Connecting
man to man to God
For
week of March 7, 2010
Issue 294
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.
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“If
I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have
love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have
prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge,
and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not
have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if
I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I
gain nothing.”
1 Corinthians
13:1-3
CONSIDER
“I want to keep my soul fertile for changes, so things
keep getting born in me, so things keep dying when it's time for
them to die. I want to keep walking away from the person I was a
moment ago, because a mind was made to figure things out, not read
the same page recurrently.”
Donald Miller, Through Painted Deserts
AFA FOUNDER DON
WILDMON RESIGNS AS CHAIRMAN
The Rev. Don Wildmon has resigned as chairman of the American
Family Association, a Christian political movement he founded that
now boasts millions of followers in a fight against what it
considers indecency.
Wildmon, 72, said his resignation
follows months of health problems, including hospitalizations for
treatment of encephalitis, which he got from a mosquito bite, and
cancer on his left eye.
Wildmon’s son, Tim, is
expected to lead the organization. Don Wildmon said he will
continue to work at AFA, but not in a leadership role.
Wildmon,
a retired Methodist minister, founded the group in 1977 in his
Tupelo home as the National Federation for Decency, promoting
family values and waging boycotts to combat what it deemed
pornography and violence on television and in magazines.
The
group changed its name in 1988 to the American Family Association.
It has grown to an organization with a $20-million budget, 180
radio stations, a monthly magazine with a circulation of 170,000,
and an Internet presence of more than 2 million supporters....
Read this in full at
http://www.newsok.com/afa-founder-don-wildmon-resigns-as-chairman/article/feed/138269
JAMES DOBSON
SIGNS OFF, FOR NOW
Everything has its season, the Bible says. For Focus on the
Family founder James Dobson, one season has ended. But another
will soon begin.
An estimated 200 million people worldwide
tuned in recently to Dobson’s final turn as host of the
“Focus on the Family” radio show. After 33 years,
Dobson finally said goodbye to the Colorado Springs-based ministry
he founded.
From a modest weekly radio show in a two-room
rented office in Arcadia, Calif., it grew into a
multimillion-dollar empire, and Dobson grew from an unknown child
psychologist to one of the most influential evangelical leaders of
our time, advising presidents as casually as he advised moms.
But the send-off has been muted by Dobson’s
announcement in December that he’s starting another
Christian ministry and radio show similar to the Focus enterprise.
Dobson, 73, has said he formed the new ministry because
the traditional family model is breaking down. “I have asked
myself how I can sit and watch the world go by without trying to
help if I can,” Dobson wrote. “That is what motivates
me at this time.”
Dobson and his 39-year-old son,
Ryan, hope to launch their new ministry May 3 with the airing of
their co-hosted radio show, “Family Talk With James Dobson.”
Dobson has said "Family Talk" was not created to
directly compete with Focus on the Family.... Read this in full at
http://www.gazette.com/articles/dobson-94788-today-season.html
ST. PATRICK’S
DAY IS MARCH 17
http://www.christianitytoday.com/holidays/stpatricks/
PASTOR SAYS THERE
ARE 'PRACTICAL ATHEISTS' AMONG CHRISTIANS
Most Americans claim belief in God but many are living as
"Christian atheists," according to some pastors. "I'm
sick and tired of the fact that people can attend church for ten
to 20 years and never change," said NewSpring Church Senior
Pastor Perry Noble.
"Here's the deal: we believe in
Jesus enough to get us out of hell but not actually enough to
change the way we live and that's a problem in the church,"
the S.C. pastor said Sunday to his mega-congregation.
Noble
launched a new series titled "Practical Atheist,"
borrowing the term from fellow pastor Craig Groeschel of
LifeChurch.tv who preached on a similar series years back and has
a book on the subject coming out this month.... Read this in full
at
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20100302/s-c-pastor-exposes-practical-atheists-among-christians/index.html
STUDIES: BELIEF
IN GOD RELIEVES DEPRESSION
The "Big Man Upstairs" is getting accolades from
mental health specialists who say they are finding that a belief
in God plays a positive role in the treatment of anxiety and
depression. University of Toronto psychologists reported last year
that "believing in God can help block anxiety and minimize
stress," their research showcasing "distinct brain
differences" between believers and nonbelievers.
