SEPTEMBER 2013 EDITION

My life has been marked by comparisons. In high school, I wanted to be as good at football as some of the other guys . I wanted to be as popular as some of the "cooler" guys.  Before I went into the ministry, I compared my income and where I lived with other friends.  When I was on staff with Young Life, I wanted to be a great speaker. I wanted to be as funny as some of the people who conducted some of the programmatic aspects of Young Life. When I started Net Work Ministries, I wanted to have a large men's group like some of the groups that I had attended. Personally speaking,, I wanted to play tennis like my friends who were much better than I was.

On the dark side of the equation, I felt that I was superior to some others people that I knew. I was thankful that my kids were prettier, smarter, better behaved than some of the children of some of my acquaintances. I was glad I had better taste in clothes than some of the guys I knew. I was proud that I held a more prestigious position than others did. Truthfully, I am not proud to say it but I may have thought I might be more spiritual than some of the folks I knew.

You know what? It has taken me all of my sixty-seven years to learn what the elderly African-American preacher said long ago. "Be who you is,'cause if you ain't who you is, you is who you ain't." Now I am not saying you should not strive to do your best to better yourself. You should work to be the best (fill in your name here) you can be. However, as Andy Stanley said on his TV show "Your Move", "There is no win in comparison." He goes on to suggest that we should "celebrate what God has given others and leverage what God has given you." Great advice!

As I grow older, I am learning to place a higher and higher value on contentment. Scripture says, "Godliness with contentment is great gain." (I Timothy 6:6) 

I have made peace with the fact that speaking is not my primary gift. I thank God for those to whom God has given this gift. My calling is to walk alongside men, sharing their joys and their struggles. My giftedness is facilitating small groups where men can meet together in an atmosphere of trust and transparency to discuss how the Christian faith intersects with their lives.

As I have learned to quit comparing myself and what I have to others, I have found a new measure of peace and contentment.

Let me close with two things that Andy Stanley shared the other night.

"What you have is less important than what you do with what you have."

"What are you going to do with the things God has entrusted to you?"

Net Work News and Needs

As I write this newsletter, we will be leaving tomorrow, Oct 4th, for a weekend retreat for the Friday Morning Group.

I have been ministering to a man that I met while "sub-ing" for a friend at his booth at the Kennesaw Business Association. We have been working on his marriage and family issues as well as personal addiction issues.

The Friday Morning Group has started a new book, "America the Beautiful" by Dr. Ben Carson who is a Christian pediatric neurosurgeon.

I continue to meet individually with men to walk with them while they deal with marriage and family problems, as well as employment and addiction issues.

We are meeting current financial obligations, but have not been able to meet payroll for three months now. We could use your prayers on the matter. As always, we trust the Lord for His provision as we seek to be faithful to the call he has placed us in this ministry.

May the Lord bless you and keep you and yours.