morningstarmen

This week's Honest Conversation;  Prayer as the means of clarifying direction and living in our identities. This will be a down-to-earth view of prayer as the vehicle through which everyday fellowship with God and others is accomplished.

This week a new series about honest conversations.  This week is the honest conversation we are to have with GOD.  Prayer is the practice of living in and acknowledging the presence of GOD and seeing Him in everything.

This is a stand alone message which is not part of a series.  The questions are for you alone to answer.  In example, the first question is, "If I was the CEO of my own life, would I rehire myself?"

Guest speaker, Dave Geipel, teaches from the books of Galations and Genesis.  His message ranges from the Apostle Paul all the way back to the patriarch, Abraham.

How will you survive when you are out of step with the rest of civilization?  How will you thrive?

You've probably been there, and I know that I certainly have. Where is there? The place where hope isn't. What does a man do and where does he turn when hope seems gone? Let's explore that together today. But even before we do that, let me introduce you to the two main points which every follower of Christ should embrace.

First: Hope is not lost, it is given away. No one can take your hope from you. You must abandon it. 

Second: Hope is a perishable commodity. If it it not renewed it slips away. And it won't be noticed as missing, until it is needed most. Much like gas in a tank without a guage. It's hard to tell when it's gone till you try to run without it. But by that time it's a bit too  late.

None of us as men wants to be that guy. So let's get busy with filling up the hope tank.

Most men that I know are what I'll call "somewhat confident". They're reasonably certain that some things which they do matter. But what I believe every man want to know goes something like this: Am I important enough to be missed if I were not here doing what I do? Would somebody notice and grieve if I went missing and was no longer available to make a contribution. Would they notice that I was gone, or just that the paycheck I brought home was missing? Do I, Am I playing a vital role and is it appreciated.

When the question is worded like that, I'm still confident, but confident of a different thing. I believe that many men believe that those close to them could do just find without them. Perhaps they feel as if those closest to them believe that they'd be better off if the man simply sent home his check.  I know, because I've talked to me who sense this. They're just not sure that they are appreciated for their contribution and respected for what they provide.

Let's take a look at that.

Tough times are on the way.  Doubt me? Have you ever met a man over the age of 50 who can't describe a period of financial difficulty in his life? So it's true then. Tough times are on the way. They're on the way for you, for me, for every man (or woman) you know. It isn't that I'm saying the national economy is collapsing. It isn't that I know your place of employement or even the business you own is in trouble. It might be, but I certainly don't know that. What I'm saying is that into each man's life will come tough seasons when financial foundations erode and and lean times can become desperate. 

But what should trouble any of us most about the tough times which come to us is that sometimes we put out the welcome mat, turn on the porch light, and set all the things in place for financial difficulty to not only visit, but to set up a permanent address.  Here is an unpleasant truth which each of us must confess. We sometimes place our financial futures into the hands of others, believing that they will be better able to chart a course for our financial security.  Next to God, the man who is most responsible for your financial success is you. And the man whose job it is to ensure a level of financial prosperity that will allow your family's needs to be met is you.

Let's take a look.  

Stand Down Men!  This week we are NOT under attack!

This week we took a break from the Under Attack series to hear a short message from Glenn Singer explaining the evolution of the Saturday morning Men's Ministry defining his role as well as that of Scott Baker.  After telling us about the search for his replacement, he introduced Joe, our mission's host in the Dominican Republic.

This week the second destructive message whispered into our lives: The seductive voice of temptation; that is so enticing...what should I do?

We’ve all heard the whisper…but what will we do in response?