MARCH 2009 EDITION

Monday, March 30, 2009

MARCH 2009 EDITION

I have been re-reading Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s great work, “Life Together”.
In his opening chapter entitled “Community”, he describes Christ’s life as being lived among his enemies. He makes this startling statement. “So the Christian, too, belongs not in the seclusion of a cloistered life but in the thick of foes. There is his commission, his work.” Bonhoeffer goes on to quote Martin Luther:

”The Kingdom is to be in the midst of your enemies. And he who will not suffer this does not want to be of the Kingdom of Christ.; he wants to sit among friends, to sit among the roses and lilies, not with the bad people but the devout people. O you blasphemers and betrayers of Christ! If Christ had done what you are doing who would have ever been spared?”

O.K., ouch, that hurts! I hate it when that happens….when someone like Luther or Bonhoeffer or Oswald Chambers goes “from preachin’ to meddlin’.” I happen to like my “holy huddle; thank you very much! It is very comfortable and clean here. Go out there and get my hands dirty among the “unwashed.” I don’t think so. I don’t have “the gift of evangelism.” Don’t ask me to “share my faith” with someone. What if they rejected me? I couldn’t stand it. It would hurt too much. (Like a nail driven in a crossbeam through flesh???) I would be too embarrassed. (Like being stripped naked, flogged, and hung on a cross in front of all the townspeople????) What if my friends thought I was being too religious and didn’t want to be seen with me for fear of being identified with me? (Like being in a garden at night with hostile soldiers and men with clubs after you, ready to arrest you and all your closest friends ran away and left you all alone????)

You know, when I have seen a great movie, eaten at a great restaurant, seen a great game on T.V., I cannot wait to tell someone about it. I want them to share the experience. So what is it about me that is unwilling to share the greatest thing that has happened in my life… that affects all time and eternity for me?
Fear… Fear of rejection, fear of embarrassment, fear of inadequacy, these are the things that keep me from sharing the “good news”, the gospel, with others.
“Fear not, for I am with you.” That phrase is repeated over and over in Scripture. God has gone ahead of you and prepared the hearts of those with whom you share this “great news” that God loves them. He wants to have a relationship with them. He is standing at the “door” of their hearts waiting to be invited into their lives, if only they will ask. He wants to forgive them and make them new creations, if only they will ask Him. We do not know whose hearts have been prepared. It is not our responsibility to get people to choose to follow Christ. That is the job of the Holy Spirit. It is our wonderful privilege to tell them about the greatest thing that happened to us. We want them to experience it also.

Oops! Have I gone from ‘preachin’ to meddlin.’ I am challenging myself on this one. What’s the old saying? “When you are pointing at someone else, there are three fingers pointing back at yourself.”

MINISTRY NEWS:

 THANKS, IN LARGE PART, TO THE EFFORTS OF A FRIEND OF THE MINISTRY, ATTORNEY MARK BULLMAN, A JUDGEMENT WAS WON AGAINST THE WOMAN WHO MISUSED THE FUNDS OF A DISABLED MAN WITH WHOM NET WORK HAS BEEN WORKING. HOPEFULLY, WE CAN NOW COLLECT THE MISSING FUNDS FROM HER. MARK SPENT MANY HOURS OF HIS OWN TIME AND MONEY TO ASSIST THIS GENTLEMAN.

 WE ARE “KICKING OFF” A NEW PROGRAM FOR THE FRIDAY MORNING GROUP CALLED “FIRST FRIDAYS.” THIS IS THE IDEA OF MARSHALL DYE. WHEN HE FIRST CAME TO THE GROUP, SOME 15 YEARS AGO, HE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY YOUNGER THAN MOST OF THE GROUP. IT MEANT A GREAT DEAL TO HIM TO BE INVITED TO THE GROUP BY MEN HE RESPECTED. TO THAT END, HE SUGGESTED THAT THE MEN IN THE GROUP INVITE SOME OF THE YOUNGER MEN IN THE COMMUNITY TO ATTEND FRIDAY MORNINGS.

WE WILL HAVE ONE OF OUR MEMBERS SHARE A STORY FROM HIS LIFE. ON APRIL 3RD, GLENN GRAY, A RETIRED LOCKHEED TEST PILOT WILLSHARE HIS STORY AND A FILM OF HIS ADVENTURES FEATURING A TEST FLIGHT OF A MODIFIED C-130 THAT WAS TO BE USED IN AN ATTEMPT TO RESCUE THE IRANIAN HOSTAGES IN 1979. OTHER FUTURE FEATURED SPEAKERS FROM OUR GROUP WILL BE NEAL SISSON AND PAUL PAYNE. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO JOIN US ON FRIDAY MORNINGS AT 7:OO. FOR MORE INFORMATION AND DIRECTIONS,
CALL BUCK AT 678-986-4814.