A
new study by Rush University Medical Center in Chicago took the
idea a step further. In patients diagnosed with clinical
depression, "belief in a concerned God can improve response
to medical treatment," said the new research, which has been
published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology.... Read this in
full at
http://washingtontimes.com/news/2010/feb/25/research-indicates-belief-in-god-relieves-depressi/
SHANE CLAIBORNE:
FAITH NOT EXCUSE TO GET INTO HEAVEN
Shane Claiborne is a "recovering redneck," as he
calls himself, who grew up immersed in the church in the Bible
Belt. He doesn't own a car, but if he needs one he has a dozen on
his block that his neighbors will let him use.
Claiborne,
34, simply lives life convinced that Jesus came to earth not just
to prepare people to die, but to teach people to live. That means,
taking up the countercultural call of the Gospel to move closer to
suffering rather than away from it.
"[T]here is a
pattern in the gospel, and the pattern is that when we live in
proximity to those who are suffering and spend our lives caring
for the 'least of these,' not only does it give life to others,
but it also gives life to those who choose this crazy gospel way
of living," he states in his latest book, Follow Me to
Freedom: Leading and Following as an Ordinary Radical (co-authored
by John Perkins).... Read this in full at
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20100301/shaine-claiborne-faith-not-excuse-to-get-into-heaven/index.html
DAILY READINGS
FOR LENT
66
Love Letters: A Conversation With God That Invites You Into His
Story is the newest book by author Larry Crabb. The book is an
ongoing dialogue between Dr. Crabb and God, discussing each of the
66 books of the Bible. The book seeks to weave together each of
the 66 "love letters" to illuminate the story of God's
encompassing desire to have a relationship with mankind and Jesus'
role of redeeming us to himself. Here’s a sample:
Love
Letter One: Genesis
God says, I want you to realize that I
never underestimated how thoroughly you'd mess up your life or how
painfully you would struggle and suffer, and I don't want you to
underestimate your failures or struggles either. They're all part
of the story I'm telling.
But neither have I
underestimated My determination or ability to enter the mess
you've made and the pain you feel and turn everything around. I
can, and I will, make everything good again. Never, never
underestimate Me. I have a plan, a very good one, and it will move
ahead to completion. Guaranteed! Trust Me. Why? Because I love you
even when you're messing up badly. I love you in the middle of
your pain even though I don't relieve it as quickly as you wish. I
am worthy of your trust, no matter what happens in your life. I
have a good plan, and nothing will stop Me from carrying it to
completion. You must live now in the tension between anguish and
hope.
Read these at
http://www.newwayministries.org/66loveletters-lent.php
ARCHAEOLOGISTS
FIND CRUCIFIXION-STYLE NAIL FROM THE TIME OF CHRIST AMONG RELICS
A four-inch crucifixion-style nail dating from the time
of Christ has been discovered in an ornate box at a fort thought
to have been a stronghold of knights who occupied Jerusalem during
the Crusades, The Daily Mirror reports.
The Knights
Templar, featured in The Da Vinci code, conquered the Holy Lands a
thousands year after Christ and claimed to be guardians of the
Holy Grail, the cross and other relics.
The iron nail,
similar to the type used in thousands of crucifixions across the
Roman Empire, was found during excavations of the fort on the
tiny island of Ilheu de Pontinha, off the Portuguese island of
Madeira.... Read this in full at
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/ondeadline/post/2010/03/archaeologists-find-crucifixion-style-nail-from-the-time-of-christ-among-relics/1
THE MAN WHO CAN’T
SAVE HIMSELF SAVES OTHERS
“In the same way [that is, with similar mockery] the
chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him.
‘He saved others,’ they said, ‘but he can’t
save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now
from the cross, and we will believe in him.’” (Matt.
27:41-42
“What do we mean today by the verb ‘to
save’? Ask someone at random on the streets of Seattle what
the verb ‘to save’ means, and what will be the
response? Someone who is worried about his financial portfolio may
reply, “‘Save’ is what you’d better do if
you want money set aside for a comfortable retirement.” Ask
a sports fan what the verb means, and he may reply, “‘Save’
is what a fine goalie does; he stops the ball from going into the
net, and thus saves the point.” Ask computer techies what
the verb means, and they will surely tell you that you jolly well
better save your data by backing it up frequently, for otherwise
when your computer crashes you may lose everything.
