Real Revolutions Start with Sacrifice

http://nymensministry.com/2011/10/15/revolution-sacrifice/


Are you sacrificing for Christ?! If not, who are you living for?

The Demise of Guys

Please read this important post.  Join the movement!

http://nymensministry.com/2011/10/09/the-demise-of-guys/

Do you want to be Forgiven or Excused?

I recently read a sermon by C.S. Lewis called "On Forgiveness" (From the Weight of Glory published by HarperCollins).  I thought I would share some of the brilliant insights from Lewis:



Forgive Everyone/Everything or you will not be Forgiven Anything
"We believe (as Christians) that God forgives us our sins; but also that He will not do so unless we forgive other people their sins against us.  There is no doubt about the second part of this statement.  It is in the Lord's Prayer; it was emphatically stated by our Lord.  If you don't forgive you will not be forgiven.  No part of His teaching is clearer, and there are no exceptions to it.  He doesn't say that we are to forgive other people's sins provided they are not too frightful, or provided there are no extenuating circumstances, or anything of that sort.  We are to forgive them all, however spiteful, however mean, however often they are repeated.  If we don't, we shall be forgiven none of our own."

Forgiven or Excused?
"I find that when I think I am asking God to forgive me I am often in reality (unless I watch myself very carefully) asking Him to do something quite different.  I am asking Him not to forgive me but to excuse me.  But there is all the difference in the world between forgiving and excusing.  Forgiveness says "Yes, you have done this thing, but I accept your apology; I will never hold it against you and everything between us two will be exactly as it was before."  But excusing says "I see that you couldn't help it or didn't mean it; you weren't really to blame."  If one was not really to blame then there is nothing to forgive.  In that sense forgiveness and excusing are almost opposites."

Please Forgive Me but Understand ...
"...the trouble us that what we call 'asking God's forgiveness' very often really consists in asking God to accept our excuses.  What leads us into this mistake is the fact that there usually is some amount of excuse, some 'extenuating circumstances.'  We are sp very anxious to point these out to God (and to ourselves) that we are apt to forget the really important thing; that is, the bit left over, the bit which the excuses don't cover, the bit which is inexcusable but not, thank God, unforgivable.  And if we forget this, we shall go away imagining that we have repented and been forgiven when all that has really happened is that we have satisfied ourselves with our own excuses.  They may be very bad excuses; we are all too easily satisfied about ourselves."

No Excuses
"When you go to a doctor you show him the bit of you that is wrong-say, a broken arm.  It would be a mere waste of time to keep on explaining that your leg and eyes and throat are all right.  You may be mistaken in thinking so, and anyway, if they are really all right, the doctor will know that."

He Forgives!!
"A great deal of our anxiety to make excuses comes from not really believing in it (forgiveness), from thinking that God will not take us to Himself again unless He is satisfied that some sort of case can be made out in our favor.  But that would not be forgiveness at all."

For more on forgiving others, pick up the book here: http://www.amazon.com/Weight-Glory-C-S-Lewis/dp/0060653205/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1270923180&sr=1-1

Good Year for the Westchester Men's Ministry

The WMM had a good year in 2009. We hope to have a breakout year in 2010.

First a look back, in 2009 we...

• had over 10 events including a golf event, hiking, multiple breakfasts and our Christmas dinner.
• had our first breakfast with Grace Fellowship.
• had multiple new people join our small groups or attend one of our events.
• setup a blog, a Facebook group and a Twitter account. We have over 200 followers on Twitter and appear on 6 lists.
• had nearly 2 dozen men for our Christmas dinner, our largest group yet, including a few new people.
• just got started!

In 2010, we have big goals!

1. We feel God is calling us to prepare for the harvest -- so we plan to do leadership training
2. We also feel God wants us to "do" his Word as a group -- so we will be coordinating more outreach events.
3. We will have our first retreat in the early Spring of 2010 (watch for more details)!!
4. I believe we will have a small group of committed people step up in 2010 that will allow WMM to fulfill the role God intends for it. This may include 501c(3) status and a broader reach in Westchester county.
5. The spirit of the Westchester Men's Ministry is to be community based and support multiple churches. So my optimistic goal is to bring leaders from many churches together in 2010 to share our vision to bring hope to the hopeless and strengthen each other!

There are many people to thank for their support in 2009 including Dick Weidenheft, George Holladay, Peter Corfield and Fred Seiler among many others. Thank you guys!

We hope you have a very happy new year. Please pray that God will lead us and protect us because we can do all things through Him who strengthens us and conversely we can do nothing in our own power.

Small Group Opportunities

Last week, we kicked off the year with breakfast. Kevin Gillen spoke to us about being an example in our homes. This is our first and in many ways our primary missionary field. So it was a very appropriate way to kick off our year.

Two small groups are now available for you to join to continue the conversation. These groups provide a safe environment to share, be encouraged and to grow together in Christ. I hope you will take advantage of them.

Thursday Evening at 7pm

Rob Rosati and Marc Greenblum (leaders)

22 Baltic Place, Apt. 3P

Croton-on-Hudson, NY 10520

Every other Saturday Morning at 7:30am

(Yea, you miss a little sleep but you won’t miss any Saturday family events.)

Started Today. Will meet Oct 17th and 31st. November 7th and 21st; December 5th and 19th.

19 Saddle Ridge Road (right off of route 133 near Millwood)

Ossining, NY 10562

914-373-4855

Don’t wait until the next monthly breakfast to be blessed!

God's Response to Our Wounds

Review

• We are all impacted by our parents. Their actions, their example and their love.
• Since they are imperfect (like us), we are wounded.
• These wounds leave us unsure about ourselves and afraid that we will be exposed as less then what we appear to be.
• They are a lie, that says we are unworthy or not valuable.
• Like any lie or half truth, it can cause us to respond incorrectly.
• Even Jesus needed to hear words of affirmation from his father.

You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased. - Luke 3:22

God's Response
Galatians 4:4-7
"But when the fullness of time had come. God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying "Abba! Father!" So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God." (ESV)

Joshua 1:9
"...Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you where you go."

Psalm 139:7-10
“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.”

Proverbs 3:11-12
”My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline and do not resent his rebuke, because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in” (NIV)

Hebrews 12:7
"Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?"

Proverbs 17:6
“The glory of children is their father” (NKJV)

Study Questions

1. What words or thoughts strike you in the verses above?
2. How has God affirmed you in a way your father didn't or couldn't?
3. What implications does this have on us, as fathers?
4. How can we pray for you as a father? For your son or daughter?