MINISTRY NEEDS:

DUE TO SHORTFALL IN CONTRIBUTIONS, AS OF THIS WRITING, NET WORK WAS UNABLE TO MAKE A PAYMENT TO THE RETIREMENT ACCOUNT FOR 2008. THERE IS STILL TIME, HOWEVER. WE HAVE UNTIL APRIL 15TH TO MAKE AN IRA CONTRIBUTION FOR 2008. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN HELPING OUT WITH THIS, IT WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED.

BUCK WOULD LIKE TO FACILITATE ANOTHER MEN’S GROUP DURING THE WEEK. PLEASE CONTACT HIM IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN FORMING A GROUP.

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Net Work Ministries, Inc. Purpose Statement

The purpose of Net Work Ministries is to bring hope and healing to men and their families by exposing them to the love of Jesus Christ in word and deed. Net Work also encourages men in living out their Christian faith in their day-to-day lives.

Net Work Ministries, Inc. is a pastoral counseling and resource networking ministry that brings God's people together for mutual support and enables them to use the abundant resources He provides. It is directed towards men, to bring them into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and to help them use the power of this relationship to become the men God intended them to be. This ministry helps men deal with issues that affect their everyday lives. It is a faith ministry that depends entirely on the Lord for resources and does not charge for its services. It is a fully accredited 501c3 I.R.S. organization.

Net Work Ministries was begun 1991 by a group of men who knew Buck Reese's giftedness in the areas of pastoral counseling and resource networking. Buck, who is a native of Atlanta, has been in ministry since 1975 and is an ordained minister. He was responsible for starting the Young Life high school ministry in Cobb County in 1977 and served as Area Director for 12 years. Buck was the Director of Church Relations for Rapha, Inc., a Christian counseling program, as well as serving as a pastoral counseling intern at Wesley Woods Geriatric Center. For 20 years Buck served as chaplain and assistant coach of the Marietta High School football team. Buck was selected to be a member of the 1998 class of Leadership Cobb and the 1999 class of the Honorary Commanders, programs of the Cobb County Chamber of Commerce.

Buck's full-time commitment is to Net Work Ministries. He is in contact with men of all ages and walks of life. A typical routine would include: Having breakfast or lunch with a businessman to offer counsel and encouragement to strengthen their commitment to Christ and to enjoy each other's fellowship and support. In all these situations, Buck offers a listening ear and a caring heart and shares Scripture and wisdom given by the Holy Spirit. The goal in all of this activity is to bring those who do not know Christ into a saving relationship with Him. To those who are committed to Christ, but are dealing with issues of day-to-day living, he gives loving and effective counsel, encouragement and support.

Recently, I have added a new role to my ministry. I have accepted the role as volunteer Chaplain to the Staff of Young Life Southeast Region, which consists of the states of Georgia and Alabama. There are currently 50 local area ministries with staff. I will be the"minister to the ministers."

The Concept of Net Work Ministries

From Henri Nouwen’s book “Gracias”:

“It is a privilege to have the time to practice this simple ministry of presence. Still, it is not as simple as it seems. My own desire to be useful, to do something significant, or to be part of some impressive project is so strong that soon my time is taken up by meetings, conferences, study groups, and workshops that prevent me from walking the streets. It is difficult not to have plans, not to organize people around an urgent cause, and not to feel that you are working directly for social progress. But I wonder more and more if the first thing shouldn’t be to know people by name, to eat and drink with them, to listen to their stories and tell your own, and to let them know with words, handshakes, and hugs that you do not simply like them, but truly love them.

From "The Hole In Our Gospel" by Richard Stearns, President of World Vision:

It is rare that a simple recitation of the gospel will cause people to instantly change their minds. It usually takes much more than that. Our own narrative typically involves a journey of discovery marked by relationships with respected friends and loved ones, reading, discussions, learning about the basis for Christian faith, seeing the difference faith made in the lives of people we know, and witnessing genuine faith demonstrated through acts of love and kindness towards others.

