Connecting
man to man to God
For
week of January 17, 2010
Issue 287
The
Men’s Ministry newsletter of Path Of Life Ministries.
Our
mission is to lead men to Jesus Christ and provide opportunity for
Christian men to grow in their faith and minister to others.
Today's issue is going out to 1,915 weekly subscribers.
Thank you in advance for forwarding this issue to friends, family
and associates! To have a friend start their own Free subscription
to CONNECTIONS, please have them visit:
http://www.pathoflifeministries.net/page33.html
or
subscribe via rss feed
here:
http://www.connectionsnews.wordpress.com/feed
“The
Lord exists forever; your word is firmly fixed in heaven. Your
faithfulness endures to all generations; you have established the
earth, and it stands fast.”
Psalm 119:89-90
CONSIDER
“The whole purpose of the Bible, it seems to me, is to
convince people to set the written word down in order to become
living words in the world for God's sake. For me, this willing
conversion of ink back to blood is the full substance of faith.”
Barbara Brown Taylor, Leaving Church
EVANGELICALS:
ABORTION, MORAL RELATIVISM TOP MORAL ISSUES LIST
Evangelical leaders have identified the greatest moral issues
facing America today and topping the list is abortion. "The
moral scandal of abortion tops my list…not because murder
is worse than other moral evils, but because of the massive
numbers of this killing field and intentionality of so many to put
self-gratification, greed and political advantage above life
itself," said Jeff Farmer of the Open Bible Churches in Des
Moines, Iowa.
Abortion, moral relativism and mistreatment
of others almost came in a three-way tie as the top concerns among
America's evangelical leaders, according to the survey released by
the National Association of Evangelicals.... Read this in full at
http://www.nae.net/news-and-events/371-greatest-moral-issues-facing-america
PIPER: ‘GOD
IS THE MOST GOD-CENTERED PERSON IN THE UNIVERSE’
God is the most God-centered person in the universe, says
Baptist pastor John Piper. And some people take offense to that.
Addressing more than 21,000 college students at Passion 2010,
Piper posed the question on whether Jesus is an egomaniac.
"God
demands that we all get on our face and worship Him, admire Him,
treasure Him ... and count Him as the supreme value in the
universe and He's angry when we don't," the long-time
evangelical said Monday at the Atlanta, Ga., conference.
For
someone who has never questioned glorifying God, Piper has found
that "God's God-centeredness is an unbelievably powerful test
of my God-centeredness."
A lot of people do not want
to go near God who demands worship and praise. Eric Reece of An
American Gospel and talk show host Oprah Winfrey are unwilling to
draw near to what they see as an egomaniac, Piper listed as some
examples.
It was a struggle for C.S. Lewis as well. But
the famed author got his breakthrough. "Wherever you hear God
saying 'praise me' what He's really saying is since praise is the
completion of pleasure in greatness, please come to the fullness
of your joy ... [and] of your satisfaction," Piper explained,
citing Lewis' realization.... Read this in full at
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20100105/college-students-glorify-an-egomaniac/index.html
HOW RELIGIOUS IS
EACH USA STATE?
Which of the 50 states has the most religious population?
Since there are many ways to define "religious," there
is no single answer to this question. But to give a sense of how
the states stack up, the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion &
Public Life used polling data to rank them on four measures: the
importance of religion in people's lives, frequency of attendance
at worship services, frequency of prayer and absolute certainty of
belief in God. Mississippi stands out on all four, and several
other Southern states also rank very high on the measures. See how
the states rank according to each of the four measures in the
interactive graphic at
http://pewforum.org/docs/?DocID=504
NORTH KOREA TOP
PERSECUTOR OF CHRISTIANS FOR 8TH STRAIGHT TIME
Two of the most notorious and restrictive regimes in the world
top the Open Doors 2010 World Watch List (WWL) of 50 countries
which are the worst persecutors of Christians.
In the No.
1 spot for the eighth straight time is North Korea, the country
where every religious activity is recognized as an insurrection to
the North Korean socialist principles. In 2009, the North Korean
regime of Kim Jong-Il targeted Christians all over the country.
That resulted in arrests, torture and killings. North Korean
leaders are desperately trying to control society in order to
eradicate all Christian activities. There are an estimated 200,000
North Koreans in political prisons, including 40,000 to 60,000
Christians.
A veteran North Korean watcher, who can't be
identified due to security reasons, states: "Christians are
the target of fierce government action, and once caught, are not
regarded as human. Last year we had evidence that some were used
as guinea pigs to test chemical and biological weapons."
