Pat Janssen just stopped by the office this morning to let me know that he passed his Series 7 Exam this morning! Congrats to one of our fellow JourneyMen...
He wanted me to tell you guys, 'Thanks' for the prayers. Have an awesome week!!
Charles
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Monday, July 30, 2007
Hungry for more?
We will be experimenting with a Bible Study every other Thursday (starting Aug 2nd) at the Adire/Plum Creek office located at 121 S. Wilcox at 6:30 am in downtown Castle Rock. The series will begin with a study of the book of Matthew - specifically the following;
- For whom the book was written (the Jewish people).
- The patrilinial versus matrelinial bloodlines of Jesus (Matthew & Luke).
- The importance of the gifts of the wise men.
- The importance of John's preaching.
- The beginning of the ministry of Jesus.
- The fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.
Hope to see you then!
-Charles
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER
JourneyMEN July 26, 2007
INTRODUCTION: We have spent the last couple of sessions discussing The Principle of the Path. Thursday will conclude the 'Series'.
Direction Determines Destination. But what is it that influences direction? What is it that starts us on our course, either for the places we want to go or the destinations we'd rather avoid? If we could determine what this is, then we could change our course upstream and save ourselves a lot of time, money, and heartache. Discover what this is and how you leverage it to reach the destinations God desires for you.
1. Read Deuteronomy 7:12. Why did God command the Israelites to pay attention? How do the things that grab your attention influence the direction you take in life?
2. Read Psalm 119:35-37. What are the worthless things that we need to turn our eyes and our attention away from? What are the things that capture your attention that will only lead you down paths you don't want to go?
3. Read Proverbs 4:25-27. In what situations are you the most tempted to swerve to the left or the right? How can you be proactive and keep you eyes straight ahead? How can you avoid the temptation to turn your attention away from the things that will draw you off course?
4. Read Matthew 6:22. What are the things that you need to focus on? What are the things that by turning your eyes to them, by paying attention to them, your life will be full of light?
5. Read Hebrews 2:1. When have you turned your eyes away from what was important and found yourself drifting away? How can we keep focused on the things that will keep us on the right paths? How can we keep from drifting?
THINK ABOUT IT
What has captured your attention that could prove harmful down the road? What would your friend, roommate, or family say is taking up too much of your focus? WHAT WILL YOU DO?
What do you need to give more attention? What are the things you need to focus on? What will you do this week to begin to pay more attention to them?
CHANGING YOUR MIND
Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Proverbs 4:25Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil. Proverbs 4:27
INTRODUCTION: We have spent the last couple of sessions discussing The Principle of the Path. Thursday will conclude the 'Series'.
Direction Determines Destination. But what is it that influences direction? What is it that starts us on our course, either for the places we want to go or the destinations we'd rather avoid? If we could determine what this is, then we could change our course upstream and save ourselves a lot of time, money, and heartache. Discover what this is and how you leverage it to reach the destinations God desires for you.
1. Read Deuteronomy 7:12. Why did God command the Israelites to pay attention? How do the things that grab your attention influence the direction you take in life?
2. Read Psalm 119:35-37. What are the worthless things that we need to turn our eyes and our attention away from? What are the things that capture your attention that will only lead you down paths you don't want to go?
3. Read Proverbs 4:25-27. In what situations are you the most tempted to swerve to the left or the right? How can you be proactive and keep you eyes straight ahead? How can you avoid the temptation to turn your attention away from the things that will draw you off course?
4. Read Matthew 6:22. What are the things that you need to focus on? What are the things that by turning your eyes to them, by paying attention to them, your life will be full of light?
5. Read Hebrews 2:1. When have you turned your eyes away from what was important and found yourself drifting away? How can we keep focused on the things that will keep us on the right paths? How can we keep from drifting?
THINK ABOUT IT
What has captured your attention that could prove harmful down the road? What would your friend, roommate, or family say is taking up too much of your focus? WHAT WILL YOU DO?
What do you need to give more attention? What are the things you need to focus on? What will you do this week to begin to pay more attention to them?
CHANGING YOUR MIND
Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you. Proverbs 4:25Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil. Proverbs 4:27
Monday, July 23, 2007
Crazy few days
Good morning,
What a whirl-wind the past few days. I have been traveling for the last 6 days and am thrilled to be back home. Farah and I were in Annandale, MN yesterday to attend Gary Partridges final service at the the Church he has been serving at for the past 15 years! It was an honor and a privilege to be a part of the day's tribute. What a fantastic day!
