C&MA Men Living the Adventure

When the people crossed the Red Sea there was water on both sides. Certain death faced them on the right and left and Pharaoh’s army from behind. It was cross or die! The Lord created a path across the Red Sea. He saved them.

When the people crossed the Jordan River there was no water in sight. Death was not a factor. The people moved across voluntarily. They were not under duress! The Lord provided them with access into the abundant life! The Lord pushed the water back, opening the way into the Promised Land.

Have you crossed the Jordan into the land flowing with milk and honey. Have you made Jesus the Lord of your life? Have your experienced the abundant life? Have your men made that crossing? Are you being intentional about leading your men into the Promised Land?

A man reported that Satan had convinced him that because he was a man he was helpless to control his strong sexual desires. Circumstances forced him into a battle and God freed him of his bondage. Since then, God has led him into mentoring and relational development with other men. He states that, “Sexual impurity is the result of wrong thinking which, in fact, can be changed.” He encourages men caught up in this battle to check out “Every Man’s Battle” produced by New Life Ministries (formerly Minerith Meyer). “When men are introduced to the concepts of this ministry, they begin to have hope. Men can come along side each other and find hope for a struggle that has affected them for years, in some cases,” he reports.

NEWS
Cedar Rapids Relief. The C&MA Church of Cedar Rapids, IA is pleading for help in rebuilding many homes that were damaged by the floods this past summer. They have seen many new families come to church following their help with the cleaning up of homes and businesses. They are in need of volunteers to help rebuild homes and lives. Contact information for Rodger is: rodger@thrivenet.org or by phone (402)330-1888.

NEW ON THE WEBSITE:
The following Resources have been added to the website over the past month:

Revised C&MA Men’s Ministry Policies – (About Our Ministry)
Summary of Summer 2008 Leadership Team Meetings – (About Our Ministry-Archive)

MINISTRY OF THE MONTH
Gateway Fellowship Church, Sacramento, CA.
(www.gatewayfellowship.net/gatekeeper/index.html)

"Our Men's Ministry is continuing to grow. We have weekly meetings we call Brotherhoods that meet at different times. Each consists of 3 to 6 men. The main focus is to share our lives with each other thru studying a book together like Wild at Heart. Each Brotherhood also does activities together, hunting, sail-boating, fishing, computer games like Halo, snow boarding, etc.

Each Brotherhood chooses what it wants to do. We encourage the men to commit to six months at a time and then take a break, start a new group or stay with the original group.

We tried to have a monthly men's fellowship, but it was just too much so we changed it to every 3 months. We have a guest speaker. Last summer we held a men-only BBQ and then in August we sponsored a Church Family BBQ.

We started a yearly retreat in 2007 and we are calling it our Boot Camp for the Soul. We are using Wild at Heart Boot Camp. Activities at the retreat included paintball and other activities. In 2007 it was one night and a day. This year it was Friday night through Sunday until 1:00 PM. We had 51 men this year. We will be having it every year in May.

We have also started what we call Point-men over different parts of our Ministry. For example, two or three men are Point-men over our Brotherhoods. They are not just leaders but supporters of each Brotherhood.” For more information contact Mike Swain at 916-254-0247.

What is God doing in your men’s ministry?
Let us know at editor@cmamen.org.

PERSONAL TOOLKIT

Silent Sufferers: The Problem of Sexual Abuse Among Men by Charles Waller.

Aaron would jump up and get in the face of anyone who looked at him wrong. When mad at someone, he would get so frustrated trying not to hit him or her. He would hit the walls until his hands bled in a rage so he wouldn't hurt someone else. Name calling, like teenagers tend to do, would push him over the edge. Gritting his teeth with veins in his neck flaring out, he would finally run. Not far, but far enough so that no one would see him shake and cry in a primeval anger until... Read More here. (Article of the Month).

LEADERSHIP TOOLKIT

Tool: Pastoring Men. Reaching men is one of the great strategic opportunities-and needs-of our time. Instead of the "men problem," some quarters need to start seeing the "men opportunity." Pastors are the logical choice. Pastors bring grace to the equation. They see men not so much for what they are, but for what they can become in Christ. Pastors are the ones whom God has called to instruct, encourage, correct, challenge, inspire, and call men to "act like a man." This is a significant yet solvable problem. There is no human or spiritual reason why we can't get this done. Of course, "it" will take time and dedication.

The purpose of this book is to equip you to more effectively pastor all of your men. God's vision is that every man in your church becomes a disciple of Jesus. Men's ministry needs to be redefined so that it is all-inclusive. This is a book about why and how to disciple every man in your church.

Go to pastoringmen.com to read an extensive excerpt and to order this book for yourself or your pastor.

Idea: Motorcycle Ministry. Honorbound Motorcycle Ministry (HBMM) is a ministry to REACH bikers and motorcyclists with the gospel, to TRAIN Christian motorcyclists in evangelism and discipleship, and to BUILD a network of churches that are enthusiastic about this unusual ministry. With over eight million bikers in the U.S. there is an incredible window of opportunity for us - if we are willing to move out of our comfort zones and embrace bikers and motorcyclists in our communities. HBMM is a church based motorcycle ministry. Assemblies of God U.S. Missions Motorcycle Chaplains and HBMM are committed to helping you take the next step in developing a ministry strategy for reaching motorcycle enthusiasts everywhere. HBMM is the official national motorcycle ministries of Assemblies of God U.S. Missions and is affiliated with HonorBound Men's Ministries. It is currently available for Assemblies of God churches. For more information, click here.

Clich here to download past issues and scroll down to C&MA Men’s Ministry.

Subscribe to this e Newsletter: If someone forwarded this to you and you would like to subscribe go to the Man in the Mirror eNewsletter page. On the eNewsletter page, enter your e-mail address in the space provided and “Go” to the subscription page. Check the boxes for the newsletters you wish to receive on the left and enter your profile data on the right. Then click Subscribe at the bottom of the page.