Brennan Manning spoke at Mariners Church in 1996. I have added this 4 part series to uberlumen for your listening pleasure. It is AMAZING! I have been sharing these lectures with men from my men’s group for years, and they ALL have been AMAZED and changed by his beautiful insights, humor, and stories. If you haven’t heard him speak or read any of his books please start NOW.
Some of my favorites:
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Hello Everyone,
Before I forget, last Wednesday, was our final meeting of the year; our next meeting will be on Wednesday, January 7, 2009. Bucky gave us the alternative Christmas story and Drew challenged us to read it this year rather than the one from Luke. That “story” is the Gospel of John, chapter 1, verses 1-14. I personally never looked at these verses in this way before. Take a few minutes to read the material, then answer the first question we had; what is unique about the way John tells the Christmas story?
I learn so much through Bucky’s teaching and our sharing time it is difficult for me to write about one or two things we covered. I want to write about all of them; but I cannot. In verse 10 it says, “He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.” Think about it, even today, there are people putting up lights and playing Christmas songs but they do not know why; they still do not recognize Him. How can we help those around us see Jesus? Doesn’t your heart go out to them? This is a time when families will gather together. Most every family has at least one non-believer. Maybe this will be the year YOU can be the light that turns away their darkness. Maybe your testimony as to why you celebrate the birth of Christ will be the one that wins them over (remember, you are the plan). I met with Bucky on Wednesday afternoon. One reason was because I have certain family members I want dearly to come to know Christ. Bucky suggested I share why I celebrate Christmas. I pray this will be the time. I also know I cannot force any truth on them; remember; grace opens the door to truth. It is God’s timing, not mine. I must give up control and place my faith and trust in Him in every aspect of my life. Patrick gave a great analogy on Wednesday comparing our salvation to a boy opening a present. I encourage you to ask him about it. Patrick, maybe you could record it for Uberlumen. There was one other thing Patrick said that wowed me; “can you imagine going through today, just today, without forgiveness?” Wow, incredible, huh? Thank you, Patrick. Since it is Christmas, I know what you can get yourself. If you don’t already have one, get yourself a mentor. Start the New Year by meeting with someone who knows more than you and absorb it like a sponge. If you aren’t sure who can be your mentor, ask Bucky or any one of the elders. They will be glad to help or suggest someone for you. Have a blessed time celebrating the birth of Christ.
In His Service, |
Enjoy this brief video of our continued efforts to raise money for the poor and needy in Africa. Our goal this Christmas is to raise enough money to provide a village in Africa with a well for fresh drinking water. JOIN US!
Pathways Church this Christmas season is taking part in an advent conspiracy! Join us in the adventure by giving (you can donate by clicking on link below and giving via credit card to the cause) to provide for a well of fresh, drinking water for a village in Africa. LOVE & LIVE with us as we help the world to drink living water.
We all hear and feel LOVED in different ways. In his landmark book: The 5 LOVE Languages, Gary Chapman explains that there are 5 main ways that we hear and/or feel LOVED. If we can take the time to learn our LOVE language (the language that makes us feel LOVED), and learn our spouse, family members, neighbor, and patients LOVE languages, we can ‘speak’ to them in THEIR LOVE language. This is VERY important because we often can only feel or hear LOVE when people speak to us in the LOVE language that we can hear or feel. If your spouse’s LOVE language is QUALITY TIME, then you can do the dishes and clean the house for the REST of your life, and he or she may NEVER feel LOVED! Strange but VERY true. So STOP spinning your wheels and learn that her or his LOVE language is QUALITY TIME and see how it transforms your relationship by simply spending TIME with her or him! Yes, it can be that easy.
The 5 love languages are:
QUALITY TIME
GIFTS
ACTS OF SERVICE
PHYSICAL TOUCH
WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT
What is your love language? What is your spouses? What are your kids? Take this quiz and find out and begin to grow deeper and more fulfilling relationships!
We had a GREAT time today listening and learning how to be a Christ like lover to our wives. We are called to love her–sacrafically and unconditionally–as Christ loved us. We discussed love languages, knowing your family of origin baggage allows healing and enlightenment into present struggles, and Drew’s ‘top 10’ marriage tips. Here is the outline and discussion questions.
Pathways church is embarking during this Christmas season to raise money to provide a drinking well for an entire community in Africa. Please consider helping us to reach our goal of providing living water to those in dire need. Enjoy this brief video about Pathways efforts:
PLEASE donate money for this GREAT cause directly on UBERLUMEN by clicking on the ChipIn icon on the right hand side of the site or click on icon below:
“If anyone would tell you the shortest, surest way to all happiness and all perfection, he must tell you to make a rule to yourself to thank and praise God for everything that happens to you…it is certain that whatever seeming calamity happens to you, if you thank and praise God for it you turn it into a blessing…it heals and turns all that it touches into happiness….every day….be made a day of thanksgiving…”-William Law
“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.”~Thornton Wilder
“The Pilgrims made seven times more graves than huts. No Americans have been more impoverished than these who, nevertheless, set aside a day of thanksgiving.”~H.U. Westermayer
Thankfulness is a state of our hearts. Practicing the state of thankfulness for EVERYTHING develops in us a heart for others and for God. Smile and embrace those around you on this day of thanks!
