Stronger then....

If for nothing else through the course of the week, I look forward to my Saturday Mornings.  Albeit, today was a tad hard waking up to a cold room (snow outside) and and comfy bed, however, I managed to remember that a "brother" of mine said that he may go to men's group this morning so I got myself up and to men's group.

I am so thankful that I came today.  Every third Saturday we have two facilitators that have been doing this for the past two and a half years and going on three.  They continued their theme on Anger and we split the group (as it was too big for all to share).  We read Scripture from Genesis to Colossians and touched on some key things relating to anger and to ways around and through anger.

I have the privilege and honor to be the men's ministry leader (co-leader) of this flourishing ministry in our church.  As one elder recently told me it is a "hotspot" for spiritual growth in our church - To God be the Glory forever and ever, amen!  Our formula is simple on Saturday Mornings:  Open with worship, read scripture, discuss relevant and real-life experience and see what wisdom and scripture has to say on this.  The Holy Spirit does the rest.  (that is our success to our men's ministry).

The two discussions on anger have really energized me in my walk and our walk with like-minded brothers.  The coolest thing is seeing some of the "younger spiritual" brothers (not necessarily in age) growing and sharing and really putting their ideas and scripture that means much to them.  They think that more mature Christians gain more by talking more - I don't agree with that because when we see brother's and/or sister's turning away from the world and growing spiritually - that is awesome.

I love it when I see spiritual growth in people - it energizes me - it excites me. I want to thank any of you legacy dads out there that have changed course and submitted to God's will in your life - you are already winning the battle through obedience.

This morning brought me to a really healthy place in realizing that we don't have to react to the world in a worldly way.  Instead if we choose to Set our hearts and minds on things above (Where Jesus Christ is).  Put away the earthly things that turn us away from Him.  Clothe ourselves in love and kindness and putting on the love that binds us.  Giving thanks to God our father.

When we do this and we humble ourselves before a Holy God and realize that in Him we can have the abundant life that he has planned for us then we realize that all things are possible with God.

Saturday Mornings are a beautiful thing!

Dante

This is discipling...

Matthew 28:18-20

New International Version (NIV)

¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Do you know the reason for the season?

This week I have read through the entire Gospel of Luke and have be recharged with the miracle of Christmas and the teachings of Jesus.  I have to confess that sometimes I feel distant with my prayer life and with my walk only to realize that there is more at play than meets the eye.Luke Chapter 1 & 2 gives us the setting and story of the Birth of Jesus and John the Baptist, along with Jesus as a boy in his Father's house.  Luke 3 & 4 tells about John the Baptist in the Wilderness and the lineage of Jesus along with the devil tempting our Lord Jesus (yeah, good luck with that one :)). Luke 5 through 22 tells us about his teachings and fulfilling of prophecies along with life lessons for you and I.

I cannot even begin to tell you how I am really looking forward to Christmas Day with my family.  I will admit that this year has been a very bittersweet year for me.  My mother died in March and my wife's 100+ grandmother just died as well.  On the very night that we were at the wake, our friend called me to tell us that she found our dog dead on the kitchen floor.  We left the wake early to tell our kids about our dog Sammy dying and to allow them to say their goodbyes to him.  Needless to say, my heart aches.

The good news here is Jesus - he makes things new everyday.  I am amazed that a God would love us this much to send His only son for us to die on a cross and to take our sin away.  The beautiful thing for me this week was reading through the entire Gospel of Luke.  I am renewed and refreshed with some more things to share along the way.

Are you willing to be a true disciple of Christ - no matter the cost?  In Luke 14:26 Jesus gives us clear understanding that when we choose to follow Him we may have to decide to choose Him over family members and even more so over our self. That is, are we willing to die to us and live for Him no matter the cost.  One thing that struck me as profound is when Jesus was watching the rich give tithes of their abundance but watched the widow give all that she had (two copper coins).  She gave out of her comfort zone while others only give what they are willing to lose.  How much more should we, as disciples be willing to give up? I read a "tweet" this week that made me laugh hard.  It said, "I was thinking about how people seem to read the Bible more as they get older, then I realized:  They are cramming for finals!"

