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Be all God called you to be! FOCUSING WITH JOSHUA 4:20-24 (Remember!)
Let’s return to the building of the memorial at Gilgal (because that is where scripture takes us).The fourth chapter contains four accounts related to the creation of the twelve-stone memorial. Therefore, it must be important. The Lord wanted the event at the Jordan River to be indelibly imprinted on the minds of the Israelites. It was to be a memorial to the power of the Lord. But more than that, it was to be a testimony to all the earth. Joshua establishes a clear parallel with the Red Sea (the gift of eternal life). The crossing of the Jordan was clearly a second milestone in Israel’s (our) spiritual journey (the gift of the abundant life). The message of the memorial is that the Lord will do it! Depend on the Lord to overcome the obstacles. Have you established markers commemorating the God’s miracles in your life? Salvation? The abundant life? Healing? Victories over bondage? Success in an endeavor? The Lord wants us to lay down markers, not only for our families, but for our friends and neighbors, and as a legacy for future generations. GOD IS AT WORK A man asked his Sunday school class to pray for his safety. He drove 1500 miles per week on his job. Then his job changed and he rode 1500 miles a week with someone else driving. He asked for more prayer! Later, on an icy interstate their vehicle went off the road, down an embankment and hit a tree doing $6000 damage to the Jeep Liberty. The driver backed the vehicle away from the tree and drove back up the embankment. The driver was astounded. Neither man was hurt and the airbag did not deploy. Our man explained to the driver that it was because his Sunday school class was praying for them. The driver is still trying to figure that out. NEWS Over the past few years, a unique U.S. ministry called Iron Sharpens Iron has grown to where it now is reaching a large number of men. With a passion for developing strong Christian men and a plan for doing it, the guys at Iron Sharpens Iron are following the vision God gave them and waking the church up to the fact that when men become engaged in their faith, everybody wins. In Proverbs 27:17, Solomon states that "as iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." This is the verse at the heart of Iron Sharpens Iron. With a bold yet balanced style and a focus on equipping churches to reach and build men throughout the year, Iron Sharpens Iron is really hitting home with men across the country. The national organization is actually made up of a collection of smaller, regional men's ministries that work together with local churches in their areas to reach out to men. ... Read More New on the Website: we have refreshed the website and added a new header. We have also posted the 2008 Report to Stakeholders. MINISTRY OF THE MONTH In 2004-5 the Wednesday night discipleship group studied Wild at Heart by John Eldredge and it sparked a trip to Washington D.C. to visit the war memorials. One of our men fought in the Pacific in WWII. The Eldredge study also sparked a trip to Montana for hiking, fishing and rafting. Our men's ministry is a key ministry in the church. Len Ruffner, the National Director, conducted a Blueprint Seminar in September. As a result we are considering a number of activities that provide opportunities to impact the lives of men for Christ. These include: A sportsman outreach. A Wild Game Dinner with special speakers and door prizes. A men’s retreat for Alliance churches on the Eastern Shore. Our Discipleship on Wednesday nights is expanding to other nights and other small groups. We are exploring several options for our monthly breakfasts. We moved some of them to outside locations. In November we honored our wives with a couple’s breakfast. We are looking into serving at a homeless shelter in the area. We hosted a Valentine's Day banquet for our girl friends and wives. We have a strong carpentry aid program where men do service work for pastors, widows, the elderly, and others in need. What is God doing in your men’s ministry? PERSONAL TOOLKIT Recommended Reading: Be Transformed: New Life Awaits! by John Robin Murphy.
The Be Transformed - The Workbook Edition carries the faithful follower along the path and process that can lead to lasting change, and a new heart." Recommended by Larry Malone, Director, United Methodist Men. LEADERSHIP TOOLKIT Tool: Reaching the Disconnected Male: How to move men on the fringe into active, focused discipleship by Patrick Morley. Looking back, Larry Kay says his life was "full of confusion, full of lust and pain, and almost completely void of God." "It impacted everything—business relations, my marriage, my friends," says the 45-year-old Georgia resident who used to work 60-to-80 hours a week. "We had been attending church for several years but we were in the balcony, sneaking in and out, not being involved, going there because we felt that church should be part of our children's lives. I was going through a lot of pain. My business was doing well because I had concentrated on it; it was my life. My marriage, however, was suffering drastically." Read the article. Equipping Leaders (Go to Man in the Mirror for more details)
Equipping Your Men
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