Faith – Westchester Men's Ministry

A Night of Hope and Healing for Newtown, CT

January 1, 2013 by nymensministry 3 Comments

A host of award-winning Christian bands, artists and speakers will be on hand sharing God’s message of Hope and Healing on Tuesday, January 15, 2013, from 6pm to 10pm at the Webster Bank Arena, 600 Main Street, Bridgeport, CT.

This is not a fundraiser, it is a FREE EVENT to showcase love, worship, prayer, and healing to the surrounding communities via Christian pastoral speakers and live musical performances by the industry’s top artists.

The evening will include prayer, music and a message of God’s healing love in the midst of the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy.

Appearances by Max Lucado, Mary Beth Chapman and Louie Giglio. Worship music to be provided by Building 429, Steven Curtis Chapman, Casting Crowns, Mandisa, TobyMac, Laura Story and Chris Tomlin.

Families and children are invited to attend. Tickets will be available free of charges on January 2, 2013 at ticketmaster.com and at the Webster Bank Arena box office. You will need a ticket to attend the event.

For more information, please visit the event Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/events/315827618517428/

Filed Under: Faith, Hope, Loss Tagged With: bridgeport, Casting Crowns, Chris Tomlin, Christian, concert, ct, Laura Story, lucado, Mandisa, newtown, sandy hook, Steven Curtis Chapman, TobyMac, tragedy

Homeless – Until He Moved in With Jesus

December 22, 2012 by nymensministry 1 Comment

Re-posted with permission from Darrell Creswell’s blog: http://darrellcreswell.wordpress.com

Experts estimates that at any given time there are between 1 to 2.5 million people who are homeless in America.

Years ago, I traveled quite frequently and on this cold winter night in 1985, happened to be in downtown Chicago. I was staying in a hotel downtown and wanted to take a short walk before retiring for the evening. I stepped outside and saw a gentleman slowly walking toward me. He was a haggard soul, wearing a hat, walking with a cane and humming a gospel song that I recognized from my days as a young man at camp meeting in Texas. As he approached, I asked him how he was and he said “Blessed, I am blessed”. I asked him his name and he replied in the most curious way—he said to me, “I have no name, I have no face, I am but an ordinary man, but God put me here to spread love and cheer and I am doing the very best that I can. If we would but give our hand to our fellow man this world would be a much better place.” He then tipped his hat, pushed off with his cane and walked away with a smile on his face, humming that same song. I stood there for a minute, trying to take in and absorb what this 70+ year-old man had just told me when I decided to catch up to him and give a few dollars to help him along his way. I rumbled in my pocket and pulled out six or seven single bills and handed them to him, and he said to me, “the Lord thanks you”. Again he tipped me his hat, put down his cane and walked off still smiling and humming that song.

I watched him as he walked along that frozen sidewalk on that cold, blistery winter night—stopping every time he saw another distressed individual on the street, and he would share with them some of the money I had just given him. As I walked back up to the hotel, I asked the doorman who had witnessed my encounter, “do you know him?”—the doorman replied, “I know who he is, but don’t know his real name, we all call him Holy-Roller Sam”. He said none know much about him, where he came from, or how he got here, but he walks around always smiling, humming that same song, saying the same thing to everyone he meets. “ I have no name, I have no face, I am but an ordinary man, but God put me here to spread love and cheer and I am doing the very best that I can. If we would but give our hand to our fellow man this world would be much a better place.” The doorman went on to tell me that Holy-Roller Sam regularly shares with all the homeless who are most desperately in need of the funds people give him on the streets. I went to bed that night, and could not get Holy-Roller Sam off of my mind.

The words he said to me kept echoing through my brain over and over—“I have no name, I have no face, I am but an ordinary man, but God put me here to spread love and cheer and I am doing the very best that I can.” In this one instant, all that I thought I was and all that I thought I could be seemed to dim in comparison to who I knew he was in God’s eyes. I wanted to know more about him, and so I decided to venture out that next night to see if I could find him, and talk to him. For about an hour or so, I walked up and down the block hoping to see him—but no Holy-Roller Sam.

I saw the doorman and walked over to ask him if he had seen Holy-Roller Sam—it was then that the doorman told me that Sam had been struck by a driver and killed earlier in the day. I stood there stunned for a moment, and I slowly walked back to my room—amazed by the tears that had welled up in my eyes. To this day, I ask myself, if only I had shared with him more than a few bucks from the thousands I had in my wallet—if only I had of gotten him a room for a night or two . . . perhaps I could have changed the course of his demise.

