I am confused. I am fearful. I do not understand.
Okay, okay.. Where am I going with this? Why am I confused, fearful, and lacking in understanding regarding the Batteries? I think that it stems in part from pride and self reliance.
When the concept of the Batteries was first put forth we were told what the function and purpose was to be for the Battery. I know I heard it. I am sure that the man explaining it was clear enough. I worry that I between then and now I allowed my own desires to taint that information. I think that I will need to ask for the concept to be restated so that I can be sure I/we are on track.
I know that in my third commentary I stated that the purpose was to grow Christian friendships. I know that I also want to have some ‘best’ friends that I can confide in without reservation. I know that I want my ‘best’ friend(s) to be Christian who is/are unafraid to try to help me find way back to the narrow way. I am fearful that my wants may be getting in the way of the purpose of the Battery. I don’t feel comfortable sharing intimate details of my life with some of the men now in this Battery. In retrospection, it seems to me that the only time really intimate conversation was shared was when we were a group of three.
I am afraid that I am putting my own selfish desire ahead of the design of the Battery. I still believe that, as Christians, I am commanded to understand that we are all part of one body. I still believe that as part of Christ’s body we all have a role to fulfill. I still believe that I am no better, or no less important, than any other part of Christ’s body.
I am still confused, I still do not understand. I need to ask for the guidance of the man who first proposed this concept of Batteries to me. I really, really need to pray fervently for God’s guidance. I would ask also for your prayers that I may do what is right in God’s eyes.
Rom 12:4-16 4 For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 And since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, {let each exercise them accordingly} if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; 7 if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; 8 or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. 9 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; 11 not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; 12 rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, 13 contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality. 14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and curse not. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 16 Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. (NAS)
Sunday, June 04, 2006
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Labels
I went to a camp this past weekend for a Family Retreat. It was a wonderful time to fellowship with fellow Christians. Although I was busy most of the time, I did get the opportunity to listen to some of the speakers. J
.. One thing did happen that I want to comment about. During a conversation with a friend he used a label to describe me. I was disturbed that he would label me because I didn’t agree with the label he used. We weren’t able to discuss why he used this particular label, so my irritation was increased. I wanted to defend why I felt his label was wrong!
..Later that evening as I was lying in bed I spent more time thinking about hat had happened. I was trying to decide why his label bothered me. One thought that went through my head was that I didn’t want to be labeled by anybody. I was thinking that I am more than a label!
.. Then it came to me, I am defined by my labels. I am defined not by the labels I want, but by the labels that others use to describe me! I see myself as a husband, a father, a firefighter and a paramedic. These are some of the labels that I would like others to see. The questions that need to be answered are: Do others see me by the same labels? Do others see me as a good husband, as a good father, as a good firefighter, or as a good paramedic?
.. The most important label I aspire to is Christian. This is the most difficult task I have. Following Christ is a difficult task for He was perfection, is perfection. I am just a sinner who fails so often when I try to emulate Christ. Yes, I am redeemed by God’s grace, by the perfect sacrifice of Christ on the cross. But I need to try, every day, to justify His gift. Oh, I know that I could never do anything to earn His gift. Because of this gift of God’s grace I need to act like Christ as best I can so that others can see Christ through me. In following Christ’s example I can be better at all the things I do here in this life that He gave to me.
..
.. I don’t resent the label that my friend used to describe me, for that is how he sees me. (It was not a derogatory label although I don’t understand why he used it. That is a discussion yet to happen.) My desire is that I examine my actions, my thoughts, my prayers, and my walk as a Christian so that others will know me as a follower of Christ. I want others to label me as a Christian. I want others to see the love of my Savior and that they too should endeavor to accept Christ as their Savior.
Mark 8:34 And He summoned the multitude with His disciples, and said to them, "If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. (NAS)
1 Pet 2:21 For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps, (NAS)
Acts 11:26 and when he had found him, he brought him to
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Batteries - Up Voltage
. In my last post I commented that it appeared that it seemed that smaller Battery groups might be better. I commented that the one larger Battery appeared to be having scheduling problems because of the number of men included. Well, the Battery I am in has now added a fifth man, one man shy of the largest group. We have had two Battery meetings since my last post, one that included this fifth man.
