BigDawgs4Christ

Whatever Happened to Promise Keepers?

2006-07-25T19:23:00.000-07:00

Denny at VitalSigns Ministries writes: Promise Keepers certainly isn't making the national splash it once did.

The absence of the outspoken, charismatic Coach Bill McCartney at the helm of Promise Keepers left the movement without its initial fervor and its ability to grab the headlines. The football arenas around the country haven't been filled with attentive worshipers for a long time now and Promise Keepers' hope to create thousands of "accountability groups" among America's Christian men never really materialized.

However, neither of these failures are the fault of Promise Keepers as an organization. The real problems in reaching the organization's goals have come from all the "regular suspects" which have historically limited the Christian man's spirituality in America: apathy, inconsistency, improper passions, desires for comfort and entertainment, and so on. Promise Keepers did an incredible job of shaking things up in the early 90's -- God bless 'em for their vision and dedication to biblical orthodoxy. But keeping things shook up? Well, that required the rest of us to follow through with courage, faith and an aggressive work ethic for the Kingdom. We didn't.

So, is Promise Keepers completely a thing of the past? No, far from it. Their audience events may be smaller, fewer and less publicized but the organization is very much alive with enthusiasm and commitment. And, of particular significance, Promise Keepers hasn't sold out its founding purposes. When the numbers began to decline, there must have been tremendous pressure brought upon Promise Keepers to compromise its values, to soften its doctrinal statement, to pragmatically remove (or at least keep quiet about) some of its more controversial elements, especially its insistence on preaching Christ crucified, its pro-life convictions, its fidelity to biblical teachings on marriage and sexuality, etc. But Promise Keepers kept its own promise to God and therefore deserves our fervent appreciation and respect.

And they deserve our present attention too.

For although the "movement" of Promise Keepers (amazingly influential) has run its course, the ministry of the modern version of Promise Keepers is very much alive. Clicking on the title of this post will take you to the Promise Keepers web site where a visitor can see how true the organization has been to the Lord Jesus and how active they yet are in changing the character of America by bringing redemption, illumination and spiritual power to one man at a time.

So, for those of you who well remember the way God moved you in one of those PK stadium rallies and for those of you whose earnest spiritual adventure began after those halcyon days, today's Promise Keepers is a ministry well worth your prayers, your support and your participation.

(Wednesday, May 31, 2006)

Manly Men

2006-07-15T08:22:00.000-07:00

Courtesy: SacredSandwich

Local churches start men's groups

2006-07-07T23:27:00.000-07:00

By Michelle Fitzhugh-Craig, STAFF WRITER: INSIDE BAY AREA.com

It's common for women to gather and share their innermost thoughts and feelings. Ask a group of men to do the same and you may be met with some resistance.

There is, however, a growing movement among churches to honor and recognize men as they have women through a variety of programs that uplift, engage and support, for males only.

"Men's ministry basically focuses on a number of areas," says Barry Zwahlen, a board elder at Community Presbyterian Church in Danville. "The general idea is creating venues where men can get to know each other ... to build relationships."

At CPC, ministers have found creative ways to encourage men to participate in male-oriented groups and events. For example, one fall the church held meetings on Monday nights centered around Monday Night Football, but also included a speaker that offered spiritual enlightenment to the guys. The church also hosts a men's retreat in February and invites national speakers and groups to facilitate. This event is open to non-church members, too.

At Valley Christian Center in Dublin, Eric Lura agrees with Zwahlen that programs should appeal to what men typically enjoy.

"We grow from shared experiences and men seem to connect with shared experiences with other guys," says the director of Men's Ministry at VCC. "We don't naturally come together."

Lura says his church has events like its barbecue tri-tip dinner that features classic cars with an auto tips component. He says a speaker is invited to talk about auto and "spiritual restoration." Power breakfasts, their men's retreat and summit and outreach programs have drawn an average of 50-plus men to the events.

Men's ministries have been a staple of many places of worship for decades, however, have gained popularity in recent years especially with movements like the Promise Keepers says Lura. The Christ-centered organization based in Denver is dedicated to introducing men to Jesus as their Savior and helping them to grow as Christians.

Rev. Chuck Johnstone with Asbury United Methodist Church in Livermore says it's important to have programs that help foster growth in many areas of a man's life.

"I believe there is a need for mutual support, encouragement and sharing of issues relevant to men," says the senior pastor. "Work, parenting, partnering, retirement, health issues, spiritual growth and faithfulness ... these kinds of programs attend to some of those needs."

Zwahlen, who also works with youth at CPC, says although the programs men's ministries offer an opportunity to grow with one's Creator, he believes men need relationships.

"I think men need to be in relationships with other men ... we need to hold each other accountable, pray for each other, be there for one another," says Zwahlen.

Michelle Fitzhugh-Craig can be reached at (925) 416-4817 or at mcraig@trivalleyherald.com.

For men in church, problems start with flowers and lace

2006-06-21T07:17:00.000-07:00

By KRISTEN CAMPBELL, Religion News Service

Saturday, June 17, 2006

Men don’t need pirates in the pews. Then again, the presence of such swashbucklers might not be the worst thing to happen Sunday morning.

So goes the thinking of David Murrow, author of “Why Men Hate Going to Church.”

“We don’t have to have hand-to-hand combat during the worship service to get men there,” Murrow said. “We just have to start speaking (their language), use the metaphors they understand and create an environment that feels masculine to them.”

Today’s churches, Murrow argued, just aren’t cutting it.

“My background is in marketing and advertising, and one day I was sitting in church and all of a sudden it dawned on me that the target audience of almost everything about church culture was a 50- to 55-year-old woman,” said Murrow, a Presbyterian elder who’s now a member of a nondenominational congregation in Anchorage, Alaska.

The gender gap isn’t a distinctly American one but it is a Christian one, according to Murrow. The theology and practices of Judaism, Buddhism and Islam offer “uniquely masculine” experiences for men, he said.

“Every Muslim man knows that he is locked in a great battle between good and evil, and although that was a prevalent teaching in Christianity until about 100 years ago, today it’s primarily about having a relationship with a man who loves you unconditionally,” Murrow said.

“And if that’s the punch line of the gospel, then you’re going to have a lot more women than men taking you up on your offer because women are interested in a personal relationship with a man who loves you unconditionally. Men, generally, are not.”

Concern about the perceived femininization of Christianity — and the subsequent backlash — is nothing new.

In the middle of the 19th century, two-thirds of church members in New England were women, said Bret E. Carroll, professor of history at California State University, Stanislaus. Portrayals of Jesus around that time depicted a doe-eyed savior with long, flowing hair and white robes.

Then, around the 1870s and 1880s, came a growing emphasis on making religion attractive to men. The movement known as “muscular Christianity” extolled manliness, and had its heyday from 1880 to 1920, according to Clifford Putney in “Muscular Christianity.”

Around the same time, fraternal orders grew exponentially among the urban middle classes, according to an online article by Mark C. Carnes, author of “Secret Ritual and Manhood in Victorian America.”

Not only did the groups provide men with opportunities to cultivate business connections, Carnes writes, but they appealed to some who “found satisfaction in the exotic rituals, which provided a religious experience antithetical to liberal Protestantism and a masculine ‘family’ vastly different from the one in which most members had been raised.”

Fast forward to the late 20th century, when Promise Keepers experienced enormous — if somewhat fleeting — popularity. Determining the lasting influence of this or any other movement in men’s spiritual lives proves difficult.

But the Rev. Chip Hale, pastor of Spanish Fort United Methodist Church in Spanish Fort, Ala., said he believes “real strides” have been made with Promise Keepers and other men’s movements. Mission trips and hurricane relief work have also helped to make faith become real for some.

“These guys have really come out because it’s something they can do,” Hale said. “They feel like they’ve made a contribution. ... I think men like to do things that they feel comfortable doing.”

Yet come Sunday morning, “we’re going to sing love songs to Jesus and there’s going to be fresh flowers on the altar and quilted banners on the walls,” Murrow said.

Men aren’t the only ones alienated by such an environment. According to Murrow, young people aren’t that keen on it either. Both groups are challenge-oriented and appreciate risk, adventure, variety, pleasure and reward — values some churches “ignore or vilify,” Murrow writes.

Murrow said “it would look like the rapture” if women didn’t come to the typical church one Sunday.

“The whole thing would grind to a halt,” said Murrow, who said he wrote the book for laywomen in particular. “They’re the ones who are suffering most from this gender gap. A lot of women feel overworked and underappreciated in our churches today because they are carrying the load.”

Churches have to help men and women use their gifts, not just fit them into old religious molds, Murrow said.

“There has to be some stretching and risk or you’re not going to get men, and I think you’re not going to get the upcoming generation of women either,” he said. “We’re ripping women off by making the church so much about nurturing and caring and relationships, and they’re missing that component that they need.”

Via: Naple News

Move To Make Churches More Attractive To Men

2006-06-21T07:15:00.000-07:00

Is Jesus more like Mother Teresa or William Wallace? That is the question asked by John Eldredge in Wild at Heart, his popular book for men. Eldredge suggests that the answer depends on what you need from Jesus right now. If you’re a leper, an outcast, a pariah of society whom no-one will touch, then you’d probably want Jesus to be like the saintly nun who ministered in the streets of Calcutta. However, if you’re more concerned with how we tackle the moral challenges of society and advance the values of the kingdom of God, then he suggests we need Jesus to be more like the liberator of Scotland, made famous by Mel Gibson in the movie Braveheart. At the heart of this question is how the Church ministers to men. One organization that has successfully turned the spotlight on men’s issues in the church is Promise Keepers. After 12 years of running large Events for Men, Promise Keepers is sharpening its focus on ministry with men at a local church level. National director of Promise Keepers, Paul Subritzky, says “We are convinced that if men are to be reached in ever-increasing numbers, we have to do all we can to support the churches."