Since my chance encounter with Holy-Roller Sam, I see the homeless in a different light—and I always will. We are a society overly obsessed with our looks, and I am just as guilty—or more than many—always wanting to look my best. I used to be more so, always making sure that I looked absolutely perfect. I paid special attention to my face, ensuring it was perfectly pampered . . . all until that fateful day when I met a man who said that he had no face—no face, no identity, no pretense, no vanity, no airs—only an ordinary man giving his hand to his fellow man from the crumbs he collected from strangers. As I look in the mirror each day I see the wrinkles that have formed on my face over the years, and I remember the man—Holy-Roller Sam—who told me he had no face, and my concern turns to a smile, letting me know I’m okay with a few wrinkles.

That chance encounter with Holy-Roller Sam on that cold Chicago winter night forever affected my life for the better. Holy-Roller Sam was homeless until he moved in with Jesus.

And by the way the song he was always humming is the song I shared in my last blog (Unworthy – God’s Love – He Made Me Worthy)– I find myself now even at this moment tearing as I write.

Unworthy, unworthy, a beggar; In bondage and alone

But He made me worthy and now by His grace,

His mercy has made me His own.

Filed Under: Christian friends, Christmas, evangalism, Faith, Friends, Heaven, Hope Tagged With: blessed, Christ, Christian, Christianity, Christmas, compassion, evangalism, evangelize, giving, grace, heaven, Homelessness, I am blessed, I love Jesus, Jesus, Life, love, Stories of Grace

A Father’s Testimony

November 8, 2012 by nymensministry 13 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!

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!

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 https://nymensministry.com/2012/11/08/a-fathers-testimony/.

Filed Under: Christ, Christian Fathers, Christian Men, dad, encouragement, Faith, Heaven, Loss, Salvation Tagged With: baby, child, faith, God, health, heaven, In heaven?, infant, Jesus, know Jesus, loss, loss of a child, religion, salvation, saved

Is Anxiety a Sin?

October 30, 2012 by nymensministry 13 Comments

I struggle with anxiety. I guess this isn’t too hard to admit here, since many of you don’t know my name. My guess is that I’m not the only Christian that does. According to recent statistics about 18% of people over 18 suffer from some form of anxiety. That’s about 40 million adults in the US. Actually, anxiety disorders are the number one mental health problem in America, surpassing even depression in numbers. So, I’m clearly not alone.

Embarrassed by Anxiety

That said, once my anxiety became a true problem a few years ago, I started to also feel guilty. I thought, if I had more faith, I wouldn’t be anxious. I felt that my anxiety was a verdict on the state of my walk with God. It took me a long time to realize that this might not be true.

I read all the scriptures that said we should “be anxious for nothing…” (Phil 4:6) but trust in the Lord who is sovereign. I tried – but I remained anxious. Through this experience I realized two things:

God is very compassionate, in scripture, to those that are anxious
Although we are to trust God there are practical things we can do

God is Compassionate to the Anxious Christian

I believe the Bible speaks about anxiety so much because it is one of satan’s tools and God knows that it can cripple us. (Bible versus on anxiety: http://www.christiananswers.net/q-eden/anxiety.html).

“…the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.” – Romans 8:26

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you” 1 Peter 5:6-7

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” – Philippians 4:6-7

Scripture doesn’t condemn anxiety, it seems to compassionately try to help you avoid it and overcome it. This is an important difference. I don’t believe anxiety is a sin, still God doesn’t desire us to be anxious. He wants us to turn to Him in everything and trust him.

Actually, it is interesting that many famous Christians have suffered from anxiety including Abraham Lincoln, Rick Warren, John Bunyan (Pilgrim’s Progress) and even Charles Spurgeon (known as the ‘Prince of Preachers’) may have struggled with it. They all had a huge impact and therefore anxiety doesn’t need to stop us.

Practical Solutions to Anxiety

God says that we should trust him with our finances but that doesn’t mean we don’t create a budget. He tells us that He will always be with us, but that doesn’t mean we should haphazardly walk through a terrible area of town. Likewise, there are practical things we can do, and avoid when it comes to anxiety.

Please note, there are many reasons for anxiety and sometimes professional help and medication is the best answer. What I’ve found is that I need to know what I’m trusting God for, and therefore thinking through and journaling about it helps.

In our next blog, we are going to go through two tools. A simple breathing exercise and what is called cognitive restructuring which is closely linked to journaling but with a focus on dealing with the anxiety of the moment. Look for this blog on Thursday, November 1st

Let us know your thoughts; does this subject resonate with you? Have you felt guilty because of anxiety? What has helped you to overcome your anxiety? We want to hear what you have to say!

