JANUARY 2016 EDITION

There is the story of a man on vacation in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. One day as he was walking the beach, he came upon a fisherman sitting on his porch relaxing.  His boat was at anchor just off shore.  On the beach was a large catch of fish. It was still about midday. The man on vacation noticed the large catch and the man just sitting and relaxing.  He approached the gentleman and inquired about the fish. “Is this your catch from this morning?” “Why, yes it is. Why do you ask?” “Well, with such a large catch for only a half a day, there must be a huge supply of fish for the catching out there.” “Yes, I suppose there is”, replied the fisherman.  “Well, why not take advantage of the great fishing here? You could probably do so much better by buying more boats and hiring other fishermen to help you build your business.” “Why would I do that?” the wizened veteran of the sea replied.  “So you could make more money, of course!” retorted the obviously frustrated visitor. “So I could do what? Retire early and sit on my front porch and relax in the noonday sun!”

This story rather reminded me of the story found in Luke 12:16-18:

Luke 12:16-21 (NIV)

16  And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop.

17 He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.'

18 “Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.

19 And I will say to myself, "You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry."'

20 “But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'

21 “This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."

It strikes me that we can accumulate possessions that eventually will be passed on to the next generation. Some of the things we valued so highly will be disposed of in either an estate auction or neighborhood garage sale!  I believe that God blesses us with material possessions to enjoy but also to be used to honor our Lord. I think that God blesses us in order that we might be a blessing to others, particularly those less fortunate than ourselves.

Additionally, an accumulation of possessions can be a source of ungodly pride. If we say to ourselves, “Wow, look what I have done! I am truly a self-made man. Look at what I have accomplished by “the sweat of my brow!” It may be true that through your own hard work, perseverance, and good decision-making, you have succeeded in building a great business, but the question is…Who imbued you with the gifts and talents you possess?  As the old hymn, “The Doxology “says, Praise God from whom all blessings flow.” Let us never forget that!

MINISTRY NEWS

I am excited to begin a new year of ministry with men their families. It is going to be a great year! Thank you for helping to make it possible with your support, encouragement and prayers.

The Friday Morning Men’s Group will begin a study of the book of James.

I had the opportunity to share my testimony to a men’s Bible study group at Marietta Country Club.

I will continue to meet individually with men to offer counsel, encouragement and support.

I am also excited about expanding my role as Chaplain to the Staff of Young Life in the Southeast Region. There are almost 100 staff members in the region in approximately 50 cities throughout Georgia and Alabama. I have set up several monthly meetings with staff members and look forward to setting up many more.

 I pray that God would richly bless each of you and your families in surprising new ways in this new year.

NOVEMBER 2015 EDITION

As we enter this season of Thanksgiving, it is my custom to enumerate the things I am so very thankful for this year.  Perhaps, as you pause during this time of Thanksgiving, you might sit down and write out your blessings that come to mind.  It is a worthwhile exercise to see how very blessed we all are.

On a ministry level:

I thank Him for the call to ministry He placed on me almost forty years ago.

Net Work has had a great year in meeting the needs of men and their families thanks to your support and prayers.

Our Friday Morning Men’s Group has celebrated meeting together for the 20 years this year. We have seen men come to faith in Jesus Christ through the Friday Group, and, as a result, families have been healed.  Other men have seen a growth in the depth of their relationship with Christ and with the other men in the group. I am thankful for my deep friendships that have grown out of that group.

Individual meetings with men over the breakfast and lunch tables for counsel and encouragement have produced much fruit in their lives. Some have found new employment through Net Work’s resources. Others have found healing through our referral resources to professional counseling; still others have just needed a word of encouragement to give them hope. 

Net Work has added a new dimension added to the ministry by acting as the volunteer chaplain to the staff of the Southeast region of Young Life.  We offer encouragement and prayer by means of personal monthly communication and in-area visits to this very committed and talented group who seek to share the love of Christ with middle, high school and college kids. For those of you who may be unfamiliar with Young Life, it is a ministry to kids from middle school through college. I am grateful to God for the seventy years it has ministered to literally millions of kids around the globe. I am excited to, once again, be a part of this ministry as a volunteer.

On a personal level:

First and foremost, I am overwhelmed that God called me to be His child and allowed me to become a Christ follower forty-one years ago last May.