. At the first of these two recent meetings we had only three men, the original three. The bonds formed before we started the Battery allow us to settle into personal conversations much more quickly. At the second meeting all five of us were present. It seemed to me that it was easier this time to include both the fourth and fifth man in our conversations about personal matters.
. Interestingly enough, at one point I felt as though the fifth man was prying. This is a man who has endured much adversity, yet he remains faithful to God. He trusts that God will sustain him and provide for his family. A few days later I realized that this is an opportunity to get to know him much better.
. Could it be that the goal of using these Batteries is to educate the men of this congregation? I know that one of the stated goals was to provide an outlet to share with brothers in Christ our thoughts, our fears, and our sins. I know that one goal was that this sharing would allow us to be able to pray with purpose for each other. Now I see that it would have been difficult to share our intimate thoughts and concerns without learning more about each other.
. I think that this is part of God’s plan for us, that we learn to appreciate our brothers in Christ. This Battery that I am part of is helping me to better know and appreciate some of my brothers in Christ. I have been taught this lesson before this time. There is a difference between intellectual knowledge and experience which teaches. This Battery concept is helping me to better appreciate all my brothers and sisters in Christ. I may not have the time, the ability, or the opportunity to come to know all of God’s body as well as I will the men of this Battery. Learning so much more about the men of this Battery is helping me to better appreciate 1 Corinthians 12:22-27. This is an additional blessing, that I learn the lesson that ALL of God’s people are important to Him. It is a blessing that I realize that ALL members of God’s body serve a function. I may not know what each person’s role or purpose may be, but it is enough to know that God assures us that we all have a purpose that is important to Him.
1 Corinthians 12:22-27 22 On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary; 3 and those {members} of the body, which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our unseemly {members come to} have more abundant seemliness, 24 whereas our seemly {members} have no need {of it.} But God has {so} composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that {member} which lacked, 25 that there should be no division in the body, but {that} the members should have the same care for one another. 26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if {one} member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. 27 Now you are Christ's body, and individually members of it. (NAS)
. At the first of these two recent meetings we had only three men, the original three. The bonds formed before we started the Battery allow us to settle into personal conversations much more quickly. At the second meeting all five of us were present. It seemed to me that it was easier this time to include both the fourth and fifth man in our conversations about personal matters.
. Interestingly enough, at one point I felt as though the fifth man was prying. This is a man who has endured much adversity, yet he remains faithful to God. He trusts that God will sustain him and provide for his family. A few days later I realized that this is an opportunity to get to know him much better.
. Could it be that the goal of using these Batteries is to educate the men of this congregation? I know that one of the stated goals was to provide an outlet to share with brothers in Christ our thoughts, our fears, and our sins. I know that one goal was that this sharing would allow us to be able to pray with purpose for each other. Now I see that it would have been difficult to share our intimate thoughts and concerns without learning more about each other.
. I think that this is part of God’s plan for us, that we learn to appreciate our brothers in Christ. This Battery that I am part of is helping me to better know and appreciate some of my brothers in Christ. I have been taught this lesson before this time. There is a difference between intellectual knowledge and experience which teaches. This Battery concept is helping me to better appreciate all my brothers and sisters in Christ. I may not have the time, the ability, or the opportunity to come to know all of God’s body as well as I will the men of this Battery. Learning so much more about the men of this Battery is helping me to better appreciate 1 Corinthians 12:22-27. This is an additional blessing, that I learn the lesson that ALL of God’s people are important to Him. It is a blessing that I realize that ALL members of God’s body serve a function. I may not know what each person’s role or purpose may be, but it is enough to know that God assures us that we all have a purpose that is important to Him.
