal eyes,
And steer to Paradise.
Alfred Noyes (1880-1958)
AN EVANGELICAL
DECLARATION
The National Association of Evangelicals has posted the draft document of its major declaration: For the Health of the Nation: An Evangelical Call to Civic Responsibility. "For three years, the National Association of Evangelicals has been quietly putting together a major document on civic engagement -- or, in the vernacular, politics. The 12-page draft document represents the depth and breadth of evangelical thinking on the issue, and few evangelicals will find their views unrepresented. In large part, that's because the co-chairs -- Evangelicals for Social Action's Ron Sider and the Institute on Religion and Democracy's Dianne Knippers -- generally represent the two ends of the spectrum of evangelicals' social concerns." (The Los Angeles Times)
>From the document: "Although we have the privilege to help shape the actions of the world's lone superpower, only half of all evangelical Christians bother to vote...."
Read the document at
http://www.nae.net/images/civic_responsibility.pdf
<a href="http://www.nae.net/images/civic_responsibility.pdf"> Or click here</a>
UNDERSTANDING AMERICAN
EVANGELICALS
A Conversation with Mark Noll and Jay Tolson
"...In the evangelical movement that began with revivalists like Whitefield, John and Charles Wesley, and Jonathan Edwards and would spread over the course of centuries to touch every continent of the globe, the foundation was unswerving belief in the need for conversion ("the new birth") and the necessity of a life of active holiness ("the power of godliness"). Despite many later twists and turns, the path that Whitefield marked out in the mid-eighteenth century is still the one that American evangelicals follow in the early twenty-first century. To illuminate that path I will try to do four things: (1) define "evangelical," (2) sketch the history behind contemporary evangelical movements, (3) estimate the number of evangelicals, and (4) explain why historic evangelical hymnody offers a glimpse of evangelical Christianity at its best....
"...American evangelicals are participating fully in the increasing turn to images that is replacing the historic Protestant reliance on the written word. A culture dominated by television, advertising, and therapy has presented both problems and opportunities for evangelical outreach. What it has not provided is unity. As people who have served on the worship committee of a local evangelical church know well, evangelicalism embraces a full spectrum of musical tastes and a thoroughly diverse set of responses to contemporary culture -- from those who race to baptize the most visible products of modern life to those who reject soft rock, client-centered preaching, and the cult of celebrity as dangerous threats to the faith...."
Read this in full at
http://www.eppc.org/publications/pubID.2115/pub_detail.asp
<a href="http://www.eppc.org/publications/pubID.2115/pub_detail.asp"> Or click here</a>
SPIDER-MAN 2
For parents to consider "Spider-Man 2 generally deserves its rating for stylized action violence, though it's a light PG-13; 8-10 year olds can probably handle it. The violence is intense and implied, but never graphic. One character is killed by broken glass, though nothing is shown. Doc Ock makes a terrifying escape from a hospital, attacking (killing?) several doctors in a scene that plays out like a sci-fi horror film, but it's bloodless comic violence. Spider-Man gets a little cut and bruised from his battles. Otherwise, the movie is surprisingly wholesome -- no sexual content or language to worry about."
Read the movie review at
http://www.christianitytoday.com/movies/reviews/spiderman2.html
<a href="http://www.christianitytoday.com/movies/reviews/spiderman2.html"> Or click here</a>
Discussion starters for after the movie (from the above webpage):
1. Why do bad things happen to good people? Can we escape our problems by insulating ourselves or shirking responsibilities?
2. Are we defined by our actions or the people we spend time with? What roles do responsibility and duty play in shaping our identity?
3. One character says that doing the right thing sometimes means giving up your dreams. Do you agree? When should you look out for yourself and when should you look out for others? What choice do we have and how do we decide?
JULY 11 WEBCAST TO
MOBILIZE CHRISTIANS ON MARRIAGE DEBATE
On the eve of the Senate debate on the Federal Marriage Amendment, churches across the country will participate in an Internet and satellite simulcast July 11 with the goal of educating and mobilizing evangelicals on the issue of same-sex "marriage." It's part of "Protect Marriage Sunday." Pro-family organizations are encouraging pastors to preach on marriage on the morning of July 11 and for churches to host the marriage simulcast that evening. The U.S. Senate is scheduled to debate the Federal Marriage Amendment beginning July 12.