“The
mockers in verses 41 and 42 do not mean any of these things, of
course. They are saying that apparently Jesus ‘saved’
many other people -- he healed the sick, he exorcised demons, he
fed the hungry; occasionally he even raised the dead -- but now he
could not ‘save’ himself from execution. He could not
be much of a savior after all. Thus even their formal affirmation
that Jesus ‘saved’ others is uttered with irony in a
context that undermines his ability. This would-be savior is a
disappointment and a failure, and the mockers enjoy their witty
sneering.
“But once again, the mockers speak better
than they know. Matthew knows, and the readers know, and God
knows, that in one profound sense if Jesus is to save others, he
really cannot save himself.”
D.
A. Carson, Scandalous: The Cross and Resurrection of Jesus
AT CARTER’S
CHURCH, FORMER PRESIDENT'S SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS STILL A DRAW
With its aging storefronts and small train depot, its graceful
pecan trees and clipped fields of peanuts, cottons and hay, peace
still seems possible in this tiny town of Plains, Ga.
And
nowhere is that peace protected more fiercely than at Maranatha
Baptist Church, where former President Jimmy Carter teaches an
adult Sunday school class two or three Sundays of every month.
Jan Williams, who taught Amy Carter when she was in fourth
grade, is the head peacekeeper at the simple country church set in
a grove of pecan trees. At 8 a.m. on a Sunday morning, Williams --
known universally as ”Miss Jan” -- steps out the
church’s front doors and encounters a line of visitors
already forming.
Even though Carter left office 30 years
ago, security remains tight at the church, which is open to anyone
who wants to come to Sunday school. But first they have to get
past Miss Jan and the Secret Service.... Read this in full at
http://www.religiousherald.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4003&Itemid=53
OPINION:
EVANGELICALS AND SOCIAL JUSTICE
by Nicholas D. Kristof
For most of the last century,
save-the-worlders were primarily Democrats and liberals. In
contrast, many Republicans and religious conservatives denounced
government aid programs, with Senator Jesse Helms calling them
“money down a rat hole.”
Over the last decade,
however, that divide has dissolved, in ways that many Americans
haven’t noticed or appreciated. Evangelicals have become the
new internationalists, pushing successfully for new American
programs against AIDS and malaria, and doing superb work on issues
from human trafficking in India to mass rape in Congo.
A
pop quiz: What’s the largest U.S.-based international relief
and development organization?
It’s not Save the
Children, and it’s not CARE -- both terrific secular
organizations. Rather, it’s World Vision, a Seattle-based
Christian organization (with strong evangelical roots) whose
budget has roughly tripled over the last decade.
World
Vision now has 40,000 staff members in nearly 100 countries.
That’s more staff members than CARE, Save the Children, and
the worldwide operations of the United States Agency for
International Development -- combined.
A growing number of
conservative Christians are explicitly and self-critically
acknowledging that to be “pro-life” must mean more
than opposing abortion. The head of World Vision in the United
States, Richard Stearns, begins his fascinating book, “The
Hole in Our Gospel,” with an account of a visit a decade ago
to Uganda, where he met a 13-year-old AIDS orphan who was raising
his younger brothers by himself.... Read this in full at
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/28/opinion/28kristof.html
Also
see “Your Comments on my Evangelicals Column”
http://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/27/your-comments-on-my-evangelicals-column/
WILL ‘THE
DAWN TREADER’ FLOAT?
The filmmakers behind the Narnia movies, admitting they "made
some mistakes" with 2008's Prince Caspian, believe they have
righted the ship for The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, coming to
theaters in December.
After the first Narnia film, The
Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, earned almost $750 million
worldwide in 2005, Prince Caspian -- a big disappointment to many
fans of the beloved books by C. S. Lewis -- earned about half as
much. Domestically, Caspian made just $141 million, far short of
its reported $225 million production budget.