1 Corinthians 12:22-27 22 On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary; 3 and those {members} of the body, which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our unseemly {members come to} have more abundant seemliness, 24 whereas our seemly {members} have no need {of it.} But God has {so} composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that {member} which lacked, 25 that there should be no division in the body, but {that} the members should have the same care for one another. 26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if {one} member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. 27 Now you are Christ's body, and individually members of it. (NAS)
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Men’s Meeting – Revisited
Well, I was going to try to comment on both the most recent Men’s meeting AND my last Battery meeting. After writing about the Men’s meeting I see that this commentary is quite long enough. I will write a separate comment about the Battery meetings.
. First, the Men’s Group meeting, it started with a prayer. It is so good to start anything and everything acknowledging that God is in control.
. The man leading our group then went on to addressing the Batteries. He noted that he did not desire to ‘check up’ on us, just that he wanted to monitor the various Batteries. This man then passed around a list of the Batteries that he was aware of. He asked that corrections / additions be made to the list. He also instructed that anyone that just wanted to be placed in a Battery to add their name at the bottom of the page. He would then assign those men to a Battery.
Interestingly, at this time not quite half of the men are in a Battery. Also interesting is that there are two smaller Batteries and one large, 6 man, Battery. The larger group has only met once because of multiple scheduling conflicts. I guess the original concept of keeping the Batteries small has validity. :-) I will commment more on the Batteries in my next post.
. Next, we resumed our discussion based upon the book, Point Man, by Steve Farrar. Our topic was Infidelity.
It was interesting to note how comfortable the men felt about sharing their experiences. It was encouraging to note that many men felt comfortable that their confidence in the security of the group would be honored. We spent some time contrasting the difference between how David and Joseph dealt with the temptation of infidelity. The meeting concluded with the instruction from God, through Paul to the church at Corinth found in 1 Corinthians 6:15-20. We also contrasted the response to the temptation between Samuel as seen in 2 Samuel 11:1-5 and Joseph as seen in Genesis 39:6-12. God’s response to both men showed His displeasure with Samuel’s sin and His reward to Joseph for faithfulness.
. I especially liked the comments in 1 Corinthians 6:15-20 ‘Flee immorality’ ‘Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit’ ‘For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.’ and Genesis 39:6-12 how Joseph ‘and he left his garment in her hand and fled’ in order to escape the temptation of Potiphar’s wife.
. A good lesson, a good discussion, a good fellowship… For me though, I think this is something new. It is a weekly group Bible Study for men. Yes, we are using Point Man, as a focal point, as a place to start, but we always go back to the Bible for the focus of our discussions. It is sad for me to admit this, but this is the first larger group Bible study I have been involved with. Not large like a Wednesday or Sunday Bible study group, but large like a house Bible Study group. All my studies have been by myself, with one other person, or with my family. I have never been invited to join one of the house study groups going on in my congregation. Neither have I invited myself nor have I started one myself. I feel sad that I have deprived myself of this type of fellowship for so long. Ah well.
. Perhaps it will be enough that I stay involved in the Church, participate in as much as I can. Perhaps I should just trust God to continue show me new opportunities to grow in Christ. I have come a long way since I first began to listen to God’s words. I still have a long way to grow. I can take comfort in knowing that the Holy Spirit will be with me, guiding me. I can take comfort in God’s grace and the sacrifice of His son Jesus.
1 Corinthians 6:15-20 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? May it never be! 16 Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a harlot is one body {with her} For He says, "The two will become one flesh." 17 But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit {with Him.} 18 Flee immorality. Every {other} sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. (NAS)
2 Samuel 11:1-5 1 Then it happened in the spring, at the time when kings go out {to battle,} that David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel, and they destroyed the sons of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem. 2 Now when evening came David arose from his bed and walked around on the roof of the king's house, and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful in appearance. 3 So David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, "Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?" 4 And David sent messengers and took her, and when she came to him, he lay with her; and when she had purified herself from her uncleanness, she returned to her house. 5 And the woman conceived; and she sent and told David, and said, "I am pregnant." (NAS)
Genesis 39:6-12 6 So he left everything he owned in Joseph's charge; and with him {there} he did not concern himself with anything except the food which he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. 7 And it came about after these events that his master's wife looked with desire at Joseph, and she said, "Lie with me." 8 But he refused and said to his master's wife, "Behold, with me {here,} my master does not concern himself with anything in the house, and he has put all that he owns in my charge. 9 "There is no one greater in this house than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great evil, and sin against God?" 10 and it came about as she spoke to Joseph day after day, that he did not listen to her to lie beside her, {or} be with her. 11 Now it happened one day that he went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the household was there inside. 12 And she caught him by his garment, saying, "Lie with me!" And he left his garment in her hand and fled, and went outside. (NAS)
. First, the Men’s Group meeting, it started with a prayer. It is so good to start anything and everything acknowledging that God is in control.
