post

Looking For a Job? Join us!

January 16, 2013 By 2 Comments

WorkingTogetherUpdate: Next Meeting is February 13th!

Are you looking for a new job, out of work, or know someone who is?  We created a transition group in October that now meets every month.  Our goal is to provide support, connection and prepare you for the job search.  Our tagline is Together, Let’s Get Back to Work!

We meet every second Wednesday at Community Bible Church of Northern Westchester

Due to a scheduled event this month, we are meeting TONIGHT!  Please feel free to join us at 6:30pm for coffee and encouragement.  You don’t have to go through your job search alone.

For directions, see CBC’s website at:
http://www.communitybiblechurch.org/

Tonight’s Discussion: Preparing for an interview

Please don’t forget to bring a notebook and business cards if you have them.

Feel free to forward this to anyone you feel would benefit.  All our invited.  Thanks!

Filed Under: career, encouragement, Fellowship Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
post

New Year’s Resolutions

December 30, 2012 By 1 Comment

resolutions, goals, Christian, new year's, new years, plan, new year's resolutions, Christian
In 2010, I created a set of goals.  It was an aggressive list of over 27 goals broken into 9 categories.  I’ve been working on those goals ever since.  They weren’t exactly new year’s resolutions because I knew that was too much to expect but I think the categories might be a helpful way of determining where you need to improve most.

  • Know/Love God – Seek to know God & ‘Who needs me Today?’ (Mark 12:29-31)
  • Family – Home is the Primary Mission Field (Acts 10:2)
  • Finances – Be a Good Steward of Finances (1 Timothy 6:7-10)
  • Health – Accomplish All of God’s Will in my Life (Philippians 3:12)
  • Career – God is in Control; Work as on to the Lord (Matthew 6:31-33)
  • Ministry – Hope for the Hopeless (Matthew 28:16-20)
  • Avoid Idols – Starve the old self! (Matthew 6:24)
  • Recreation – Observe a Sabbath Rest (Mark 6:31)

For each category above, I create a list of things I thought were critical and that I either aspired to do, or to continue to do.  So, for example, under knowing God my list looked like this:

Know, Love, God, new year's resolutions, resolutions, goals, ChristianI choose the goal ‘Knowing God’ to show here because it is probably the most generic and many of these goals probably could apply to you as well.  My goals under the other categories are very specific to my walk and may not apply.

I know, and science proves, that the highest achievers all have one thing in common… you guessed it, they set goals.  So, I’m reviewing my goals before I start the year so I can make sure I focus my attention.  I’m far from where I want to be and likely even farther from where God wants me to be.

So, why not share your new year’s resolutions here, or on our Facebook page: 
http://www.facebook.com/NYMensministry

I hope you have a very happy new year’s day and a blessed 2013!

Creative Commons License
New Year’s Resolutions by Westchester Men’s Ministry is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Filed Under: Advent, boundaries, Christian Men, goals, journaling Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
post

Newtown Connecticut: Back to Normal?

December 17, 2012 By 3 Comments

On Friday, a mass murderer broke his way into an elementary school in Newtown, CT,  killed 20 children and 6 unarmed adults before killing himself.  We’ve all struggled with this tragedy and prayed for the families.  We’ve wrestled with the reason for it, and how it should have been avoided, while contemplating how we can prevent it in the future.

commuters, NYC, Grand Central, busy, mindless, roboticToday, is Monday, and many of us go back to work and to our normal lives.  It reminds me of a discussion my wife and I had with a friend who lost someone very close.  She said, ‘I was outside the other day and everyone is continuing as if nothing happened!’  The surprise and shock in her voice was obvious and genuine.  We didn’t doubt it, because we had the same thought years earlier when our 2 year old daughter went on ahead of us to heaven.

It is true, the world continues and God is patient.  I have to think that out thoughts in that moment were closer to God’s than our own.  I wonder if He is in awe when it comes to our robotic and occasionally thoughtless way of going through life.  The Bible says:

“And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.” – Romans 13:11

God's outstretched and pierced hand, Isaiah 65:2

brotherjohn.org

Even though, His grace is new every morning, we are one less morning away from our last.  May God continue to be patient with those that haven’t taken the time to know Him.  I’m thankful that He continues to hold out his hand to all that will accept it.

“I (God) have stretched out My hands all day long to a rebellious people, Who walk in a way that is not good, According to their own thoughts; A people who provoke Me to anger continually to My face” – Isaiah 65:2-3a

We have hope because our eternal Father sent his Son, and His hands were pierced and He was crucified for us!  Our father now looks at us and says ‘how can they continue as if nothing happened!’  May we all wake from our sleep, before it is too late.
Creative Commons License
Newtown Connecticut: Back to Normal? by Westchester Men’s Ministry is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

Filed Under: Christianity, Forgiveness, grace, Hope, Salvation Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
post

Immanuel!

