Men's Ministry-- the Year Round Work of Christ!
To All the KING's Men,
God's peace to you in Christ Jesus! Thank you for being leaders in your congregations! Our work is day by day, season by season, year after year!
Here's a message from Matt Kindsvatter, Director @ Camp Lutherhill...
"Thank you! We had over 145 people at Lutherhill chainsawing, trimming trees and pulling brush. We want to thank everyone who was part of the workday for being a blessing to Lutherhill!
If you missed your chance to come out don't worry we will be having another workday coming up. There is still plenty of work to be done on site. If you would like to get your chainsaw on or just come and help out groups are always welcome at Lutherhill. Free housing will be provided!"
If you have any questions please contact Matt via office@lutherhill.org or 888-266-4613.
I'm sorry I was not able to share that time with you in October. I would love to have been in this photo. Matt said that there was about a 60-40 split male/female ratio and what a great project all of the folks in our synod helped out with! Again, if your men would like to schedule a FRI nite /Saturday work day... that works for you... please let Matt know...
Now about the work that goes on year round... here's a short list of clues... 7 is a holy number!
- Deuteronomy 6:4ff tells us to... 'love the Lord your God with all you heart, strength and mind; Jesus added to this GREAT COMMANDMENT by saying... 'and love your neighbor as yourself!'
- So, FYI... loving yourself is an important preface to loving your neighbor! Love as in not a narcissistic way... to the exclusion of others and feeling superior to others...but none of us will be able to love those around us unless we have a good sense of self already. And THUS, Jesus would be right, that if we don't love ourselves very much... we will have a heck of a time loving others and that we WILL love them like we love ourselves, which might then not be all that much!
- So how do you go about loving yourself?
- Remember the value of the 10 Words (Commandments) These were given to teach, protect and guide us in our relationship with God and neighbor;
- Pray, worship and study the Word of God. In short. Feed you spirit!
- Prayer is talking to God. Do it! Then listen;
- Worship is the most important thing we do as God's people! We don't 'go to church'... we ARE the church and the church gathers for worship weekly as was Jesus' custom (see Luke's gospel!)
- Open your Bible. Read it. Find a study group. Make a plan. Live it. The Bible is NOT God. We do not worship our Bibles... but the Bible is God's Living Word and story to us of the God we DO worship!
- Eat right and exercise. Call it a 'spiritual' practice and see this as a reflection that our bodies are indeed the 'temple of the Holy Spirit.' Does the God who lives and dwells in you live in a mansion or garbage can? Only you can answer that!
- Encourage and invite others to the font and story of God! Tell them, "Jesus wants you to come to dinner with him before the big game!"
- Give some money. Serve those around you! Give some time to your church, your community and be a loyal, honest employee at work! Time does not replace money and polls show that those who give generously and serve others and above average when it comes to personal joy and attitude toward life.
- The Cross of Christ deserves our reflection. Take some time and read about crucifixion. Jesus was no sissy. The Romans were brutal. Compare Jesus' last hours with your work day and weekend. Be thankful!
- Jesus gave his church a GREAT COMMISSION to go and tell. This is urgent work! The point of church. Not to get people saved...but to tell them they are. How would you act if you thought of yourself as just one poor slob only to find out you are the brother of the Son of God! A prince of the Kingdom who is accompanied by the Prince of Princes and the Prince of Peace? Now, there's a door open to a different way of looking at life... that life matters... that I matter... that Jesus has opened the gate to an eternal life and has 'renewed' the cosmos...
That's why we can go and tear down a camp that has been devastated by fire. Jesus is renewing the world...daily... and we pray, Luther once reminded us..."your Kingdom come your will be done" not so that the Kingdom will come and God's will would enter in but that those 2 things are here all by themselves, even before our prayers and that we pray this so we will not miss them and be on the lookout for them and participate in them... Man, that's good preaching!
Know that God loves you in Christ Jesus----> so know you are loved----> so you can love the world for Christ's sake... the year round ministry we all do... one by one, two by two, team by team, church by church, synod by synod... and sometimes we just set a date and do it!
Plan ahead for FEB 10-11-12, 2012 in Kenner, LA for the synod's annual meeting... Mark the date.. more coming real soon...
One man @ a time; no man left behind!
Brian
Gulf Coast Synod Coordinator for Men's Ministry
