Red Rock National Park – 1/20/21
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
(Matthew 11:28-30)
Hi Men:
It is my hope that you rested “in” Christ this week. I don’t know about you, but I tend to suppress my awareness of just how much I need to take a break. 
With many, there is an overwhelming amount of “cabin fever” and it wasn’t until my wife said, “Let’s take a drive up to Red Rock Canyon.” For those that are unfamiliar with it, Red Rock is only 20-25 minutes west of Las Vegas. I have to admit, that was what the doctor ordered. I am grateful to Jane for her wisdom that we both needed to get out of the house together. Yesterday morning my son Mark surprised me with a short video of my 5 year old granddaughter reading Matthew 11:28-30. He told her it was one of grandpa’s favorite verses and she wanted to send it to me. Here is the short 1 min video: YouTube – Matthew 11:28-30 That verse from Jesus is so appropriate in the times that we now are living.
Back to our hike at Red Rock, it was a cool and crisp morning and with sun breaking through the clouds, the colors were outstanding. A great day to snap some photos……..
I wanted to get part of this Joshua tree with the photo on the left. As always, there is way more to God’s creation than we will ever know. Just like the Saguaro cactus is native to the Sonoran Desert of Arizona, the Joshua tree is native to the Mojave Desert of Nevada and California, but they sneak over to the Sonoran Desert at times and buddy-up to the Saguaro. I won’t bore you with all the uses for the Joshua tree, but they are an ecosystem in itself, providing a habitat for numerous birds, mammals, insects, lizards, etc. I also love the name of it…. “Joshua.” He was a true warrior for the Lord and as you all know, led the Israelites into Promised Land.
I personally think that the words in Joshua 24:15 are so important…… we all need to take them to heart when he said, “………..choose this day whom you will serve………but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” I love the verse when Winston Parker challenged the men on the ½ day MIM Seminar to memorize:
“My soul, wait in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him” (Psalm 62:5)
If we apply those truths, we will understand with greater clarity when Jerry Bangert answered during the Q&A with this statement:
“If you don’t like what’s going on, your problem is not with the world, but with Jesus!”
Men, either God is Sovereign (in control) or He’s not. Today is a good day to resolve this in your mind! Remember what has been said so many times, “There are only two people that can hurt you……….. God and you.”
“To Live is Christ”
Dan
(Gal 2:20)
During the first part of the MIM Conference, one of the brothers sent this.
Amazing how a few verses can be such a great backstop to the message.
“Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is nothing on earth I desire besides You.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Those who are far from You will perish;
You have cut off all who are unfaithful to You.
But as for me, the nearness of God is my good.
I have made the Lord God my refuge,
That I may tell of all Your works.”
(Psalm 73:25–28)
Pay attention to this one…….
Sin Is Like a Drug – Red Book Day 20
The purpose of these devotionals is to help you think Biblically
Solomon said, “As a man thinks, so is he”
1-Genesis 19:4, 2-Genesis 19:14, 3-Cf Matthew 12:36
Recordings for: Ministry in the Marketplace ½ Day Webinar
Men: Last Saturday there about 350 men across the country, including India, Hong Kong, etc., that participated in the ½ day seminar. Some of you were unable to attend and asked for the recording. The messages have been divided into three links below. You may share the links with others though we respectfully ask that no one posts to any social media or public platforms. These are solid Biblical messages that need to be heard with serious reflection. As was stated: Today the church at best is: Weak and at its worst: Apostate. We think we’re hearing Biblical truth today, but as Winston said, “Who told you so?” If you want to see E2 in action, don’t miss Mark McDowell’s testimony. Grab your notebook and take some time to listen to these (3) messages.
Password: mim2021
Jerry Bangert: Laodicea – Watch on Vimeo
Winston Parker: The Spiritual Battle of God’s Ambassador – Watch on Vimeo
Mark McDowell: Discipleship Testimony – Watch on Vimeo
The Gospel and Racial Reconciliation – 46 min.
Some of you have asked for Bill McCurine’s message again. If you haven’t listened to it, bookmark it. It’s an important message we all need to hear.
Note: For those of you that don’t know Bill, he was the first African American from Chicago to study on a Rhodes Scholar with a Masters from University College Oxford in England. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Harvard Law. Bill is a retired Federal Magistrate Judge based in San Diego.
SIN – It’s on a roll…….. and if not for the Grace of God, I would be these guys and worse!
Update on Ravi Zacharias:
Documents Show Ravi’s Personal Massage Therapist was Employed by RZIM & Directed Dubious Ministry
J.D. Greear’s Church: J.D. Greear’s Church Announces Investigation Into Allegations Bryan Loritts Covered Up Sex Crimes
I read this from a blog by Tim Challies.
“Sin is never simple. Sin is never harmless. Sin is always selfish, always an occasion of harm not only to the sinner but to the whole church. And the sin of those who have been elevated to positions of prominence is particularly destructive, for the higher their platform the greater the force of their collapse, the wider their reach the more visible their downfall. And surely this puts the call on every well-known pastor, every high-demand conference speaker, every bestselling author, to see their popularity as sacred, to see their integrity as essential, to know the importance of battling hard against the first stirrings of the least sin. For they must know that the destruction that would come with their fall would be far greater than all the good they ever did in their rise.”
Audio Teaching of the Week:
Biblical and Historical Development of the Lay Ministry – 36 minutes … By Walt Henrichsen
Men, this is a great teaching and reinforces what you read in the booklet: “Whose Job Is the Ministry”
Walt Hendrichsen – Discipleship Library
Video of the Week:
Tolkien – 2 hours
If you haven’t seen it, this movie is about the early life of J.R.R. Tolkien (as you know, he wrote The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings). It’s not a Christian themed movie, but it might be a good film for a “movie night” with you and your wife.
Included with – HBO Now
$3.99 to rent on – Amazon Prime
Sharing the Gospel
Our brother Lyle Brennan sent this out the other day with Daily Devotional:
Sharing the Gospel: “Three things silence a man when he ought to speak: cowardice, indifference, and believing that what he says will make no difference. Only God knows his motives and why he is not more bold to speak. Sharing the Gospel is not only the privilege of Christ’s “slave;” it is also his duty. The “slave” is indifferent to what happens to him as a consequence of his being obedient to his Master, not indifferent to the message of his Master.” (Walt Henrichsen)
Check out this great resource by Ray Comfort of Living Waters:
“How to be Free From Fear of Death”