God bless

Is Anxiety a Sin? by Westchester Men’s Ministry is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at https://nymensministry.com/2012/10/30/is-anxiety-a-sin/.

Filed Under: anxiety, depression, Faith, God in control Tagged With: anxiety, anxious, faith, fear, God, hope, practical solutions, remedy, sin, stress, worry

Fourth Man in the Furnace

September 1, 2012 by nymensministry Leave a Comment

– From ‘The Voice of the Martyrs'” http://www.persecution.com/

Twenty-seven-year-old evangelist “Sajid Masih” climbed aboard the bus that would take him to his next mission. He was heading into hostile territory, a region of Pakistan dominated by Islamic extremists.

As the bus carried him toward a dangerous and uncertain future, Sajid reflected on a dream he had experienced before completing Bible school. In the dream, he saw one of Pakistans prominent cities in the future, with a large, open door at the city entrance. Sajid said he believed the dream was God’s way of telling him He would take him in a new direction and open doors for sharing the gospel in Pakistani cities.

In the decade following that dream, Sajid led many Pakistani’s to Christ. Most that he met were open to the gospel, and some experienced miraculous healings.

Now, as he headed toward a new adventure, Sajid struck up a conversation with several passengers seated nearby and began to tell them about Jesus. They were interested to hear more, but a bearded man sitting behind Sajid was incensed by what he heard and began to argue with him.

“You Christians do not consider anything about our prophet, so why should we listen to you talk about your Bible?” the man demanded.

Calmly and respectfully, Sajid replied, “Our Bible has no reference about your prophet.”

“The prophet was written in your Bible,” the man continued, “but you people would not accept it so you changed the words to your own.” Sajid did not respond. He knew he could not reason with someone so angry.

The long bus ride came to and end shortly after sunset. After Sajid got off the bus, a dozen men gathered around him. They quickly overpowered Sajid, placed a blindfold over his eyes and shoved him into the back seat of a car. Twenty-five minutes later, they arrived at a compound and took him into a room for questioning.

“Who are you?” they demanded. “Are you a preacher? Are you converting Muslims? Which organization do you belong to?”

Sajid fell silent with fear, but his persecutors threatened to kill him if he didn’t respond to their questions. “I am telling you the truth,” Sajid explained, “I am God’s preacher.”

“If you want to spare your life, you must deny your faith and become a Muslim,” his captors warned. “If you don’t do as we say, we will torture you and within 30 minutes your passion for Christianity will disappear.”

“I am ready for whatever you choose to do to me,” Sajid replied. “I am prepared to die for Jesus, and I will not lose my passion for him no matter what you do to me.“

Sajid’s kidnappers took him outside, tied his hands behind his back and forced him to stand on a block of ice with his back against a tree. They tied a rope around his chest and legs securing him to the tree. After four hours on the block of ice, Sajid’s feet began to suffer from frostbite. He could endure the ice no longer and cried out to Jesus for help. “Suddenly, I saw a vision of a radiant angel appearing in front of me,” Sajid said.

Sajid’s pain eased and he regained his strength. He was inspired to sing several worship songs, despite the possible consequences of annoying his persecutors. Then he fell unconscious. When he awoke at 3 am, he realized he had been dumped in a drainage ditch at the side of the road. His wallet and a Hebrew language book he had been carrying were lying beside him.

A passerby took Sajid to a local hotel where he recovered for three days. He contacted his brother who brought him home for more rest and medical treatment.

He says although his trial was difficult, he felt Jesus was very close to him. “When we suffer and face trouble, Jesus comes very close to us”, he said. Just as a “fourth man” appeared with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fiery furnace, Jesus was present with Sajid in the midst of his suffering.

When Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were delivered from the fiery furnace, King Nebuchadnezzar proclaimed: “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God” (Daniel 3:28)

Like the men in Daniel, Sajid yielded his body to torture in order to worship no god except their own God. His witness and courageous faith inspire us. We thank God for his deliverance from Pakistan’s fiery furnace and pray that the Lord will continue to use him mightily.

Filed Under: courage, Faith, trials, Uncategorized Tagged With: block of ice, Christ, faith, furnace, pakistan, Pakistanis, Sajid Masih, torture, trials

Christian Olympians

August 13, 2012 by nymensministry 1 Comment

Since our last post was so successful, it inspired this one. I thought I would list a few Olympians who have shared their Christian faith. This is not intended to be a full list so please feel free to add a comment, if you know others. Thanks!