But since
then, Walden Media (which produced the first two films) and Disney
(which distributed them) have parted ways; Walden is now
partnering with 20th Century Fox for distribution. A new director,
Michael Apted, replaces Andrew Adamson, who helmed the first two
Narnia films (and is a producer for Dawn Treader). Those changes,
and a renewed commitment to the message of the books, have
filmmakers optimistic.... Read this in full at
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/movies/news/2010/willdawntreaderfloat.html
ATHEISTS MEET
WITH WHITE HOUSE OFFICIALS
The White House has been known to confer with religious
leaders on important political and social issues -- for instance,
a meeting on torture with several religious denominations in June
or Obama's recent meeting with Buddhist leader the Dalai Lama. On
Feb. 26, however, White House officials met with 60 members of
atheist advocacy group the Secular Coalition for America, to
discuss problems that they believe are fueled by religion. The
coalition's press release notes that this is the first time an
administration has met with a non-theist community.... Read this
in full at
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/Religion/post/2010/02/atheists-meet-with-white-house-officials/1
THE KNOTS PRAYER
Dear God,
Please untie the knots
that are in my mind,
my heart and my life.
Remove the have nots,
the can
nots and the do nots
that I have in my mind.
Erase the
will nots,
may nots, and
might nots that find
a home
in my heart.
Release me from the could nots,
would
nots and should nots
that obstruct my life.
And most
of all, dear God,
I ask that you remove from my mind
my
heart and my life all of the am nots
that I have allowed to
hold me back,
especially the thought
that I am not good
enough.
Amen.
http://www.mikeysFunnies.com
HOW DO -- AND
SHOULD -- CHURCHES DIE?
Not unlike humans, churches have a natural life cycle. But
when a church realizes it is nearing the end of its life, what are
its options to revitalize and carry on its ministry -- or die with
dignity in a way that honors the cause of Christ?
Peter
Bush, author of In Dying We are Born: The Challenge and the Hope
for Congregations, believes every church must “be prepared
to die” because each will die in one of two ways. Each
church must die to “deeply held understandings of life and
the purpose of the congregation” or it will close its doors.
Congregations are organisms, subject to an organism’s
life cycle -- birth, development, plateau and aging -- and that
cycle is inevitable, Bob Dale, author of To Dream Again, Seeds for
the Future and Cultivating Perennial Churches, believes. “Living
things don’t live forever, but there are some living things
that last a long, long time,” he said.
Les Robinson,
vice president of interim-ministry resources for the Center for
Congregational Health, also sees the cycle of life. “Churches
are human institutions. Why shouldn’t they complete the same
cycle?” he asked.... Read this in full at
http://www.abpnews.com/content/view/4888/53/
VERSE TO PONDER
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but
in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you
should look not only to your own interests, but also to the
interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of
Christ Jesus.”
Philippians
2:3-5
CONSIDER
“After Calvary, God has the right to be trusted; to be
believed that He means what He says; and that His love is
dependable.”
A. J. Gossip
(1873-1954), In the Secret Place of the Most High, New York:
Charles Scribner's Sons, 1947
THIS ADVENTURE
“Healing is surely to come. It may be the healing of my
body. I expect so with all my heart. Or it may be the healing of
my weary spirit, which has not always been peaceful in the run and
the muck, the thistles and the sweats of this worldly existence.
This last rest I do also expect with all my heart. I won't be
surprised to hear the voice of the Lord at the end of things
physical. I believe in both. It is not reasonable. Even to myself
I cannot make these pieces fit. A paradox.
“Nonetheless!
In spite of the paradox this must pose, I repeat what I've written
before: I am completely at peace with this drama. This adventure.
“Even the seeming of my body's loss -- that swift
invasion of allergenic symptoms caused by the chemicals last week
-- hasn't stolen from me the blessings of my adventure. God does
not cause human misery, nor does he desire the death of any person
on earth. But he can and does participate in the complexities of
human life. He takes, therefore, advantage of our weaknesses to
love our spirits and to prop up our weary bones.”
Walter Wangerin Jr., Letters From the Land of Cancer
NATIONAL
RELIGIOUS BROADCASTERS MEETING REVIVES CHURCH-STATE DEBATE BETWEEN
OLD FRIENDS
As
president of Americans United for Separation of Church and State,
Rev. Barry Lynn often is seen as an enemy by religious
conservatives like the group NRB, whose annual meeting recently
concluded. Their mission is to spread Christianity to every part
of society. That includes public policy. But Lynn's mission is to
keep religion as far away from the government as possible.
Lynn
squared off with Craig Parshall, general counsel for NRB, during
the group's annual public policy debate. While they both are First
Amendment lawyers, and old friends, they disagree upon just about
everything.
Parshall says that pastors should be able to
endorse political candidates. And he believes that the government
has no right to tax churches or other religious groups.