Via: Crosswalk

The spiritual life enters brave new digital world

2006-05-29T17:51:00.000-07:00

Connection to god: FaithMobile will send a daily Bible verse to your cell phone for $5.99 a month. In this harried age, a founder asks, how else are you going to "get in touch with the Word?" This screen shot of the FaithMobile Web site features its Promise Keepers content on a mobile phone. - Los Angeles Times

The spiritual life enters brave new digital world

A recent national poll found just 17 percent of adults view the local church as essential for developing faith.

By Stephanie Simon / Los Angeles Times

A recent national poll found just 17 percent of adults view the local church as essential for developing faith.

Small wonder.

Sitting in a pew on Sunday morning seems almost embarrassingly old-fashioned in an era when you can watch a video re-creation of the Last Supper on your Palm or get Scripture text-messaged to your cell phone.

Bored with your pastor's ramblings? Select a peppier sermon from among hundreds of "godcasts" online. Just pick a topic: Christian dating? Old Testament prophets? Then download it to your MP3 player.

Finding the old leather-bound Bible a bit cumbersome? A quick download from Olive Tree Bible Software and you'll be able to search Scripture on your BlackBerry.

"At first blush, it may seem a little peculiar to connect with God on your cell phone," said Christopher Chisholm, a TV-executive-turned-digital-evangelist. He recently helped launch FaithMobile, a service that will send a daily Bible verse to your cell phone for $5.99 a month.

In this harried age, he asks, how else are you going to "get in touch with the Word?"

The explosion in digitized spirituality might seem likely to make the traditional sanctuary obsolete. But pastors are fighting back with high-tech tricks.

Read the rest here

Promise Keepers Power Up Men to be Unleashed

2006-05-23T12:17:00.000-07:00

Lillian Kwon from The Christian Post writes:

Eight weeks before one of the largest religious conferences unleashes in 19 cities, Promise Keepers has already begun to "Power Up" each conference venue for the tens of thousands of men ready to reach their full potential.

The Friday night rallies hit the first two cities – Ft. Lauderdale and Albany – where the 2006 Unleashed conferences will kick off beginning June 2 and will make its round to nine more ahead of the main city conferences. Hundreds of men have rallied to plan, pray and strategize for the annually anticipated event that even has women encouraging men's participation.

"It's just a taste of what guys will experience at the main event," said Steve Hutton, vice president of field ministry for Promise Keepers, in a released statement. "The men who know about Promise Keepers and respond early can come to 'Power Up' to pick up some strategies and encouragement to bring other guys to the Unleashed conference."

After blowing away the more than 176,000 men who partook in the Awakening conferences in 20 cities last year, ministry leader Phil Chapin has returned as keynote speaker for the local church momentum-building rallies.

"I really want to meet the men of Promise Keepers in a local church setting, where we can go a little deeper, and inspire each other to do some great things in this broken world," he said.

In response to high demand for men's ministry training, Power Up rallies are being followed by half-day training sessions for pastors, lay leaders and others.

The 2006 conferences have been retooled to centralize the focus on men discovering their potential, finding a pathway to optimize their talents, and moving in that direction with a few other like-minded friends.

"Promise Keepers wants to unleash men to reach their full potential," said R. Tom Fortson, president and CEO of Promise Keepers. "The 2006 experience will help men identify the power of God in them and empower them to reach their designed potential as husband, fathers, leaders, and followers of God."

Today, men are not just falling short of their full potential, but leaving the church altogether.

This year's keynote speaker, Dr. Bob Reccord, former president of the North American Mission Board, said that times are changing, and, for that matter, the church must change. Furthermore, the people in the pews must play the service role to help the church succeed.

As for the men, Fortson points to the conferences to recharge and unleash them at their greatest potential.

"Congregations on average are more than 60 percent female; and many men and youth are leaving traditional houses of worship in search for something else," stated Fortson. "There is a disconnect between men's deepest wants and needs and the churches that need men so badly. That's why Promise Keepers is so important. The man-friendly environment of our conferences recharges men, and when they leave the event, they are ready to serve their congregations, families and communities."

Meet the Head Coach of the "Man Church"

2006-05-16T06:29:00.000-07:00

From the Promise Keepers May 2006 - Volume 40 newsletter:

Back in the October 2005 issue of this newsletter, we introduced you to Mark Doebler, Head Coach (pastor) of The Grove Church in Peoria, IL -- a church believed to be the first in the country specifically targeting men. Mark was recently in Denver for the National Coalition of Men's Ministries conference and took time to visit our offices.

In this interview with Promise Keepers' Steve Chavis, Mark talked about the tremendous growth the church is experiencing...and why women are all for it.

Excerpt:

Steve: Describe a typical service. Sunday you meet around what time?

Mark: We meet at 10:00am. And it’s kind of funny that you would ask "typical," because we have a saying that comes out almost every Sunday. We say, “We’re going to do something a little different today.” We are predictably unpredictable, and that’s exciting. Because I don’t ever want to get in a rut.

But we meet around tables and, you know, I came from the business world until just a few years ago. And if you ever go to a training seminar or conference, you’re training, right? You’re learning. You’re gathering information. You’re becoming more skilled at what you do, and how do you enter that environment? You sit around tables, right?

You’ve got a cup of coffee in front of you. You’ve got a scratch pad of notes in front of you. And that’s the way men go and learn.

Well, why can’t we do that at church? I mean what is it about church that means we’ve got to sit in rigid chairs and be stiff as a board and totally uncomfortable. I learn much better in a comfortable atmosphere.

And so I think most men feel much more welcome and invited in that environment. And so we began by sitting around tables.

Read the rest of the transcript

Subscribe to Promise Keepers Newsletter here

PREPARING THE WAY FOR MIRACLES

2006-05-16T06:26:00.000-07:00

From the Promise Keepers May 2006 - Volume 40 newsletter:

Have you ever noticed how often Jesus used “helpers” to perform His miracles? It’s one of those things we don’t often think about because we’re focused on the miracle itself! When water turns into wine, a large crowd gets fed from five loaves and two fishes, or a lame man begins to walk again, your attention is obviously taken away from those who may have prepared the way before the miracle. That’s the way it’s always been, and it’s the way it always should be!

Yet, if you think about it, many of those miracles would have never taken place if someone would not have stepped into the gap and prepared the way. Jesus was the “miracle worker,” but He often used ordinary folks to accomplish that miracle. He asked the servants at the wedding in Cana to fill the basins with water before changing it into wine. The disciples brought the meager lunch for Jesus to bless, and then personally distributed the bounty to the awe struck crowd. Four strong friends needed to carry the lame man to Jesus and then break through the roof before Jesus healed the man from his crippled state.

Over and over again you see “volunteers” stepping into the role of preparing the way for God to perform miracles. The things they do often may go unnoticed, but their role seems to be essential. Certainly God doesn’t require our assistance to do the miraculous, but He does often ask us to be involved in the process.

Each year, thousands of men, women and teenagers fill that role at Promise Keepers conferences around the country. They do simple, ordinary tasks that may go unnoticed, but which help prepare the way for miracles in men’s lives! At PK we often say “every seat filled is an opportunity for a miracle.” By giving people an opportunity to do that which God created them to do, which is to “serve others,” the volunteer effort at a local Promise Keepers conference lets everyday folks share in this life-changing ministry of miracles.

Don’t miss the privilege of being a part of this incredible experience at a PK Conference near you this year! Sign up today as a volunteer and see how God will use you to help perform a “miracle” in someone’s life!!

Subscribe to Promise Keepers Newsletter here

God's Call Comes by Cellphone

2006-05-16T06:22:00.000-07:00

Bible verses on a BlackBerry, sermons on an MP3 -- an explosion in digitalized spirituality is making true believers of online e-vangelists.
By Stephanie Simon, Times Staff Writer
May 16, 2006

A recent national poll found just 17% of adults view the local church as essential for developing faith.

Small wonder.

Sitting in a pew on Sunday morning seems almost embarrassingly old-fashioned in an era when you can watch a video recreation of the Last Supper on your Palm or get God's word text-messaged to your cellphone.

Bored with your pastor's ramblings? Select a peppier sermon from among hundreds of "godcasts" online. Just pick a topic: Christian dating? Old Testament prophets? Then download it to your MP3 player.

Finding the old leather-bound Bible a bit cumbersome? A quick download from Olive Tree Bible Software and you'll be able to search Scripture on your BlackBerry.

"At first blush, it may seem a little peculiar to connect with God on your cellphone," said Christopher Chisholm, a TV-executive-turned-digital-evangelist. He recently helped launch FaithMobile, a service that will send a daily Bible verse to your cellphone for $5.99 a month.

In this harried age, he asks, how else are you going to "get in touch with the Word?"

The explosion in digitized spirituality might seem likely to make the traditional sanctuary obsolete. But pastors are not giving in. They're fighting back with some high-tech tricks of their own, turning to the Internet to save souls, renew faith, inspire hope — and, not incidentally, to fill their pews.

Read the rest: God's Call Comes by Cellphone

How To De-Motivate Volunteers

2006-05-09T14:39:00.000-07:00

Dave Ferguson has a nice blog posting regarding "How To De-Motivate Volunteers"

Jim Collins says that when you have the right people doing the right work you don't really need to concentrate on motivating them - they will show up motivated. What you need to do is make sure you don't do anything to de-motivate the people on your team. So, leaders, coaches and staff - here are the top 10 ways to de-motivate your volunteer teams:

1. A sense that their service is not valuable.
2. A sense that they do not matter as a person, only as a "worker"
3. A sense that their contribution is not as valid as others.
4. A lack of community.
5. A lack of connection with a bigger purpose.
6. Poor leadership and management.
7. Poor communication/direction.
8. Lack of appreciation.
9. Failure to recognize them as a donor.
10. Lack of development of them as a person.

Read the rest here!

Dave Ferguson and four friends from college launched Community Christian Church, a church that is passionate about “helping people find their way back to God”. This church has grown to 600+ leaders with more than 4,000 in attendance at eight sites every weekend throughout Chicagoland.

King of the Hill: Church Hopping Video

2006-05-05T23:50:00.000-07:00

Here's the video mentioned a few posts back...
Obviously the writer knew something about modern day church culture!

Church Ladies

2006-04-30T20:46:00.000-07:00

From the Wall Street Journal:

Women dominate America's pews. Is that a problem?

BY CHRISTINE ROSEN
Friday, October 21, 2005 12:01 a.m. EDT

This fall, the entering class of rabbinical students at the Jewish Theological Seminary, a Conservative institution, is 34% female. At Hebrew Union College, a Reform seminary, women are nearly half the student body. At many Protestant seminaries, women pastoral students now outnumber men, and between 1983 and 2000 the number of women who identified themselves as clergy tripled. It seems that Catholic scholar Leon Podles's prediction of a few years ago, that "the Protestant clergy will be a characteristically female occupation, like nursing, within a generation," may soon prove true.

Pulpits aren't the only places that women dominate. According to a recent survey, the typical U.S. congregation is 61% female. Women are also the force behind most lay organizations and volunteer activities and make up the majority of church employees.

This lopsided picture is not a new development. Women have dominated American churches since the nation's founding; church records from the early colonial period document largely female congregations. Lamentations about the lack of men in the pews are similarly longstanding. In the 1830s, the Rev. Sebastian Streeter observed: "Christian churches are composed of a great disproportion of females." As historian Ann Douglas notes in "The Feminization of American Culture," the "19th-century minister moved in a world of women," and concerns about whether a feminized church could retain its men were a recurrent theme in the spiritual literature of the era. By the 1920s, the 60-40 gender split that is today the norm was firmly entrenched (the 1950s and 1960s saw a brief return of men to churches, but by the 1970s it had again eroded).

What is behind these ratios and what, if anything, should church leaders do about it? The most recent diagnosis of the feminization problem comes from David Murrow, whose book "Why Men Hate Going to Church" indicts contemporary Christian culture for "driving men away" from organized worship.

"Church is sweet and sentimental, nurturing and nice," Mr. Murrow writes. "Women thrive in this environment." Men do not. Everything from the compulsion to participate in singing to the pastel tones and frilly accoutrements of the modern sanctuary spell trouble for the church's ability to keep men in the fold, he argues. Charlotte Allen, the author of "The Human Christ: The Search for the Historical Jesus," explains, "The problem is that men love ritual and solemnity and women, influenced by our all-pervasive therapeutic culture, bring a therapeutic style to the liturgy.

Among the earlier responses to feminization of the church was the "muscular Christianity" campaign of the late-19th and early-20th centuries. In the 1990s, the evangelical "Promise Keepers" filled stadiums with men eager to devote themselves to the "manly challenge" of pursuing a Christian life (which oddly included frequent displays of emotion and the occasional group hug).

Mr. Murrow crafts a very 21st-century solution to the feminization problem, with a message that seems more like a PowerPoint presentation than a masculine manifesto. He is keen to revive some of the prescriptions of the old muscular Christianity--emphasizing Jesus' manliness rather than his meekness, for example--but Mr. Murrow infuses them with the modern vocabularies of marketing and self-help: focus less on relationships and more on risk and reward; less "have a love affair with Jesus" and more "build the kingdom of God."

Interestingly, Mr. Murrow notes that, among the major Christian denominations, it is the mainline churches that suffer the largest gender gaps in church attendance. These churches, still pilloried by feminists for their patriarchal pretensions, have in fact become spiritual sorority houses. It is the more conservative denominations, such as the Southern Baptists, that have the most even ratios. In these more traditional churches, many of which do not have female clergy, parishioners hear less about cooperation and feel-good spirituality and more about spiritual rigor and the competition to win souls. Churches that embrace male leadership, including the Roman Catholic Church, remain the largest in the country, and the Mormon Church, which also does not have female clergy, is the fastest-growing.

Although Mr. Morrow offers a useful diagnosis of the feminization problem, he overlooks a simple answer to the question of why church is more appealing to women than to men: its domesticating influence. Why else did pioneer women who helped settle the West make one of their first priorities the erection of churches? This leads to another observation, albeit an unpopular one in our age of gender egalitarianism: For as long as women have tried to tame and domesticate men, men have resisted. Understood this way, perhaps the lack of men in the pews is not so much cause for alarm as it is an affirmation of that unspeakable truth--men and women are different.

Ms. Rosen's "My Fundamentalist Education" will be published by PublicAffairs in January.

America's Coolest Churches

2006-04-24T07:14:00.000-07:00

Mark Rhoades from Monday Morning Insight links to an article and picture expose' from Life Magazine on what they call America's Coolest Churches.

Mark posts a lot of items to help church leaders each day what is going on in the world and the church community to make church more relevant whether it is innovative ideas, marketing or spiritual topics that resonate with people. But not every post is dry and dull - lots of humor as well! Balance - what a concept.

Some recent posts include: Why Volunteers Quit, Looking for the Perfect Church That Doesn't Exist, What to Do During a Dull Sermon, Debunking the Myths About MegaChurches and Top Ten Reasons Americans Find Themselves in Debt. Check out Monday Morning Insight

You're Thanking Me?

2006-04-21T12:03:00.000-07:00

It happened at the end of the conference, just one of 20 such gatherings held in 2004. We had assembled on this particular October weekend at Safeco Field in Seattle, Washington. The conference had been rescheduled from its original date due to the hurricanes in Florida, but it still came at the end of a long conference season.

It should be noted that Seattle is a beautiful place and Safeco Field is a state-of-the-art baseball stadium, including a retractable roof over the natural grass playing surface. Still, it is an “open air” venue and the weather in late October in Seattle is predictably wet and cold. The temperature hovered at about 45 degrees throughout the weekend, and the wind coming off the Sound whipped through the concourse making it feel much colder. While the attendees shivered in their seats on the field and in the stands, the vast majority of our exhibitors and volunteers worked on this concourse level dealing with these adverse conditions. It was especially tough for those who were assigned to the retail outlets placed next to the large open air entrances.

It was my privilege to serve as the Event Volunteer Director for this conference. As is my custom, I like to get to know as many of the volunteers as possible during the course of the event. Among the first volunteers I met this weekend were two young ladies who attended a local Christian college. They showed up to help set up the retail area on Thursday, then worked from 8 AM to 10 PM on Friday in one of the coldest locations on the concourse. I wouldn’t have been surprised if they had decided not to return on Saturday, but they were there when we opened up Volunteer Check-In at 6:30 AM, and stayed until the close of the conference.

As it turned out, these college girls were two of the last volunteers I encountered that weekend. I ran into them one last time on the concourse as they were preparing to leave the stadium and head back to school, after helping us pack up and load the retail area. They approached me with huge smiles on their faces and gave me a warm hug! Then they “thanked” me for allowing them to serve, and asked if I would let them come back the next year!! I’m not sure what the expression was on my face at that particular moment, but I can assure you I was “shocked”. I told them, “You’ve been here working in the cold and the wind for the past 3 days from morning until night! We’ve done everything but give you IV’s of hot coffee to keep you alive. Yet you’ve served with a smile on your face and an upbeat attitude throughout the ordeal. And now you’re thanking me? You must be kidding!”

I’ve thought about those two young ladies many times since that encounter. I’ve told their story to volunteer groups in each of my conference cities in 2005 and 2006. To me they epitomize the type of volunteers who serve at each of our Promise Keepers events. The level of sacrifice and service rendered by our volunteer leaders and their teams never ceases to amaze me. Over 700 volunteers band together with a handful of staff members to make these incredible, life-changing conferences a reality. Without them Promise Keepers would not exist!

I’m not sure I understand all the reasons why so many men, women, and teenagers will commit themselves to this weekend of volunteer labor, but I think I’ve got a idea -- Promise Keepers allows them the opportunity to do that which God created them to do…..SERVE OTHERS! Whether theirs is a big job or a little job, they are serving from their heart, and God always honors that type of sacrifice. Perhaps this is your year to experience the joy of being a volunteer at a conference near you!! You can sign-up online or call the National Volunteer Hotline at 1-800-417-1878. We’ll look forward to seeing you proudly wearing that Volunteer T-Shirt in 2006!!

Larry Whittlesey is an Event Volunteer Director for Promise Keepers. He resides in Portland, OR.

When He Was On The Cross, You Were On His Mind

2006-04-14T15:28:00.000-07:00

This is Good Friday and it is the moment that the entire Universe watched its Creator being Crucified. As a child I was confused as to why someone would call the day that Jesus died a "Good Friday." It wasn’t until years later that I fully understood just how Good this day was.