I had an ‘aha’ moment several weeks ago. Most of the successful men that I know are superheros. Yes men of steel. These men are able to detach in a moment’s notice, disengage from wives and family, and ‘puff up’ and plow through any situation.
These men come from wounded back grounds. Family of origin nightmares. A distant father and an overbearing mother. At least one of their parents is inevitably an alcoholic or worse. At a VERY early age these men hide behind perfection. When the drunk mom and the distant dad become too much, they amp up and shut off ANY emotions from the outside world and OVER achieve, over and over again.
Over and over again, I hear the same story–abandoned by dad and living with a crazy mom who must spend all her energy raising the prodigal younger brother so the eldest son emerges to save the day: captain of the football, track, AND wrestling team….and did I mention validictorian? abandoned by a distant dad and living with a drunk mom too spent to supervise the youngest and last kid in the house so this son rises up to MVP of the water polo team, etc. SAME story different details!
When these men grow up it is no surprise that they live Thoreau’s ‘quiet lives of desperation’ sealed off from any emotions from any chance of intimacy and deep meaningful relationships.
I was amazed by listening to the author of “The Shack” (a MUST read) who described himselft as just such a man hiding his baggage-his “shack”, as he called it, behind him while he hid his true brokenness from the world by perfectionism.
Please enjoy this presentation regarding so many men’s hidden secret: They are superhero’s.
Ever since the 1st Century church emerged and their miracle and healing stories were documented in the book of Acts et al, the church has been filled with such stories. There has been a ground swell in Christianity to focus again on the early Church model of miracles and healings. What are your thoughts about this? JP Moreland in his wonderful book, The Kingdom Triangle, points out and discusses this epidemic of miracles and healings occurring worldwide in Christianity noting that American Christianity continues to fall behind in this resurgence of the early Church model of Christianity.
We have been posting interviews and stories regarding miracles and healings as well. The posts have been generated by a missionary friend who has experienced these miracles and healings first hand. He has shifted his ministry from the traditional evangelical Christian model of the last 50 years to a miracle and healing ministry, and he has seen incredible things. This is yet another audio clip of such miracles and healings from a mentor of his.
This brief audio clip is from Pastor Bill Johnson at Bethel Church in Redding, CA. He tells numerous stories of miracles and healings.
Do you believe it? What do you think? Please click on the title of this post and then scroll down to leave your comments.
“Now tell me again who is blue and who is red?”
Racist, stupid, bigoted, evil….these are some of the words used to describe ‘us’ by ‘them’.
Intolerant, arrogant, angry, blind….these are some of the words used to describe ‘them’ by ‘us’.
Something has gone terribly wrong here.
We worship a God who is BIGGER than ALL of THAT!
We follow a God who became a man who was beaten, whipped, tortured, mocked by the ruling government of his day.
We cherish the LOVE of a God who was mocked by guards who made him wear a robe that symbolized royalty, KINGSHIP as they laughted and scorned and cried out, “King of the Jews! Ha Ha Ha!”
The robe he wore was PURPLE: The color of KINGSHIP.
We are NOT blue; we are NOT red. We ARE the PURPLE people. We follow and worship the God in the PURPLE robe who loves each of us as if we are the ONLY person in the universe.
Share with us your comments after you listen to Rob Bell’s teaching titled: Beware the Dogs and Greg Boyd’s teaching titled: Defying Tanks. These are 2 of the MOST challenging sermons that I have heard. After you listen, PLEASE share your thoughts on some practical and specific ways that we can transform our world!
Our topic this week was about LOVING your spouse. In our OC world everyone is looking for more, coveting, and thinking that ‘the grass is always greener’. If you want a GREAT marriage, you have to stop looking at the other lawns and stop and water your own grass! i.e. a GREAT marriage takes SACRIFICE and HARD WORK and COMMITTMENT to LOVE her with CHRIST’S LOVE!
Our Scripture for this week is: Ephesians 5:25-33
Here is Dave’s summary email:
| I want to thank Robby for being a man of courage; it isn’t easy getting up in front of a bunch of men when you are the youngest and possibly the least experienced in the group regarding the topic you were speaking on. Robby spoke on Ephesians 5:25-33. If you haven’t read it in a while please do so. It offers great marital advice. Robby told us how he sees love – as an action word, not a feeling. Love, Robby said, is not about us but about other people. Verse 25 states, “Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” Then, smack dab in the middle of those verses is the line, “He who loves his wife loves himself.” Wow, pretty powerful, huh?
