MSM CONNECTIONS
For the week of 11/28/04
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
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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
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"My son, if you accept my words and store up my commands within you, turning your ear to wisdom and applying your heart to understanding, and if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God." Proverbs 2:1-5 (NIV)
CONSIDER
"Be thankful for the smallest blessing, and you will deserve to receive greater. Value the least gifts no less than the greatest, and simple graces as especial favors. If you remember the dignity of the Giver, no gift will seem small or mean, for nothing can be valueless that is given by the most high God." Thomas á Kempis
THE VALUE OF THINKING
WELL
Here's an excerpt of an interview with Dallas Richards:
Q: You write quite a lot about the soul, and how it's important that we, as modern people, bring back the biblical idea of the soul. How do we do this in a culture where in so many ways, the biologists and the psychologists have become our priests and prophets?
DW: (laughter) Well, now you're into something really big ... The answer is: we didn't lose the concept of the soul overnight. It took a century and a half to get rid of it, and it was not gotten rid of on a legitimate basis, but on a basis of a series of philosophical misunderstandings that still plague us today-the most important one being that human life can be accounted for in physiological and chemical terms. Now, the fact is that we aren't even about to begin to get started [doing] that. It's just that that is our faith today! Our culture's faith is in the sciences, and we don't think of God and we don't think of the spiritual aspect of the person as real. We still talk about it, of course, in endless discussions on public television or on Oprah. But, religion and spirituality is generally treated like this in our culture: it's a big discussion and sells lots of books, but it's not supposed to deal with anything that's factual.....
Q: How do we, as Christians, respond to this desire for the supernatural?
DW: Well, we should respond to it in a very simple and straightforward way that amounts to nothing less than saying, "Take Jesus and His teachings, and put them to the test of experience; put them into practice and see what reality emerges from that." If you want to know the reality of any view, you have to put it to the test, and that's what we want to say to people: put Jesus to the test.
You know, what we need to do as Christians is to learn to think carefully and well. And that means, as Paul says, try all things, put everything to the test. But you know, we're really quite lazy mentally as Christians. We don't feel, I believe, that God is really on the side of thinking or thinking on the side of God, and as a result, we don't discipline ourselves to think. Now, I must tell you there are a lot of young Christians who are coming through the universities now who are good thinkers. I think we're really going to see a change in the future on this. J.P. Moreland has a wonderful book: Love God With All Your Mind, which is a beautiful expression of the right approach to these issues. Then we don't have to worry about modernism or postmodernism, or anything else. We just put everything to the test.
Read this in full at
http://makeashorterlink.com/?C290229D9
REVIEW OF THE POLAR
EXPRESS
Michael Karounos (Christian Spotlight), who describes the film as "darkly mysterious and faintly menacing," sees a Christian allegory in the three guides on the childrens' journey in the wonderful movie, The Polar Express: "The children learn what their peculiar faults are and how they must overcome them. In this sense, it bears a strong likeness to the "Wizard of Oz" in that it has four characters sharing a journey to a magic city where they receive the knowledge about themselves they were lacking. Thematically, it is even more similar to John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress because of the underlying spiritual theme of belief....Santa is the Father figure who rewards belief, the ghost is the Holy Ghost who saves the boy's life, and the Conductor is the Christ-like figure through whom alone the children can go to Santa's city. Seen in such a light, the movie is a striking Christian allegory of seeking God, finding faith, and earning redemption as a reward. The Christian symbols will not be evident to non-believers, but they may give pleasure to believers...."
Read this review in full at
http://makeashorterlink.com/?D3A0219D9
FUNNY DEFINITIONS
Once again, The Washington Post has published its yearly contest in which readers are asked to supply alternate meanings for various words. No boos, please.
1. Coffee (n.), a person who is coughed upon.
2. Flabbergasted (adj.), appalled over how much weight you have gained.
3. Abdicate (v.), to give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach.
4. Esplanade (v.), to attempt an explanation while drunk.
5. Negligent (adj.), describes a condition in which you absent-mindedly answer the door in your nightgown.
6. Lymph (v.), to walk with a lisp.
7. Gargoyle (n.), an olive-flavored mouthwash.
8. Flatulence (n.) The emergency vehicle that picks you up after you are run over by a steamroller.
9. Balderdash (n.), a rapidly receding hairline.
10. Rectitude (n.), the formal, dignified demeanor assumed by a proctologist immediately before he examines you.
11. Oyster (n.), a person who sprinkles his conversation with Yiddish expressions.
12. Pokemon (n), A Jamaican proctologist.
13. Frisbeetarianism (n.), The belief that, when you die, your soul goes up on the roof and gets stuck there.
WHEN YOUR GIRL
DISCOVERS BOYS
by Mark A. Tabb
"Every father of a daughter knows it will come some day. I knew it ever since the doctor in the delivery room said, "It's a girl!" But as the father of three girls, I still wasn't prepared when the day actually arrived.