. The man leading our group then went on to addressing the Batteries. He noted that he did not desire to ‘check up’ on us, just that he wanted to monitor the various Batteries. This man then passed around a list of the Batteries that he was aware of. He asked that corrections / additions be made to the list. He also instructed that anyone that just wanted to be placed in a Battery to add their name at the bottom of the page. He would then assign those men to a Battery.
Interestingly, at this time not quite half of the men are in a Battery. Also interesting is that there are two smaller Batteries and one large, 6 man, Battery. The larger group has only met once because of multiple scheduling conflicts. I guess the original concept of keeping the Batteries small has validity. :-) I will commment more on the Batteries in my next post.
. Next, we resumed our discussion based upon the book, Point Man, by Steve Farrar. Our topic was Infidelity.
It was interesting to note how comfortable the men felt about sharing their experiences. It was encouraging to note that many men felt comfortable that their confidence in the security of the group would be honored. We spent some time contrasting the difference between how David and Joseph dealt with the temptation of infidelity. The meeting concluded with the instruction from God, through Paul to the church at Corinth found in 1 Corinthians 6:15-20. We also contrasted the response to the temptation between Samuel as seen in 2 Samuel 11:1-5 and Joseph as seen in Genesis 39:6-12. God’s response to both men showed His displeasure with Samuel’s sin and His reward to Joseph for faithfulness.
. I especially liked the comments in 1 Corinthians 6:15-20 ‘Flee immorality’ ‘Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit’ ‘For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.’ and Genesis 39:6-12 how Joseph ‘and he left his garment in her hand and fled’ in order to escape the temptation of Potiphar’s wife.
. A good lesson, a good discussion, a good fellowship… For me though, I think this is something new. It is a weekly group Bible Study for men. Yes, we are using Point Man, as a focal point, as a place to start, but we always go back to the Bible for the focus of our discussions. It is sad for me to admit this, but this is the first larger group Bible study I have been involved with. Not large like a Wednesday or Sunday Bible study group, but large like a house Bible Study group. All my studies have been by myself, with one other person, or with my family. I have never been invited to join one of the house study groups going on in my congregation. Neither have I invited myself nor have I started one myself. I feel sad that I have deprived myself of this type of fellowship for so long. Ah well.
. Perhaps it will be enough that I stay involved in the Church, participate in as much as I can. Perhaps I should just trust God to continue show me new opportunities to grow in Christ. I have come a long way since I first began to listen to God’s words. I still have a long way to grow. I can take comfort in knowing that the Holy Spirit will be with me, guiding me. I can take comfort in God’s grace and the sacrifice of His son Jesus.