Some things that went around the room during our discussion time were: – Love has nothing to do with the physical and everything to do with the heart – Jesus is our love coach – Marriages get neglected in the name of material success – Show love by praying with and for one another; you cannot be angry with someone if you are praying with/for them – Know your spouse’s “love language,” whether it is gifts, affirmation, physical touch, time or service (from Gary Chapman’s book, The Five Love Languages) – Spend some quality, uninterruptible time on the couch with your spouse when you first get home from work (“couch time”) – Get rid of your television and your children’s cell phones – If together, we can keep our eyes focused on Jesus rather than the imperfect human beings we are, and ask Him to love our spouse through us, we will grow closer to Him and to our spouse – as you both grow closer to Christ you grow closer to each other…. As always, please share your thoughts/comments with us!
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Marriage is hard work, but it is worth the effort.
If you are having a hard time with your marriage:
1. Don’t give up! Studies show that divorce can be truly devastating to you, your spouse, and especially your kids.1 2
2. Get professional help! Don’t try and work through your issues on
your own. Read these books, go to marriage retreats, and get into
consistent marriage counseling.
3. Set down healthy patterns! Find or read about good patterns and then follow them.
RESOURCES:
BOOKS TO READ:
1. The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman
2. His Needs, Her Needs by Willard F. Hartley
3. The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work by John M. Gottman
4. Love & Respect: The Love She Most Desires,The Respect He Desperately Needsby Emerson Eggerichs
5. Night Light: A Devotional for Couples by the Dobson’s
As always, PLEASE share with us your insights and comments below.
| Here are the notes from Dave on Men’s Group Topic #5: Prayer
On Wednesday we reviewed Luke 11:5-13 and Luke 18:1-7 (please read, or re-read them before continuing). Bucky makes so many great points each week it is a challenge to write about just one or two. I selfishly get to pick the ones that touch my heart and pray they will touch yours, too. We all know where Bucky’s heart is on the subject of prayer because he stated on Wednesday, “the best thing we could do is pray.” I’ve been blessed to be able to attend a few events with Bucky and one thing he makes sure happens is that prayer is part of the event. For example, after serving those in need at the City of Hope shelter a couple of months ago we stood in front of the door and Bucky led us in prayer. Bucky often says how he walks around the Northwood neighborhood and prays before service. So it did not surprise me when our discussion this week focused on prayer. When all is said and done if we do not become men of prayer we will never know God. We can “study” His word all we want but we will never know Him. Prayer is nothing more than talking to God; it is not ceremonial or ritualistic; it is a conversation with our Lord and Savior. Bucky said we can go through the routine of prayer but if it is just rote that is disconnected from your heart it will not accomplish anything. Prayer needs a willing and wanting heart. Getting on your knees at the beginning and/or end of each day and praying is something to be done not out of “duty” but out of desire. How else can you get to know God if you do not talk to Him? Another point Bucky made was that each morning when the disciples awoke they usually found Jesus out alone, praying. He was talking to His Abba. Jesus’ Abba is our Abba, too. The point of Luke 11:5-13, is to show us God isn’t a grouchy Father, but a Good Neighbor; the One we can talk to anytime, anywhere. If we knock, He will answer. God is always there for us. A little while back Bill Gaultiere had Cynthia and me demonstrate the “prayer hug” we do almost every morning. It is amazing how Cynthia looks forward to starting her day knowing I’ve cared enough to embrace her and whisper my prayer to God in her ear. As men, God wants us to be the spiritual heads of our households. The best thing we can do for our families doesn’t involve anything in this world (no college funds, hedge funds, mutual funds, etc.); it is prayer. Try it, and like the woman in Luke 18:1-7, do not give up; continue to pray. Remember it is in His timing not ours. |
Please enjoy a brief lecture on the Vital Signs of Healing: VALUE asking the age old question are you enough?
There are 4 books that I mention during this lecture:
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
The Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri Nouwen
This is the GREAT discussion time that we had concerning VALUE. Join us! Share with us YOUR answers and please leave us a comment below.
The Vital Signs of Healing: VALUE handout: vital signs of healing: value
Here is a brief list of YOUR answers to this VITAL question:
What are some ways that we can show our patients that we think that they have value or that we think that they are ‘enough’?
Enjoy this brief audio introduction to the curriculum entitled: Vital Signs of Healing. There are 4 physical vital signs and 4 Vital Signs of Healing: Love, Value, Virtue, and Healing. This is an introduction to a lecture about the Vital Sign: VALUE. We had this picture up on the screen for part of our discussions:
Who do YOU most relate to in this picture? And why? Please leave us your insights by adding a comment below.
Topic #2 is based on the story of the prodigal son from Luke 15. This brief audio is about a LIFE CHANGING concept that will improve your marriage and relationships. We are all walking around with the ‘I am not enough’ wound that society and our parents have given us. This wound can only truly be healed by God, but our wives/s.o./friends can help heal this wound. Please add your thoughts, questions, and comments below this post!
This is the 1 of 4 teachings from July 2008 at Mariners Church when the author of the amazing book: The Shack spoke. (There are 4 separate podcasts that you can listen from Mariners Church podcast; these 2 are the best of the 4.)
As always please share with us your thoughts by leaving a comment.
Enjoy this WONDERFUL interview with Mark regarding how to lead a small group of teenagers. In this short interview Mark points out some KEY points: