Question: Does this describe you?
“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works,
and glorify your father who is in heaven.”
~ Jesus ~
[Note: There’s a lot of good info here.
You can always bookmark it for later]
Hi Men:
I pray this week that you had opportunities to expose the lost & hopeless with the Good News of the Gospel….. from the light that is “in” you, only because of Jesus Christ. And it doesn’t matter if you stumble, mumble, are rejected and have become a spectacle to the whole world….. “we are fools for Christ’s sake…..” (1 Cor 4:10)
So, are you letting your light shine before men? I can’t think of a better time than now. People are desperate and trying to anesthetize themselves by escaping reality. I ran into some of my old clients this past week. What’s the first thing they asked, “Dan, where have you traveled to this year?” Not that they particularly care where I have been, they want to tell me all about their amazing vacations. Apart from Christ, we (have nothing) and can do NOTHING (John 5:15). Remember the video skit by Adam Sandler last Friday letter (Romano Tours)…. Like the old saying, “wherever you go, there you are!” Unless Christ transforms us into “new creations,” we will remain on the hamster wheel of the world looking at ourselves in the mirror. When they asked where have I traveled to this year, I should have answered, “Out to the sand pile with my grandkids!” 😊
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PHOTO ABOVE
I’m sure many of you know the name of the bush that I set the memory verse card on. You’re right, it’s a Texas Ranger (Leucophyllum frutescens) or Texas Sage. You may find this interesting, but it is also called the Barometer Bush. Why? When the weather changes and rain comes, they often bloom immediately. Right now in Vegas we are seeing them bloom all over the place because of the rain we had. I took the photo of the one on the left just the other day. They are native to Texas and very hearty plants that don’t need a lot of water and love the desert with full sun. They are also impervious to most all bugs (but my pocket gopher buddies play havoc with them 😊)
Ok, I know, that’s more that you asked for………
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IN YOUR OWN BACKYARD …… and down the street
Over the years living in Las Vegas, I have come to the conclusion that car batteries don’t last too long with the hot summers we have. Well, my battery finally croaked. So after I jumped my battery and trekked down to Interstate Batteries, one of their men removed the old one and installed the new one. While installing it, I had a great conversation with him. His name is Mike and he was raised in Mississippi. As a kid he went to church, but that was about it. I had my (3) favorites with me, the Million Dollar Book of John, Steps To Peace With God and Are You A Good Person? We talked about all of them and he said he needs to recommit his relationship with God. He even agreed to meet me at church or grab coffee in the days ahead. We exchanged phone numbers and I sent him the photo we took. I gave him a generous tip and we agreed to text each other……. He has already texted once. I’ll keep you posted!
DENTAL HYGIENIST: By the way, I was talking with one of the brothers in the Bay Area on Tuesday and he shared with me that he had a “great” conversation with his dental hygienist. God even gave him the words and he compared the tarter in his teeth to sin that needs to be removed that comes through repentance. He said he was going to follow-up and drop off some materials…… it was so exciting talking to this brother. Sharing the Gospel ….. nothing better!
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Our New Grandson!
Thank you for praying for the delivery of our newest grandson, Jude. My daughter-in-law Paige and Jude are both doing great by God’s grace. Your prayers were answered and our son John is one happy dad. His other son Ezra now has a little brother to boss around in the days ahead 😊 Jane and I hope to see them this October. Here’s a photo of Jude sleeping ……..
Grateful to our Sovereign Lord,
Dan
(Gal 2:20)
Men: It’s amazing how many guys tell me how wonderful their church’s worship is……… Whatever happened to Romans 12:1?
“They sing His praises, gather in elaborate expressions of worship, practice various forms of mysticism – anything but sacrificing their desires and ambitions as His slaves. As with Cain, God will have none of it!”
Proper Worship – Day 246 Red Book
The purpose of these devotionals is to help you think Biblically
Solomon said, “As a man thinks, so is he”
¹ Romans 12:1
DRIFTING TOWARD DUMBNESS
Part Two – May 2011
Men:
Last week I attached Walt Henrichsen’s first part of his 3 part series. Make sure you don’t miss reading Drifting Toward Dumbness – Part Two.
Here are a few paragraphs from part two (my highlights).
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Through the years academia has developed the conviction that their job is more than educating the students in the various disciplines; they are to inculcate into their students a proper worldview. Once shaped, the students will see the wisdom of allowing the philosopher kings to make the decisions on the role of government in people’s lives.
This is the same reason that most educators are against homeschooling. They perceive that the state should mold the thinking of students, conforming them to the agreed-upon philosophy of life.
In my lifetime we have moved from agreeing that young people should abstain from satisfying their appetites to condoning promiscuity and accepting homosexual behavior as normal. I am neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet, but you will soon see people affirmed in the practice of bestiality.
Scripture clearly teaches that God does not want man to solve his problems; by His grace He will not allow man to create utopia. The Lord insists that His people be just, but this must be done in an unjust world. God never commissioned His people to correct the ills of society or to fight for the cause of justice. To the degree that man perceives that he is making progress in solving such problems, to that degree he drifts further and further from God.
We do well to remember that entitlement destroys gratitude, and ingratitude is the source of all sin, as Romans 1 so graphically teaches. When we look to any source other than God for the meeting of our needs – whether it is parents, spouse, the church, or government – we guarantee ingratitude, and from this flows all manner of sin.
A person cannot learn to think biblically on these matters without protracted time studying and meditating on Scripture.