Iran is now No. 2 on the list. Iran was previously No. 3
on the WWL for many years, behind Saudi Arabia. The wave of
arrests of Christians which started in 2008 continued even
stronger during 2009, resulting in the arrest of at least 85
Christians. It is suspected that the arrests are a way for the
Iranian government to distract attention from internal problems,
including the domestic turmoil after the re-election of President
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Most of those arrested were mistreated in
prison. The turmoil and rioting continued at the end of 2009.
Of
the countries on the top 10 list, eight have Islam as their
dominant religion -- Iran, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Maldives,
Afghanistan, Yemen, Mauritania and Uzbekistan. North Korea and
Laos are communist countries. Also, 35 of the 50 countries on the
list have Islamic governments.... Read this in full at
http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/3480012594.html
THE DUSTY
MESSIAH: WHY I NO LONGER BELIEVE IN A SPIRITUAL JESUS
by Katelyn Beaty
Our Holy Land tour guide from the
Ministry of Tourism had no interest in Nazareth Village. The site
is billed as a "living museum" where tourists, mostly
Christians, can see an ancient Middle Eastern farm, with locals
decked out in beige robes working the land and herding livestock.
The decade-old ministry had some of the trappings of Sunday school
flannel boards and 1950s Jesus films, going more for the
picturesque than the living past.
Our guide, Karl -- a
secular Jew with a master's degree in archaeology -- was having
none of it. He kept to the back of our group, waiting for the
closing evangelistic message to end so we could attend to
weightier sights, like Masada and the Qumran Caves.
A
first-time visitor to the Holy Land, I was prepared to share
Karl's distaste for quaint depictions of Jesus and his home. Even
Karl, with seemingly no interest in getting to know the Man from
Nazareth, at least recognized that man as a person who lived in
time and space. He knew we were dealing in historical meat, not
myth.
Yet something happened as we toured the Village that
snuffed out my snobbery and mistrust of marketed experiences. The
millennia-old olive trees, the dust in my nose, even the garbed
employees -- they all helped me to see Jesus as a man deeply
acquainted with the essentials of human life. And they unearthed
the fact that I was the one who had turned Jesus into a nice
story.... Read this in full at
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2010/january/3.38.html
THE SET OF THE
SOUL
One
ship drives east and another drives west
With the self-same
wind that blows.
‘Tis the set of the sail and not the
gale
That tells us which way it goes.
Like the winds
of the sea are the ways of fate,
As we journey along through
life;
‘Tis the set of the soul that determines the goal
And neither the calm nor the strife.
Unknown Author
THE
PRIMAL PROBLEM
In his new book Primal (Multnomah), Mark Batterson talks about
reclaiming the core of the Christian faith. Early in the book he
observes: "It goes without saying that Christianity has a
perception problem. At the heart of the problem is the simple fact
that Christians are more known for what we're against than what
we're for....But before confronting what's wrong with our culture,
we need to be humble enough, honest enough, and courageous enough
to repent of what's wrong with us....By and large, 20-somethings
are leaving the church at an alarming rate. According to some
statistics, 61% of 20-somethings who grew up going to church will
quit going to church in their 20s. And the temptation is to ask
this question: What's wrong with this generation? But that is the
wrong question. The right question is this: What's wrong with the
church? My answer is simply this: We're not great at the Great
Commandment. In too many instances, we're not even good at it.
That, I believe, is our primal problem. That is the lost soul of
Christianity.... Read this in full at
http://www.preaching.com/resources/articles/11624483/
PROFESSOR'S
RESEARCH SUGGESTS NOT SPARING THE ROD
While timeouts and other disciplinary methods are encouraged
by some child psychologists, a Calvin College psychology professor
says her research shows corporal punishment forms more
well-adjusted people later in life.
Marjorie Gunnoe says
the study finds children who remember being spanked on the
backside with an open hand do better in school, perform more
volunteer work and are more optimistic than others who were not
physically disciplined.
"This in no way should be
thought of as a green light for spanking," said Gunnoe, who
has studied spanking for more than a decade. Her research
contradicts claims that spanked children are more aggressive and
have other detrimental consequences. The practice should be
considered when lawmakers across the county consider banning
spanking, Gunnoe said, noting 24 countries have barred the
punishment.... Read this in full at
http://blog.beliefnet.com/news/2010/01/professors-research-suggests-n.php
MEDICAL GROUP CEO
QUITS AMA IN PROTEST
The head of the nation's largest faith-based medical
association has ended his membership in the American Medical
Association.