Secondly, I cannot properly express my gratitude to God for bringing my bride, Peggy, into my life over 48 years ago.

I am blessed by my two beautiful daughters, their wonderful  husbands, and my seven amazing grandchildren, all of whom are Christ followers, bless me. (What more could a man desire!) Additionally, I am honored to have a wonderful sister who has loved me unconditionally throughout my life.

I am thankful for our country and the freedom we enjoy and for the men and women whose sacrifices made this freedom possible. “All gave some, some gave all.”

MINISTRY NEWS

An easy way you can benefit Net Work Ministries, is when you purchase something online from Amazon, go to: smile.amazon.com, make your purchase as you normally would, then direct Amazon to donate to Net Work Ministries, Inc. Marietta. This would be greatly appreciated.

I have enclosed two envelopes in this newsletter. One is for your regular monthly donation to Net Work. The other, if the Lord leads you, is for a year-end gift to help erase the deficit we have experienced this year. We have been unable to pay a salary since September of 2014.

I want you to know how very grateful I am to those of you who have supported Net Work Ministries with your prayers, words of encouragement and financial support. Please know that I do not take these things for granted.

I pray that God would bless each one of you and your families with a special sense of God’s presence and peace as we celebrate our blessings and enter the time of celebration of God’s entrance into human history to reveal to us, in the person of Jesus Christ, who He is and how much He loves each one of us.

DECEMBER 2015 EDITION

Wow! 2016 is shaping up to be quite a year! We have a crucial presidential election this year. There is a major rise in radical Islamist terrorism in many parts of the world. Racial strife has resurfaced in this country. The world, as well as our own, economy is on shaky footing. Russia, China, Iran and I.S.I.S. threaten the peace and security of our world. According to some, both global warming and the rise of A.I. (artificial intelligence) potentially threaten our very existence! Do I sound a little like the proverbial “Chicken Little” who said, “The sky is falling, the sky is falling!” From the looks of things, maybe it is!!

What’s a body to do? One popular answer is to move to Colorado or Montana to find yourself and “inner peace” or at least stockpile lots of food and ammunition there against the coming catastrophe! Another answer is, “Don’t worry, be happy!” “Just whistle a happy tune” as the song from Sound of Music suggests and then utter Scarlett O’Hara’s words, “I’ll think about that tomorrow.”  Another possibilty is to listen to all the pundits on talk radio and television, read all the Facebook quips, newspapers and magazines and obsess about the world situation,

In short, “Do worry, be unhappy.”

Here are alternative ways of dealing with the world situation that have been around for about two thousand years:

 “Trust in the lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge the Lord and He will direct your paths.” Proverbs 3, 5-7

 “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

I know I have written this before but it bears repeating.. God is in control!

Nothing happens that is not sifted through His Hands. Nothing that is happening is taking Him by surprise. Do you trust that? Do you believe He is intimately involved with the world and even you in particular? Now, as the Bible says, “His ways are far above our ways.” If we understood all that He is and all that He does, He would not be God.

Be informed. Don’t hide your head in the sand. Be involved. Do the work God has put before you with excellence. Live life to the fullest, trusting in His loving kindness and grace, enjoy every day! Seek to live and love like Jesus. Remember Jesus words, “In this world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

MINISTRY NEWS

I am so very grateful to God for allowing me to serve Him through the vehicles of Net Work Ministries and Young Life this year. I pray that what has been done through them has been honoring to Him.  I am so very grateful to all of you who have supported me with your prayers, words of encouragement and finances.

In the New Year, I will continue to explore new ways of service to our Lord while remaining true to my calling to Net Work and Young Life.  While I do realize that there are many worthwhile ministries that need support, I would desire that you would prayerfully consider continuing in whatever way the Lord would lead you to be involved with my ministry to men and their families.

My Friday Morning Men’s will continue to meet beginning its twenty forth year. We will continue to discuss podcasts by Andy Stanley.

I plan to continue in my role as volunteer chaplain to the staff of the Southeast Region of Young Life.

I pray that 2016 will be the greatest year ever for each of you!

May you grow deeper in the knowledge of God’s grace and love.

As Phillipians 1:3 says,: I thank my God in all of my remembrances of (each of) you.”