December 7, 2012 By 1 Comment

If my body is the ‘temple of the Holy Spirit’ then both Jesus and the Holy Spirit came to reside in very shabby places.  Jesus among the animals and the dung associated with the manger and then later among the wicked and evil thoughts of men.  The Holy Spirit in my heart among the lust, anxiety, fear, loathing, and sadness that must make Him long for home, like I could never understand.

I may one day understand the sacrifice and love of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit but today, it seems to great to get my mind around.  I long to make my home (heart) more welcoming, more hospitable, more like heaven for the Holy Spirit.  It is only with His power that I can change.

Lord I ask that you give me a willingness to be transformed and radiate peace and joy.  In Your son Jesus’ very precious name, I pray.  Amen

baby, Jesus, manger, Christmas, Christ, wood, animalsChristmas star, star, light, Holy Spirit in Heart, Holy Spirit, heart, residence, welcome, in us

“The young is with child and will give birth to a son whom she will call Immanuel.  On curds and honey will He feed until He knows how to refuse the bad and choose the good.”  - Isaiah 7:14-15

images courtesy of: imagixs.com, mummypages.com, bjdhorehartford.blogspot.com

 

Creative Commons License
Immanuel by Westchester Men’s Ministry is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at
http://nymensministry.com
.

Filed Under: Advent, Christ, Christmas, Holy Spirit, Trinity Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
post

Journaling Challenge: Is it 40 days yet!

December 3, 2012 By 1 Comment
40 days in desert

cupandcross.com/

A friend of mine asked me that yesterday.  I told him that we are more than half way there (today is day 22).   But we also talked about falling into the trap of journaling out of obligation.  We both shared that we have a sense of relief once we have something written down.  I told him that when I persevered and continued in quiet time and journaling, not out of obligation (I had met my obligation) but on my own – God rewarded me with insights I wouldn’t have received otherwise.  He quickly responded, ‘Don’t try to make me feel guilty now!’.   We both smiled.

If you are going through this journey with us – fantastic!   My hope is not that you will become a person that journals daily, necessarily, but that you will realize the value of spending time with God and listening for His word.  I pray that you gain a greater hunger for more of Him.

Why did we choose 40 days anyway!?

The period of 40 days is significant in the Bible and used multiple times.  This included the 40 days and nights that it rained on Noah and the ark, the time Moses spent on the mountain, the numbers of days Goliath came out against the Israelites before David killed him, and especially the time Jesus fasted in the wilderness.  This time is always a period of testing and trial, and it ends with a period of restoration, revival, or renewal.

May these 40 days, through December 21st, end with a period of restoration that makes the true meaning of Christmas that much more pronounced this year.

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” – James 4:8a

Creative Commons License
Journaling Challenge: Is it 40 days yet! by Westchester Men’s Ministry is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at
http://nymensministry.com
.

Filed Under: Advent, Bible Study, Christianity, journaling, Prayer Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
post

Christmas Prayer Request

November 28, 2012 By 1 Comment

I received this prayer request from one of the men in our ministry and he said that I could share it here.  I would bet that we can all agree with the sentiments of this prayer.  May the true meaning of Christmas shine through this season, for all of us!

Men, Christmas, true meaning of Christmas
My prayer is that coming into this holiday season, we not forget the true meaning of our celebration and that we guard our hearts and minds from distractions, subtle behaviors and not so subtle behaviors that could pull us away from God and grieve the Holy Spirit. 

I know in the past, it has been very easy for me to conform to the world’s point of view and start setting up and worshiping idols. It is in these times that Screwtape gets a hold of me and says it’s okay to participate in certain behaviors and attitudes because it’s the holidays and it won’t offend the Lord. That leads to a very slow and steady decent into self deception and before I know it I am far far away from God.

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” – Romans 12:2 NIV

Three wise men“Do not set foot on the path of the wicked
or walk in the way of evildoers. Avoid it, do not travel on it;
turn from it and go on your way. For they cannot rest until they do evil;
they are robbed of sleep till they make someone stumble. They eat the bread of wickedness
and drink the wine of violence. The path of the righteous is like the morning sun,
shining ever brighter till the full light of day. But the way of the wicked is like deep darkness;
they do not know what makes them stumble. My son, pay attention to what I say;
turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight,
keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them
and health to one’s whole body. Above all else, guard your heart,
for everything you do flows from it. Keep your mouth free of perversity;
keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead;
fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet
and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left;
keep your foot from evil. ”      -Proverbs 4:14-27 NIV

Creative Commons License
Christmas Prayer Request by Westchester Men’s Ministry is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at
http://nymensministry.com
.