Lynn
says that church exemption is a privilege — not a right —
and that if they don't want to pay taxes, churches have to abide
by government rules.... Read this in full at
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20100303/NEWS06/3030361/Religious+Broadcasters+meeting+in+Nashville+revives+church-state+debate
WAS TIGER
SINCERE?
by
Cal Thomas
If Tiger Woods confesses to private acts after they
became public -- and takes three months to do so -- should the
public accept his confession and forgive him?
Some media
critics think his staged event with a friendly audience that
included Woods’ mother, his friends, and selected
journalists was too perfect, too scripted, and too much. Others
want to wait and see if he can put his family back together and
get his golf game back on track.
No one can fully know the
human heart, but to be believable Woods must lead a new and
consistent life in which he demonstrates he has acquired the
character and integrity he confessed he failed to embrace. Woods
noted that his wife, Elin, “pointed out to me, my real
apology to her will not come in the form of words; it will
come from my behavior over time.”
....So, was he
sincere? A better question might be: was he demonstrating remorse,
or repentance? Remorse is regret for getting caught at something
one should not have done. Repentance is an acknowledgement that
one’s behavior has offended an authority higher than one’s
self and a commitment to turn from that behavior with the
intention of never engaging in it again.... Read this in full at
http://www.calthomas.com/index.php?news=2842
THUMB WARS
by Tyler Charles
One would be hard-pressed to go an entire
day without bumping into someone (sometimes literally) with their
phone out and their thumbs punching buttons. It used to be limited
to teenagers at the mall, but now text messaging is commonplace,
as is its sister technology, Twitter. And for many churches, this
is great news because these technologies provide opportunities to
foster community -- even during worship.
One of the first
churches to incorporate text messaging into a worship service was
Mars Hill Church in Seattle. "When our church plant was
small, our young and unchurched crowd would routinely interrupt my
sermons to ask questions," says Mark Driscoll, preaching
pastor at Mars Hill. "But as the church continued to expand,
it became impossible to continue serving people by answering their
questions."
So Mars Hill began encouraging people to
submit questions via text messaging during the service. The
questions were screened, and at the end of the sermon, Driscoll
answered the most relevant questions.... Read this in full at
http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/preachingworship/worship/thumbwars.html
REUNION OF
ANCIENT SCROLL FRAGMENTS ILLUMINATES MISSING LINK IN BIBLE'S
EVOLUTION
Two
parts of an ancient biblical manuscript separated across centuries
and continents have been reunited for the first time in a joint
display, thanks to an accidental discovery that is helping
illuminate a dark period in the history of the Hebrew Bible.
The
1,300-year-old fragments, which are among only a handful of Hebrew
biblical manuscripts known to have survived the era in which they
were written, existed separately and with their relationship
unknown, until a news photograph of one's public unveiling in 2007
caught the attention of the scholars who would eventually link
them.
Together, they make up the text of the Song of the
Sea, sung by jubilant Israelites after fleeing slavery in Egypt
and witnessing the destruction of the pharaoh's armies in the Red
Sea.... Read this in full at
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-ml-israel-reunited-scroll,0,2738113.story
TEACHER SUSPENDED
FOR DENYING WICCAN ALTAR
A teacher in Iowa received a five-day unpaid suspension for
insubordination for not allowing a student to build a Wiccan altar
in his shop class -- discipline he said he still doesn't agree
with. Dale Halferty, who has taught industrial arts at Guthrie
Center High School for three years, said he was asked to meet with
the school district superintendent and high school principal when
he returns to work.
Halferty said he still doesn't
understand why school officials are forcing him to act against his
own beliefs as a Christian and allow the student to disrupt his
class with a project based on a religion he believes is wrong and
bad for youth.... Read this in full at
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20100304/NEWS/3040352/Teacher-suspended-for-denying-Wiccan-altar
EU MOVES TO
PROTECT RIGHTS OF PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS
The European Union has reportedly formed an association to
protect the rights of Christians in countries where they face
persecution. "We’ve set up a working group and are
defining what bilateral action can be taken between Europe and the
individual countries where Christians’ rights are in
danger,” said Italy's Foreign Minister Franco Frattini.
Jeff King, president of International Christian Concern,
welcomed the move, commenting, "Christians are facing
increasing persecution mainly in Muslim countries. We urge the
international community to join Italy's effort in promoting
religious freedom and protecting Christians from persecution in
Muslim and other Christian persecuting countries."
