BETELGEUSE – 10/19/24 from Georgia
“He counts the number of the stars; He gives names to all of them.”
Psalm 147:4
PLEASE BE PRAYING FOR THE LATEST CONFLICT WITH ISRAEL & IRAN
Hi Men:
I pray your week has been one of trusting “in” Christ for everything. As you all know by now, God is 100% in control. If you believe that and know that all our time in the course of a day belongs to Him, why spend any extended time looking for the latest feed about the elections, Israel or the dozens of other sites that get us jacked-up. Instead, how about reflecting on this quote by our brother, Jerry Bangert:
“The work of Christ and the multiplicity of second chances afford us an opportunity to grow, mature and become Christ-like.”
Grow – Mature – Become Christ-like. WOW! Those (3) things won’t happen unless we are serious in mining the depths of the scripture with a sincere prayer life. Why don’t we all add those requests in our concentrated moments of supplication to God?
PHOTO ABOVE
I just returned from the R12.2 Men’s Conference held at Calloway Gardens in Pine Mt, GA. What a great conference. My oldest son, Mark, was able to join me, which was a huge blessing. The men that attended were great guys and the teaching was so profitable for navigating our days ahead, with Christ at the center. As you know, the name of the conference is referring to Romans 12:2 Based on Jerry’s quote above, how perfect to reflect on R12.2 (click on the verse above to reflect). Also read the September R12.2 Blog below. Here is a photo of the men at the conference:
What about photo Dan? Oh yeah…… As most of you know, Betelgeuse is my favorite star. I get to see it again in the eastern horizon late at night. At the R12.2 conference, I was out late on Saturday night and spotted Betelgeuse between the trees and took my android phone, braced it against a tree, and took a time lapse photo. It’s a little fuzzy, but you can see Betelgeuse at the top (center left) in the Orion Constellation Rather than me bore you with Betelgeuse facts, let me just give you a link. If interested to know just how HUGE Betelgeuse actually is: Check Out This Link (start reading at the 3rd paragraph from a previous Friday letter)
IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD & DOWN THE STREET
For the last 7 days I have been out of town. I was at the R12.2 Conference in Georgia and then got to spend some time with my son and family in NC. I had some great conversations and hopefully will have time to share them in the days ahead, but let me share this one with you. Check out the photo the flight attendant took:
The man closest is George, then Omar and me. I had planned to use the time flying back to Vegas (5 hours) to work on my Friday Men’s Group letter…….. but I also had prayed that morning, letting God know that I was available for however He wanted to use me. While we were sitting at the gate (an additional 1 hr due to an unruly passenger that eventually was escorted off the plane) I started talking to Omar, since he had a NIV Bible, still in the box (I’m holding it). Well, as you can imagine, the conversation got off to a lively start. I found out almost everything about Omar, wife, kids, business, hobbies, etc and then found out about George and his career as a musician. I believe he played with Lou Rawls and even Jimi Hendrix. It was hard to hear him with my hearing issues, but he showed us the photos. George liked the Harris-Trump Million Dollar Bills!
So basically, Omar and I talked for the entire 1 + 5 hours! We covered tons of ground, including the Sovereignty of God. He wants to be on the Friday letter and you may even see him at a conference or two in the days ahead…. and we have been texting. Of course I could go on and on, but I will stop here. Truly a divine appointment!
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“IN CHRIST”
I am way behind on my emails, but a dear brother in Montana send me the October 24 – “Daily Growth” by Ken Boa. This is so good and we talk about it a great deal:
READING: EPHESIANS 6
Paul’s important expression “in Christ” and its equivalent (“in Him”) appears more often in Ephesians (35 times) than in any other New Testament book. The “in Christ” relationship that is available to every believer is rich and multifaceted: we have received every spiritual blessing in Christ (1:3), we were chosen in Christ (1:4, 11), we were adopted as God’s children in Christ (1:5), we have redemption in Christ (1:7), our hope is in Christ (1:12), we were sealed in Christ (1:13), we were made alive in Christ (2:5), we were raised up with Christ and seated with Him in the heavenly realms (2:6), we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works (2:10), we are joined together in Christ (2:21), we are sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus (3:6), we can approach God with freedom and confidence in Christ (3:12), and we are called to strengthen ourselves in Christ’s mighty power (6:10).
Prayer: Lord, may I live in dependence upon Your strength and put on the full armor of God, so that I will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
Meditation passage: verses 10–13
To subscribe to Ken Boa’s “Daily Growth” – CLICK HERE
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Your brother “in” Christ,
Dan
(Gal 2:20)
Men:
I was thinking about the 2 points we have discussed in past Friday Letters. They could very well be the (2) biggest problems in the church today:
- Christians have lost their ‘Fear of the Lord’
- Christians want to serve God on their terms and not His
I was reflecting on two prominent Christian leaders, Ravi Zacharias and Steve Lawson and how quickly their ministries were destroyed due to sin. If they had daily kept those two points in the forefront of their mind, would their downfall have happened? If it happened to them, can it happen to us? ‘There but for the grace of God go I’ That phrase should give us great pause…….
