In the movie Man on Fire, Denzel Washington plays a tired ex-soldier who gets hired as a bodyguard for a little girl. He bonds with the girl (Dakota Fanning), and molds her into a competitive swimmer. Once, when she clocked a good lap, she squealed, "I’m tough!"
He replied, "There’s no such thing as tough. You’re either trained or you’re not trained. Now what are you?"
At the Man in the Mirror Men’s Bible Study that I teach on Fridays, we regularly have visitors who’ve made a profession of faith but they’ve never been trained (or discipled). They’re like men recruited into the Marines and issued a rifle, but never trained how to use it. The result? They are Christian in spirit, but secular in practice.
How tragic. Even though their intentions may be good, they lack the spiritual power to live it out. Sure, a man can become a Christian with only a basic understanding of faith and repentance—it’s simple and easy. However, to become a Godly man, husband, father, and a disciple of Jesus will require some effort on his part—it’s hard. Don’t tell a man that a hard task is easy—he will just become discouraged and give up. Instead, tell him the truth—the way is hard and you have to train. It’s the only way, and it’s worth it.
And where does the spiritual power come from? Jesus said, "You do not know the Scriptures and (as a result) you do not know the power of God" (Matthew 22:29).We must, must, must challenge and train men to read and study God’s Word for themselves—through sermons, in Bible studies, on their own, and with their families. This is the meat of the coconut.
Yours for changed lives,
Patrick Morley, Ph.D.
Man in the Mirror
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dwarrington |
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LifeBuilders |
Leonard Albert, director of Lay Ministries for the Church of God, was selected for inclusion in this year’s Hall of Fame of the National Coalition of Men’s Ministries. Albert was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award for Men’s Ministries Thursday, April 10 at the NCMM Conference in Nashville, Tenn.
This is the second honor for Albert received from NCMM. Previously he was awarded the "Ministry of the Year Award" for the conception of LifeBuilders men’s ministry program.
For thirty-four years Leonard Albert has been directing the ministry of laity in the Church of God and has become one of the evangelical church’s most respected leaders in the field of training and equipping. Leonard is a speaker, author, inspirational coach and a motivational presenter who specializes in helping people reach their full potential. He is a credible keynoter with the passion and power to inspire the heart, expand the mind and move people to action.
Albert has traveled to speak in all 50 states and extensively throughout Europe, Asia, the Caribbean and Africa. He is a frequent guest speaker and seminar leader for national and international church gatherings. His presentations are noted for his spiritual depth, knowledge of leadership principles, contagious enthusiasm and delightful humor.
A native of Maine, Leonard earned a degree in Biblical Education from Lee University, Cleveland, Tennessee, where he received the school’s highest recognition for a member of the graduating class, the F. J. Lee Award, and was voted to membership in Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities. He has served the school as a part time instructor in the Department of Religion.
During his over three decades of leadership, Leonard has guided the department of laity in expanding its outreach and has been particularly successful in developing LifeBuilders, a local church-based men’s ministry with over 2,400 chapters world-wide. Albert is the author of five books and manuals, including the popular Evangelism Breakthrough and LifeBuilders Essentials. Leonard and his wife Patricia and their daughter Renee´ reside in Cleveland, Tennessee.
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LifeBuilders |
Last week American Idol did their annual "American Idol Gives Back" program. I have not laughed and cried that much in a long time.
Though a general market program, there are obviously a lot of Christians involved in the show (e.g., contestants, Bono, even owner Rupert Murdoch—though he doesn’t get involved in management).
Many of your men were watching the show. No doubt, many of them are wondering, "What should I be doing? What is my role in the world?" They don’t understand how to relate to the world. Here’s what you can teach your men. There are four stances men can take toward the world:
- Withdraw (like the Essenes; error toward legalism)
- Embrace (like the Sadducees; error toward licentiousness)
- Overthrow (like Theuda, Barabbas and the Zealots, et al.; error toward lawlessness)
- Engage (like Jesus and Paul; correct stance in liberty)
For sure, Jesus said we are "in" the world but not "of" the world (John 17:11, 14). So tell your men not to get engrossed with using the things of this world (1 Corinthians 7:31). Tell them not to love the world (1 John 2:15-17).
But Jesus does not want to take your men out of the world; He wants to take the world out of your men. In John 17:15 He prayed, "My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one."
Not only that, Jesus also sends us "into" the world (John 17:18). Jesus did not come to abolish culture, but to shape it.
This week I’ve given you the overview of the four stances. Next week I’ll zero in on how the Bible says our men can "engage" the world to leave it a better place.
Yours for changed lives,
Patrick Morley, Ph.D.
Man in the Mirror
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dwarrington |
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General News |
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