"My daughter has discovered boys.
"The ghastly moment of awakening came during a joyful time for our family. My middle daughter celebrated her 9th birthday in true female fashion: She filled our house with fourth-grade girls. Ponytails and curls everywhere, 11 girls in all. They did all the girl birthday party things -- played games, laughed uncontrollably, listened to loud music and painted one another's fingernails lime green. We served piizza and gallons of Pepsi and just when I began to enjoy the party, the topic of discussion turned to their new favorite subject -- boys...."
Read this humorous article at
http://www.newmanmag.com/article.php?sid=414
THE FUTURE OF
LEADERSHIP
"(Max) De Pree points to four critical questions that leaders must ponder consistently over the course of their leading:
1. What is my purpose in life?
2. What do I owe?
3. What will I promise?
4. What may I keep?
"De Pree insightfully notes that as a society we need to care more about faithfulness than success, more about the potential of communities than individual accomplishment, and more about inclusiveness than winning. The values of society are not always the best guide and indeed often fail to reflect the true essence of leadership. If leadership is to survive, there must be an environment of high moral standards among leaders and followers, and this has the best chance of coming to expression as faith-based leaders live out their core convictions and Christian faith in everyday life and work."
Read the full article at
http://makeashorterlink.com/?I4B0259D9
ARE YOU SEEING CLEARLY?
Earth's crammed with heaven,
And every common bush alive with God;
And only he who sees takes off his shoes
The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries.
Elizabeth Barrett Browning
VERSE TO PONDER
"Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you." Matthew 5:10-12 (NIV)
CONSIDER
"What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family." Mother Teresa
KEEP THE NEWS FROM SHAPING
YOUR WORLDVIEW
by Henry Blackaby
"The constant negative images of war, murder, child abuse and crime have the potential to actually change who we are without our knowing. For instance, if we watch constant violence, we can become quick to anger and slow to forgive. If we watch government, corporate and religious corruption, we might become cynical and skeptical of leaders everywhere. Others will then experience these shifts in our behavior. We don't, however, have to allow the news to shape us in this way. We can escape its influence. But to do this we need to prepare our hearts for it, for out of the heart flows the issues of life (Proverbs 4:23)..."
Read this commentary in full at
http://makeashorterlink.com/?U3C0529D9
RENEW YOUR EMPTY NEST
MARRIAGE
Here are 10 dates you and your wife can use to revive your relationship now that your children have left home:
* Date One: Celebrate the Empty Nest. Realize that the transition from having kids at home to having an empty nest is significant and can be stressful. First, get some rest. Resist filling up your time with new activities right away just to stay busy; instead, think and pray about what you really want to do, and why. Don't make any major changes (like changing jobs or moving) immediately. Enjoy the peace and quiet you have at home. For your date, go to a relaxing place together and discuss your dreams and disappointments so far in life. Talk about your shared values, and focus on how you can have a fulfilling future together.
* Date Two: Become a Couple Again. On this date, focus on how you can reconnect as a couple by developing greater intimacy. Take the time to grieve the fact that your children are on their own now, and release them to live as adults by doing something to bring closure to their childhoods. One way you can do this is by writing each a letter expressing how glad you are that they have grown up to become the people they are. Make a list of the interests you and your spouse have in common. Plan to pursue these things together.
* Date Three: Rediscover "Intimate Talk." Try to communicate on a deeper, more intimate level with your spouse on this date. Start by identifying your personal communication style. Practice healthy communication by being positive rather than negative, using "I" statements that describe what you think and feel while avoiding "you" statements that place blame or "why" questions that attack your spouse, and seeking to understand your spouse's perspective by genuinely listening to him or her. Give your spouse your full attention when he or she is speaking. When you're the one speaking, watch your body language and tone of voice to make sure that you're conveying respect. Make this date the start of many regularly scheduled couple communication times.
For the rest, see "10 Great Dates for Empty Nesters", copyright 2004 by David and Claudia Arp.
CONSIDER
"What we have been told is how we men can be drawn into Christ -- can become part of that wonderful present which the young Prince of the universe wants to offer to His Father -- that present which is Himself and therefore us in Him. It is the only thing we were made for. And there are strange, exciting hints in the Bible that when we are drawn in, a great many other things in Nature will begin to come right. The bad dream will be over: it will be morning." C. S. Lewis (1898-1963), Mere Christianity [1952]
VERSE TO PONDER
"Let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you." Psalm 5:11 (NIV)
THIS WEEK'S HYMN:
ANGELS FROM THE REALMS OF GLORY
Words: James Montgomery, 1816
Music: Henry T. Smart, 1867
Angels from the realms of glory,
Wing your flight o'er all the earth;
Ye who sang creation's story
Now proclaim Messiah's birth.