"I can no longer associate with or
support an organization that is unscientific, unprofessional and
controlled by special interests," David Stevens, CEO of the
Christian Medical & Dental Associations, wrote in a letter to
the AMA dated Dec. 14.
In a Dec. 16 news release, Stevens
said he is advising others in the Christian group who belong to
the AMA "to carefully consider" whether they also should
terminate their AMA memberships.
In his letter to the AMA,
Stevens cited the AMA's pro-abortion advocacy and support of
embryonic stem cell research, same-sex marriage and medical
marijuana -- and its negotiations with U.S. Senate leaders over
Medicare reimbursement rates -- as AMA policies "that
contradict and undermine the positions of many physicians."....
Read this in full at
http://bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=31889
US PASTORS
ENCOURAGED TO JOIN NATIONAL MARRIAGE WEEK EFFORT
Pastors and pro-family leaders across America are being
encouraged to take part in a weeklong effort next month to help
strengthen, enrich, and repair marriages in their churches and in
their communities.
“National Marriage Week USA,”
which will be observed the week leading up to Valentine’s
Day, is a collaborative effort to encourage churches and many
diverse groups to strengthen individual marriages, reduce the
divorce rate, and build a stronger marriage culture, which
organizers say in turn helps curtail poverty and benefits
children.
“There is no question that more needs to
be done within our congregations to create a more thriving
marriage culture and assist marriages and families to remain
happily intact,” campaign organizers say.
Referring
to a recently released report on marriage co-published by the
Institute for American Values and the National Center on African
American Marriages and Parenting (NCAAMP), the organizers note
that the percentage of United States’ adults who are married
has dropped from 78% in 1970 to 57% in 2008.... Read this in full
at
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20100104/national-marriage-week-informational-webinar/index.html
WHAT IS YOUR
SALVATION FROM?
“The nature of Christ's salvation is woefully
misrepresented by the present-day "evangelist." He
announces a Savior from hell rather than a Savior from sin. And
that is why so many are fatally deceived, for there are multitudes
who wish to escape the Lake of Fire who have no desire to be
delivered from their carnality and worldliness.”
A. W.
Pink (1886-1952), Studies on Saving Faith, Swengel, Pa.: Reiner
Publications, 1932, p. 9-10
THANKS FOR THE
MEMORIES, TIM TEBOW
by Patrick Morley, PhD
Thanks, Tim, for the many
unforgettable memories. Thanks also for your "glare strip"
ministry. Google reported 93,000,000 hits when you inscribed John
3:16 for last year's BCS Championship Game. So this year I wrote
them down as the year progressed. I think I got them right:
September 5, 2009. Charleston Southern. You saw a little
girl during Gator Walk with a sign that read, Proverbs 3:5-6, and
that was your first pick of the year. "Trust in the Lord with
all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your
ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.?"
September 12, 2009. Troy State. Mark 8:36, "What good
is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?"
September 19, 2009. Tennessee. Romans 8:28 put things in
perspective: "And we know that in all things God works for
the good of those who love him, who have been called according to
his purpose."
September 26, 2009. Kentucky. Who will
ever forget your concussion? Isaiah 40:31, "But those who
hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on
wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will
walk and not be faint."
October 10, 2009. LSU. You
made it back! 1 Thessalonians 5:18, "Give thanks in all
circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
October 17, 2009. Arkansas. A Squeaker at home. Psalm
23:1, "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not be in want."
October 24, 2009. Mississippi State. Ephesians 4:32, "Be
kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just
as in Christ God forgave you."
October 31, 2009.
Georgia. You broke Hershel Walker's TD record. Your glare strips
read Philippians 4:6-7, "Do not be anxious about anything,
but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which
transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your
minds in Christ Jesus."
November 7, 2009. Vanderbilt.
Colossians 3:23, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your
heart, as working for the Lord, not for men."
November
14, 2009. South Carolina. Joshua 1:8-9, "Do not let this Book
of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night,
so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then
you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you?
Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be
discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you
go."
November 21, 2009. FIU. Romans 1:16, "I am
not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the
salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for
the Gentile."
November 28, 2009. Florida State.
Hebrews 12:1-2 which Verne Lundquist misquoted on air as Hebrews
12:12. But then in an ironic twist he also read a portion of the
correct verse! "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a
great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders
and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with
perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on
Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set
before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at
the right hand of the throne of God."