1 Corinthians 6:15-20 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? May it never be! 16 Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a harlot is one body {with her} For He says, "The two will become one flesh." 17 But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit {with Him.} 18 Flee immorality. Every {other} sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. (NAS)
2 Samuel 11:1-5 1 Then it happened in the spring, at the time when kings go out {to battle,} that David sent Joab and his servants with him and all Israel, and they destroyed the sons of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. But David stayed at Jerusalem. 2 Now when evening came David arose from his bed and walked around on the roof of the king's house, and from the roof he saw a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful in appearance. 3 So David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, "Is this not Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?" 4 And David sent messengers and took her, and when she came to him, he lay with her; and when she had purified herself from her uncleanness, she returned to her house. 5 And the woman conceived; and she sent and told David, and said, "I am pregnant." (NAS)
Genesis 39:6-12 6 So he left everything he owned in Joseph's charge; and with him {there} he did not concern himself with anything except the food which he ate. Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance. 7 And it came about after these events that his master's wife looked with desire at Joseph, and she said, "Lie with me." 8 But he refused and said to his master's wife, "Behold, with me {here,} my master does not concern himself with anything in the house, and he has put all that he owns in my charge. 9 "There is no one greater in this house than I, and he has withheld nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great evil, and sin against God?" 10 and it came about as she spoke to Joseph day after day, that he did not listen to her to lie beside her, {or} be with her. 11 Now it happened one day that he went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the household was there inside. 12 And she caught him by his garment, saying, "Lie with me!" And he left his garment in her hand and fled, and went outside. (NAS)
Friday, May 12, 2006
Batteries - Charging
I have now been to 3 Battery meetings. This Battery is a small group that grew out of a Men’s study group with the expressed purpose of growing Christian friendships. Three meetings of the Battery is only a beginning, but I want to comment on where I see our group.
The first two Battery meetings was comprised of a group of three men. We had known each other for years, interacting mostly in church settings. We spoke and shared with each other at Sunday worship, Wednesday Bible classes, and while planning and working at a many church functions. But we had not really spent much time sharing concerns and intimacies that are the core of true friendships.
At our first Battery meeting we made an effort to not only be friendly, but to also open up ourselves by asking for prayers on more personal issues. We took time to discuss each of these prayer requests, not to judge or solve, but to offer emotional support. It is not that each of us did not know where to go for the answers, or that we did doubted that God is our answer. In my case I know what I needed to do and why I needed to do the right things. For me it was an opportunity to share and know that other men were concerned about my issues. It comforted me to know they would keep my concerns and issues in their daily prayers.
For the third Battery meeting we invited a fourth man to join us. This man has also been part of the sphere of our church for many years. He also has been involved in church activities including Worship, Bible Studies and participating in many other functions. For some reason it already seemed as though he needed to pass some sort of test of acceptance to our Battery. [ I do NOT speak of the thoughts others, only for myself! I would not presume to comment for them. ] We spent the entire time in pleasant conversation, even discussing some Church issues. We discussed the plight of a minister/evangelist at a nearby congregation dealing with family health issues. We discussed the substantial loss of support by a missionary working within our state. We did not discuss personal issues even to asking for updates on how things were going with previous concerns.
God tells us in 1 Corinthians 16:13 Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. (NASB)and 2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.(NASB)
I will strive this coming week to be more open with the fourth man in our Battery. I will strive to be more courageous and trust in God and His Church.
God tells us in James 5:16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much (NASB)
This, I believe, is the goal of these Batteries. That we may be more open in confessing our sins, praying for one another, that we may accomplish much. Not that we do these things for ourselves, but to the glory of God our Father.
I will soon comment on what I see happening with the rest of the men. How well other men are doing in forming Batteries and how well the men in Batteries perceive they are working.
The first two Battery meetings was comprised of a group of three men. We had known each other for years, interacting mostly in church settings. We spoke and shared with each other at Sunday worship, Wednesday Bible classes, and while planning and working at a many church functions. But we had not really spent much time sharing concerns and intimacies that are the core of true friendships.
At our first Battery meeting we made an effort to not only be friendly, but to also open up ourselves by asking for prayers on more personal issues. We took time to discuss each of these prayer requests, not to judge or solve, but to offer emotional support. It is not that each of us did not know where to go for the answers, or that we did doubted that God is our answer. In my case I know what I needed to do and why I needed to do the right things. For me it was an opportunity to share and know that other men were concerned about my issues. It comforted me to know they would keep my concerns and issues in their daily prayers.