That Cross that He picked up was really made for me. Jesus Christ loved me so much that He willingly died in my place and freed me from the Eternal Death Grip of Sin. Why would He do this? He saw some value in me that I obviously cannot see in my own self. No one would die for something worthless. This true story drives that truth home.

A gem dealer was strolling the aisles at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show when he noticed a blue-violet stone the size and shape of a potato. He looked it over, then, as calmly as possible, asked the vendor, "You want $15 for this?" The seller, realizing the rock wasn't as pretty as others in the bin, lowered the price to $10. The stone has since been certified as a 1,905-carat natural star sapphire, about 800 carats larger than the largest stone of its kind. It was appraised at $2.28 million.

It took a lover of stones to recognize the sapphire's worth. It took the Lover of Souls to recognize the true value of ordinary-looking people like us. This is what makes this Friday so GOOD! We are reminded of how valuable we are to God. The only difference is that He wanted to pay the premium price of His only begotten Son to purchase us.

Thank God! You and I were worth more than $10.00 to Him!!! Today I hope that you'll reflect on the obvious worth that you are to God the Father. Rejoice in that amazing love that was displayed on the Cross to redeem your life from eternal death and destruction.

You are one of a kind, and I heard the Father saying to me this morning to tell you that He is preparing to put you on display. He has had to grind you down a little, knock some things off of you that didn't look like Him, and oh that buffing process, lots of friction has been required to get His Shine on you! But you are nearing the moment that you've been Dreaming about for and that He has been waiting patiently for!

- Pastor Danny Chambers, Oasis Worship Centre
http://www.oasisworship.com/

May the above e-Word encourage you as it did for me on this Good Friday -
Blessings - Kerry

Unkept Promises

2006-04-13T21:50:00.000-07:00

We live in an era of unkept promises. Nations sign important treaties and then break them at will. And many couples show little regard for their wedding vows. In this kind of society, we who are God’s people should be known for keeping our promises.

The brilliant Christian scholar and writer C. S. Lewis took that truth seriously. He was determined to pay what he had vowed. His biography tells of the suffering he endured because he kept a promise he had made to a buddy during World War I. This friend was worried about the care of his wife and small daughter if he should be killed in battle, so Lewis assured him that if that were to happen he would look after them. As the war dragged on, the man was killed. True to his word, Lewis took care of his friend’s family. Yet no matter how helpful he tried to be, the woman was ungrateful, rude, arrogant, and domineering. Through it all, Lewis kept forgiving her. He refused to let her actions become an excuse to renege on his promise. -H.V.L.

Source Unknown

Is the Church Feminizing Men?

2006-04-13T14:59:00.000-07:00

By Lee Webb
CBN News Anchor

CBN.com – (CBN News) - A year ago, Greg Martin says he could not have led a devotional with his teenage daughters. The reason: he was playing in a Sunday baseball league that took priority over going to church.

As a result, Martin was feeling disconnected to a place where, in the past, he had felt at home. And he found himself unable to be the father he wanted to be.

“You start to see compromises take place when you're not sitting under good teaching, good preaching, and perennial fellowship with believers…,” Martin said. “If I'm not setting a good, godly example to my children by being in church, and I'm out playing baseball, that was a pretty poor example for my children to see.”

For Martin, the desire to play baseball became more important than the desire to be in church. While he did not intend to leave the church, Martin just found less and less time for worship, a problem not uncommon for many men.

And a recent study shows many Christian men feel the same way.

Read the rest here

King of the Hill: Church Hopping

2006-04-11T21:03:00.000-07:00

Nice article from Adam Finley from TV Squad (reprinted here in its entirety)

Just because a place is big doesn't mean it's bad. The Pentagon's good. --Hank Hill

I wouldn't have though I could ever become nostalgic for those days when I was forced to wake up early, don uncomfortable garments and too-tight shoes, get shuttled off to church, and then try to stay awake through some boring sermon. I don't recall ever actually enjoying church, but it was part of our routine, and last night's episode managed to touch on all the ups and downs of attending church in a small town.

The episode begins with the Hills arriving late for church, only to find a new family has taken their seats. Hank tries to get them to move, but they refuse. He confronts the reverend about it, but she refuses to assign seats. Upset, Hank leaves the church for another church, which is more like a gigantic worship complex, complete with a coffee bar and a movie theater. Hank is wooed right away by the promise of assigned seats, but eventually grows tired of the fanfare and goes back to his old church, though not before trying out Luanne's boyfriend's worship approach, which involves getting drunk at the bar and singing along to the jukebox.

The episode showed that religious people each have their own way of worshiping and communing with God, and that no way is necessarily worse than the other. It also brought out a major part of Hank's character, which is that he does not accept change very easily. In fact, he's willing to make his life vastly more complicated rather than accept the fact his family has to sit in the back of the church.

I lamented in my last review of a lack of Peggy, so I was happy to see her back in full force this time, offering her unsolicited suggestions to the reverend of their new church, and at one point addressing the congregation to see if anyone had taped The Amazing Race. Yet another great episode, and another funny and poignant look at small town America. Having King of the Hill lead into the rest of the Sunday night lineup and shows like The Simpsons and Family Guy is like having a folk singer open for a punk band. It's different, the styles aren't even the same, but it's the perfect respite for those of us who don't mind a show that's willing to slow down and let us soak everything in.

In paperless age, paper letters let dads leave legacy of love

2006-04-11T20:55:00.000-07:00

As one of 70 million baby boomers, Greg Vaughn says he’s not alone when it comes to the hurt he felt when his dad died. And the worst part was the absence of any written document of his father's love for his son. Vaughn didn’t have any cards or notes from his dad -- not even a signature.

“It shook my world,” Vaughn told Associated Baptist Press. “It made me angry. I was angry at God, at my father and at myself.”

Raised in a small Southern Baptist church in West Texas, Vaughn lost his father to Alzheimer’s disease several years ago. Though they were never close, Vaughn said, he felt cheated and hurt at the silence his father left behind.

Read the rest here

Too Few Good Men

2006-04-11T15:41:00.000-07:00

Why church is a turnoff for guys, and how to recover a spirit that attracts them.

David Murrow doesn't buy the idea that church is a men's club. While church leadership has remained dominated by males, he says that has done little to attract men to the larger church body. Murrow is the author of Why Men Hate Going to Church (Nelson, 2005).

Why are men turned off by the church?
Men don't do church very well. You have to be able to speak, read, and pray out loud in church culture, and the average man is not going to be as good at that as most women.

Secondly, we do almost nothing to try to attract men. We're constantly putting books in the hands of Christians telling them that the way to Christ is through a classroom experience and Bible studies. This whole idea of church as a "learning process" is going to attract more women than men.

On top of that, so much of the imagery used in the church is feminine. In the last fifty years, the dominant metaphor used to describe the Christian life has been "a personal relationship with Jesus Christ." Jesus' command was not to "have a personal relationship with me," but to "follow me." Men can handle that.

Read the rest here

The Perfect Pastor

2006-04-11T15:40:00.000-07:00

Ben Lee made this clip to introduce a sermon he preached about the impossibility of finding "the perfect pastor." It is a humerous attempt at looking at the different types of preachers that exist in the world: some funny, some serious, some emotional, and some just outright weird!

Easter proclaims a beginning...

2006-04-11T13:50:00.000-07:00

Here's the flip side of a gift from a friend who went home to the Lord two years ago. Carved from a bar of Dial soap while he was in prison, it is one of our most prized possessions.

Holy Week
Quotations to stir heart and mind.
Compiled by Richard A. Kauffman

IN THE CROSS IS SALVATION, in the Cross is life, in the Cross is protection from our enemies, in the Cross is infusion of heavenly sweetness, in the Cross is strength of mind, in the Cross is joy of spirit, in the Cross is the height of virtue, in the Cross is perfection of sanctity. There is no salvation of the soul, nor hope of everlasting life, but in the Cross.
Thomas Kempis, The Imitation of Christ

HE DIED, but he vanquished death; in himself, he put an end to what we feared; he took it upon himself, and he vanquished it; as a mighty hunter, he captured and slew the lion.

Where is death? Seek it in Christ, for it exists no longer; but it did exist, and now it is dead. O life, O death of death! Be of good heart; it will die in us also. What has taken place in our head will take place in his members; death will die in us also. But when? At the end of the world, at the resurrection of the dead in which we believe and concerning which we do not doubt.
Augustine, Sermon 233

THERE IS WONDERFUL POWER in the Cross of Christ. It has power to wake the dullest conscience and melt the hardest heart, to cleanse the unclean, to reconcile him who is afar off and restore him to fellowship with God, to redeem the prisoner from his bondage and lift the pauper from the dunghill, to break down the barriers which divide [people] from one another, to transform our wayward characters into the image of Christ and finally make us fit to stand in white robes before the throne of God.
John Stott, The Preacher's Portrait

EASTER is not the celebration of a past event. The alleluia is not for what was; Easter proclaims a beginning which has already decided the remotest future. The Resurrection means that the beginning of glory has already started.
Karl Rahner, Everyday Faith

Copyright 2006 Christianity Today

How Jesus must have cried in the garden

2006-04-11T13:49:00.000-07:00

The above is a gift from a friend who went home to the Lord two years ago. Carved from a bar of Dial soap while he was in prison, it is one of our most prized possessions.

I'D ALWAYS KNOWN, in one place in my throat, how Jesus must have cried in the garden--crying not to die, because there was no fear of death, and not to leave his friends, because he walked alone, and not to suffer, because the blood and bruises and thorns were part of his perfection--but crying because he could not find his Father's face, because when he would suffer all that he could bear, the pain of every person, living and dead, in that dark moment, there was really nobody there.