The
EU is studying which international initiatives it can adopt to
bring the problem of persecution "more clearly into focus,"
Frattini said.... Read this in full at
http://www.christianpost.com/article/20100301/eu-moves-to-protect-rights-of-persecuted-christians/index.html
BIBLE-BASED
PROGRAMS FOR THE DEBT-RIDDEN SURGE IN POPULARITY
Can the Bible help you pay off your credit cards? Christian
debt-elimination programs, which use Old and New Testament
passages as a framework to encourage financial responsibility, are
surging in popularity, with seminars offered at churches across
the United States.
In South Florida, Dave Ramsey's
Financial Peace University has proven especially popular. Nine
Palm Beach County churches and 15 in Broward are offering the
course. Across the country, 4,000 churches started classes between
Jan. 1 and Feb. 6, said Meg Alcorn, a Dave Ramsey spokeswoman.
Alcorn said the average family that completes the program
pays off $5,300 in debt and saves $2,700 within three months....
Read this in full at
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/features/religion/fl-biblical-finance-20100301,0,3243633,full.story
A LAWNMOWER PAVES
THE WAY FOR BIBLE TRANSLATION
When the new airstrip was dedicated and opened in Megamanau,
Papua New Guinea, the villagers celebrated. All around, men robed
in traditional warrior dress and makeup were a testament to the
fact that something important was taking place.
If planes
don't have a safe place for landing, then anything requiring
transport comes to a screeching halt. Since it takes a three-day
walk to reach the nearest road, the airstrip is critical to
getting translators, volunteers, and supplies in and out.
In this case, Wycliffe Associates partners caught the
vision. They provided a heavy-duty commercial lawnmower and
training to help complete the airstrip. The mower will be vital in
controlling the tall grass and other vegetation in order to keep
the airstrip safe for takeoffs and landings.
Since 2006, a
pair of translators, Marcus and Lisa Mellinger, have been working
on completing the four Gospels and the Book of Acts. The new
airstrip will provide a tremendous boost as they work toward the
completion of the Scriptures.
http://mnnonline.org/article/13933
ANTHEM WARS
by Sarah Pulliam Bailey
A private college in Indiana will
soon begin playing the National Anthem before sporting events for
the first time. The most solid news coverage of this decision
comes from the Goshen News and Associated Press. Here’s the
AP take on how the college recently announced that it will begin
play an instrumental version of the “Star Spangled Banner”
before campus sporting events: “The decision to reverse the
ban on the anthem is aimed at making students and visitors outside
the faith feel more welcome, but it has roiled some at the
1,000-student college who feel the song undermines the church’s
pacifist message and puts love for county above love for God.”
.... Read this in full at
http://www.getreligion.org/?p=27403
STUDY LINKS
VIOLENT VIDEO GAMES TO VIOLENT THOUGHT, ACTION
A study in the March issue of Psychological Bulletin, a
journal of the American Psychological Association, shows that
playing violent video games increases violent thinking, attitudes
and behaviors among players. And it does nothing to promote
positive social behaviors.
Psychologist Craig Anderson of Iowa
State University and his team analyzed existing studies of 130,000
people from the U.S., Europe and Japan. His findings held for
players in Western and Eastern cultures, for male and female
players and for players of various ages. They also contradict some
earlier studies, whose findings the current authors say are
tainted by "selection bias" -- the method by which they
selected studies to analyze.
The new study notes that
while violence in movies and TV shows has long been examined for
its potential impact on viewers' proclivity for violence, video
gaming, a much newer phenomenon, has not yet been so fully
explored.
In its review of data, the new research found
that exposure to violent video games was associated with
aggressive behavior, aggressive cognition and aggressive "affect."
It desensitizes users and is associated with lack of empathy and a
lack of "prosocial" behavior.... Read this in full at
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/checkup/2010/03/study_shows_violent_video_game.html
TODAY
Each day is a storehouse given you
Fresh every morn from
God's hand;
Do you stop to think of this
When at its door
you stand?
Twenty-four empty, waiting hours,
All ready for
you to fill with
Worthwhile thoughts and worthwhile deeds
And
service, if you will.
You're given a chance to store
Away
treasures of love and joy,
And satisfaction of work well done
That time cannot destroy.