Titled "The Battle for Marriage: Imminent Vote," the highspeed webcast will originate from Bellevue Baptist Church in suburban Memphis, Tenn. Confirmed speakers for the event are Focus on the Family Chairman James Dobson, Prison Fellowship Chairman Charles Colson, and Washington state pastor Ken Hutcherson, who organized a large pro-marriage rally in May in Seattle. Bellevue Pastor Adrian Rogers and Family Research Council President Tony Perkins also will appear.
This webcast is the result of a partnership including Focus on the Family and the National Association of Evangelicals. Information on this and future simulcasts is available at
<a href="http://www.wevotevalues.com"> Or click here</a>
HOW IS MARRIAGE DOING?
More people are getting divorced, more kids are living with single parents and more grandparents are playing a mother or father role for their grandkids. This is a report on marriage from FOX News that claims to use the most recent statistics and facts available.
http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,120017,00.html
<a href="http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,120017,00.html"> Or click here</a>
REALITY TV MORE VULGAR
THAN SCRIPTED SHOWS
Reality television shows, which composed at least 20% of the prime-time schedule during the February sweeps period, have grown "qualitatively and quantitatively coarser" than their scripted counterparts, according to a new study by the Parents Television Council.
Researchers examined the first four episodes of 29 network reality series broadcast from June 2002 to August 2003 and found 1,135 instances of foul language, 492 instances of sex – either visual act or verbal reference -- and 30 instances of violence for an average of 14.5 instances of offensive content per hour. The results, which came from the examination of 114.5 hours of programming, indicate a 52.6% overall increase from a similar PTC study in October 2002.
The current study said there was an average of 3.5 more instances per hour of sex and foul language on reality series than on scripted series, something that PTC warns should concern parents.
For the complete Parents Television Council study on reality television, visit
<a href="http://www.parentstv.org"> Or click here</a>
Read the above article in full at
http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=18591
<a href="http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=18591"> Or click here</a>
VERSE TO PONDER
"What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?" - Romans 8:31 (NIV)
CONSIDER
"God is more anxious to bestow His blessings on us than we are to receive them." St. Augustine
AMERICA'S HEART &
SOUL MOVIE
America's Heart & Soul is a beautifully photographed celebration of what is good in the USA. The documentary shows individuals around the country, from Thomas Roudy Roudebush, one of the last cowboys in Colorado, to dairy farmer-musician George Woodard, to aerobatic pilot Patty Wagstaff, to Olympic boxer Michael Bennett, to blind mountain climber Erik Weihenmayer, who is climbing the tallest peak on each of the seven continents, to jazz musician James Andrews, to oil well firefighter Ace Barnes, to gospel singer Mosie Burks, and many more. "America's Heart & Soul presents captivating portraits of people full of faith and values. In the process, it teaches us something about America and something about the soul." Ted Baehr, publisher, THE MOVIEGUIDE.
http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/heartandsoul/flash.html
<a href="http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/heartandsoul/flash.html"> Or click here</a>
Four books try to break, crack, or decode the deception
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2004/006/28.57.html
<a href="http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2004/006/28.57.html"> Or click here</a>
A roundup of the many anti-Da Vinci Code books from Christian publishers
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2004/124/32.0.html
<a href="http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2004/124/32.0.html"> Or click here</a>
* VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL!!! Come join us for a week of fun and knowledge. Monday through Friday July 12 – 16 at 6:30 pm. The week will culminate with a picnic on July 17th. Click here for details.
* Get prepared for the Christian Marriage Enrichment Ministry’s (CME) Las Vegas outing! July 18–21, 2004. See Minister Shonnette Collier for details. Download flyer <here> (Acrobat ReaderTM needed).
* Invite your family and friends to join us on July 25, 2004. Awards and prizes for such activities as: Most Family Members Present, Family Member Present That Traveled The Farthest, Family With The Most Guests Present, etc… Come join the fun and get the Word “to boot.”
UH-OH
More than 20% of men and 10% of women admit they've forgotten their own wedding anniversary. (Nashville Tennessean)
THE DASH
A minister stood to speak at the funeral of his friend. He referred to the dates on her tombstone
>From the beginning to the end
He noted that first came the date of her birth,
And spoke of the second date with tears,
But he said what mattered most of all
Was the dash between those years.
For that dash represents all the time
That she spent alive on earth,
And now only those who loved her
Know what that dash is worth.
For it matters not how much we own;
the cars, the house, the cash.
What matters most is how we live,
And how we spend our dash.
So think about this long & hard,
Are there things you'd like to change?
For you never know what time is left;
You could be at "dash, mid-range."
If we could just slow down enough,
To see what's true & real,
And always try to understand
The way that others feel.
And be less quick to anger,
And show appreciation more,
and love the people in our lives
Like we've never loved before.
If we treat each other with respect,
And more often wear a smile,
Keeping in mind this special dash
Might last but a little while.
So when your eulogy's being read,
Your life's actions to rehash,
Would you smile at the things being said
About how you spent your dash?
(Source: Linda Ellis)
A WELL-KNOWN MONK
A wandering monk walked barefoot everywhere he went, to the point that the soles of his feet eventually became quite thick and leathery. And because he ate very little, he gradually became very frail. Several days often passed between opportunities to brush his teeth, so he usually had bad breath. Therefore, throughout the region, he came to be known as the super-calloused fragile mystic plagued with halitosis.
CHRISTIAN FAITH AND
SPORTS
* Dwight Howard
Howard has plenty of faith, professionally and personally. "It's not about just basketball. It's about changing people's lives on the court and off the court," says Dwight Howard....
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/draft/2004-06-23-howard-cover_x.htm
<a href="http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/draft/2004-06-23-howard-cover_x.htm"> Or click here</a>
* Dusty Baker
'You can be a Christian and be hard-nosed.' When he talks about his faith, and the spiritual journey that brought him to Chicago, Cubs manager Dusty Baker describes a kind of existential tug-of-war between the Good Dusty and the Bad Dusty....
http://www.suntimes.com/output/falsani/cst-nws-spirit13.html
<a href="http://www.suntimes.com/output/falsani/cst-nws-spirit13.html"> Or click here</a>
A NEW GENERATION
SPREADS THE WORD
"Cameron Strang, 28, is a well-disguised evangelist. Three silver hoops in his ears. Stubble-haze beard. Casually hip duds that the Fab Five from Queer Eye wouldn't change. No plans to preach. No pulpit. Yet he's hot-wired to a generation of young adult Christians he says are "on fire with faith" -- a generation that eludes many churches, retailers and publishers...."
Read this article at
http://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/2004-06-23-christian-mag_x.htm
<a href="http://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/2004-06-23-christian-mag_x.htm"> Or click here</a>
VERSE TO PONDER
"Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me." Psalm 54:4 (NIV)
NOTHING'S CERTAIN
BUT... TAXES
It's fatalistic and 'deathist' to believe dying is inevitable -- or necessary to give life meaning. That's the view of the Transhumanist movement, which believes that by using technology and integrating their bodies with machines, humans can avoid aging and eventually live forever. The Bible says, "It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment" (Heb. 9:27). But transhumanism doesn't adhere to that. Read their statement about the possibility of living forever (on earth) here
http://www.beliefnet.com/story/147/story_14786_1.html
<a href="http://www.beliefnet.com/story/147/story_14786_1.html"> Or click here</a>
CONSIDER
Before being hanged as a Revolutionary War spy, Nathan Hale said, "I regret that I have but one life to give for my country." If faced with death for our faith, could we courageously say, "I regret that I have but one life to give for my savior"?
Mark your calendars for the weekend of August 27-29, 2004 at the Hickory Ridge Marriott Conference Hotel in Lisle Illinois where we will have our annual Men’s Conference. Theme: “The Fruit Of The Spirit.” Come and be blessed during this time of fellowship and ministry. Contact Minister Maurice Collier or Minister Frank Coleman. Visit the church’s web site: www.newjoydivine.org, go to the Men’s ministry page [>>Ministries>>Men Servants Ministry (MSM)] for details or download a registration form <here>.