Paul Shepherd, More Like Not Running Away: A Novel

Promise Keeper panel says churches must change

2006-03-16T21:10:00.000-08:00

A panel said that traditional Protestant congregations must change, or they will continue to see men leaving.

Thursday, March 16, 2006
Spero News

A panel said that traditional Protestant congregations must change, or they will continue to see men leaving. "There is a disconnect between men's deepest wants and needs and the churches that need men so badly," said Dr. Thomas S. Fortson, president and CEO of Promise Keepers.

In the face of mounting evidence that men in particular are exercising spirituality away from the traditional Protestant churches, Fortson explained Promise Keepers' position. "We find ourselves in the middle of this question -- inspiring men to go deeper and loving our pastors who shepherd the communities of faith."

James Ryle, of TruthWorks Ministries and a founding PK board member, said that times are changing and that the biggest mistake the church can make is not to change. "The people who are leaving the church aren't leaving God, truth, Scripture, or community - they are just leaving the game." Ryle argues that churches are becoming too institutional in a culture that is starving for what is real, relevant and significant.

Alvin Simpkins of Emmanuel Christian Center, leads a growing congregation in Denver where 40 percent of the membership is men.

Although sympathetic to the difficulties pastors face reaching men, he believes that Christian leaders should demand more from the men in their congregations. "You demand much, and your men respond enthusiastically," he said, noting that he gathers men from his congregation at 5:30 a.m. every Monday morning for prayer and discussion on issues that matter.

"The critical question is going to have to transition from 'how to get men to the church' to 'how to get men to become the church," said Ryle.

Stan Perea, HIS Ministries, agreed, "You must reach men for Christ and then set them free to transform the community - whether they come to church on Sunday or whether they don't."

In his opening remarks, Fortson acknowledged the importance of the church. "Jesus loves his Church, his people, wherever they are," he said. "And we believe that He is drawing them together, but, perhaps, in some new and surprising ways."

Dr. Bob Reccord, president of the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention and a keynote speaker at all 19 PK events this year, opened media day forum in Denver with a message on what it means to be on mission for God. "God has not changed the strategy of winning the world for Christ," Reccord said. "The strategy is having one man telling another man about the Savior."

Promise Keepers gets leaner

2006-03-15T06:40:00.000-08:00

Media conference today will focus on home church trend

By David Montero, Rocky Mountain News
March 15, 2006

Gone are the heady days of packing football stadiums, annual operating budgets not far south of $100 million and a massive merchandising blitz to rival a mid-market basketball team.

Instead, these are the days of small arenas, lean budgets and modest-to-minimal merchandising.

This is the emerging face of Promise Keepers, the Denver-based nonprofit evangelical group founded by former University of Colorado football coach Bill McCartney back in 1990. And, according to spokesman Steve Chavis, they're good with this approach.

"The mythology was, by going great guns the way it was going, we'd reach every man in the country and we'd finish the job. The fact is, encouraging men spiritually was a much bigger systemic cultural nut to crack," Chavis said. "Now that we're smaller, what kind of impact can we make? I think we're going after a deeper conference experience so the Friday night, all-day Saturday experience is hopefully more profound and had more impact."

In that vein, Promise Keepers is hosting a media conference today that will tackle an issue somewhat controversial in the evangelical Christian community - the recent trend of men and youth leaving the traditional church to host services in the home.

Chavis remembered the days in the '90s when Promise Keepers could pack Invesco Field with men searching for spiritual answers and help in figuring out their role in families and churches. Near its zenith in 1996, the group hosted 22 stadium conferences and drew 1.1 million men.

There are 19 conferences scheduled this year - including one at the World Arena in Colorado Springs this summer. Each gathering, according to Chavis, doesn't come close to the scale of those mid-'90s events. The World Arena, in fact, only has 7,343 fixed seats in it. All the other conferences are in small- to mid-sized venues.

And the unaudited operating budget for 2005 was just over $23 million compared with $79 million in 1997.

"We had to get lean and mean," Chavis said. "The nonprofit sector will paint you a picture of tough sledding in this century with 9/11 and the recent hurricanes, so we're being really frugal and creative. It's a tough environment."

Paul Lichterman, an associate professor of sociology and religion at the University of Southern California, has studied trends and patterns in the evangelical community and believes the recent machinations of Promise Keepers are entirely in line with the direction of the evangelical Christian movement.

He said Promise Keepers took its initial model of large stadium gatherings from a point of view largely held by activist movements of the '60s - namely that large public showings and gatherings will generate media coverage and awareness of the issues facing the group.

But Lichterman said the scaling down is more in line with the Christian view of change - that smaller, individual attention affects deeper, long-lasting results.

"Mass meetings and mass movements may be exciting and a way to affirm your faith, but they're not necessary for being a good evangelical Christian," he said.

"Think about the the kind of relationship that is central to evangelical Christians - it's the one-to-one personal relationship that is most valuable and is modeled after the relationship they have with Jesus Christ."

Chavis said the original mission of Promise Keepers has remained. It's still on the Web site and reads, "Revival and discipleship are the two elements that became the foundation and focus of Promise Keepers."

Stan Perea, executive director of HIS Ministries in Denver, said the original mission is "a worthy one," but added that if Promise Keepers is to remain successful, it has to address issues he doesn't believe the church as an entity is talking about.

Perea will be on the panel today discussing why men are leaving the church. He said part of it is due to an overpoliticization of faith and that pastors aren't addressing the everyday concerns of men.

"The church is driving the issues - gay marriage, abortion - and to the average guy out there, those aren't really critical," Perea said. "The things they consider critical are, how do you make a marriage work? How do you get up and go to work every day in the same old tired job? There is a disconnect there."

Big Dawgs Howl for PK

2006-03-12T20:51:00.000-08:00

(from Promise Keepers)

More than 50 men showed up at Christ Church in Nashville, TN last weekend to help PK7 producers lay down choral vocal tracks for the 2006 CD project, called “Unleashed.”

PK Program Department’s Chantell Hinkle reports, “You could tell these guys were pumped up to be a part of the project. There was a serious ‘gung ho’ vibe in the church.”

Brothers came in from all over, including the Cincinnati Promise Singers (who have been singing together since the PK choir days of the 90s), and a couple of men from The Father’s House in Atlanta (pastored by Bishop Wellington Boone). Real men from the host church and congregations around the Nashville area sang real loud from 10 a.m. until 5:15 that afternoon. Those in the know know that singing all day is real work.

The producer said he was amazed at their stamina. They stayed ‘til the job was done. Way to go, promise keepers!

“We’ve got to have that manly sound,” said Harold Velasquez, executive producer on the project. “When you listen to PK7 music, you want to feel what a room full of men sounds like.” The choral vocal tracks were recorded for seven of the 11 songs on the 2006 project.

Shaggify thyself

2006-03-12T19:30:00.000-08:00

OK all you Big Dawgs 4 Christ, here's something you can do for those young pups in your litter at home or at Sunday School.

Courtesy of Disney, promoting the new movie "Shaggy Dog", you can shaggify thyself. Unless you're anti Disney, just boycott this article and move on. Ain't nothing to see here.

Deer heads in the sanctuary

2006-03-08T22:49:00.000-08:00

Frank Stirk writes:

My first pastor did something during a worship service one Sunday I’ll never forget. Placing a chair on the stage, he said to us, “Imagine that Jesus is sitting here watching us worship Him. How would you react knowing He was here, physically present?” I confess that during the rest of the service, I kept glancing furtively at that (empty) chair.

I relived that memory after reading David Murrow’s Why Men Hate Going to Church, and thought about the very serious issue of what churches can do to encourage more men to become active participants in worship and ministry. In his book, Murrow takes a no-stone-unturned approach—including a challenge to men to reclaim the décor of the sanctuary from the women who’ve had free rein to put things up that appeal to them.

Murrow believes this is all part of cultivating “a healthy masculine spirit” in the Church. “A man must sense, from the moment he walks in, that church is not just for Grandma, it’s something for him,” he writes. “It can’t feel like a ladies’ club. The quilted banners, fresh flowers and boxes of Kleenex in our sanctuaries make a statement.”

In an interview, Murrow told me that men ought to feel just as free to make their own statement as the women have done. “I mean, why can’t the sanctuary look like a hunting lodge? Why can’t we mount deer heads around the sanctuary? Why are quilted banners holier than God’s created animals?” he wondered. “We don’t ask those questions.”

Read the rest here...

Photo source

Promise Keepers Media Day ’06...

2006-03-08T22:24:00.000-08:00

from Christian News Wire (press release) - Washington, DC:

Promise Keepers Media Day ’06 Features Baptist Leader, Panel Debates Exodus of Men from Church:

WHAT: An afternoon media forum on perhaps the most pressing issue facing the American church, the exodus of its men. Originating in front of a live audience at Promise Keepers’ national offices in Denver, Colo., Promise Keepers 3rd annual "Media Day" features a live address by Dr. Bob Reccord, president of the North American Mission Board – Southern Baptist Convention, and a panel of leading thinkers and strategists on men’s ministry. The address and panel discussion will be audio and text linked to world through Internet, with reporters from around the United States asking questions via e-mail.

WHY: The hottest book in men’s ministry is David Murrow’s Why Men Hate Going to Church. Pollster George Barna’s latest book Revolution points to a long term trend of men and youth leaving the traditional church. Even Time Magazine’s February 27, 2006 issue tracks the new-styled "home church." Charisma magazine’s Lee Grady calls Barna’s notions "dangerous." If these trends prove true, this migration from the pews will profoundly impact America’s religious life.