So put your best into all your
day
With eyes opened wide to see, and
Eager hands
stretched out to grasp
Each opportunity.
Unknown Author
LET
MEN DECIDE ON PROSTATE SCREENING, CANCER SOCIETY SAYS
Most men 50 and older should seriously consider the potential
risks of treatment before deciding whether to be screened for
prostate cancer, the American Cancer Society said Wednesday in
revised guidelines.
"What we are trying to say to men
is the harms (of prostate screening) are better proven than the
benefits," said Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer of
the American Cancer Society.
Prostate cancer screening
consists of the prostate specific antigen, or PSA, blood test or a
digital rectal examination.
While these tests can detect
cancer, they also can produce false positive results that lead to
unnecessary and uncomfortable biopsies and treatments that carry
undesirable side effects such as impotence and urinary
incontinence.
On the other hand, tests that appear normal
can overlook existing cancers.
The American Cancer Society
estimates 192,000 men were diagnosed with cancer last year.
Prostate cancer is the second leading cancer in men, killing about
27,000 in 2009.
The cancer society now recommends that
beginning at age 50, men with no special risk of prostate cancer
discuss the pros and cons of screening with their doctors and
decide together whether it's worth doing.... Read this in full at
http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/03/03/prostate.screening/index.html?hpt=T2
CONSIDER
“The founders of the world's religions say, ‘Do!
Do! Do!’ but Christ says, ‘Done! It is finished!’"
Steve Kumar
VERSE TO PONDER
“The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts
in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give
thanks to him in song.”
Psalm
28:7
THIS
WEEK'S HYMN: THE FAST, AS TAUGHT BY HOLY LORE
Words: Unknown author. This hymn is found in two 11th Century
manuscripts in the British Museum, and in Latin Hymns of the
Anglo-Saxon Church, printed from an 11th Century manuscript by the
Surtees Society (Durham, England: 1851). Translated from Latin to
English by John M. Neale, 1854.
Music: Jesu Corona, Rouen
church melody
The fast, as taught by holy lore,
We
keep in solemn course once more;
The fast to all men known,
and bound
In forty days of yearly round.
The law and
seers that were of old
In divers ways this Lent foretold
Which Christ, all seasons’ King and Guide,
In after
ages sanctified.
More sparing therefore let us make
The
words we speak, the food we take,
Our sleep and mirth, and
closer barred
Be every sense in holy guard.
In prayer
together let us fall,
And cry for mercy, one and all,
And
weep before the Judge’s feet,
And His avenging wrath
entreat.
Thy grace have we offended sore,
By sins, O
God, which we deplore;
But pour upon us from on high,
O
pardoning One, Thy clemency.
Remember Thou, though frail
we be,
That yet Thine handiwork are we;
Nor let the honor
of Thy Name
Be by another put to shame.
Forgive the
sin that we have wrought;
Increase the good that we have
sought;
That we at length, our wanderings o’er,
May
please Thee here and evermore.
We pray Thee, holy Trinity,
One God, unchanging Unity,
That we from this our
abstinence
May reap the fruits of penitence.
>from
NetHymnal at
http://nethymnal.org/htm/f/t/ftaugbhl.htm
ON PRAYER
“Enable
me, Father, to realize that words once spoken, like coins in
circulation, pass from person to person along an uncharted course.
Grant me the insight so to speak that any words of mine may be
repeated without giving hurt. Help me not to criticize but rather
to stress the things that are pure, lovely, and of good report.
Make my habit of thought gentle and eager to pass along news of
kindness and work well done. May my words build, never destroy,
faith and confidence. To this end I pray that Thou wilt lead me in
the ways of understanding. Amen.”
Unknown Author
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.
How
Millennial Are You? Quiz
http://pewresearch.org/millennials/quiz/intro.php
BBC
video: The Amazing Bouncing Pebble Toad
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwNCaYZ9faw
BBC
Wildlife channel on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/user/bbcwildlife1
The
Circular Life
http://www.theircircularlife.it/frameset.htm
Buffalo
buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo_buffalo
Optical
Illusion: Strange False Head Photo
http://www.ourstrangeworld.net/index.php/main/article/strange_false_head_photo/
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.)
You
don't stop playing because you grow old; you grow old because you
stop playing.
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 in Chicago, IL.
Visit
our website at: http://www.pathoflifeministries.net/
----------
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