September 2006 C&MA Men’s E-Newsletter

Impact
A man encountered a number of physical problems over the past year. He loves his job. Through the physical problems he is hearing the Lord say, ”take your eyes off your job and draw near to me."

A man was hesitant to step into a leadership position. With encouragement from his pastor he began to grow as a leader. He then played a key role in guiding his congregation through a period of transition.

A mature believer found himself caught up in a destructive behavior pattern. There was nothing he could do to break out of the pattern. He met with two brothers-in-Christ and they prayed that he would be liberated from the bondage he was experiencing. The inappropriate behavior stopped!

What is God doing in your life? Send your testimonies to editor@cmamen.org.

Pray for Men's Ministry on Thursdays

News
Recently Posted on www.cmamen.org:

Leaving a Legacy by Randy Knowles
Riding the Perfect Line by Art Lohman
Freed by the Spirit – three anonymous testimonies
Emerging from the Shadows by Anonymous
“Top Ten” Principles for Sexual Purity by David Smith
Building a Team by Les Tripp
Impact by Len Ruffner
What DO Fathers Do? by Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse

The Battle Has been Fought Before
Apparently, the battle to re-engage men in the church has been fought — and won — before. An earlier crusade to re-engage men reached churches, businesses — even the White House.

A fascinating book titled Muscular Christianity: Manhood and Sports in Protestant America, 1880-1920, catalogs an earlier movement to restore the masculine spirit in mainline Protestant churches. The movement was large and widespread, and ushered in an unprecedented period of health and prosperity for the churches that participated.

Since the late seventeenth century, American churches have had more women than men. By the Victorian era, men were largely absent from churches. The clergy had become dominated by feminized, bookish men who were described by one observer as, “pallid, puny, sedentary and lifeless.” To read more, go to Church for Men.

Life
Great Dads. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers. (Malachi 4:6) The Great Dads Vision is to see fathers across America turn their hearts to their children, thereby bringing joy to fathers strengthening families and renewing American society. The Mission is to motivate fathers to turn their hearts to their children and to train them to be Great Dads. The Challenge is to combat pervasive Father-Absence in America -- both physical absence and emotional-psychological absence -- by continually fanning the flames of a Great Dads movement. (Ministry/Website of the Month).

Riding the Perfect Line. I will admit that it probably does seem somewhat unusual to pull up to church on a sportbike and attend an elders meeting while unzipping racing leathers. But the Lord has called me and other brothers at the Island Alliance Church in Maryland to a lost people group of thousands of men who gather with their families on the weekends all over the country to race sportbikes. (Read More/Article of the Month)

Leadership

Fourth Seed Launch Team
Thousands of men have received our new devotional magazine, The Fourth Seed. They've used this tool to strengthen their relationships with God, start
small groups and Bible studies, and build leadership teams.

Launching this kind of resource requires a group effort. We need men who will use their sphere of influence to spread the word. Are you interested in
being a part of The Fourth Seed Launch Team?

This group helps us promote The Fourth Seed in their interactions with men. As a thank you, we will allow you to offer a discounted subscription, as well as receive a small portion of the total subscriptions to fund your own ministry efforts. So, not only will men get an opportunity to be spiritually fed everyday, but this effort can help you and your ministry.

Email lucyblair@maninthemirror.org for more information. Click here to learn more about The Fourth Seed.

Do you and your men have finances under control?
According to ABC News, in the last decade, while the average family's income grew by 9 percent, credit card debt has increased 81 percent; student loan debt is up 137 percent and mortgage debt jumped 154 percent. Click here for more information.

Money and the Man in the Mirror can help! Get a handle on your finances by using God's Word as your guide. 3 Part Series: Contentment, Promises, and Best Practices. Click here to learn more.

Reboot (with 1 Samuel 17:41-44)
The Enemy – Fear Much:
⁴⁴ “Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!” The enemy uses fear as a weapon to generate discouragement and freeze us in our tracks.

By advancing, Goliath made David aware of the difference in size, weapons and fighting skills.

Goliath’s message was that David was powerless. The visual and verbal message contrasts the difference in age and experience. He tells David that he is outclassed. He despises those who choose to fight without adequate or proper equipment.

The shield bearer who accompanied Goliath freed him to concentrate on the attack. The enemy brings his underlings along side in the battle. The appearance of two warriors creates the impression that we are alone in the battle, and overpowered.

Goliath comes to the battle with common weapons of war. This leads us to believe that we can defeat the enemy with similar weapons.

The issue is not the enemy. Rather, it is how we see the enemy. How do we respond under spiritual attack? Do we recognize that the battle is the Lord’s? Or, do we tackle the battle on our own with fear and apprehension? Do we think we are alone in the battle? How tall is our God?

If your Bible is falling apart, you probably aren't

Visit us at www.cmamen.org.

This issue marks the start of the second year of our newsletter partnership with Man in the Mirror. What would you like to see in this newsletter? editor@cmamen.org.