What makes me wonder the most these days is when we get to Heaven (and the Judgement Seat of Christ), how many Christians will realize that they got this life wrong.  They could have done more?  They should have gave more!  They should have thought of self less and others more.  Pure religion in the eyes of the Father is that which takes care of widows and orphans and avoids the ways of this world (paraphrasing James 1:27).

This Christmas, I want to wrap my arms around Luke Chapter 2 and spread the gospel to my family, friends and community more.  I want my life to be that light that says Jesus is the only way.

Blessings,

Dante

Good bye old friend...

Rainbow Bridge

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

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Samson Alexander Girolimon the First

5/26/2001 - 12/2/2011

Grow into a faithful man (by Unknown)

When I began this Christian walk in Christ I was a child.  My faith was easily tested, for my life had been quite wild.But I had faithful men to pray with me and help me find the way.  They gently nudged and shared the Word and knew just what to say.

I marveled at their wisdom, envied it in fact, As they carried me along and helped me spiritually stay intact.

It was the Holy Spirit in them which gave them love and joy and peace.  And as they loved me because they were loved, my spiritual life increased.

As I read the Word and understood it, (Holy Spirit there again), I came to know and understand that these were faithful Godly men.

Not just because of what they did for me, but for the Spirit in their hearts.  With that help they were faithful and loving, their wisdom to impart.

I wasn't always faithful, I faltered now and then, But I have been lifted up repeatedly by faithful Godly men.

I now strive to be like them, for they strived to follow God's plan.  They loved (and still love) and nurtured to help me grow into a man.

Am I a faithful man?  I hope so, but I'm still climbing towards the throne, Led by faithful Godly men because the way there they've freely shown.

We must no longer be a child but grow into faithful men.  And reach back to help those who are children, when they falter in sin.

Someone did the same for you, a preacher, a father, a friend.  It was a child we were in the beginning; it is a faithful man we must be in the end.

By an anonymous Deacon.

Thanksgiving, a Few Days Late.

Thanksgiving, a Few Days Late.My wife and I were discussing being blessed and cursed, this morning.  Wait, it's not a strange as it sounds.  The conversation started as we were sitting in a small cafe' on Michigan Ave. in Chicago, celebrating our 18^th anniversary.  Celebrating a family that is a huge blessing to us and one we were having fun being grateful for.

However , we are both divorced, with kids.  And while our blended family (kids all grown now) is a magnificent blessing, it can be really hard.  Especially now during the holidays; its not necessarily a blessing for us or for the kids.  The blend is something we all live with, always there but never more tangible than in this season.  Blessed and cursed, in tension.

And we are not alone.  You aren't either.

Maybe this tension is a microcosm of  what it means to be Christian.  Broken flesh and reborn spirit, old man and new man, cursed and blessed, living together for a while.

Still, we are not alone.

I think about our Lord Jesus Christ and wonder if he didn't walk the same way, blessed as the Son of God, cursed living in this broken world and ultimately carrying our curse of sin completely.

Into hell.  Out again.  Cursed and blessed.

Jesus, thank you.  No really, from the bottom of everything we are, thank you.

You get us,

Kurt

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(NOTE:  Kurt is a great friend of mine who is an elder and facilitator in our chruch/men's group, respectively) - thanks Kurt for your insight! -Dante)

What are you thankful for...?