December 5,
2009. SEC Championship Game loss to Alabama. John 16:33, "I
have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In
this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome
the world."
January 1, 2010. Sugar Bowl. What else? A
complete description of the gospel in Ephesians 2:8-10, "For
it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not
from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no
one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ
Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to
do."
You have a good heart, Tim. May you continue to
find favor with God and man. God bless.
http://www.maninthemirrorsummit.org
GOD IS NOT MUTE
“During the two-week period when I was snowbound in a
mountain cabin in Colorado, blizzards closed all roads and I had
nothing to do but read the Bible. I went through it slowly, page
by page. In the Old Testament I found myself identifying with
those who boldly stood up to God: Moses, Job, Jeremiah, Habakkuk,
the psalmists. As I read, I felt I was watching a play with human
characters who acted out their lives of small triumph and large
tragedy onstage, while periodically calling to an unseen Stage
Manager, ‘You don't know what it's like out here!’
“Job was most brazen, flinging to God this
accusation: ‘Do you have eyes of flesh? Do you see as a
mortal sees?’
“Every so often I could hear the
echo of a booming voice from far offstage, behind the curtain.
‘Yeah, and you don't know what it's like back here either!’
it said to Moses, to the prophets, most clearly to Job. When I got
to the Gospels, however, the accusing voices stilled. God, if I
may use such language, ‘found out’ what life is like
in the confines of planet Earth. Jesus got acquainted with grief
in person, in a brief, troubled life not far from the dusty plains
where Job had travailed. Of the many reasons for incarnation,
surely one was to answer Job's accusation: Do you have eyes of
flesh? For a time, God did.
“If only I could hear
the voice from the whirlwind and, like Job, hold a conversation
with God directly! I sometimes think. And perhaps that is why I
now choose to write about Jesus. God is not mute: the Word spoke,
not out of a whirlwind, but out of the human larynx of a
Palestinian Jew. In Jesus, God lay down on the dissection table,
as it were, stretched out in cruciform posture for the scrutiny of
all skeptics who have ever lived. Including me.”
Philip
Yancey, Grace Notes
SOMETHING
TO THINK ABOUT
“The happiest marriage is where both parties get better
mates than they deserve.”
Unknown Author
BCWI ANNOUNCES
2010 BEST CHRISTIAN WORKPLACES IN THE US AND CANADA
The research, conducted by the Best Christian Workplaces
Institute (BCWI), involved 6,700 employees in 62 organizations
across North America to identify great workplaces with a Christian
mission and/or values.
The 2010 Certified Best Christian
Workplaces in the US include:
Apartment Life - Hurst, TX
Christian Heritage Academy - Northfield, IL
Church Web
Works - Renton, WA
Coalition for Christian Outreach -
Pittsburgh, PA
Crossroads Church - Cincinnati, OH
Dallas
Christian College - Dallas, TX
English Language
Institute/China - Ft. Collins, TX
Evangel University -
Springfield, MO
Joni and Friends - Agoura Hills, CA
KSBJ -
Humble, TX
Lenawee Christian School - Adrian, MI
Logos
Research Systems, Inc. - Bellingham, WA
MOPS International -
Denver, CO
Naples Christian Academy - Naples, FL
New
Mission Systems International - Fort Myers, FL
Olivet Nazarene
University - Bourbonnais, IL
Phoenix Seminary - Phoenix, AZ
Samaritan Ministries International - Peoria, IL
Southland
Christian Church - Nicholasville, KY
SpringHill Camps - Evart,
MI
Tacoma Rescue Mission - Tacoma, WA
The Foundation for
Evangelism - Lake Junaluska, NC
The Master's College - Santa
Clarita, CA
The Master's Seminary - Sun Valley, CA
Upward
Unlimited - Spartanburg, SC
Wheaton Academy - West Chicago, IL
World Harvest Mission - Jenkintown, PA .... Read more
information at
http://www.bcwinstitute.com/
VERSE TO PONDER
“When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also
will be revealed with him in glory. Put to death, therefore,
whatever in you is earthly: fornication, impurity, passion, evil
desire, and greed (which is idolatry).”
Colossians 3:4-5
CONSIDER
“The man who will not act till he knows all will never
act at all.”
Jim Elliot (1927-1956), citing a popular
saying of ancient Greece, The Journals of Jim Elliot, ed.
Elisabeth Elliot, Revell, 1990, p. 131
DEMAND FOR
'DESIGNER BABIES' TO GROW DRAMATICALLY
Parental demand for “designer babies” screened to
lack faulty genes will grow dramatically over the next decade,
with new discoveries about the influence of DNA on health, a
leading geneticist has predicted.
