Aug. 10, 2001
Dear Financial
Partners,
Thanks for your financial
partnership in the ministry of Real Men.
Today, I mailed a book proposal for the "Journey to Make God's Story Ours" to Multnomah. God provided
a sponsor from Mission America to help me with proposals to book
publishers. This Mon, I have an
opportunity to speak to the staff at Lincoln Christian. Please pray for these things!
On Tues, Aug. 21st, Ken
Tucker of Gallup will present a free
workshop called "Creating a Great Work Place." It will be held at College View Church, 4015
S. 49th, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Go through the double glass doors.
Please RSVP if you desire to come or want to invite someone else. More details on attached page.
Here are some excerpts from the "Journey to Make God's Story Ours":
We should ask ourselves, “What do I want to become?” The world tells us to climb the corporate ladder, accumulate riches, and retire early. Should we focus on acquiring possessions or investing in relationships?
First, God's plan is different than the world's. He desires us to have a close relationship with Him. In the Godhead, perfect fellowship occurs between God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. He made male and female in His own image as the high point of creation, so they could make Him visible on earth. (Image (bara) is mentioned three times in Gen.1:27).
From the beginning, God has
blessed His creation and called mankind to be fruitful and multiply in order to
subdue the earth.
Gen. 1:26-28: Then God said, “Let us make man in our
image, in our likeness, and let them rule over . . . all the creatures that
move along the ground.” 27So God created man in his own image, in
the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28God blessed them and said to
them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule
over . . . every living creature that moves on the ground.”
.There is a mixture of plural/singular nouns and verbs, illustrating the plurality within a singular Godhead. God desired a representative on earth who could reflect His glory. He designed man and woman to emulate the relationship between the Father Son and Holy Spirit. The intimacy and oneness in the Godhead is the model relationship that husbands and wives should follow in order to reflect God’s image.
On a recent survey, 70 percent of
respondents reported feeling lonely most of the time. "It is not good for man to be alone" (Gen. 2:18). This was God's pronouncement, even though
Adam had a perfect relationship with God in a perfect environment.
Gen. 2:8-10: Now the LORD God had planted a
garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees
that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden
were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated
into four headwaters.
Adam still missed something -- he had human intimacy
needs. God declared that it was not
good for Adam to be alone and gave him a suitable helper, Eve, to fill the
emptiness. Suitable refers to perfect
counterpart to do assigned duties. He put them both
in a perfect environment, which He declared good. Adam and Eve cultivated and kept the garden in perfect
relationship with God.
Gen. 2:15-18: The LORD God took the man and
put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in
the garden; 17but you must not eat from the tree of
the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” 18The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a
helper suitable for him.”
Gen. 2:20b-25: But
for Adam no suitable helper was found. 21So
the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was
sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the place with flesh. 22Then
the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he
brought her to the man. 23The man said, “This is now
bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be
called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” 24For this
reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and
they will become one flesh. 25The man and
his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.
The ideal of spiritual,
emotional and physical intimacy is God's plan.
Without adequate emotional skills and awareness, adults often enter
marriage hopeful for deep emotional closeness, but unable to achieve it. Husbands may go through the right
motions. They may greet their wives
with a hug. They may tell them, "I
love you." They may take them to
dinner. They may buy them gifts. Yet underlying it all, they still feel empty
and numb -- committed to their wives, but with little love, romance and
affection.
Couples often drift into
separate worlds, a man absorbed in his business or hobbies, a woman escaping
into the role of "super mom" or endless other activities. Many try to live out their dreams through
their children. Other couples put too
much energy into creating super children, and it can harm the relationship
between the husband and wife.
If man seeks the good in a
way other than what God says, he will be left to his own abilities. The result is sin and the withholding of
blessings.
|
1. King:
Never a Tyrant (Gen. 2:15-19) Pro-visionary: creates
climate so people |
2.
Warrior: Never a Brute (Gen. 3:17) Protector: develops spiritual
soldiers |
|
3. Mentor:
Never a Know-It-All (Gen. Teacher: develops
direction for people |
4.
Friend: Never a Smotherer (Gen. 2:18-25) Companion: keeps promises |
Presenter: Ken Tucker of
Gallup
(Biography on Back)
Tues, Aug. 21st
7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
College View Church
4015 S. 49th St.,
Lincoln
Go through double glass
doors
Need RSVP by Aug. 20th
No Charge!