THE F.A.T. MAN
by Chris Martin
Men: Take 2 minutes and read this MIM article. Ask yourself if you are a F.A.T. man! Very convicting and needs to be a deep-seated truth in our lives.
One of the pernicious effects that a man may encounter after walking with Jesus for many years is the idea that he has reached the summit. “Therefore, let him who thinks he stands, take heed that he does not fall.” (1 Cor 10:12)
Read Attached PDF or Read it on the MIM website
Why Go To Work?
Men I just listened to this talk again by Walt Henrichsen that he gave in 1988.
“You do not work to earn a living.” Matthew 6:19-24
(It is God that provides)
If you haven’t listened to this teaching, I HIGHLY recommend it.
I might also suggest the following:
- Find some uninterrupted quiet time to listen
- Take notes (write the Bible verses down)
- Pray that God will place a few men on your heart to send it to
Audio Message (1hr 17min)
Order the book from MIMbooks.com
What if we saw work as an
opportunity to worship?
There’s no difference between the sacred and the secular. The ONLY difference is how we are paid!
Please watch this 3 minute video I placed in the Friday letter 4 ½ year ago.
This video does a pretty fair job on what MIM has been emphasizing from our booklet, Why Go To Work (see above).
R12.2 August 2023 Blog – “Peace Be With You”
Men:
Take a few minutes to read the attached PDF “Peace Be With You.” One of his (5) applications is:
Do you ask the Lord for opportunities and courage to share this good news with others?
Are you burdened for the unsaved in your sphere?
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Dear Friends,
This month’s blog comes from one of our beloved younger brothers, and soon-to-be father, Jake Raymond.
The subject is peace. All people yearn for peace, but Christ alone offers true and lasting peace, (see John 14:27). How do you define peace, is it simply the absence of conflict or the presence of tranquility? Is true peace available to us today? If so, how do you live it out when there is so much trouble in the world? Further, how can we share this peace with those around us? Read the attached and be encouraged, for we serve an awesome God.
Remember, if you feel led to write a future blog, please contact Arthur Corbin (acorbin@gasauthority.com) or Chris Strippelhoff (chris.strippelhoff@gmail.com).
Peace be with you.
In His name,
Arthur, Bob, Chris, and Steve
PS – As always, you can find this and past blogs at r122conference.org.
A GREAT QUOTE TO FORWARD TO YOUR WIFE and FRIENDS
Ran across this quote from Civil War Chaplin, E.M. Bounds. Really good!
When we pray, “Give us this day our daily bread,” we are, in a measure, shutting tomorrow out of our prayer. We do not live in tomorrow but in today. We do not seek tomorrow’s grace or tomorrow’s bread. They thrive best, and get the most out of life, who live in the living present. They pray best who pray for today’s needs, not for tomorrow’s, which may render our prayers unnecessary and redundant by not existing at all! True prayers are born of present trials and present needs. Bread, for today, is bread enough.
Bread given for today is the strongest sort of pledge that there will be bread tomorrow. Victory today is the assurance of victory tomorrow. Our prayers need to be focused upon the present. We must trust God today and leave tomorrow entirely with Him. The present is ours; the future belongs to God. Prayer is the task and duty of each recurring day—daily prayers for daily needs. — E. M. Bounds
As E.M. Bounds said, bread for today is bread enough
SECOND SATURDAY – Saturday September 9th from 7pm – 9pm
Come hang out with like-minded men!
Men: This is really good!!
Marc Stein: Jewish Entrepreneur Meets Jesus
Watch on YouTube (2.5 minutes)
Annie Dillard sounds like Jonathan Edwards……. Yikes!
“Why do people in churches seem like cheerful, brainless tourists on a packaged tour of the Absolute? The tourists are having coffee and doughnuts on Deck C. Presumably someone is minding the ship, correcting the course, avoiding icebergs and shoals, fueling the engines, watching the radar screen, noting weather reports radioed in from shore. No one would dream of asking the tourists to do these things. . . . The wind seems to be picking up.”
“On the whole, I do not find Christians, outside of the catacombs, sufficiently sensible of conditions. Does anyone have the foggiest idea what sort of power we so blithely invoke? Or, as I suspect, does no one believe a word of it? The churches are children playing on the floor with their chemistry sets, mixing up a batch of TNT to kill a Sunday morning. It is madness to wear ladies’ straw hats and velvet hats to church; we should all be wearing crash helmets. Ushers should issue life preservers and signal flares; they should lash us to our pews. For the sleeping god may wake someday and take offense, or the waking god may draw us out to where we can never return.”
Annie Dillard, Teaching a Stone to Talk
Charles Spurgeon (1834 – 1892) reminded his congregation of this statement by William Carey (1761 – 1834):
When one of God’s choice servants, William Carey, was suffering from a dangerous illness, the inquiry was made, “If this sickness should prove fatal, what passage would you select as the text for your funeral sermon?” He replied, “Oh, I feel that such a poor sinful creature is unworthy to have anything said about him; but if a funeral sermon must be preached, let it be from the words, ‘Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.’”(Psalm 51:1) In the same spirit of humility he directed in his will that the following inscription and nothing more should be cut on his gravestone:
WILLIAM CAREY, BORN AUGUST 17th, 1761:
DIED—
“A wretched, poor, and helpless worm
On Your kind arms I fall.”
By the way, if you haven’t seen “Candle in the Dark” make sure you put it on your list.
It’s actually well done.
You Can Watch It On YouTube for free (1hr 35min)