As science learns more
about the genetic roots of disease, couples will increasingly seek
DNA tests on their embryos when starting a family, according to
David Goldstein, of Duke University in North Carolina.
By
2020, researchers will have discovered many more genetic
variations that substantially raise the risk of common conditions,
such as diabetes, heart disease and psychiatric disorders, and it
will be possible to detect these in embryos, he said. This will
feed much wider interest in embryo screening, which is currently
used by only a few dozen couples each year, and encourage fresh
controversy over the ethics of designer babies.... Read more
information at
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/science/genetics/article6978400.ece
NEW BIBLE MEMORY
APP FOR IPHONE AND IPOD TOUCH
Mobilize Faith, LLC announced today that it has introduced the
Bible Memory app for iPhone and iPod touch, making it easier and
more fun to build Bible knowledge and memorize scripture. Just in
time for anyone who wants to make memorizing verses a key part of
their 2010 New Year’s resolutions, the Bible Memory app is
available on the iTunes App Store for $3.99.
Bible
memorization is an essential practice in Christian life, but there
is no simple, organized and effective way to ensure that intention
translates into practice, especially given today’s busy
lifestyle. Many have resorted to index cards or paper, which are
outdated and inefficient, and identifying a catalog of verses to
memorize can be cumbersome and difficult.
Bible Memory is
the first app for the iPhone and iPod touch that solves many of
the barriers associated with creating a daily, weekly or monthly
practice of memorizing scripture. Bible Memory puts 250
categorized verses in four translations at users’ fingertips
wherever and whenever they have a free moment for quiet study and
reflection.... Read more information at
http://www.religionnews.com/index.php?/pressreleases/new_bible_memory_app_for_iphone_and_ipod_touch_helps_strengthen_and_share_f/
OPENING PACKAGES
“As my six-year-old tried to open a package, I sat
patiently waiting for him to ask me for help. It was one of those
hard plastic packages that are nearly impossible to open.
“I
knew my son wouldn't be able to open the package on his own, but I
wanted him to make his own choice about whether or when he would
ask me for help. It didn't take long before he looked up at me and
asked for help.
“Today, you may be holding a package
in your hand that is wrapped in a hard plastic shell -- inside is
a gift, what Jesus calls the "abundant life." You may be
straining to open the package, using anything you can think of to
get inside.
“Meanwhile, God is patiently waiting for
you to abandon your attempts to create the abundant life and say,
‘I can't, but God, you can.’ He is waiting for you to
let him loose in your life so he can become your strength.”
Jon Walker, Growing with Purpose
ARE CHURCHES
BUILDING THE WRONG SPACE
When church leaders envision their next building project, many
are selecting interior and exterior styles that may deter the very
people they're trying to reach -- the unchurched -- from visiting.
According to the Church Facilities Expansion Study, a
joint research project in 2009 between the Cornerstone Knowledge
Network (CKN) and Christianity Today International, church leaders
consistently chose building designs that are the opposite of what
the unchurched said they preferred in a prior study, Sacred Space,
conducted by CKN and Lifeway Research in 2008.
In the
Church Facilities Expansion Study, most churches that are planning
to build within the next 18 months say they will go with a more
modern look for their exterior, sanctuary, and foyer designs.
However, Sacred Space respondents, all of whom are unchurched and
do not currently attend a church, said they prefer churches with a
much more traditional, cathedral-like design.... Read this in full
at
http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/8821112635.html
NUMBER OF FEMALE
SENIOR PASTORS IN PROTESTANT CHURCHES DOUBLES IN PAST DECADE
After decades of no growth in the ranks of female senior
pastors serving in Protestant churches, a new Barna study that has
tracked the ratio of male-to-female pastors indicates that women
have made substantial gains in the past ten years.
From
the early 1990s through 1999 just 5% of the Senior Pastors of
Protestant churches were female. Since that time the proportion
has slowly but steadily risen, doubling to 10% in 2009.... Read
this in full at
http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/17-leadership/304-number-of-female-senior-pastors-in-protestant-churches-doubles-in-past-decade
CONSIDER
“There is nothing in the Bible that benefits you unless
it is transmitted into life, unless it becomes a part of yourself,
just like your food. Unless you assimilate it and it becomes body
and bone and muscle, it does you no good.”
Henry Weston
VERSE
TO PONDER
“Let
love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good;
love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in
showing honor. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the
Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in
prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality
to strangers.”
