Don’t remember the prior things;
Isaiah 43:18-19
don’t ponder ancient history.
Look! I’m doing a new thing;
now it sprouts up; don’t you recognize it?
I’m making a way in the desert,
paths in the wilderness.
This morning Rebekah joked that I’ll probably be posting food photographs, having enjoyed an amazing meal (with our friends John and Gayle) at Cape Fear Seafood Company. But the foodie pictures are actually going to pop up another day.
Instead, today, I’m putting together a men’s ministry post and I’m doing it for a couple of specific reasons.
First, I have been invited to travel to Ohio this time next month, where I will be helping the First Christian Churches of Wadsworth and Medina kick off their men’s ministry initiatives for 2023-24. Apparently the guys have been reading some of my books, and – remarkably – came out their study together still wanting to hear what I might have to say!
The second reason, very much related to the upcoming trip, is that I need to begin the process of asking God what it is that I am supposed to share. And this space, this daily spiritual journal, is where some of my ideas often come up for air. Additionally, I trust that many of you will now be praying for me, and praying for the men in Ohio. Prayer is the foundation – the spiritual groundwork – that is always a key element when I travel to speak.
The exciting thing to me is that, while the books the guys in Ohio read together were written a few years ago, I am still learning and – while life is changing all around us – God’s good word both to me and through me is fresh and vital and transformational.
Here. then, are a couple of thoughts as I begin to prepare:
In this “post-Covid” era, many congregations of all denominations are struggling to rebuild the attendance, the energy, and the momentum that (hopefully) characterized their ministry coming into 2020.
At the same time, the last thing Jesus is interested in is nostalgia, looking back, or “the good old days.” The gospel is by definition nimble, relevant, innovative, and “new every morning.” Our approach to ministry needs to be driven by two things: Our passion for the Good News and the world’s great need.
The truth is that, while people are drifting away from church, their need for the Gospel is increasing. People have moved away from community at the very moment they need it more than ever.
My topic (and it’s on the flyer so there’s not changing it!) is the simple question, “What do Men Need? (and what has church got to do with it?)”
The challenge is to frame my answer to that question in a way that is interesting, clear, compelling, theologically sound, and both inspirational and motivational.
We cannot be disciples of Jesus – I have always contended – if we are not also in the business of making disciples. The biological definition of life involves growth, interaction with the environment, adaptation, and replication. This is a spiritual principle too.
Life is a characteristic of a living organism that distinguishes the latter from a dead organism or a non-living thing, as specifically distinguished by the capacity to grow, metabolize, respond (to stimuli), adapt, and reproduce.
biologyonline.com
Here is the short video message the Ohio men asked for. They will be running it at both churches and in the community.
Peace, love, and grace – DEREK