Gabby Douglas, 2 Gold Medals, Gymnast

“I meditate on scripture” said Gabby Douglas to the reporter when asked about how she deals with the pressure and the nerves of being a gymnast on the biggest stage in the world

“I give all the glory to God. It’s kind of a win-win situation. The glory goes up to him and the blessings fall down on me.”

Allyson Felix Christian

Allyson Felix, 3 Gold Medals, Track and Field (100 and 200 meters)

“It’s official…I’m going to London!! All glory to God! I’m so thankful for the love, support & encouragement,”

“My faith inspires me so much. It is the very reason that I run. I feel that my running is completely a gift from God and it is my responsibility to use it to glorify him. My faith also helps me not be consumed with winning, but to see the big picture and what life is really all about.”

David Boudia, Gold Medal, Diving

“It’s all about glorifying God. I approach the practices and the competitions the same. I’m at peace when I’m doing those things and it’s for God and His glory.”

“Whatever happens at the end of this Olympic Games is completely out of my control, God is totally sovereign over everything.” (This realization also helped him overcome depression)

William Reid Priddy Christian

William Reid Priddy, Gold medal, Men’s Volleyball

“I believe that God is most glorified when I use the gifts He has given me to the best of my ability, whether I am on international TV or just training,”

Christians should be “to pursue greatness (no matter what you are doing) in the name of God and clinging to the strength He provides. Not with the end goal of winning – though it can be a goal and is part of the process – but rather to become more like God and glorify Him.”

Lauren Cheney Christian

Lauren Cheney, Gold Medal, Women’s Soccer

“We weren’t given these talents to be mediocre. Our God is great – He deserves greatness.”

(After losing the 2011 World Cup) “It was a rollercoaster ride, but it was neat to just see (God’s) hand on that (situation),” Heath said. “It’s more than just winning or losing. There are so many relationships that go deeper than that. He has a plan in it all. You have to trust that. Even though it’s not the ideal outcome—I mean, everybody wants to be winners—you have to trust that God has a greater plan for this even when you can’t see it.”

Jacob Wukie Christian

Jacob Wukie, Silver medal, Archery

“I will be living my life for Christ, seeking to know Him more, and seeking to be used by Him to influence the lives of those around me so that they might know Him as well.”

Lolo Jones Lori (Lolo) Jones, 4th, Track and Field (100 meters)

“It’s just a gift (virginity) I want to give my husband. But please understand this journey has been hard. There are virgins out there and I want to let them know that it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life.”

“As I arrive in London for the Olympics, I’m overwhelmed with emotions. Thank you Lord for another chance and for holding me as I waited.”

Ryan hall Christian Ryan Hall, DNF – injury, Track and Field (Marathon)

God as his coach.

“I like to start off every morning by asking God how He sees me,”

James Nieto Christian

Jamie Nieto, 6th place, Track & Field (Men’s High Jump)

“Your only limitations are what you believe them to be, and as long as you put God first, you can achieve all things through Him,”

“I need God in every aspect to help me move forward in my career and being here at the Olympics is a testament.”

And a few others:

Brady Ellison, Archer – “Here we go four years of sweat and blood and hard work to prepare for today. Thank you Lord for lettin me [be] here this week. Lets do it.”

Jesse Williams, track and Field (High jump) – “Praise the Lord Jesus Christ he is good!”

Marquise Goodwin, track and Field (Long jump) – “All this wouldn’t be possible without you! #God.”

Bryan Clay, track and Field (Decathalon) – “God first. Family second. Track third.”

Christian Olympians by Westchester Men’s Ministry is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at https://nymensministry.com/2012/08/13/christian-olympians/ .

Filed Under: Christian, Christianity, Faith, God, trials Tagged With: athletes, Christian, evangelize, faith, God, Jesus, Olympics, role models, testimonies

Olympians and Christians

July 29, 2012 by nymensministry 3 Comments

Olympics Medal London 2012 I was watching the Olympics and it wasn’t long before I heard one of the personal stories that the games have become known for over the years. A story of sacrifice and suffering characterizes the very different life of an Olympian.

I then saw a commercial in which various different athletes declared small sacrifices they have made: “I haven’t watched TV since last summer,” ” I haven’t had dessert in a year,” “I missed my school prom,” etc.

As I thought about these sacrifices, I reflected on the Christian life and how, in many ways, the life of an aspiring Olympian is similar. Christian men sacrifice daily for their wives, family and for God. They don’t do what they want to do. They stand out. They are different from everyone else and that is difficult. It takes strength, courage, and most of all, faith!