Filed Under: Christian Men, Christmas, Discernment, Husbands, mens ministry, Prayer Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
post

Do You Know Who God Is?! May Our Eyes be Open

November 27, 2012 By Leave a Comment

40 day challengeToday is day 16 of our 40 day challenge, how have you been doing?  Why not write a comment here or tell us on our Facebook page.  You can find us on Facebook at: 
http://www.facebook.com/NYMensministry

God had been reminding me about Himself, that is who He is, and that He is trustworthy.  I thought I would share this below, recent journal entry.  I hope it blesses you!

God is in Control – Trust God, Follow Him

“Peter … said to Jesus, ‘But Lord, what about this man?’   Jesus said to him, ‘… what is that to you?  You follow Me’” – John 21:21-22

“My eyes are on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me…” – Psalm 101:6

“Then the angel showed me the river of life rising from the throne of God and the lamb, and flowing crystal-clear.  Down the middle of the city street, on either bank of the river were the trees of life, which bear twelve crops of fruit in a year, one in each month, and the leaves of which are cure for the nations.  The curse of destruction will be abolished.”   – Revelations 22:1-3

Heaven, River of Life, Trees of Life, Revelations 22, Revelations 22:1-3

manualoflife.com

  • River of life is rising from the throne – Life originates from God
  • The water is crystal-clear, that is absolutely no imperfections
  • Abundant crops – twelve a year!  Signifying God’s abundance!
  • Curse abolished – no destruction, satan has been destroyed
  • Tree of life – instead of being associated with the first sin, it is now the cure for all nations

Hymn – Open My Eyes that I May See – Clara Scott

Open my eyes, that I may see
Glimpses of the truth you have for me;
Place in my hands the wonderful key
that will unclasp and set me free.
Silently now I wait for thee,
Ready, My God, your will to see.
Open my eyes, illumine me, Spirit Divine!

Open my ears, that I may hear
Voices of truth you send me clear;
And while the wave notes fall on my ear,
Everything false will disappear,
Silently now I wait for thee,
Ready, my God, your will to see.
Open my ears, illumine me, Spirit Divine!

Open my mouth and let me bear
Gladly the warm truth everywhere;
Open my heart and let me prepare
Love with your children thus to share.
Silently now I wait for thee,
Ready, my God, your will to see.
Open my heart, illumine me, Spirit Divine!

(Judgement on Judah)

“And in that day the Lord God of hosts called for weeping and for mourning, for baldness and for girding with sack cloth.  But instead, joy and gladness, slaying oxen and killing sheep, eating meat and drinking wine: ‘let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.’” – Isaiah 22:12-13

Lord, I ask that You open my eyes, as you did John’s in his writing of Revelations.  May I not look at others to judge or to prevent your Your will but seek Your will for me!  May I be sad and repent when I grieve You.  May I celebrate when You are happy.  May my life be a tree of life, supplied and nurtured by You, and a blessing to all that see, taste and are touched by it.  May I be silent and humble before You.  May I be ready to hear You and to act in Your name.  May I be a joy to You.  May Your eyes ever be on me.

In Jesus’ very precious name.  Amen
Creative Commons License
Do You Know Who God Is?! May Our Eyes be Open by Westchester Men’s Ministry is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at
http://nymensministry.com
.

Filed Under: Bible Study, communing with God, daily office, divine office, God in control, Heaven, Prayer, Salvation Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
post

40 Day Journey Begins!

November 10, 2012 By 1 Comment
Journaling Bible Discipline

blog.sdrock.com

I’m really excited that many people have told me that they want to commit to journaling for 40 days with us! I know God will bless the time we commit to being with Him.

We’ve decided to allow as much flexibility as possible.  We encourage you to find a quiet place where you won’t be disturbed then:

  1. Pray – Ask God to quiet your mind of any worries or tasks that have to be done.  Ask Him to be with you and to speak with you.   “Come into His presence”
  2. Scripture – God often talks through His scripture and He never talks contrary to it!  You may want to follow a Bible plan or read the scripture for the coming Sunday.  We have some recommendations below but this is entirely up to you.
  3. Meditate / Journal – You may find yourself stopping midway through your Bible reading because a phrase or image struck you.  Write it down; why did it resonate with you?  Is there something going on in your life or a desire of your heart that you want to share with God?

Resources:

One final thing to remember, our goal isn’t to finish a book, or read a lot of scripture in these 40 days although we may do some of both.  It is to hear God and to ‘chase after Him’.  To become more in tune with His voice and respond to His prompting.

Another Example:

We hope to have a few people share a little of their journaling over these 40 days.  As, I’ve been doing through Twitter and this blog, I thought I would share another good example.   Pastor Ronnie in this blog shows that it doesn’t have to be complex.  He simply writes a thought, a scripture, and a prayer.  Take a look here: 
http://blog.sdrock.com/pastors/2012/06/11/listening-to-his-voice-a-journal-63-69/

Chasing After You

Someone shared this video with me recently and I think it is perfect for us, as we embark on ‘chasing after God’.

