Monday, April 23, 2012

Promise Keepers

Guys, PROMISE KEEPERS is BACK to doing Men's Ministry and we are Calling You Out!

Dr. Raleigh Washington President of Promise Keepers is challenging ALL MEN to join us next Friday & Saturday, April 27 & 28, in Orlando, FL.

Scholarship Registrations are still available if needed. If you are older, invite someone younger.

If you are younger, invite someone older. If you know someone who has lost his way, given up on life, and needs to get right with God... bring him.

Bring whoever you want but let's "Fill the Seats" and experience powerful worship together!

PK is BACK to fill your tank, fire up your passion, and call you out to be a mighty man of God! See you there Brother!

In Christ,

Your CALLED OUT PK Men's Ministry Team
Info & Registration http://www.promisekeepers.org/events/orlando-registration
1-866-776-6473

Friday, April 20, 2012

From Max Lucado

Jesus’ final act on earth was intended to win your trust.

This is the final act of Jesus’ life. In the concluding measure of his earthly composition, we hear the sounds of a thirsty man.

And through his thirst—through a sponge and a jar of cheap wine—he leaves a final appeal.

“You can trust me.”

Jesus. Lips cracked and mouth of cotton. Throat so dry he couldn’t swallow, and voice so hoarse he could scarcely speak. He is thirsty. To find the last time moisture touched these lips you need to rewind a dozen hours to the meal in the upper room. Since tasting that cup of wine, Jesus has been beaten, spat upon, bruised, and cut. He has been a cross-carrier and sin-bearer, and no liquid has salved his throat. He is thirsty.

Why doesn’t he do something about it? Couldn’t he? Did he not cause jugs of water to be jugs of wine? Did he not make a wall out of the Jordan River and two walls out of the Red Sea? Didn’t he, with one word, banish the rain and calm the waves? Doesn’t Scripture say that he “turned the desert into pools” (PSALM 107:35 NIV) and “the hard rock into springs” (PSALM 114:8 NIV)?

Did God not say, “I will pour water on him who is thirsty” (ISAIAH. 44:3NKJV)?

If so, why does Jesus endure thirst?

While we are asking this question, add a few more. Why did he grow weary in Samaria (John 4:6), disturbed in Nazareth (Mark 6:6), and angry in the Temple (John 2:15)? Why was he sleepy in the boat on the Sea of Galilee (Mark 4:38), sad at the tomb of Lazarus (John 11:35), and hungry in the wilderness (Matt. 4:2)?

Why? And why did he grow thirsty on the cross?

He didn’t have to suffer thirst. At least, not to the level he did. Six hours earlier he’d been offered drink, but he refused it.

They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, buthe did not take it. And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get. (Mark 15:22–24 NIV,italics mine)

Before the nail was pounded, a drink was offered. Mark says the wine was mixed with myrrh. Matthew described it as wine mixed with gall. Both myrrh and gall contain sedative properties that numb the senses. But Jesus refused them. He refused to be stupefied by the drugs, opting instead to feel the full force of his suffering.

Why? Why did he endure all these feelings? Because he knew you would feel them too.

He knew you would be weary, disturbed, and angry. He knew you’d be sleepy, grief-stricken, and hungry. He knew you’d face pain. If not the pain of the body, the pain of the soul … pain too sharp for any drug. He knew you’d face thirst. If not a thirst for water, at least a thirst for truth, and the truth we glean from the image of a thirsty Christ is—he understands.

And because he understands, we can come to him.

Reminder

Dear Men of Faith,
April 3, 2012

Do you desire to hear from God about issues or direction in your life? Have you ever experienced letting the scriptures speak to you in a practical personal way? Do you want to grow in the depth of your walk with Christ?

We will again meet for this kind of time. We will go outdoors in a beautiful setting and take some time to hear from God as we interact with His Word. It will provide a time of encouragement and fellowship with other men seeking God’s best for them

If it is your first time, we will walk you through how to spend a time of reflection and listening for God as we approach some men issues. Our talk time will be on “What does it mean to be Teachable as a Disciple”. This will be an accepting, non-threatening environment as we all assess our Spiritual journey and where God has us. It will be the best 3 hours you will spend all month! You will be home with your wives and children before noon.

What: Men’s/Morning with the Lord



When: Saturday April 21st 2012 7:30-10:30 am



Where: The Frye Farm – 24051 Jennings Road

Highway 64 - Go 11 miles east of I-75 (Bradenton, FL) to County road 675 - turn right go to first road, turn left on Jennings road, go 1/2 mile on left.

Highway 70 - Go 11 miles east of I-75 (Bradenton, FL) to County road 675 - turn left go five miles, turn right on Jennings road, go 1/2 mile on left.

