Men’s Fellowship Retreats and Grows into Leadership (3/11/16)

Sycamore Tree in Jericho

The backdrop for Friday’s session was the account of Zacchaeus, as found in Luke 19.   Zacchaeus, who was despised by the people because of his tax-collecting-excesses, really wanted to see Jesus.  He heard Jesus was coming and he made it a goal to see Jesus.  So he pulled up his robe and climbed a sycamore tree so he could catch a glimpse.

Striving to see Jesus requires humility.  We have to realize that, indeed, Jesus is Enough for Us.”  There’s nothing in our power that we can do to add to that.  Jesus is all we need.

Our job is to “Love people into the arms of Jesus”, but all too often our pride gets in the way and we confuse our job with the notion that we need to increase numbers, or to have a bigger church than the others.

“Lord Make this church the size you want it to be…”

Pride puts us on the Hamster wheel of success.

Instead, we need to “tie up our robes” and climb whatever “tree” we need to climb.  We need to trust in the words of Philippians 4:13…

“ for I can do everything God asks me to with the help of Christ who gives me the strength and power.“

Is God enough for you?

We ended this session by writing a letter to God, confessing the things that drive us away from fully trusting in him.

This morning’s session looked at the Parable of the Sower, as told in Luke 8:4-15.   Are we “fertile soil?”  We need to constantly ensure that we’re open to God’s leading.

This parable isn’t just about salvation.  It’s not a one and done thing.  We can be different types of soil at any time.  We need to constantly work in the following four areas:

On Sunday, we turned our attention to Caleb, one of the two spies (in addition to Joshua) whose faith allowed him to encourage the Israelites to take the land that God had promised to them.  Caleb held on to God’s promise and pursued it until the end of his life.  His name means “dog”… we can think of Caleb as a Junk Yard Dog who is focused on sticking close to God and receiving His promises.

The story of Caleb is found in Numbers 13.  Moses (because of the people’s lack of faith- see Deuteronomy 1:22) sent 12 spies to check out the promised land, and here’s what happened when they returned (Numbers 13:26-30)…

They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran. There they reported to them and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land.  They gave Moses this account:

“We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit.  But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there.  The Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan.”

Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.”

Caleb said:  We should go up… for we can certainly do it.”  Caleb believed God’s promise.  He remembered how God had just freed them from from Egyptian captivity, and how He destroyed the greatest army on earth by drowning them in the Red Sea. But somehow, the other spies and the Israelites forgot.

Are we practicing habits that help us to remember?  Does the way we live allow us to answer, “YES!  God is enough for me!“???

Many years later, when Caleb was in his 80s; when they were about to take Jericho (the city he had spied out so many years earlier), he could hear the people tell Joshua

They said to Joshua, “The Lord has surely given the whole land into our hands; all the people are melting in fear because of us.”     Joshua 2:24

Caleb’s faith and “junk yard dog” focus were confirmed.  Paul and Caleb both had a mindset that was focused on the prize of a relationship with God:

…but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,  I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.     Philippians 3:12-14

Are we “pressing on” or are we just getting by?  Like Caleb, we need the focus that is provided by good goals.  Without goals (goals that are consistent with God’s will!), we are not living life to the fullest.  Someone has suggested the “Six in Six Rule”: Set Six goals which can be attained in Six weeks.  Starting off with a list of things that you can easily accomplish is a good way to start.

But beyond that, we also need longer range goals.  Here are a few challenges.  Developing habits like these can open us up the the Holy Spirit’s leading and bring us to a fruitful life:

• Read the Bible every day for __ minutes…
• Pray every day for __ minutes…
• Journal 4-6 times a week…
• Decide to read an inspirational book- and read it!…
• Join a small group …
• Go to church every Sunday (even when traveling) …
• Spend time with your wife- carve out some time.

Be a “Junk Yard Dog!”  Protect your relationship with God and chase after anything that can draw you closer to Him.

Our Men’s fellowship group is planning to retreat… or Advance…   Our annual “retreat” will be held at the Black Rock Retreat  Center during the weekend of March 11-13, 2016.

UMM Men’s Advance (Men Don’t Retreat)

We have hit a milestone:  This is our 15th annual Men’s Advance!  March 11, 12 and 13th will be be a great opportunity to Advance; to grow closer together and to move forward in our relationship with Christ.  Here are the details:

When:  March 11, 12, and 13

Where:  Our “usual” location- the Black Rock Retreat Center in Quarryville, Pa.  Our accommodations will be the same as last year (see below for details).

Who:  Any man 16 and older is invited.

Whom:  Our speaker will be Pastor Chris Yount. Here’s his biography…

Chris has been in pastoral ministry since 1990, serving four different churches as well as helping to revive two others (one which had closed and another ready to close). Chris has been married to Elizabeth for 32 years, raising 4 kids and loving their role as grandparents to Gracelynn (4) and her brother to be born in February of 2016. One of the passions of Chris’ ministry is to encourage and equip people so that not only will they be successful but also content in their lives.

Chris writes…

“God has been confronting me with the concept of contentment over the past several years. For too many us, fulfillment is equated with success, material wealth, trophy children, climbing the vocational ladder and other goals. I have found that most folks are pursuing things that don’t necessarily lead to contentment. For the believer, contentment is found in the pursuit of God. Nothing else even comes close!”

Chris enjoys music, (playing the guitar, bass guitar, trombone and singing), spending time outside (hiking, fishing, backpacking, gardening, and swimming), keeping fit (goes to the gym 3-5 times a week), reading voraciously and loves spending time with his family.

Chris’s messages, blog and videos can be found at www.newlife-umc.com

What:  The theme is entitled, “Equipped to Lead”  Click below to learn more…

“Equipped to Lead”

This is NOT your wife’s retreat!!!!!   Come join us on the Mountaintop!

Are you satisfied with your relationship with God or do you want more?  Are you content and fulfilled in your life? How’s it going as a man, husband, father, son, leader? Is your job satisfying? Do you feel like there should be more to life?   These are some questions that, we as men ask. Come join us as we explore these questions and more. Topics that are relevant to you as follower of Christ will equip and encourage you to become the man that God knows you can be.

How Much:  Here are the details on the accommodations…

• Maranatha Retreat Center (main Lodge)  $234   (6 Spots)
• Whip-Poor Will Lodge (A-Frame Building) $215 (8 Spots)
• Cabin $135 (10 Spots)

We can get more lodging if needed.  Early sign-up is encouraged.  Money not due until the week before the Advance.

What’s a Men’s Retreat… or Advance?

The youth aren’t the only ones in our church who have a BLAST!  Take a look at last year’s retreat: (click on the picture to open the article)

Men Retreat, and then Grow in Prayer (3/13-15 2015)