WHEN AND WHO:

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15, 2006 (ALL TIMES EASTERN STANDARD TIME)

• 2:30 – 3:30 p.m. Promise Keepers CEO Tom Fortson introduces Bob Reccord, speaking on "Hearing God’s Invitation"

• 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. Panel discussion – working title: "The Church in the Balance: Where Are The Men?"

PANELISTS: multi-cultural consultant and author Stan Perea, HIS Ministries, Denver, Colo., teacher and author James Ryle, TruthWorks Ministries, Franklin, Tenn., pastor Alvin Simpkins, Emmanuel Christian Center, Denver, Colo.

• photos and audio clips posted throughout the day, complete transcripts posted by late afternoon!!

Promise Keepers Media Information Page

Passion and Desire for God

2006-03-08T20:19:00.000-08:00

Pastor Benji Kelley from newHope Church in Chapel Hill, NC shares a great insight about the Lord. He is teaching a “Consumed” series. One of the themes is, “Me Consumed with God.”

He writes:

Did you know our Lord finds our desires often not too strong, but too weak.

CS Lewis, that great scholar from Oxford, said, "We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased." (C. S. Lewis, from the sermon "The Weight of Glory")

As for “Me Consumed with God," the Bible says,

“But if I say, ‘I will not mention him or speak any more in his name,’ His word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.” (Jeremiah 20:29)

Now that is passion. That is strong desire for God.

Learn from Jeremiah and one another how to be consumed with God similar to the way in which God is consumed with us.

- Pastor Benji Kelley

E = mC ^ 2

2006-03-07T21:47:00.000-08:00

Socializing with Christ

2006-03-06T22:45:00.000-08:00

Socializing with Christ
Men's group at UGA turns fraternity life on its head

By KELLY SIMMONS
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 03/07/06

Athens — In a sea of Greek letters on the University of Georgia campus, Beta Upsilon Chi stands apart.

Not for what it is — a social fraternity — but for what it stands for: Brothers Under Christ.

"The biggest thing you hear is 'Why?' " said Jake Webster, president and founder of the fraternity and a third-year student from Alpharetta. "People don't understand why you're here."

Fraternities and Christ seem unlikely bedfellows at a football-frenzied university with a party school reputation.

But since Beta Upsilon Chi — BYX, in Greek letters — was chartered at UGA nearly a year ago, more than 30 male undergraduates have pledged. They've joined about 1,000 young men in schools across the South who have bonded through their commitment to God "in a college setting that is often contrary to Christianity," according to the Brothers Under Christ Web site.

"We're very much a social fraternity," said Jason Hoyt, executive director of the Brothers Under Christ national organization in Fort Worth, Texas. "But we're very much a ministry."

Read the rest here...

Big Dawg Tees now available!

2006-03-06T21:47:00.000-08:00

Need a new wardrobe makeover?

Get 'em while they last!

Announcing the limited edition BigDawgs4Christ "Unleased" Tees, FREE with your paid registration by May 1...

You too can be clothed in righteousness, BigDawg style with these luxurious red cotton Tees! Only 100 Tees available! When the BigDawgs show up in mass at the Phillips Arena, you gotta know that those good ole boys will be Georgia Bull Dog red-with-envy seeing you on the prowl with these Tees on!

Posing with pride are our March Issue Cover BigDawgs::

John Parks (front champion view)

Jeff Walker (rear knockout view)

and Jeff (in a relaxed "wear at any Cracker Barrel" look)

Even the Hulkster is getting a new BigDawg Tee!

This trip will SELL OUT, so register ONLINE via Clearview Baptist Church's Men's Ministry website today!

Speaker Line Ups posted at Promise Keepers

2006-03-06T08:27:00.000-08:00

(Joseph Garlington)

The Atlanta speaker lineup has been announced...

Reggie Dabbs returns as MC for all the conferences

Bob Reccord is the evangelist for all of the confrences. Dr. Bob Reccord is the President of the North American Mission Board for the Southern Baptist Convention (NAMB)

Joseph Garlington, Founder and senior pastor of Covenant Church of Pittsburgh is the PK superman - does it all; speaker, MC, Worship Leader and great humor with relevant teaching.

Rick Kingham... One of the original 72 men that founded Promise Keepers.

Dan Seaborn is the founder of Winning At Home, Inc., an organization designed to assist and encourage people of all ages and stages of family development.

Mark Schultz Saturday lunch concert.

Drama skits by AWAKEN... Founded by author and pastor Erwin Raphael McManus, AWAKEN is a team of artists and innovators who design and provide inspirational resources and engaging experiences to help people discover their own uniqueness, unleash their creative potential, and embrace a life of passion and purpose in Jesus Christ.

PK7 is the Worship Band.

Register ONLINE today!

BigDawg Tattooed

2006-03-06T08:13:00.000-08:00

Big Dawg and Jesus tattoos spotted over at Billy Joe's TATTOOS here in Nashville.

Young pups, ask Poppa Dawg and Momma Dawg before you even think of branding yourself !

Weaker brother asked to leave men's group

2006-03-06T08:01:00.000-08:00

SATIRE! Alert - A BigDawg would never do the following...

ATHENS, Ga. ˜Tired of accommodating their legalistic friend, members of a men's group have asked Harold Beihn to loosen up or move on.

"His standard of personal holiness fits us a little too tight," says one member.

But Beihn says he just "wanted my guys to be holy as the Lord is holy. I think God put me in their lives to remind them of the rules."

By all accounts, Beihn's lifestyle was out of synch with the others'. He vetoed most activities the other guys wanted to do because they "didn't accord with righteous living." This ruled out movies, sporting events, even bowling because the atmosphere at the lanes is "too loose," says Beihn.

Beihn also took accountability so seriously that he often called the other men at 7:30 a.m. and asked, "Did you kiss your wife yet?" If the answer was no, he'd report them to the men's ministry pastor.

The situation recently came to a head when everyone but Beihn wanted to play darts and drink beer every Monday night in their garages, creating a casual venue for inviting unsaved friends.

But Beihn had a major hang-up with it.

"He kept saying, 'Darts, I can handle, but beer ˜ I can't go there, guys,'" says one member. Subsequently, the other members asked Beihn to leave the group, saying they were "moving in different directions."

Beihn joined another group, which he enjoys and whose members "run a tighter ship, morally speaking."

"They have respect for the rules I live by," says Beihn. "We get along great."

Note: SATIRE! SATIRE! from Lark News

BigDawgs4Christ Registration NOW OPEN!

2006-03-02T15:28:00.000-08:00

Has it been some time since you went to a PK event?

Run with the Big Dawgs to Atlanta for Promise Keepers ‘06!

This year, you can register ONLINE via Clearview Baptist Church's Men's Ministry website here!

Register today for your Bonus T-Shirt and discounted registration by May 1, 2006!

FAbdQs - Frequently Asked BigDawg Questions

Dates:
Friday & Saturday July 28-29 Phillips Arena in Atlanta

What is included in my registration fee?
Your registration includes a wristband for admission both days, transportation, hotel room (double) within a very short walking distance and 5 meals total… plus a BigDawg4Christ hat! Less expensive than going on your own!
Register by May 1 for a 10% discount and a T Shirt !

What are the departure times for Friday and Saturday?
Deluxe tour buses leave at 8:00 am sharp on Friday, July 28 from Clearview Baptist Church in Franklin and arriving home approx. 11:30 pm on Saturday July 29. Friday's program will run from 6:30 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. and Saturday will run from 9:00 a.m. to approximately 4:00 p.m. The hotel is a short walking distance with five meals included! You can leave your car at Clearview Baptist Church located at 537 Franklin Road, south of Moores Lane.

What should I bring?
Invite a friend! Bring a Bible, pen and a BigDawg4Christ attitude ready to be challenged, encouraged and set on fire for the Lord.

Can I volunteer?
Absolutely! Conferee lunch feeding, evangelism workers and ushers are needed and greatly appreciated – consider donating 1 to 2 hours of your time. Volunteer online: http://www.promisekeepers.org/volr10

Dang it! The devil messin’ with my schedule and I can no longer attend the event I registered for; what do I do now?
Prayerfully consider attending another Promise Keepers conference in the area; better yet, sponsor a friend or bless a church member in need and/or honor your pastor by sending him with your wristband. Note that there are no refunds on registrations.

I have more questions; who can I contact?
For specific Nashville conference information and updates, or for additional registrations, please call one of the following leaders – they’re ready to serve:
Jeff Walker (615) 347-7784
John Parks (615) 300-7060
Eddy Richardson (615) 371-9249
Troy Madge (615) 828-9081
Mark Wanee (615) 430-9062
Durand Hite (615) 298-4935
Rick Lee (931) 334-4424
Al Aigner (931) 486-1444
Kerry Woo (615) 336-9360
Tim Richards (615) 319-7150

This trip will SELL OUT, so register ONLINE via Clearview Baptist Church's Men's Ministry website today!

Promise Keepers UNLEASHED!

2006-03-02T15:22:00.000-08:00

PROMISE KEEPERS 2006
It is not about learning how to be a nicer guy. It's about becoming the powerful man God designed you to be.

There is courage bound up in you. Unleash it.
There is passion and fire tied up in you. Unleash it.
There is a warrior held captive in you. Unleash it.
There is an untamed spirit held down in you. Unleash it.

And when the power of God in you is unleashed...
...the adventure truly begins.