Why: Because we all need some reflection time with God to hear from Him and clear the confusion out of our lives to maintain perspective. God has also challenged us to do this in the scripture. We need to hear from other men and what God is doing in and through them as well.

Bring: Bible, notebook, lawn chair, a friend seeking this kind of time if you like.

If you desire to come, call or reply back to this e-mail (fcfrye@gmail.com) so we may plan on drinks and light snacks. Look forward expectantly to what God will do!

In His Service with You,

Frank

Frank Frye Priority Associates 941-322-2931(h) 941-725-4982 (c)

From WIld at Heart

Don’t Tell
I’ve always wondered why Jesus, having healed someone, would immediately tell them to keep quiet about it. After giving two blind men perfect vision, “Jesus warned them sternly, ‘See that no one knows about this’” (Matt. 9:30). Warned them sternly—now why is that? He does the same after healing a man of leprosy: “Jesus sent him away at once with a strong warning: ‘See that you don’t tell this to anyone’” (Mark 1:44). A strong warning? But . . . isn’t the point to get the word out? And wouldn’t miracles be just the thing? These guys are the poster children now, living proof of Jesus’ claims.



Maybe he’s using reverse psychology, knowing that the more you insist people don’t talk about what happened, the more they will. Is this merely his technique to get the press going? It certainly has that effect. The two blind men “went out and spread the news about him all over that region” (Matt. 9:31). The healed leper “went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news” (Luke 1:45).



But wait—Mark goes on to explain why Jesus did this: “‘See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.’ Instead he went out and began to talk freely, spreading the news. As a result, Jesus could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places. Yet the people still came to him from everywhere” (Mark 1:44–45). It is a sad editorial footnote. Jesus can’t even get a moment’s rest now. The paparazzi are everywhere. He doesn’t mind a night of prayer on the mountain, but never to be able to get a bed and a hot meal? Jesus’ strong warnings reveal his strong desires, very human desires. “Please don’t tell anybody about this.” He doesn’t want to be forced to sleep in the woods.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Local Christian Counseling

If you have a need please visit Life Care


http://lifecarecounselingfl.com/

Stand firm

I offer a cup of water in Jesus name:
Ephesians 6
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. 19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

Rebuking the illnesses and distractions.

Saturday, April 14, 2012

From WIld at Heart

The Promises of God
God promises every man futility and failure; he guarantees every woman relational heartache and loneliness. We spend most of our waking hours attempting to end-run the curse. We will fight this truth with all we've got. Sure, other people suffer defeat. Other people face loneliness. But not me. I can beat the odds. We see the neighbor's kids go off the deep end, and we make a mental note: They didn't pray for their kids every day. And we make praying for our kids every day part of our plan. It doesn't have to happen to us. We watch a colleague suffer a financial setback, and we make another note: He was always a little lax with his money. We set up a rigid budget and stick to it.

Isn't there something defensive that rises up in you at the idea that you cannot make life work out? Isn't there something just a little bit stubborn, an inner voice that says, I can do it? Thus Pascal writes,

All men seek happiness. This is without exception. Whatever different means they employ, they all tend to this end . . . This is the motive of every action of every man. But example teaches us little. No resemblance is ever so perfect that there is not some slight difference, and hence we expect that our hope will not be deceived on this occasion as before. And thus, while the present never satisfies us, experience dupes us and from misfortune to misfortune leads us to death. (Pensées)

It can't be done. No matter how hard we try, no matter how clever our plan, we cannot arrange for the life we desire. Set the book down for a moment and ask yourself this question: Will life ever be what I so deeply want it to be, in a way that cannot be lost? This is the second lesson we must learn, and in many ways the hardest to accept. We must have life; we cannot arrange for it.

Friday, April 13, 2012

Men at the cross

As a grandfather of eleven "little tykes" I'm pretty sure I'm the most blessed man alive! I love little bitty people!! I thought being called "Dad" was amazing (and it was) but being called "Pops" by two adopted from Rwanda and nine biological "grand pups" is absolutely THE DEAL!



You learn a lot as a "Pops" ...like sometimes when you just think about them, you cry.

I also learn new words! "Chickennuggetsfrenchfriescokeduh?" is one word when you pull up to McDonald's and ask your 4 year-old "what do you want to order?"

That may be the biggest word in a four year-old's vocabulary, but you know what? I think perhaps a certain three-letter word is the biggest word in a "more grown-up" person's vocabulary...at least it is for me.

The word is, "All."

Yep, that's it, "All."

We sing, "I Surrender All" as we "accept Jesus," but do we "surrender all" or is that just a song?

You can look back over the last 12 months and sort of count up all the money "I spent on ME" and how much I gave to the "poorest in this world" and you get a pretty honest quick look at how big the word "ALL" is.

