Men's Ministry

Men’s Ministry FREE BREAKFAST Sept. 25th 7 a.m.-9 a.m. (GREAT, NOW THAT I’VE GOT YOUR ATTENTION ) FREE is a RELATIVE TERM , Just as Freedom is certainly a relative term,… We live in a "Free" country (so far) and a Man is Free to say what he thinks – but he may want to consider the Scripture’s say about "Our FREEDOMS" More specifically our freedoms in Christ Jesus . Ever since "Fourth of July" of this year , Freedom has taken on a NEW meaning to Me. 4th of July being Independence day, reminded Me that I am "Independently RESPONSIBLE for My Own actions ! (that in and of ITSELF is a scary thought for those of you that KNOW ME. The Scripture’s make it clear that God looks at a Man’s Heart rather than his OUTWARD Appearance, and for that I am Humbled and Grateful. 1 Sam. 16:7 But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." THANK GOD !, I also thank God, for the Godly Men that we have had in Our Nation’s HISTORY. Thomas Jefferson-"Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people...it is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." Abraham Lincoln – "My concern is not whether God is on our side. My great concern is to be on God’s side." Benjamin Franklin – "He who shall introduce into public affairs the principles of Christianity will change the face of the world." So, with all that being said, REMEMBER: It only take a "few" Good Men with Good Hearts to change the WORLD. See Ya Saturday September 25th 7am for the "FREE BREAKFAST" and the rest of the story about FREEDOM, and,.(By the way, feel "FREE" to invite another Man to come with You) In His Service -Lynn Sharp, Men’s Ministry   Finding Purpose in Pride Pounding Pain : It is during times of prosperity that we will forget God. Prosperity has a tendency to make people proud and self-sufficient. We don't think we need God when we have our salary and our investments and our career and our home and our health and our family. But when "THINGS" go south or a stock market crashes or something BAD or PAINFUL happens, then hopefully we turn to God and are reminded of what really matters. Adversity gets Our ATTENTION and keeps us humble. You see, when pain hits, when Life becomes difficult, we pray- (pray a lot). Pain reminds us of a deeper need: the need for God in our lives. So we shouldn’t be so afraid of pain, because God can use it to bring us closer to Him. There are times in my life when I thought that I’ve had it all wired in , just the way that that "I" wanted it ,… but those are the times that "I" thought that "I" was more important than GOD’S purpose for Me ! Those are the times that God will do whatever it takes to get My attention, not because He is MAD at Me,...But because he loves Me enough to NOT let Me continue in a direction other than the one He has planned for Me in "HIS Time" It’s kinda like God is saying, "Now watch out, because when you get full of yourself,…you’ll forget all about Me." And that’s the DANGER ! Our PRIDE tells Us that We can do it all by Ourselves. The Scriptures say: In James 4:10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. 1stPeter 5:5b-7 "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." 6Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. So , TRUST GOD, to Know Us better than We KNOW OURSELVES ! In His Mercy & Love,….. Lynn

Saturday Morning Prayer Group

Men’s Ministries Old Man Wisdom To a Young Man’s Future Every Young Man looks forward to the day that He owns His "First REAL Gun", but with that weapon also comes an implied responsibility. It’s too bad that when we are born that we are not given that same rite of passage for "Our Mouths" You see,..our mouths, like guns should be used RESPONSIBLY ! We are Taught that, unless "PROPERLY" handled a Gun can be a very DEVASTATING DANGEROUS Thing. The same is true about Our "MOUTHS",… they too can be a DEVASTATING DANGEROUS thing. A Gun - is nothing more than a tool to accomplish a task. Our Mouth- is just another tool to be used to accomplish a task. A Gun -When NOT moving is completely SAFE. Our Mouth-When NOT moving is ALSO completely safe. A Gun – Once the Trigger is pulled ,.there is nothing that can be done to retrieve the projectile , or to prevent the "DAMAGE" that will be done. Our Mouth-Once the words are uttered , there is "NOTHING" that can stop the "EFFECT" that they will Have on,… anyone and everyone within "EARSHOT" . A Gun – sometimes,.. just "KNOWING" that it’s there and its capabilities gives Us,… peace and security! Our Mouth-sometimes,…. just "KNOWING" that it’s there and its capabilities gives us,"FEAR and TREMBLING". Once, when Thomas Edison the inventor was at a reception, the toastmaster stood up and complimented him on his many inventions, especially the talking machine. After the toastmaster sat down, the aged inventor rose to his feet and said, "Thank you for those remarks, but I must correct one thing. It was God who invented the talking machine. I only invented the first one that can be shut off." A doctor told me that once, while writing out a prescription, he asked a woman to stick out her tongue. When he had finished, she said to him, "But doctor, you never even looked at my tongue." The doctor replied, "It wasn’t necessary, I just wanted you to keep quiet while I wrote the prescription." Amidst the humor of today’s notes, don’t miss the point ----In the book of JAMES it says: Jms3:3 When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. 4Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. 5Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. 6The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. 7All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, 8but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. 10Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. 11Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? 12My brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water. AH,… but the TONGUE is a different creation altogether , If you had to distill the message of James into a word, it might be self-control. So , in closing, here’s a thought : Let’s view our "MOUTHS" as we do any other TOOLS,… When properly controlled , it can be a WONDERFUL tool, for PEACE and RECONCILIATION…..BUT , when NOT used with proper RESPECT , it… like a GUN can be a Devastating WEAPON ! My Prayer is that Jesus will teach Me to use all the "TOOLS" that He has blessed Me with to Build and further HIS Kingdom,… rather than to Tear Down, or to distract His Chosen People from Blessings that The LORD has for them. And Guys,.. with respect to Our FAMILIES,…Lets not "JUMP THE GUN" or "GO SHOOTING OUR MOUTHS OFF" In HIS Love Lynn Sharp (Men’s Ministry)

Thursday Night Men's Bible Study
	7:00 on Thursday nights will find the men of FSBC Chino Valley together studying the Word of God.