THIS WEEK'S HYMN: BATTLE
HYMN OF THE REPUBLIC
Words: Julia W. Howe, 1861
Music: "John Brown's Body," 19th Century American camp meeting tune
Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword;
His truth is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on.
I have seen Him in the watch fires of a hundred circling camps
They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;
I can read His righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps;
His day is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! His day is marching on.
I have read a fiery Gospel writ in burnished rows of steel;
"As ye deal with My condemners, so with you My grace shall deal";
Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with His heel,
Since God is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Since God is marching on.
He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
He is sifting out the hearts of men before His judgment seat;
Oh, be swift, my soul, to answer Him! be jubilant, my feet;
Our God is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Our God is marching on.
In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me:
As He died to make men holy, let us live to make men free;
[originally ...let us die to make men free]
While God is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! While God is marching on.
He is coming like the glory of the morning on the wave,
He is wisdom to the mighty, He is honor to the brave;
So the world shall be His footstool, and the soul of wrong His slave,
Our God is marching on.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah! Our God is marching on.
>from CyberHymnal at
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/b/h/bhymnotr.htm
<a href="http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/b/h/bhymnotr.htm"> Or click here</a>
GASOLINE PRICES
You expect gas prices to increase during the summer months because demand goes up when people drive more. But other factors have also contributed to recent increases. If you want to know why prices have gone up so much, get "A Primer on Gasoline Prices" from the Department of Energy. Find out why gas prices fluctuate and why it costs more in certain regions.
http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/cars/primer-gas/primergas.htm
<a href="http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/cic_text/cars/primer-gas/primergas.htm"> Or click here</a>
ON PRAYER
"To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing." Martin Luther
CRITICAL PRAYER
REQUESTS FOR STRATEGIC NATIONS
We're praying for our fellow believers in a different nation each week.
Please pray for...IRAQ
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/iz.html
<a href="http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/iz.html"> Or click here</a>
Christians worldwide are being urged to pray for Iraq as the Iraqi interim government assumed control of the war-torn country from the U.S.-led occupation. International Prayer Council, a worldwide network of prayer movements, has issued a Global Prayer Call relating to the hand over of power. "We feel it's right that we mobilize special prayer ... for the situation in Iraq," British prayer leader Brian Mills said. Operation World is also encouraging Christians to stand in the gap for Iraq during the transition.
In Baghdad, a Christian worker with a heart for Iraqis is asking Christians to pray, Baptist Press (BP) reported. "Several Iraqi men were killed this morning in Baghdad as they left their homes to go to work for American companies," the worker said on June 21. "This is a continuing effort to destabilize the government and any companies working with the coalition."
The worker noted that several fellow workers live in areas of Baghdad where there is constant fighting. "Three of them have missed being in different bombings by just minutes," said the worker, adding that terrorist attacks are now targeting Iraqis even more than Westerners -- filling Iraqi hearts with fear, BP reported.
http://www.charismanow.com/a.php?ArticleID=9347
<a href="http://www.charismanow.com/a.php?ArticleID=9347"> Or click here</a>
http://www.gmi.org/ow/index.html
<a href="http://www.gmi.org/ow/index.html"> Or click here</a>
PRAY
* Min Lamont Smith
* Bro. Needle Wilson
* Pastor Alan Roundtree
* Elder William Moore
* Pastor Verdale Goines
[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.
Lady Liberty Fireworks
http://www.njagyouth.org/Liberty_.htm
<a href="http://www.njagyouth.org/Liberty_.htm"> Or click here</a>
Songs and Hymns
<a href="http://www.songsandhymns.org"> Or click here</a>
Freedemographics.com
http://www.freedemographics.com/
<a href="http://www.freedemographics.com/"> Or click here</a>
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.)
Some folks won't look up until they're flat on their backs.
Min. Frank Coleman, Editor
===== /\ =====
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
===== /\ =====
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 www.newjoydivine.org
<a href="http://www.newjoydivine.org"> AOL users click here</a>
===== /\ =====
To subscribe to MSM CONNECTIONS, send a message to [email protected] with "subscribe MSM" in the subject line.
To unsubscribe, send a message to [email protected] with "unsubscribe MSM" in the subject line.