"I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe."
Ephesians 1:18-19

Register online at Promise Keepers

STAY TUNED for Registration details locally in the Nashville and surrounding areas!

Lord, I want to be a...

2006-02-25T16:26:00.000-08:00

Lord, I want to be a... big dawg for Jesus Christ...

priceless!

INTEGRITY MUSIC LOOKING FOR NASHVILLE PK CHOIR VOICES

2006-02-25T13:38:00.000-08:00

Attention Nashville area promise keepers. Integrity Music is gathering a community wide men's choir for the PK7 "Unleashed" CD, and the recording is in Nashville, TN on Saturday, March 4th at 10:00 a.m. at Christ Church, located at 15354 Old Hickory Boulevard in South Nashville, between Nolensville Road and Edmondson Pike.

Bring ear buds or headphones like the ones you'd use with iPods, walkmans or stereos. They will have some available if you forget.

Passion06 recap

2006-02-19T14:43:00.000-08:00

The Passion 06 Gallery is up, containing snapshots of the incredible gathering of college students here in Nashville.

If you're still searching for an answer to the "How was Passion" question, I like what one blogger wrote: "when asked by a friend, "how was it" all I could do is hug them with everything I had and tell them, that's just the first 30 seconds of the conference. imagine 4 days of that, but with God's intensity."

Oh, and I also forgot to tell you that your brain would hurt for a few days.
And that songs would thunder in your head.
And that you would find yourself drifting back into that massive crowd.
And that you would feel like you had known your Family Group forever.
And that you would wake up wanting to head to your Community Group.

- Louie Giglio 268 Generation blog entry

A small sample of what attendees are saying:

Worshiping God with over 18,000 fellow Christians, who affirm the essential doctrines of truth, was an unforgettable experience, giving one a small taste of what heaven will be like. Passion 06 faithfully fulfilled its mission of trying to set this generation on fire for Christ. Read more reflections from students

xx

I just got home from Passion06; although my body is tired, my soul is awakened. I had one prayer going into Passion06, that God would meet with us. And can I just say the Lord is faithful to hear our prayers?

xx

I still find it hard to believe that Passion is over, and I am back in my apartment awaiting the start of school and classes and homework. I can already sense that this year is going to be a big one in my life, and I am so excited to see what he does with it. I think Passion was just the catalyst for what is going to happen this year, and place in me a renewed heart and willingness to fully yield to God's will and his plan.

xx

Sid from Greer, South Carolina documents everything here at his blog starting from Day One wondering fellow blog

Jason Reid has tons of photos plus you can do a search for Passion on Flickr and see some of the photos I took as a volunteer. Great stuff and all done with excellence by the Passion Team!

Passion 06 Set For January 2-5 In Nashville

2005-11-16T14:38:00.000-08:00

Gathering Leaders Include Louie Giglio, Chris Tomlin, John Piper, David Crowder Band, Beth Moore, Matt Redman, Others

Passion Conferences is returning to Nashville, TN to host Passion 06, a four-day indoor gathering for college students from around the nation and world, January 2 – 5, 2006. Leading the gathering will be renowned speakers Louie Giglio, John Piper and Beth Moore, among others, as well as such acclaimed artist-worshipers as Charlie Hall, David Crowder Band, Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, Shane and Shane, Nathan and Christy Nockels, and more.

Passion 06 will be held at the Gaylord Entertainment Center (GEC) in the heart of Downtown Nashville. Not only will students worship together in an arena packed with thousands of faces representing campuses from every corner of the nation, but they will also have the chance to sit and process what God is doing in their lives with a small group of students they connect with through the smaller community groups that make up the fabric of the conference.

Similar to last January’s Passion 05 in Music City, Passion 06 will provide smaller sessions through Community Groups, Family Groups and Late Nights in various venues throughout the downtown area within walking distance from the GEC. The Community and Family groups will allow students to unpack what they learn throughout the week in small group environments and the Late Nights give students a chance to “hang out” after the evening session ends each night.

“Not only are we thrilled and humbled by the growing number of students making their way to join us in Nashville, we are excited about the possible impact of these four days on the collegiate culture as a whole,” notes Louie Giglio, Passion Conferences founder/director. “Millions of students are searching for a meaningful encounter with their Creator and we are praying Passion 06 becomes fuel for a generation that will amplify the name of Jesus to the world.”

With students registering many times faster than last year’s Passion 05, which brought together more than 11,000 college-age students representing every state, 1,100 campuses and eight foreign countries, thousands have already registered for Passion 06. Students are encouraged to register early, as space is limited. Early registration closes Dec. 1. Detailed schedule and registration information can be found at http://www.oneday03.com/. Registration fee includes conference materials and lunch on Jan. 3 and 4.

In order to make Passion 06 happen, over 1000 volunteers are also needed to serve throughout the conference in various jobs. For people over the age of 25, Passion Conferences requests they attend as a volunteer or as a leader of a group. Those interested in volunteering at Passion 06 are asked to submit a volunteer application at www.268generation.com before the Dec. 1 deadline.

As Passion 06 approaches, an experience of last year’s Passion 05 can be heard on sixstepsrecords’ eighth Passion project, Passion: How Great Is Our God. The recording features music recorded live from the main stage at the Passion 05 gathering. Capturing the heart of the gathering with 13 live tracks, the recording released April 12 to wide critical acclaim and became the No. 1 best seller in its first week out on the SoundScan Christian Retail sales chart. The album also landed at No. 74 on the Billboard Top 200 sales chart.

The Passion movement began in 1995 with a stirring in the heart of Passion founder Louie Giglio. Born out of a desire to see the 13 million college students of the nation awaken to the reality of a glorious God, the vision took shape under the leadership of men like Louie Giglio and the board of Choice Ministries, the non-profit umbrella for Passion Conferences. Like-minded campus ministers then met together in 1996 and paved the way for the first of three Passion gatherings (1997, ‘98 and ‘99) that united over 18,000 college students with the desire to see God magnified in their lives, their campuses and throughout the earth.

Since then, millions have connected with Passion through one of the several gatherings, such as the OneDay gatherings and the Passion Experience Tour featured by the New York Times, CNN, among others, or through eight Passion worship recordings and three DVDs that have been released worldwide, selling well over one million copies. The domino effect has spawned a movement that has circled the globe.

The unique purpose of Passion is to gather college students from campuses and churches across the nation, uniting them across ministry and denominational lines to seek the face of God together in worship and prayer. Affirming and valuing the work of local churches and campus ministries, Passion seeks to foster unity and connectivity among them, encouraging them to draw strength and encouragement from each other, resulting in a louder anthem of God’s renown.

Everyone made a difference!

2005-11-16T00:09:00.000-08:00

“A volunteer is a person who believes that people can make a difference – and is willing to prove it.”
Anonymous

Over 800 volunteers served in 75 different positions to bless the very heart of God during the Promise Keepers Nashville mens conference August 12-13, 2005. The few photos only catch a glimpse of the unselfish service as unto the Lord.

We all can share in the blessing that over 100 men came as friends, but left as brothers Friday night –

‘“The Greatest good we can do for others is not to share our riches, but to reveal theirs.”
Author Unknown

“Volunteers don’t necessarily have the time, but they have the heart.”
Anonymous

“At an inner city soup kitchen, a young woman was serving meals to guests. It was her very first day and she was nervous and unsure of how to behave around the poor, the indigent, the homeless people she had never seen before. Coming from a middle class neighbourhood, she felt she had nothing in common with them, that she had nothing to offer.”

“As one man was moving past her, she noticed that he had missed his bread portion. She reached out and touched his arm. The man was old, dishevelled and had his head hung low. When he turned, the young woman saw that he was crying. Concerned, she asked if she had hurt him. The man, tears in his eyes replied, “No, you are the first person who has touched me in more than two years.”
--a member of Sisters of St. Joseph, Canada

“Volunteering is fulfilling. Volunteers touch the lives of others and in the process we develop ourselves and make new friends.”
Tan Chye Hong

From the Promise Keepers web site regarding volunteers -
"Volunteering is close to the heart of God. It represents the selfless, caring, giving qualities to which Christians are called. It suggests a sense of family where a growing relationship with Christ leads to the overflow of love from which we live our lives to positively influence others with the love of God. The work can be hard and the hours are long. Many labor in obscurity, making sacrifices that only the Lord can know, but “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." (Matt. 5:5 NKJV)

A Servant Attitude

2005-11-15T23:18:00.000-08:00

Photo: Wayne Armstrong/PK

OUR LIMITATIONS:

He doesn’t calculate what you did in ‘78.It’s not even on the record. Sure, there are lots of reasons why God shouldn’t have called us. But if we are magically in love with Him, if we hunger for Him more than our next breath, He’ll use us in spite of who we are, where we’ve been, or what we look like. I pray that as Christians, we will step out of our limitations into the illimitable nature of who God is. Then our passion for God and our passion to communicate Him will make mincemeat of our limitations.

Author unknown

A VISUAL SAMPLE OF SERVANT LEADERSHIP (A PHOTO JOURNAL FROM PK NASHVILLE)

A Servant Attitude

People are illogical, unreasonable and self-centered.
Love them anyway.

If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.

If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.

The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.

Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.

The biggest men with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.

People favor underdogs, but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.

What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.

People really need help, but may attack you if you do help them.
Help them anyway.

Give the world the best you have and you’ll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.

John R. W. Stott, The Preacher’s Portrait, Some New Testament Word Studies, (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publ. Co., 1961), pp. 100ff

A pat on the back

2005-11-15T12:59:00.000-08:00

A pat on the back is only a few vertebrae away from a kick in the pants, but it's miles ahead in terms of results.