The devotionals below go hand-in-hand with those (2) points above. I encourage you to read these two devotionals from the Red Book very carefully. Remember, if you have questions, open your Bible!
Affluence Destroys Hope
The purpose of these devotionals is to help you think Biblically
Solomon said, “As a man thinks, so is he”
Download The PDF and send to a friend
The Meaning and Importance of Election
The purpose of these devotionals is to help you think Biblically
Solomon said, “As a man thinks, so is he”
Download The PDF and send to a friend
Note: Be prepared for some push-back for those attending a
Christianity ‘Lite’ Church
Men:
Here is an update from Lee and Miltinnie Yih. It is a miracle that Miltinnie got her Christian-based book, “Greener Pastures: Reversing the Curse” published in China. So great that Lee is teaching at a church and still has his Bible studies and Miltinnie has 10 Bible studies every month. We are so grateful for their son David. Praise God!
Here Is A Larger Version of the update
I THINK I WILL DELETE THESE VERSES
J.C. Ryle on Matthew 7:21-23
Read the one page devotional and send to a church buddy
EVERYONE HAS A WORLDVIEW
R12.2 September 2024 Blog
The following questions are addressed in this blog:
- Where do we come from?
- What is wrong with the world?
- Is there a way out?
- So, how do I live my life?
Read The Worldview Blog
Here was the accompanying email:
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Dear Friends,
If someone were to ask you if you had a worldview, how would you answer? The more likely scenario is hearing the question from a friend or family member, “This world is in such a mess, what’s happening?” It is wise to anticipate this type of question frequently, especially living in a 24X7 news cycle. In fact, at the time of this writing hearts and minds are reeling in the aftermath of another school shooting. It happened on Wednesday of this week (September 4, 2024) at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia. To be sure, a quick and callous answer should be avoided; however, the question could lead to a thoughtful discussion about eternal matters. Look for the Holy Spirit’s leading in every encounter with another person, listen carefully, and respond appropriately (Galatians 5:22-23).
Our friend and brother, Bob Snelling wrote this piece over a month ago. He could not have anticipated the tragic events of September 4th, yet he was keenly aware of the human condition and the ever-present trouble in the world.
We trust you will find this blog to be challenging as well as encouraging. Remember, if you feel led to write a future blog, or if you have feedback on these monthly writings, please contact Arthur Corbin (acorbin@gasauthority.com) or Chris Strippelhoff (chris.strippelhoff@gmail.com).
You can find this and past blogs at r122conference.org
In His name,
Arthur, Bob, Chris, and Steve
Photo of Chris Strippelhoff and me at the R12.2 Conference last weekend.
MECHAZILLA
Men:
I still marvel when Mechazilla caught the SpaceX Starship Booster. Unbelievable engineering, math and physics. I think I have played this 1 minute video a couple dozen times. Watch it on YouTube (1 min)
“THE CHURCH HAS GOT IT WRONG”
The Sacred / Secular Divide
Men:
Watch this 1 minute video from John Lennox
Professor of Mathematics at Oxford and Cambridge
After watching it, this is what one of the MIM brothers (Ministry in the Marketplace) shared with me:
Thanks Dan,
This may be a bit tangential, but I am testing out the youth program at our church to see if I might want to invest some time there. I met with the youth pastor (good guy, discipled by college buddy of mine) and he said he could help me in my ministry, and wanted to do it. I told him he is the first churchman (institutional VCW) in 52 years as a Christian to offer to help me with what I feel God has called me to. I resonate with the Professor.
Question:
Has your church ever offered to pray or help you with ‘your’ ministry?
Watch John On YouTube (1 min)
“Purity of Heart is to Will One Thing”
I love this image a brother sent me. It speaks volumes. Of course many of you know the phrase at the top is from Sören Kierkegaard’s book, “Purity of Heart is to Will One Thing.” It addresses what it means to live with a single-minded devotion to God.
The title and main theme come from James 4:8: “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” Kierkegaard interprets this as a call to purity of heart—to focus on willing one thing, which is the Good, or aligning oneself wholly with God’s will.
THIS IS PROFOUND! With what’s going on right now, his thoughts are so relevant….
Kierkegaard argues that true purity and authenticity in life require undivided commitment to God, free from distraction, compromise, or selfish motives. He believes that humans often become fragmented or “double-minded,” pursuing worldly pleasures and ambitions that pull them away from a pure, singular focus on God.
In “Purity of Heart,” Kierkegaard encourages readers to examine their motivations and live in such a way that their actions, thoughts, and desires are wholly devoted to God. He views this as the path to true inner peace, integrity, and spiritual fulfillment.
In summary, “Purity of Heart is to Will One Thing” challenges readers to overcome divided loyalties, embrace inner purity, and commit to a life of wholehearted devotion to God.