GULF COAST MEN IN MISSION

"One man at a time; no man left behind!"

Monday, April 28, 2008

The Value of a Man---What is a Man's Life Worth?

To All the KING'S Men,

K-now Christ!
I-nvite others to join God's team!
N-urture your faith through prayer, worship & daily Bible reading!
G-ive your time & money to support God's work in your congregation!
' - (it's all about "belonging"---who we are and whose we are!)
S-peak well of your pastor and the men in your life!

KING'S men...that's who we are!

Or think of it this way..."one man at a time...no man left behind..."

And if that doesn't strike you...try the ELCA's Lutheran Men in Mission "vision" statement...

"That every man grow in his relationship with Jesus Christ
through an effective men‘s ministry in every congregation."

KING'S Men..."claimed, gathered and sent into the world with God's amazing grace..."

Well, that's a good start...Happy Easter time, y'all...the time of Pentecost is closing in!

What is the value of a man's life? And what does a man value in his life? These are good and appropriate questions for men in our congregations to talk over. I hope you do and I want to share some thoughts that can perhaps stimulate that effort...

In a dated article (June 1991) in Lutheran Women Today (yes, that's the WELCA news) it was said, "that despite what a man would like to be valued for, he's still valued by the amount of money he earns." (my parphrase) i.e. George Steinbrenner will always be more important that the NY Yankess bat boy. Some would agree and others not. But, this being said, it places our reason for being at risk if we succomb to the notion that it is THIS one thing we need to tend to as if nothing else mattered. Others things do; they matter alot.

Pass this page on to a friend or download and copy it if you want to use it for discussion...



VALUES FOR 21st CENTURY MEN’S MINSTRY
based on reflection from Dr. Joe Renzuli

Q: “How shall we prepare leaders for the 21st century?”

A: Consider the “time blocks” of our lives?

  • How busy must we be?
  • cell phones, e-mail and Fed EX rule
  • materialism prevails
    o—> 31 minutes for the care of children / week
    o—> 5 minutes for romantic interlude w/ wife
    ·
  • Success in not measured by the people we rub shoulders with but is a result of our worthwhile work coupled with our worthwhile pleasure
  • The best way to predict the future is to create it! ( I find this most Biblical!)
  • We live in a time which demands:
    o—moral courage
    o– vision linked to optimism
    o—hope
    o– a sense of power to change ( in and around)
    o—having a clear sense of destiny
    o—concern for the environment
    o– being passionate about a topic or cause
    o—having enough conviction to attract others

Question? - “What must we do to shape our own destiny vs. reacting to the world around us?”
Jesus said, “Take my yoke and learn from me; my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

St. Benard said it this way..."Jesus is my bee; he comes not to sting but to bring me honey."

Therefore, a man's life is valued by the voice and desire of Christ and what a man must value is the depth of the relationship he has with the same Christ and the others who he finds following along with him. This is good company, men.

I want to say "thank you" also for a few things...as it reflects this good company...

  1. Thank you for your kind words to me at the death of mother, Doris this past February. As Mother's Day looms nearer, I find myself missing her immensely. Your prayers, words of encouragement and the simple question, "how are you today?" have deep impact and is a constant reminder to all the men in our congregations that we are always two kinds of people--the kind of guys who need support and the kind of guys who provide the support and never forget we are both of them!
  2. Thank you for your diligence in getting men's ministry on the move in your congregation. I hear from others that the phrase, "men's ministry" is getting more than talk. It's action complimenting action. It's contagious!
  3. Thank you to the men in South Louisiana for their efforts in organizing a "quarterly" gathering of men from area churches. This group will sustain and support the efforts of each congregation's men's minsitry and vice-versa.
  4. Thanks to Velon Burnett (Covenant, Houston), Clyde Muske (Zion, Houston) John Dufrene ( Christ the King, Kenner, LA), Phil Oestreich (St. John's, Rutersville, TX), John Hunsicker (Martin Luther, Swiss Alps, TX), Kenny Sanders (Peace, Pasadena) for meeting with me in April to consider our synod and tri-synod events in the coming months. Guys, can we uphold these men in our prayers as we meet? Yes, we can!

Ok, this is a good place to stop. Stopping gets us started, again.

The value of a man?...take some time and talk that out with another man of value...

No One Left behind... man at a time...

Brian

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

SOMETHING GOOD FOR GOD

To All the KING'S Men,

K-now Christ!
I-nvite others to join God's team!
N-urture your faith through prayer, worship & daily Bible reading!
G-ive your time & money to support God's work in your congregation!
S-peak well of your pastor and the men in your life!

KING'S men...that's who we are!

Or think of it this way..."one man at a time...no man left behind..."

And if that doesn't strike you...try the ELCA's Lutheran Men in Mission "vision" statement...


"That every man grow in his relationship with Jesus Christ
through an effective men‘s ministry in every congregation."

KING'S Men...claimed, gathered and sent into the world with God's amazing grace...

Many years ago I had the pleasure of talking with someone who had just returned from an event where Mother Theresa was the keynote speaker. She said all kinds of great things; challenged those who were present but of all that was said and done, this one thing was remembered...

I wasn't even there; but I remember! She leaned over the podium at the conclusion of her presentation and said, "OK, you can't stay here. Go. Go and do something good for God!" You can envision her kind of "shooing" the people out...what a sensible thing to say in a world such as ours..."Go! Go do something good for God." It makes me want to make a list! How about you?

There are three (3) "good things" our synod men's ministry is tending to this Easter season besides the good things you and your men are tending to in your own congregations...

1) "Something Good for God" is a Friday-Saturday "work retreat" for men at Camp Lutherhill in LaGrange (April 18and 19) sponsored by Lutheran Men in Mission. It's our opportunity to do something good for God; something good for God's children; something good for our synod's camp and do something good for ourselves. Jesus said, “You discover your life when you give your life away..." To sign up drop a note to Matt (Matt@lutherhill.org) or Sara (Sara@lutherhill.org) to let them know how many from your congregation will be attending. Cost will be minimal and no more than $35 per (with Friday night housing and all meals. This event will spark some good conversation and get some small projects accomplished prior to the summer camp schedule. Please RSVP by WED, April 16. Some have already done so!

2) LMM "BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE" Endowment Campaign. This is not NEW news for many men in our synod as we have been sharing this info since the FALL of 2005. BUT, we are now down to the end as men make preparations for attending the national gathering in Omaha AUG 1-2-3. Each congregation in our synod has a challenge to the men to raise at least $1000 by Father's Day (send check to John Hunsicker 404 W Brasher St, Weimar, TX 78962-3104). This is a TRI-synod project with the other two TX-LA synods having a common goal to raise over $100,000 and I know our men will go over the top on that...SO...throw a party...cook some BBQ...fry some fish...and ask every man in your church to participate...as this is something that EVERY man in our church can do...give a gift...

3) READY-SET-GO to Omaha for the Triennial Lutheran Men in Mission National Gathering August 1-2-3. In 2005 our synod had more men from TX and LA than any of the other two synods and we want to have as many men go to this event as possible. Check out the web-link and gather info and encourage men in your congregation to register today...as of last week the registrations nationwide were 2Xs what they were for Charleston at this stage of the registration period...and that's very encouraging...you will be blessed...trust that...and here's the link to get there...http://elca.org/lmm/

This Saturday I meet with the LMM Synod Leader Team and we will be talking about these three things and also about a TRI-Synod gathering in Austin in FEB 2009. Please pray for your pastors, the men in your church and those who are in leadership positions in our synod.

Happy Easter to you all...this is a great time to be one of the KING'S men...

Brian