Purity ring men

I was told recently about a young relative who wears a purity ring. The ring reminds him that he is saving himself for marriage. So, when he is tempted, when he has desires, he can stop and realize that there is something better in store for him. I’m sure this faith in God’s promises strengthens him. In many ways this ring is a reminder of the medal (or the crown as the Bible calls it) that we ought to strive for in the race of our lives.

“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 3:14 (NIV)

“Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ. ” – Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“If we do anything to further the kingdom of God, we may expect to find what Christ found on that road – abuse, indifference, injustice, misunderstanding, trouble of some kind. Take it. Why not? To that you were called. In Latin America someone who feels sorry for himself is said to look like a donkey in a downpour. If we think of the glorious fact that we are on the same path with Jesus, we might see a rainbow. ” – Elisabeth Elliot

“To take up the cross of Christ is no great action done once for all; it consists in the continual practice of small duties which are distasteful to us.” – John Henry Newman

“You were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” – 1 Corinthians 6:20

“If the ultimate, the hardest, cannot be asked of me; if my fellows hesitate to ask it and turn to someone else, then I know nothing of Calvary love. ” – Amy Carmichael

You see our sacrifices are nothing, as Paul said so well in Philippians 3:8: “What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ.”

May we gain the prize, Christ!!

Amen!

Filed Under: Christian Men, courage, Faith, trials, Uncategorized Tagged With: crown, God, Jesus, medal, Olympians, Olympics, race, sacrifice, trials

Gone From My Sight – In Memory of Peter Bancroft

May 26, 2012 by nymensministry Leave a Comment

Gone From My Site Henry Van Dyke

In his excellent eulogy of Peter Bancroft today, Wayne Drysdale closed with this poem:

I am standing upon the seashore. A ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength. I stand and watch her until at length she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.

Then someone at my side says: “There, she is gone!”

“Gone where?”

Gone from my sight. That is all. She is just as large in mast and hull and spar as she was when she left my side and she is just as able to bear the load of living freight to her destined port.

Her diminished size is in me, not in her. And just at the moment when someone at my side says: “There, she is gone!” There are other eyes watching her coming, and other voices ready to take up the glad shout: “Here she comes!”

And that is dying.

~Henry Van Dyke

In Memory of Peter Bancroft

A gentle and loving friend to all who knew him.

Went to his reward on May 9th, 2012

We will miss you Peter!

Filed Under: Faith, Heaven, Loss Tagged With: death, eternal life, faith, God, grace, heaven, loss, peter bancroft

Trust God and Be at Peace

May 18, 2012 by nymensministry 2 Comments

May today there be peace within

May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.

May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.

May you use those gifts that you have received and pass on the love that has

been given to you.

May you be content knowing you are a child of God.

Let his presence settle in to your bones and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.

It is there for every one of us.

― St. Thérèse de Lisieux

Filed Under: Faith, God, Peace, trials Tagged With: faith, fear, God, peace, trust

Top Tweets in the Last Six Months!

February 2, 2012 by nymensministry Leave a Comment

As I looked at these I noticed many of them occured more than 2 months ago so I thought I would share with our new followers. I hope they are an encouragement to you. God bless!

#10 Jewish word 4 “obey” = ‘to listen’. NT Greek word 4 obedience, hypakouein, literally means ‘to listen carefully’ Obedience = submit 2 Word –Aug 1

#9 Perfectionism is the enemy of creation, as extreme self-solitude is the enemy of well-being. –John Updike — Jul 31

#8 Sometimes I try to do God’s job; It causes a lot of anxiety. Thank you Lord for being in control! …Retweet if u agree — Nov 26

#7 God will not give up on you; don’t give up on yourself! — Dec 05

#6 Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him! How I’ve proved him o’er & o’er Jesus, Jesus, precious Jesus! O 4 grace 2 trust Him more! -For Mildred Kothe –Jan 7

#5 2 Cor 4:8-12 Hope, because although u face troubles, you are not 4saken. Actually you face these troubles because Jesus is alive within u –May 23

#4 God gave us weaknesses, so our gaps fit perfectly (ie. jigsaw puzzle) into the body of Christ. For He is our strength. Don’t try this alone! –Aug 02

#3 Do your best; trust Me for the rest. – God –Aug 19

#2 Without #God, all we are predestined for is the grave. Thank you Lord for saving us from #death! #Grace #Salvation #Jesus –Jan 25

#1 Ed Dobson, you are an inspiration. http://t.co/eW3rvqmu No “poor me” thoughts for me today. Thank you! — Oct 18