Romans 12:9-13
THIS WEEK'S HYMN:
BUILDER OF AGES
Words: Richard W. Adams, 2004
Music: William F. Sherwin,
1877
Builder of ages, Planner divine,
Drawing the
length and breadth of space and time;
Yet also Monarch with
kingdom to build,
And golden capital still yet unfilled.
Surveyor, Architect, Craftsman sublime,
He drew the
blueprint ere the start of time,
Building with living stones
fair temples bright,
Fixing our hearts into His halls of
light.
First came the Cornerstone, Jesus, our Lord;
We
hear this mighty Rock call from the Word:
“Build up My
Church,” says He, “it cannot fail;
As long as you
believe, you will prevail.”
“As you are
gathered here, so here am I,
Lift up your hearts and song unto
the sky;
Call in My citizens, do not delay;
Bring in My
kingdom of the perfect day.”
So, in this year to
come, we vow to build
Two things for Christ our King, with
spirit filled:
First, we will make a house, fit for a King;
And build within ourselves hearts fit to sing.
>from
NetHymnal at
http://nethymnal.org/htm/b/u/i/buildage.htm
ON PRAYER
Intercessors:
participants in world events
by Elizabeth Kendal
When I
watch football, I do so as a spectator. When my son (a footballer)
watches football, he does so as a participant, always looking to
learn things he can apply to his own game. One of the most
valuable habits prayer leaders and intercessors can develop is to
watch, hear and read the news not as spectators, but as
participants. We should be looking to learn things we can apply to
our intercession. The world's stereotyping of intercessors as
passive simpletons without 'real' options is a lie of the devil
built on misconceptions. While the faithless noisily rush around
the horizontal plain of their two-dimensional world, intercessors
quietly engage by faith in a three-dimensional world whose height
attains the heavens and whose depth reaches into a spiritual realm
of unimaginable proportions. Our eternally faithful Sovereign God
rules over all this and has given Jesus Christ 'as head over all
things to the church' (Ephesians 1:22ESV).
In terms of
religious liberty and Christian security, 2010 promises to be an
even more challenging year than 2009. Increasingly, states once
known for persecution are becoming notorious for sectarian mob
violence and ethnic-religious cleansing. States that once courted
the world from behind a facade of modernity and prosperity are
revealing the darkness of their hearts with impunity. States
busily excavating their Christian foundations with a view to
cultural renovation are increasingly adopting repressive
authoritarian measures to maintain order in the wake of moral
erosion and cultural collapse. So may our 'New Year's resolution'
for 2010 be that we commit to being intercessors who are
participants in and not mere spectators of world events.
http://www.ea.org.au/ReligiousLiberty/PrayerPostings.aspx
PRAY FOR PERSECUTED
CHRISTIANS TODAY
http://christiansincrisis.net/
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
Business Growth
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).
[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.
Book your next
vacation with us!
Http://www.ChristianConnectionTravel.com
Books,
Music & More!
http://www.ChristianConnectionBooks.com
Get
your domain name here!
http://www.GoGlobalDomains.com
Let
me show you how to earn money as you
travel!
http://www.earnGlobalVacations.com/
It's
as easy as 1-2-3!
SHARE YOUR FAVORITE
WEBSITES
Tell
us what sites you find enjoyable and why.
Open
Culture: The best free cultural & educational media on the Web
http://www.openculture.com/
Travel
time to major cities: A global map of Accessibility
http://bioval.jrc.ec.europa.eu/products/gam/
All
links to websites are provided as a service, and do not imply
endorsement by this ministry.
(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.)
Sometimes
the best helping hand you can give is a good, firm push.
Min.
Frank Coleman, Editor
Rev.frank@gmail.com
Thanks
for welcoming CONNECTIONS into your in-box!
----------
CONNECTIONS is a periodic newsletter of
announcements, news, recommendations, articles, and other
information helpful to men in our spiritual growth. Thanks for
welcoming CONNECTIONS into your in-box!
-----------
The
CONNECTIONS 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, frank@frankcoleman.com
if you'd like to participate in a men's discipleship program.
Path Of Life Ministries is located at 6459 S. Campbell Ave.
Chicago, IL 60629.
Visit our website at:
http://www.pathoflifeministries.net/
----------
Subscribe!
Subscribe
to CONNECTIONS here
Get Archives of all past issues
here:
http://www.pathoflifeministries.net/connections/archives_all.html
Check
out my blog