I Stand At The Door - My Calling To Men's Ministry

I Stand at the Door

By Sam Shoemaker (from the Oxford Group)

I stand by the door.
I neither go to far in, nor stay to far out.
The door is the most important door in the world -
It is the door through which men walk when they find God.
There is no use my going way inside and staying there,
When so many are still outside and they, as much as I,
Crave to know where the door is.
And all that so many ever find
Is only the wall where the door ought to be.
They creep along the wall like blind men,
With outstretched, groping hands,
Feeling for a door, knowing there must be a door,
Yet they never find it.
So I stand by the door.

The most tremendous thing in the world
Is for men to find that door - the door to God.
The most important thing that any man can do
Is to take hold of one of those blind, groping hands
And put it on the latch - the latch that only clicks
And opens to the man's own touch.

Men die outside the door, as starving beggars die
On cold nights in cruel cities in the dead of winter.
Die for want of what is within their grasp.
They live on the other side of it - live because they have not found it.

Nothing else matters compared to helping them find it,
And open it, and walk in, and find Him.
So I stand by the door.

Go in great saints; go all the way in -
Go way down into the cavernous cellars,
And way up into the spacious attics.
It is a vast, roomy house, this house where God is.
Go into the deepest of hidden casements,
Of withdrawal, of silence, of sainthood.
Some must inhabit those inner rooms
And know the depths and heights of God,
And call outside to the rest of us how wonderful it is.
Sometimes I take a deeper look in.
Sometimes venture in a little farther,
But my place seems closer to the opening.
So I stand by the door.

There is another reason why I stand there.
Some people get part way in and become afraid
Lest God and the zeal of His house devour them;
For God is so very great and asks all of us.
And these people feel a cosmic claustrophobia
And want to get out. 'Let me out!' they cry.
And the people way inside only terrify them more.
Somebody must be by the door to tell them that they are spoiled.
For the old life, they have seen too much:
One taste of God and nothing but God will do any more.
Somebody must be watching for the frightened
Who seek to sneak out just where they came in,
To tell them how much better it is inside.
The people too far in do not see how near these are
To leaving - preoccupied with the wonder of it all.
Somebody must watch for those who have entered the door
But would like to run away. So for them too,
I stand by the door.

I admire the people who go way in.
But I wish they would not forget how it was
Before they got in. Then they would be able to help
The people who have not yet even found the door.
Or the people who want to run away again from God.
You can go in too deeply and stay in too long
And forget the people outside the door.
As for me, I shall take my old accustomed place,
Near enough to God to hear Him and know He is there,
But not so far from men as not to hear them,
And remember they are there too.

Where? Outside the door -
Thousands of them. Millions of them.
But - more important for me -
One of them, two of them, ten of them.
Whose hands I am intended to put on the latch.
So I shall stand by the door and wait
For those who seek it.

'I had rather be a door-keeper
So I stand by the door.

Net Work Ministries Testimonials

Quotes

“I have been involved in Net Work Ministries for almost six years. I am privileged to serve on the Board of Directors and work with Buck on a variety of projects i.e.: Young Life, Good Samaritan Health Clinic, P.A.C.E., working with the poor and indigent, and supporting the men who attend Buck’s groups.

Buck and Peggy have been there for my wife Rita and I through our most difficult times. They are always loving, always supportive. Buck and his ministry are a wonderful example of what it means to serve. It’s what the love of Christ encourages all of us to do for each other.”

Dwayne Lambing,
Regional Vice President
Nordco, Inc.

The Friday group began as an opportunity for me to have in depth conversation about subject matter that I was not totally comfortable with i.e. formal religion and my personal relationship with God. I believed intellectually that the universe was not an accidental explosion, but it demonstrated a purpose that only a Creator could know. I felt a part of that universe and was comfortable with my life and the roles I played in it. But I still asked myself, is that all there is to life.

Through a series of very diverse and interesting books it became increasingly apparent that no growth in self is possible without the "pains" of self examination. Sometimes this would occur during the course of "intense" discussions and other times would occur in moments of quiet reflection on these conversations. I began to notice that in this crucible of frank and honest discourse that I could find a voice for my beliefs and at the same time be intellectually true to my beliefs in science.

As it has turned out for me, the books have been less important than the comfort and strength that I find in the relationship of men willing to discuss matters that are not in their comfort zones , and that require an intellectual and emotional honesty that are not found alone on an island.
Thank you for your role in making all of this possible,

Dr. Peter Re’,

Neurologist

Monday, March 30, 2009