Men's Retreat Recap

The focus of the Men’s Retreat this year was “The Man of God’s Word.”  Though all of the messages were good, the one that touched my heart the most, considered the role of the Bible in prayer.  Pastor Burk demonstrated to us the power of offering up the Word to God as praise and exultation, yet he didn’t separate worship from supplication.  He turned the Bible into prayers of praise such as Psalm 100.  Here is my application of what he taught us in praying God’s Word back to Him:

Psalm 100

Father, I will make a joyful noise to You, O LORD my God.  May I will serve you with gladness, and enter into your presence with singing!  Know that the LORD, he is God!  It is he that made me and I am his.  I am part of your people, and a sheep of your pasture. Father, may I enter your gates with singing and your courts with praise!  Oh soul, give thanks to the LORD; bless his name!  For I know that the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness continues to all generations.

He also demonstrated to us praying for one another while lifting up these Psalms to His name.

Father, I pray that  ________ would bless the LORD.  Let all that is within him bless Your holy name.  Let him not forget that you forgive his iniquity, you heal all his diseases, you redeem his life from the pit, and you crown him with steadfast love and mercy.  Father, satisfy ______ with good so that his youth is renewed like the eagles.

Sometimes, I find that my prayers can get dry and repetitious, absent of heart felt passion.  I found that this was a great way to pray God’s Words back to Him and over someone who needs them.  And more than that, I have found that it is easier for the person to turn back to those Scripture texts when he needs them.  I hope that this encourages all of you to continue to use God’s Word.  I would encourage all of you to go back and listen to Pastor Burk’s message (LINK).

Recently, I was given a book that focuses on this topic.  A Call to Prayer, by J.C. Ryle is a powerful book that speaks not only of the benefits of prayer but also the necessity of prayer.  I would encourage you to join me as we delve into this book.

Andrew K.

2011 Men's Retreat

Hello, fellow men,

We would like to invite you to the 2011 Men's Retreat at Bethlehem Baptist Church being held on October 28-30, at Lake Beauty Bible Camp. This retreat offers great food, "guy" activities, and an environment where fathers and sons can connect with each other and other fathers and sons. This year the theme is‘The Man of God’s Word.’ Our speakers are Kempton Turner, Bud Burk, and Jack Delk.  Our retreat leader is Aaron Davitch.

For more information refer to http://www.hopeingod.org/event/bethlehem-2011-mens-retreat
We hope to see you there!

Keep the Fire Going

To: Fathers who attended the 4:12 Conference
From: John Donaldson (a father who also attended 4:12)
Re: Keeping the fire going . . . or "Just do something"

What a blessing it was to see so many fathers, sons–and even granfathers–at the 4:12 Conference in August! (Watch and listen online to 4:12 Conference Sessions HERE)

I do believe that the investment of time that we made will be paid back tenfold in terms of a platoon of men who have a greater desire to walk in all of the Lord's ways and to raise up sons who desire to do the same.

If you're like me, however, it is easy to slide down from the mountaintop experience of a conference like 4:12–with best intentions of putting into action what we learned–to find that several weeks later that the mountaintop experience is a distant memory and that you have done nothing to spread a passion for God in yourself, in your sons, or in those around you. Like a fire left unattended, the flames that once seemed so bright will fizzle out quickly if the fire isn't continually stoked. Passivity is the work of our adversary–Satan – who "prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. . " He wants nothing more than for you to forget and be distracted by anything and everything else and take no action. If this describes you, you may be asking yourself – "So what can I do about it?"

As 1 Corinthians 16:13 commands us – "Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith and act like men"– which means taking action! Pastor Turner challenged us in the Friday night session – you cannot have a collision with Jesus Christ and come away unchanged. If you collided with Jesus at all during 4:12 – if He moved your heart in any way – if He caused you to think about how you are living your life or how you are leading your family or how you are discipling your sons – you have been given a call to action.

Here is one simple thing you can do to re-stoke the fire you may have felt at 4:12 – it shouldn't take you more than 2 minutes. Write down on a piece of paper three things:

1. How did I "colliide" with Jesus during 4:12 – what did He put on my heart that He wants me to pay attention to as a man/husband/father?
2. What's one thing that I will commit to? Will I memorize a verse related to what God has put on my heart? Will I commit to reading a certain section of the Bible that deals with this?
3. Who will I tell about this commitment?

Don't let the "fire" that began at 4:12 go out. Take this simple action and use it to stoke a fire for living a life that is holy and pleasing to God. Don't succumb to Satan's desire for you to do nothing – keep the fire going!

Your brother in Christ,
John Donaldson