For the third Battery meeting we invited a fourth man to join us. This man has also been part of the sphere of our church for many years. He also has been involved in church activities including Worship, Bible Studies and participating in many other functions. For some reason it already seemed as though he needed to pass some sort of test of acceptance to our Battery. [ I do NOT speak of the thoughts others, only for myself! I would not presume to comment for them. ] We spent the entire time in pleasant conversation, even discussing some Church issues. We discussed the plight of a minister/evangelist at a nearby congregation dealing with family health issues. We discussed the substantial loss of support by a missionary working within our state. We did not discuss personal issues even to asking for updates on how things were going with previous concerns.
God tells us in 1 Corinthians 16:13 Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong. (NASB)and 2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.(NASB)
I will strive this coming week to be more open with the fourth man in our Battery. I will strive to be more courageous and trust in God and His Church.
God tells us in James 5:16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much (NASB)
This, I believe, is the goal of these Batteries. That we may be more open in confessing our sins, praying for one another, that we may accomplish much. Not that we do these things for ourselves, but to the glory of God our Father.
I will soon comment on what I see happening with the rest of the men. How well other men are doing in forming Batteries and how well the men in Batteries perceive they are working.
Thursday, April 20, 2006
Batteries Included
So, how was my first experience with the concept of Batteries? It went well. As it was proposed, it was an opportunity to share. We were able to share in what was going on in our lives. We started with the mundane, the things of this world. Then we progressed to talking about the whole concept of Mens' Group that we are trying to implement. Next we shared our prayer requests with each other. Finally we prayed together.
One of the points we discussed was the implementation of the concept of Batteries. {A small group of 3-5 men that are to meet weekly to share, pray, and hopefully build strong brotherly, Christian, relationships.} Being the folow the rules type of guy that i am, I had just thought that everyone would form into Batteries as instructed at our first weekly large group meeting. Tonight it was brought out that since we weren't assigned to a Battery, some of the men might be hesitant to form in a Battery.
So, as so often is the concern in churches, how do we get people to participate fully? Should we try to limit the duration of the first formed Batteries and then reform new Batteries? Should someone be assigned to go from Battery to Battery, participating with them all to lend guidance?
I Jn 4:21 And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also. (NAS)
How shall we do this? Can we, here in this congregation, make this concept of a Mens' Group "with Batteries included work to help us "love our brother"?
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
New Concept
Nah! Not really! It is only new to me, perhaps new to the congregation where I worship. I am even sure that it has had some informal expression, but it is now being formalized. Okay, so what am I talking about?
We are instituting a Mens' group and study. The format is to be once a week meetings for the whole group. This will be an opportunity to study issues that deal with men. We are starting with a 7 week study on the importance of the role of men as leaders.
We are also forming smaller "batteries" of 3 - 5 men that will meet once a week. The purpose of these groups will be develop deeper friendships where we can share our concerns and joys about our lives. Man to man. As one of the elders said, It should provide an opportunity to confess our sins to one another in a more intimate, confidential forum.
I am looking forward to this opportunity to strengthen the brethren and myself. I am looking forward to strengthening friendships that allow me to confide to fellow male Christians. This last is very important to me, that these friends, that I hope I make more a part of me, are part of the family of God.
I don't intend to share confidences here, but I may share some of my self discoveries. I want to also share how this concept works and how it helps me with my walk as a Christian.
Nah! Not really! It is only new to me, perhaps new to the congregation where I worship. I am even sure that it has had some informal expression, but it is now being formalized. Okay, so what am I talking about?
We are instituting a Mens' group and study. The format is to be once a week meetings for the whole group. This will be an opportunity to study issues that deal with men. We are starting with a 7 week study on the importance of the role of men as leaders.
We are also forming smaller "batteries" of 3 - 5 men that will meet once a week. The purpose of these groups will be develop deeper friendships where we can share our concerns and joys about our lives. Man to man. As one of the elders said, It should provide an opportunity to confess our sins to one another in a more intimate, confidential forum.
I am looking forward to this opportunity to strengthen the brethren and myself. I am looking forward to strengthening friendships that allow me to confide to fellow male Christians. This last is very important to me, that these friends, that I hope I make more a part of me, are part of the family of God.
I don't intend to share confidences here, but I may share some of my self discoveries. I want to also share how this concept works and how it helps me with my walk as a Christian.
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