We say, "I give Jesus ALL my sins" and we still beat ourselves up over our past mistakes. We pray, "Jesus, I love you with ALL my heart" and yet we spend hours searching the "T.V. Gospel" and our Bibles gather dust over on our night table. It's all too easy to sing "All for Jesus" and then go home to computers, IPOD's, and DVD's laced with pornography, profanity and lust.

I'm reading Psalms 111 lately, and man, I'm wanting to live the meaning of "ALL." Why is that little three-letter word such a TALL mountain to climb, I ask?

I watched my friend Colt McCoy go down in the national championship game against Alabama and then have to sit on the sidelines and watch his dreams of leading the Longhorns to his long-awaited dream of being # 1 melt down before his eyes. The news reporter asked him after the game for a comment. Was he bitter? Couldn't God have prevented it or healed him? Didn't he deserve the championship? I'm sure the thoughts of fans were countless that surrounded him.

His answer was simple and to the point, "I always give God the glory. I never question why things happen the way they do. God is in control of my life. And I know that if nothing else, I'm standing on the Rock."

After Job suffered more loss than any of us could ever suffer, he said, "God I know now that you can do all things and no plan of yours will be thwarted. I know my redeemer lives. In the end I will see God. (You can hear in his words, "All for God! All for God! All for God!")

After David had risen, fallen and risen again to be the great king of Israel, through valleys and deserts, through the mountain peaks of watching God bring to pass "the glory days of Israel" and yet endure the utter brokenness and the deep valleys of moral failure, David consummated his life by saying, "Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O LORD, and You exalt Yourself as head over all." (1Chronicles 29:11)

All for God! All for God! All for God!

I am challenged daily to discover new depths of that powerful three-letter word "ALL" and dig deeper into its meaning and practical application for my life.

For I have so much more to give Him. With each layer of my being that He peels away and reveals that another treasure needs to be brought to His throne of grace I am grateful.. For each divine revelation of one more investment of my time, talent and treasure into the "Eternal Bank" where "neither moth nor rust destroy" I am blessed to lay it down. For each curtain that is opened before yet another window into my heart and I can see a selfish motive, impure thought, or less than completely honest agenda I am set free.

I have a long way to go but I celebrate the journey.

I pray that you will find God's grace today to dive deeper with me in the journey and that one day we can join hands before the throne of grace and sing in complete transparency from the basement of our soul, "I surrender all, yes I surrender all."



Grace alone,





Joe White, President

Men at the Cross





P.S. I got this email and want to share it with you.

"I have a Timothy now, we started about two weeks ago. It all started with the Men at The Cross logo sticker on the back glass of my truck. All he had to do was ask me about it and two weeks later we started One2Won. He is a coworker of mine. Every day at work we will be talking about God and the same thing we talked about would be in the session for that day. God has very much blessed me more than I deserve, for I am not worthy, but only by the BLOOD of JESUS. Thanks, more than you know."

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Promise keepers is back

A Monthly Newsletter From Promise Keepers - April 2012
IN THIS ISSUE:
Men’s conferences are back!
Orlando speaker line-up
Volunteer openings!
Promise Keeper’s Men’s Conferences are BACK!!

In 1991, Promise Keepers asked the question, “Where are the men?”

The increasing rates of fatherlessness, abuse, absenteeism from church, and overall male passivism in spiritual things prompted the organization at that time to call men together to worship Jesus Christ and to learn what a godly man is and how he thinks, lives, and relates to his Lord and others. As many of you remember, the impact of that call was dramatic in the lives of over a million men!

But the reality is that twenty-one years later, the burning question Promise Keepers asked back in 1991 MUST be asked again – but now with even more urgency! Where are the men of God?

We want to challenge you again men with the core of the Seven Promises:

Where are the men... who are unashamed of their love and personal faith in Jesus Christ?

Where are the men... who know the danger of isolation and want to be authentically connected with a few other brothers in Christ?

Where are the men... who are honest about their own battles and are pursuing lives of ethical, sexual, and moral integrity?

Where are the men... who champion their family through the biblical values of love, respect, honor, patience, sacrifice, and service?

Where are the men... who sacrificially serve others and advance the mission of their church?

Where are the men... who are passionate about unity in God’s Kingdom?

Where are the men... who boldly demonstrate and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

Men, will you be called out? Will you stand with your brothers? This year at Promise Keepers Conferences we are calling men out! You will be inspired through six power-packed messages by some of the nation’s leading Christian speakers that will help reignite your passion and define what it means to be a Man of God!