Citation: Unknown, Marriage Partnership, Vol. 11, no. 3.

Well done, good and faithful servant...

2005-11-14T17:27:00.000-08:00

Dave Thomas, founder of the Wendy’s Restaurant chain, illustrates the learning value of humility in his book WELL DONE: THE COMMON GUY’S GUIDE TO EVERYDAY SUCCESS.

He writes, "I got my MBA long before my G.E.D." He continues, "I even have a photograph of me in my MBA graduation outfit -- a snazzy knee-length work apron. I guarantee you that I'm the only founder among America's big companies whose picture in the corporate annual report shows him wielding a mop and a plastic bucket. That wasn't a gag" he continues. "It was a case of leading by example. At Wendy's, MBA does not mean Master of Business Administration. It means Mop Bucket Attitude. It's how we define satisfying the customer through cleanliness, quality food, friendly service, and atmosphere."

Dave Thomas got his G.E.D back in the 1990's, having dropped out of school when he was 15 years old. But he got his M.B.A. when he was 11 years and was baptized and began his journey of following Jesus. He truly took on the role of a servant, even though he was a multi-million dollar executive of a fast-growing restaurant chain. He said that Christianity was more than just a doctrine you talked about on Sunday morning. In fact, his advice was: "Live your faith. Don't wear it on your sleeve; roll up both sleeves and do something about it."

Do you have an MBA? Is your attitude like that of Jesus? Are you rolling up your sleeves and doing something about your faith?

"For everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, and he who humbles himself shall be exalted."

Dave Thomas, founder of Wendy's Hamburgers, WELL DONE: A COMMON GUY'S GUIDE TO EVERYDAY SUCCESS, (Harper Collins, 1994), p. 159.

Praying For Our Children

2005-11-14T17:19:00.000-08:00

Photo by Wayne Armstrong

Praying For Our Children

Lord, I prayed for this child, and You have granted me what I asked of You. 1 Samuel 1:27
The assignment to pray for our children is absolutely essential to raise up a generation that will withstand the enemy's attack upon them (Gen. 22:17, Psa.127:5).

1. Salvation. "Lord, let salvation spring up within my children, that they may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory" (Is. 45:8, 2 Tim. 2:10).

2. Growth in grace. "I pray that my children may grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Pet. 3:18).

3. Love. "Grant, Lord, that my children may learn to live a life of love, through the Spirit who dwells in them" (Gal. 5:25, Eph. 5:2).

4. Honesty and integrity. "May integrity and honesty be their virtue and their protection" (Ps. 25:21).

Excerpted from Pray! Magazine issue #4. © 1998 BOB HOSTETLER

View the 31 Biblical Virtues to Pray for Your Children here

Men of Prayer

2005-11-14T17:17:00.000-08:00

God’s plan is to make much of the man, far more of him than of anything else. Men are God’s method. The Church is looking for better methods; God is looking for better men…What the Church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more and novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost can use—men of prayer, men mighty in prayer. The Holy Ghost does not flow through methods, but through men. He does not come on machinery, but on men. He does not anoint plans, but men - men of prayer.

Preacher and Prayer, E. M. Bounds, 1907, pp. 5,7

I was too young to remember...

2005-11-14T17:11:00.000-08:00

I was too young to remember... my fathers first Promise Keepers, but I vividly remember the day he came home. Everything changed that day.

I could tell before he said anything. I could tell by the way he hugged my mother, and the way he walked into the room, and later, the way he said things are going to be different now.

I probably remember because things were different after that day. They remain different and better to this day.

My mother remembers my fathers confession that he had been a good father but a lousy husband, and his promise that it would get better. It meant the world to her and not just because it turned out to be true, but also because she was a woman of faith, and living with a man of little or no faith was hard on her every day.

After that my dad and brother went almost every year for several years, and it kept getting better.

As a daughter, I was jealous that I couldn't go with them, but I understood that part of what makes Promise Keepers special is the privacy and the fellowship of men; having a message targeted at men, knowing that all the other men are not trying to impress anyone standing next to them because they all know what is really going on. I know that helps, because my father told me it helps, and he is a Promise Keeper. It has made a difference in him for the betterment of our whole family, and I cannot thank everyone involved enough for that.

I am sure this is not the testimonial you were looking for, but I thought it might be nice for the men out there to know that the women who love them, love this program too. We love the difference it makes in you, and we respect it. At least my mother and I do. So, thank you Promise Keepers, thank you for giving my daddy a place to worship with other men in fellowship. And thank you daddy, for going, and...just thank you.

I'm going to try not to cry now, because that is the affect it has had on me.

Casey
La Verne, California

FROM: PK e-newsletter for May, 2005 - Promise Keepers

Promise Keepers 2005: My Adventure

2005-11-14T17:03:00.000-08:00

A few months ago I heard an advertisement for the upcoming Promise Keepers conference. I sensed that small voice encouraging me to go. I was not sure why, I had been there before and I had been thinking, been there, done that. Well, I am learning to obey that whisper in my head so I had to start making some plans.

I contacted my church to see what was going on with the church for the conference. I found out that nothing was happening, so I volunteered to coordinate getting some men together for the event. I found out that there was not much interest. I did not take this personally or anything, I guess they were not being encouraged to go and that was just fine.

There was one gentleman that I had met once or twice before at church that did contact me and he really wanted to go. This worked out great and we were able to go together and my two sons were also able to come along.

I realized that I had no expectations of this event at all, so I went into the event completely open minded. I guess there were about ten or eleven thousand men at the event. This is not as large as some other times that I had participated in the event, but it is still a great crowd. There is nothing like being with eleven thousand men singing praises to our God.

The leaders of the event have a way to serve up great truths that are very convicting and at the same time use great humor. I have not laughed so much in a very long time. And then two seconds later, I am struck between the eyes with an awareness of my sin. It is like the Lord was talking to me directly about my issues. The leaders to not pull any punches, we need to live lives of integrity; we need to give up our favorite sins.

That first evening, after the first very convicting session, there is an alter call. This time is very powerful and God was moving powerfully. Men were being broken. We could see our sin and we knew we could do nothing by ourselves to make things right. Hundreds of men called out to God for the first time to be saved and accepted his free gift of salvation. This time was a time of sorrow that then turns into a time of celebration, celebrating what God has done. I can’t over emphasize how powerful this time was!

The next day, there were about five sessions; there were several themes that were hitting me mightily.

1. There are younger boys and men that are watching me and the example of my life is painting a picture of what God is to these people. What I do and my example is critical to the lives of many others. It is true that both Christian and non-Christians are watching. Young Christians are watching to see how to live as a Godly man. Non-Christians are watching to see if Christianity is authentic. Our example is a powerful indicator of what we really believe, and frankly a God example of excellence at home and at the work place is often the best form of evangelism.

2. If you are waiting for a new word from God to show you something new in life it is likely that you are not obeying what you already know to be true. The theme of obedience kept hitting me again and again. We are called to live of life of holiness. DO IT! Quit cutting corners, quit lying, and quit cheating at work.

3. We as Christian men need to put all our heart into the things that we do. Work with a focus on excellence. This is a big deal for me because I often feel like I am not at the right place in my work life. But, I am there so, while I am there I need to work at it with all my heart. Do it with excellence. This creates a powerful example to others. This also has an influence on how we take the responsibility to be Godly husbands and fathers. This is our number one responsibility in all of life and we need to do the work and focus the energy to perform this responsibility with excellence.

4. Erwin Lutzer communicated five principles of Godly fatherhood.

Communicate
Be the lawgiver and the grace giver
Be the protector
Be the mentor
Be reconciled to your own father

The most influential part of the entire event to me seemed to be an unplanned item. While Erwin Lutzer was speaking it was like God was telling him to change his message. He sensed there was a need for a time of repentance from sin. So, after he had talked about the sins that commonly entrap men, he called men forward that were ready to be released from these sins. And the men poured forward. The room was filled weeping and anguish. It was like the Holy Spirit had show up and first did the work to show men there sin and then showed a clear path towards the way the be cleansed from that sin. Many men humbled themselves recognizing their sinfulness and called out for that cleaning. This is very moving to experience this cleansing amongst so many men.

There was one other miracle that occurred during the weekend. You see over the past year and a half, my wife and I had built a house purely as in investment. That house had been on the market since spring and it was starting to weigh on our hearts and minds more and more. Well, during the event, we received and offer on the house and we were negotiating in there minutes between sessions. By Saturday after we had come to an agreement. The house was sold. It just so happens that this was just about the time that God was working on me with some of my issues. Call it coincidence, call it fate, I call it a miracle.

Now as always the difficult part is to live the life we have been called to live. A Promise Keepers event can be a mountain top experience type event but we need to go back into the battle. This event calls us to awaken from our slumber and reenter that battle with the help of God. If you are on the fence about going to such an event, I would indeed encourage you to go and be open to what the Holy Spirit wants you to see.

- Wayne

Who are the Big Dawgs 4 Christ?

2005-11-14T14:10:00.000-08:00

Since 1995, BigDawgs4Christ has been a reconciling force in the body of Christ by effectively reaching men across Middle Tennessee through Christ-centered relationships, Bible studies, retreats, and facilitation of annual gatherings to select Promise Keepers Men's Conferences.

BigDawgs4Christ invites you to join with other men from a diversity of backgrounds, churches and interests to fellowship, encourage and be challenged to embrace your destiny as a godly man, influencing your family and world.