This past Saturday, I had the privelege to be a bystander and watch and listen to a group of men that really made me appreciate our men's ministry. First of all, the morning started with a few songs led by a guy who wanted us to start the day out with praise and worship a while ago. The last song that he played (we sang) was from Jesus Culture called One Thing Remains. It was powerful to listen to words that are not about us, but about who made us and who loves us more than we ever could. The two facilitators that morning decided that the group was just too big for everyone to share, so they split the group up and we discussed our lives and the Bible verses we read and what each meant to us. It was a great morning and a powerful morning.Holiday weeks can be a bit taxing with everything going on and since my mother died back in March, I, for the life of me, cannot catch up with all the paperwork and responsibility that comes with responsibility of being the executor and my father living in assisted living. That being said, I have been really thankful for my family. First of all, for my wife, Kate, who loves me no matter what I do - you see we married each other for better or for worse - no "ifs" "ands" or "buts"...When we said "We do" we meant it. I am thankful for that.

I am thankful for our three wonderful children that God has blessed us with.  I love the way that God has made each of them and I appreciate how much they show me how much God must love me!

I am thankful for my friends that I pray for. When I first got into ministry I prayed for spiritual friends like I have today, I am thankful for that.

Today, even in my own personal trials and tribulations, I am thankful!

What about you?  What are you thankful for?

Dante

Radical Mentoring

Twitter.com can sometimes bring to light ideas that have be stuck in neutral (in my head) for a very long time, that is, I know what the right thing is to do, but I sometimes find the business of life can distract me from doing what I know should be done...I am a leader in my church's Men's Ministry called Men of Faith.  I recently sent a letter (via email) to each of our Facilitators for men's group sharing some thought and ideas about taking men's ministry to the next level.  Let's just call it a 201 level were we will embark on an initial 6 month commitment with 4 to 6 men per group to go deeper, dig deeper and study scripture together.

Then I get this tweet on Radical Mentoring:

Radical Mentoring from Radical Mentoring on Vimeo.

The article along with it stated the following:

Ever been mentored? Ever mentored? Female or Male … if not, you are missing out. You are missing out on someone who has some years on you … challenging you, serving you, listening to you, guiding you, offering you examples of what they did and wished they hadn’t.

How would you classify your mentoring experience? Reactive or Proactive?

Back in 2007 … I (Bryan) went through a year-long structured mentoring group led by Regi Campbell (the guy speaking in the video above). It was like getting a baby MBA. Regi, as a successful business guy proactively led 8 guys around my age, with similar characteristics through a mentoring group that fascinated me. Regi was already busy … and yet … he had control of his time enough to investment in me and our group with his time. Not to mention that he is crazy in love with Jesus. I was in “RMG 7″ which stood for Radical Mentoring Group – 7th year.

Yip! 7 years … he had poured himself (as of 2007) … and now more groups have occurred. It felt like a Band of Brothers. We argued & push-backed. We discussed & learned from each other. We poked fun at each other. We read books together & netted them out with each other. We memorized scripture. We went on 2 private retreats. We prayed together. ALL under the watchful eye of Regi. Don’t miss this … he proactively guided eight 30-somethings with huge ambitions all in 1 year.

Some other mentoring considerations for you today:

1. Are you hungering for a mentor? Seek one. Ask God to provide you with one.
2. Be intentional about your mentoring effort … have a plan … regardless of whether you are the mentor or mentee.
   • How long?
   • What will you do?
   • What will you read?
   • How many of you will there be?
   • What are your end goal(s)?
3. I see too many young men who hunger to be mentored … BUT … their mentors are not structured. They think that asking tough questions can happen with someone once a quarter at a Waffle House is mentoring. That’s not mentoring … that’s having an arm’s length acquaintance. One-directional question asking is just that. As a mentor you have to expose all & be as transparent.
4. What is at stake? Imagine more & more young people deciding to intentionally, and proactively be led by a person, for a defined period of time … with an end-goal of being more in love with Jesus, a stronger leader, better husband, greater friend, engaged parent, contributor to society … the list is endless.

Regi, has now created a new entity called Radical Mentoring. If you are interested in creating this sort of environment in your church or business … reach out to his new group.

Thank you Regi … for your proactive investment in me.

Bryan

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So the question I have for you (Reader) are you being mentored?  Are you mentoring?  Whose life are you involved with?  Why not?  What is holding you back?

Dante