Brothers like Tony Evans, Mike Silva, Steve Farar, Brad Stine, Gary Rosberg, Reggie Dabbs, and Raleigh Washington, are joined by new voices like Peter Tebow, Greg Stier, and Derwin Gray, and awesome worship by leaders like Matt Maher, Lincoln Brewster, and Matthew West! To hear an declarative invitation from our CEO Raleigh Washington, and an explanation about where Promise Keepers has been and where we are going, please check this out: http://www.promisekeepers.org/about

We are coming to 5 cities in 2012 with this Called Out challenge -- see the list and links at left.

Brothers, NOW is the time to get on the stick and sign up! Group registrations available -- please check out: http://www.promisekeepers.org/events/registration.

If you want to see a Promise Keepers Men’s Event in 2013 to your city, we want to hear from you. There are some requirements to get it to happen, so check out our FAQ section at: http://www.promisekeepers.org/about/faqs/faqs-local-questions

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

How solid is your marriage

Marriages are crumbling around us and I want to give you a special incentive and Discount on the ticket price for the upcoming MARRIAGE CONFERENCE at Hope Church! The conference is Saturday, April 14th from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm and the price is ONLY $25 per couple.

This conference is all about "Building a CROSS Centered Marriage." Challenging you to stir passionate love into your marriage.

Joining me is Dr. Gary Smalley and Ted Cunningham. Check out all the details, information, and purchase tickets by clicking the link below!

https://tickets.menatthecross.org/ticketorderform.aspx?Eventid=69

Hope to see YOU there!

Joe White
President
Men at the Cross
888.563.6282

From John

A Veil over Your Face?
If you'll recall, Moses put a veil over his face, first to hide his glory, then to hide the fact that it was fading away. That, too, was a picture of a deeper reality. We all do that. We all have veiled our glory, or someone has veiled it for us. Usually some combination of both. But the time has come to set all veils aside:

Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was, will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious?.. . Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away . . . And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (2 Cor. 3:7-8, 12-13, 18)

We are in the process of being unveiled. Created to reflect God's glory, born to bear his image, he ransomed us back to reflect that glory again. Every heart was given a mythic glory, and that glory is being restored. Remember the mission of Christ: "I have come to give you back your heart and set you free." For as Saint Irenaeus said, "The glory of God is man fully alive." Certainly, you don't think the opposite is true. How do we bring God glory when we are sulking around in the cellar, weighed down by shame and guilt, hiding our light under a bushel? Our destiny is to come fully alive. To live with ever-increasing glory. This is the Third Eternal Truth every good myth has been trying to get across to us: your heart bears a glory, and your glory is needed . . . now. This is our desperate hour.

From John

The Most Human Human-Being
The incarnation is one of the greatest treasures of our faith. The world keeps pushing God away, feeling more comfortable with him up in the heavens somewhere. But in the coming of Jesus he draws near. Incredibly near. He takes on our humanity. How could he possibly get closer? He nurses at Mary’s breast.



One of my favorite Christmas meditations comes from this passage by Chesterton (he is speaking of Bethlehem, and what it held in its foothills that fateful night):



The strange kings fade into a far country and the mountains resound no more with the feet of the shepherds; and only the night and the cavern lie in fold upon fold over something more human than humanity.2



Savor that passage for a moment. The manger Mary used as a cradle held something more human than humanity? Do you think of Jesus as the most human human-being who ever lived?



It’s true.



The ravages of sin, neglect, abuse, and a thousand addictions have left us all a shadow of what we were meant to be. Jesus is humanity in its truest form. His favorite title for himself was the Son of Man. Not of God—of man. Too much “heavens” stuff pushes Jesus away. His humanity brings him close again.

from

Saturday, April 7, 2012

Happy easter video

Play video

From John

A Veil over Your Face?
If you'll recall, Moses put a veil over his face, first to hide his glory, then to hide the fact that it was fading away. That, too, was a picture of a deeper reality. We all do that. We all have veiled our glory, or someone has veiled it for us. Usually some combination of both. But the time has come to set all veils aside:

Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, fading though it was, will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious?.. . Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away . . . And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (2 Cor. 3:7-8, 12-13, 18)

We are in the process of being unveiled. Created to reflect God's glory, born to bear his image, he ransomed us back to reflect that glory again. Every heart was given a mythic glory, and that glory is being restored. Remember the mission of Christ: "I have come to give you back your heart and set you free." For as Saint Irenaeus said, "The glory of God is man fully alive." Certainly, you don't think the opposite is true. How do we bring God glory when we are sulking around in the cellar, weighed down by shame and guilt, hiding our light under a bushel? Our destiny is to come fully alive. To live with ever-increasing glory. This is the Third Eternal Truth every good myth has been trying to get across to us: your heart bears a glory, and your glory is needed . . . now. This is our desperate hour.