—————————————————————————————

Special Note for Community Bible Church members:

In Sunday’s Sermon, we saw from Psalm 55 some healthy ways of dealing with our negative emotions such as anger, fear, anxiety, sadness, depression. If you missed the sermon, you can watch it here:
http://cbcnw.sermon.tv/

You can find scripture readings for each day of the week in the bulletin.  Here are some questions for you to consider as you journal this week:

What stood out to you? Have you experienced any negative emotions lately? How did you deal with them? Did you pay attention to them? Can you pay attention to them now? What might God be trying to teach you about yourself or Him through them?

God Bless!

Creative Commons License
40 Day Journey Begins by Westchester Men’s Ministry is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at
http://nymensministry.com/2012/11/09/40-day-journey-begins/
.

Filed Under: Bible Study, journaling, Prayer Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,
post

A Father’s Testimony

November 8, 2012 By 6 Comments

My daughter lived 780 days (2 years and 2 months) and we often wondered after she died, if she knew Jesus.  She Did!  We know we will see her again and I hope her story will be a comfort to others who have experienced loss.  May God comfort you and bless you!

Westchester Men's Ministry - Christian Fathers

Emily was born on February 13, 2002 with Carnitine-acylcarnitine translocase (CACT) deficiency which is a genetic disorder that prevents the proper breakdown of fats.  This leads to excess ammonia in the blood (hyperammonemia), an enlarged liver (hepatomegaly), and a weakened heart muscle (cardiomyopathy).  Emily died on April 3, 2004 of cardiomyopathy.

Carolyn and Terence miss Emily very much.  We know that she lights up heaven just a little more with her presence but this world is that much dimmer without her.

God Bless!

Creative Commons License

A Father’s Testimony by Westchester Men’s Ministry is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at
http://nymensministry.com/2012/11/08/a-fathers-testimony/
.
 

Filed Under: Christ, Christian Fathers, Christian Men, dad, encouragement, Faith, Heaven, Loss, Salvation Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
post

The 40 Day Journaling Challenge

November 6, 2012 By Leave a Comment

In our men’s Bible study this past Saturday morning we talked about ‘fear and love’ in the Bible.  I wondered out loud to the group,

‘Do we truly experience a daily tangible relationship with God?‘.

I said, I’m sure we have all had times where we felt close to Him (and multiple heads shook in agreement) but do we have an intimate connection with him daily?  If we did, we probably would better understand what it means to ‘fear’ breaking that relationship with Him.

God, closer, intimacy, journal, walk, relationship

priestlybride.blogspot.com/

I suspect that, despite our efforts, there will always be some days when God feels distant.  As He did to David, when he wrote Psalm 22, and to Jesus when he used it while on the cross:

My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?
Why are You so far from helping Me,
And from the words of My groaning?
2 O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear;
And in the night season, and am not silent.

But these are likely times of trial in which God is teaching us something.  The problem I have, is that I bring upon myself a dryness (as Gordon MacDonald described in our last post) and this is something I want to try to address.

You see, I’ve been going through a period of discouragement and I desire a closer walk with God.  I want to know His presence more and have a more intimate relationship.  I want it to be more tangible as it was with Moses, David and especially Jesus.

I know a closer walk means both more discipline and more actually walking (doing His will).  Therefore today, I resolve to journal for 40 days starting this coming Sunday, November 11th, through to Friday, December 22nd.  I can’t think of a better way to prepare for the coming of Christ on Christmas!

I have talked to multiple people about this already and some people have agreed to join me, without any prompting.  Therefore I wanted to open this challenge up to all of you.  To our blog readers, our followers on Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook.  The members of the Westchester Men’s Ministry and the church congregations of Westchester, especially Community Bible Church of Yorktown, NY.

If you would like to join us, make a resolution to do so.  You don’t have to make it public but we recommend you do.  You can leave a comment on this blog post or you can share it on our Facebook page: 
http://www.facebook.com/NYMensministry

Then keep an eye out for more details on resources to help you during your journaling/quiet time.  In order to make it easier, any resource we use will be available free on-line.  You can use a simple notebook but if you would like to buy a slightly nicer journal, this one is less than $10. 
http://www.dayspring.com/cross_leather_christian_journal/

God Bless!

Creative Commons License
The 40 Day Journaling Challenge by Westchester Men’s Ministry is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at
http://nymensministry.com/2012/11/06/journaling-challenge/
.

Filed Under: communing with God, daily office, journaling, meditation, Prayer Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
« Older Posts
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 4,466 other followers