Refrain
Come and worship, come and worship,
Worship Christ, the newborn King.
Shepherds, in the field abiding,
Watching o'er your flocks by night,
God with us is now residing;
Yonder shines the infant light:
Refrain
Sages, leave your contemplations,
Brighter visions beam afar;
Seek the great Desire of nations;
Ye have seen His natal star.
Refrain
Saints, before the altar bending,
Watching long in hope and fear;
Suddenly the Lord, descending,
In His temple shall appear.
Refrain
Sinners, wrung with true repentance,
Doomed for guilt to endless pains,
Justice now revokes the sentence,
Mercy calls you; break your chains.
Refrain
Though an Infant now we view Him,
He shall fill His Father's throne,
Gather all the nations to Him;
Every knee shall then bow down:
Refrain
All creation, join in praising
God, the Father, Spirit, Son,
Evermore your voices raising
To th'eternal Three in One.
Refrain
>from CyberHymnal at
http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/a/f/afrglory.htm
PROTECT LANDSCAPING
FROM ANIMAL DAMAGE
In winter, some landscape plants become a food source for rabbits, mice, or moles. When their normal food supply is covered with ice or snow for an extended period, rodents turn to the bark and young stems of apple, flowering crabapple, mountain ash, hawthorn, euonymous, and viburnum, and others. Rodents can kill a plant by eating the outer bark all the way around a plant's trunk or stem. The bark contains the cells that transport water and nutrients to the upper part of the plant.
Protect stems and trunks in late autumn with trunk protectors (plastic collars that are cut in a spiral fashion so you can slip it around the trunk). You can also use hardware cloth (small-mesh wire screen) as a stem wrap.
In addition, you can spray or paint trunks, stems, and lower limbs with rodent repellants available from garden centers. Repeat the application at least once during a warm period in midwinter.
ON PRAYER
"I call on You, O God, for You will answer me; give ear to me and hear my prayer. Show the wonder of Your great love, You who save by Your right hand those who take refuge in You from their foes." Psalm 17:6-7 (NIV)
CRITICAL PRAYER
REQUESTS FOR STRATEGIC NATIONS
We're praying for our fellow believers in a different nation each week.
Please pray for...United States of America
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/us.html
The Christian Church is not impacting the nation as it should. The USA needs revival, yet the word 'revival' has been debased to mean slick mass evangelism and theatrics. The need of the hour is a true revival with conviction of sin, repentance and an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. These are some of the prayer challenges for the 21st Century Church:
a) The need for biblical holiness in a time when Christians display little difference in values and lifestyle to non-Christians. Superficiality and materialism are more characteristic than dedication and passion for Jesus and doing His will. The succession of high-profile failures of televangelists, Christian leaders in the church and in politics and the high rate of divorce among church-goers all underline the need. Pray that Christians may repent of carnality, be revived and help to change rather than mimic culture.
b) A deep commitment to the authority and veracity of the Bible. Effective expository preaching and solid teaching on the basic doctrines of the faith are not widely evident. The prevailing tolerant pluralism has brought widespread loss of certainty about the Bible and a creeping universalism which cripples vision for evangelism and missions.
c) Spiritual unity. The Church in the USA is seriously divided on several key issues and needs prayer. A number of Christians in mainline denominations tilt towards the politically-correct left in supporting pro-choice (abortions) a feminist agenda and gay marriages. Many Catholics, Orthodox and most conservative Protestants would oppose these. Numerous Bible-believing denominations wage war over issues such as eschatology, gifts of the Spirit, definitions of biblical inerrancy, length of the days of creation, etc., while issues of world evangelization are sidelined. Pray for repentance, a seeking after God's priorities and that, through love and grace, a sensitive and balanced handling of divisive areas might be found.
http://www.gmi.org/ow/index.html
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
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).
PRAY FOR THESE
BROTHERS
* Bro. Johnie Gray
* Bro. Larry Powell
* Minister Arnold Whitehead
* Pastor Marvin Gray, Sr.
* Bro. Jack Pratt
* Bro. Lester Wilkerson
* Bro. James Green
* Minister Timothy Pulliam
* Bro. Patrick Wilkerson
* Minister Tony Hampton
[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.
See your personality in colors
http://www.chinapaint.com/eng/flash/colorandme_en.swf
Burn Prevention
http://www.traumaburn.org/traumaburn/
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.)
At all times praise the Lord.
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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: http://www.newjoydivine.org/
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