January 2006 C&MA Men’s E-Newsletter

New Year’s Greetings from Len Ruffner, National Director
Happy New Year! I trust that the Lord has been good to you in 2005. We have made positive strides in men’s ministry during the year. Looking ahead to 2006: In January, we will be rolling out an upgraded version of Blueprint, our leadership training package; we will be sending 11 new pastors in three teams on two-week short-term mission trips in March, May and June; and we will continue several projects to increase the awareness of the impact that ministry to men has on individuals, churches, districts and the Alliance. Our purpose is assist C&MA churches enlist, equip and deploy an army of men who seek to change their world. We are praying that the Lord will richly bless and encourage you in the battle for the souls of men in 2006.

Impact

Four men in the church meet on Saturday mornings at 7:00 a.m. to pray for the men in the church. Six months after they began, one of the men they had been praying for accepted Christ, another was healed, and a third recommitted his life to the Lord.

On a Saturday, a doctor diagnosed the sudden onset of severe pain in a man’s shoulder as arthritis and prescribed a large dose of Motrin four times a day to relieve the pain.  On Sunday the man went forward for anointing for healing.  The Motrin did not touch the pain so he quit taking it.  Several days later he realized that the pain was gone.  He has not been bothered since!

What is God doing in your life? Send your testimonies to men@cmamad.org.

News

PK 2006 Schedule Available
Many men remember the first Promise Keepers event they went to. For many, it was life-changing. Don’t miss the opportunity to bring a group of men to a rally near you in 2006. The updated schedule is available now at www.promisekeepers.org. From New York to California, Michigan to Texas, PK will be all over the country in ’06.

As you are organizing your men to go, don’t forget to think about what you’ll do after the event. The worst thing you can do is get your guys spiritually revved up and then fail to give them a next step. Need ideas? Start with Man in the Mirror’s online men’s ministry mini-course: http://www.maninthemirror.org/ltc/courses/mini-course

Another Look at the Divorce Rates
…it should be realized that the "close to 50%" divorce rate refers to the percentage of marriages entered into during a particular year that are projected to end in divorce or separation before one spouse dies. Such projections assume that the divorce and death rates occurring that year will continue indefinitely into the future-an assumption that is useful more as an indicator of the instability of marriages in the recent past than as a predictor of future events. In fact, the divorce rate has been dropping, slowly, since reaching a peak around 1980, and the rate could be lower (or higher) in the future than it is today. (emphasis added)

From http://www.divorcereform.org/real.html, quoting Rose M. Kreider and Jason M. Fields, "Number, Timing and Duration of Marriages and Divorces, 1996," Current Population Reports, P70-80, Washington, DC: US Census Bureau, 2002.

A healthy discipleship strategy helps men become Godly husbands and fathers. How does your ministry to men support the men of your church and their marriages?

Life

Featured Ministry/Website
On Target Ministries is dedicated to helping people answer the two most important questions in life.  How am I made uniquely and why am I here?  OTM believe that understanding how God has made us, (our natural gifts) and why we are here (His vision for our life) are the secrets to living out a life of real significance. Please take the time to explore our site and look into our dynamic events and exciting interactive resources designed to help you grow. Go to www.otm.org.

Leadership

Elevate 2006
National Coalition of Men’s Ministries (NCMM) Spring Conference. April 20-22, 2006, Omni Interlocken Hotel, 500 Interlocken Blvd, Broomfield, CO 80021. Keynote speakers will be:  David Murrow, the director of Church for Men, a non-profit ministry dedicated to restoring a healthy masculine spirit in the local church. He is the author of Why Men Hate Going to Church (Thomas Nelson, 2005) and H.B. London, Jr. vice president of Ministry Outreach/Pastoral Ministries for Focus on the Family. Check www.ncmm.org/conference.cfm. The conference will include 20-30 workshops on men’s ministry led by national men’s ministry leaders.

Reboot (with 1 Samuel 17:12-15)

David was a Humble Servant
...15 but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father’s sheep at Bethlehem.  When we meet David in Chapter 17, he is portrayed as a humble, obedient servant.  He appears not to be distracted by the excitement of battle, continuing his duties as courier for his father and then retuning to his shepherd duties.  There is no mention in this chapter of David’s duties as a musician in Saul’s court.  We might assume that his services as musician were not required on the battle field. Do you find contentment in working behind the scenes?

The World
Do the arithmetic. Jesse had eight sons (1 Sam 16:10-11). Three were on the battlefield and David was a courier. That leaves four invisible brothers.  They were not in the army.  The future of Israel was at stake yet these brothers were not involved.  They exhibited a passive response to the threat.  They were not engaged in the battle.  They were not even on the sidelines. Where are you in the battle for the souls of men?

Don’t leave home without Him (the Holy Spirit)!