For those who do not know, Gary will be joining us here in Colorado in the next month or so at Plum Creek Community Church as a Pastor and also as a JounreyMEN. I am so excited to have Gary because he is very well versed in scripture and is excellent at articulating and communicating the Word in a way that is practical and applicable. The other thing I like about Gary is his sense of humor. He is going to make a great fit with our church, group and community. I just wanted to be among the first to say, "Welcome to the team"to Gary! -co
What a whirl-wind the past few days. I have been traveling for the last 6 days and am thrilled to be back home. Farah and I were in Annandale, MN yesterday to attend Gary Partridges final service at the the Church he has been serving at for the past 15 years! It was an honor and a privilege to be a part of the day's tribute. What a fantastic day!
For those who do not know, Gary will be joining us here in Colorado in the next month or so at Plum Creek Community Church as a Pastor and also as a JounreyMEN. I am so excited to have Gary because he is very well versed in scripture and is excellent at articulating and communicating the Word in a way that is practical and applicable. The other thing I like about Gary is his sense of humor. He is going to make a great fit with our church, group and community. I just wanted to be among the first to say, "Welcome to the team"to Gary! -co
Monday, July 16, 2007
Newest JourneyMAN
Many of us met Darrin Clock yesterday for the first time. Darrin has gone through a lot since his diagnosis a year ago May. It is hard to hear about all that Darrin (and his family) has had to go through physically, emotional and spiritually. With that being said, I am also inspired by him. He demonstrated a tremendous amount of courage and faith yesterday...opening himself and his situation to the church community and to the men of Plum Creek.
I am proud to call Darrin a fellow JourneyMAN. I am calling upon this group to pray for Darrin this week as he travels to Rochester, New York to see if they can perform surgery. Anything is possible through Him and when we pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Please see the what Christian Pruett wrote in his email to me (us) yesterday...
..................
Charles: It was great to have the chance to meet and pray with Darrin today. I have not met many people who have gone through as much as he has, and I continue to pray that God will watch over him and his family. As he mentioned to us, he is looking for people to "lift his arms" much like Aaron and Hur did for Moses while the Israelites fought Amalek. He will be traveling next week to go to the Mayo clinic, and he will need as much uplifting as possible. In that same vein, I would like to propose to the men of our church (and everyone else who is willing to hear) that while he travels and has tests done on Tuesday, we devote the day to prayer and fasting for him. As Christians, while we pray for people, we are also called to fast (Matthew 6:16). The Bible is clear about the times when fasting are important. Moses fasted for 40 days on the mountain. The Ninevites fasted after Jonah warned them of their impending destruction. Jesus fasted for 40 days before he began his ministry. When the Apostles came across a boy in Mark 9 who had a spirit that caused epileptic symptoms, Jesus said that, "This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting." With Darrin's current medical conditions, I know that he is unable to do much at all physically. In his stead, and in dutiful obedience to our God, I want to call upon us who are capable to fast all day on Tuesday for his sake. If some of us cannot fast from food for medical reasons, I would ask that they fast from some activity or convenience. His life is worth far more than anything we could give up for the day. I pray that God will work a miracle in his life.-- Christian Pruett
I am proud to call Darrin a fellow JourneyMAN. I am calling upon this group to pray for Darrin this week as he travels to Rochester, New York to see if they can perform surgery. Anything is possible through Him and when we pray in the name of Jesus Christ. Please see the what Christian Pruett wrote in his email to me (us) yesterday...
..................
Charles: It was great to have the chance to meet and pray with Darrin today. I have not met many people who have gone through as much as he has, and I continue to pray that God will watch over him and his family. As he mentioned to us, he is looking for people to "lift his arms" much like Aaron and Hur did for Moses while the Israelites fought Amalek. He will be traveling next week to go to the Mayo clinic, and he will need as much uplifting as possible. In that same vein, I would like to propose to the men of our church (and everyone else who is willing to hear) that while he travels and has tests done on Tuesday, we devote the day to prayer and fasting for him. As Christians, while we pray for people, we are also called to fast (Matthew 6:16). The Bible is clear about the times when fasting are important. Moses fasted for 40 days on the mountain. The Ninevites fasted after Jonah warned them of their impending destruction. Jesus fasted for 40 days before he began his ministry. When the Apostles came across a boy in Mark 9 who had a spirit that caused epileptic symptoms, Jesus said that, "This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting." With Darrin's current medical conditions, I know that he is unable to do much at all physically. In his stead, and in dutiful obedience to our God, I want to call upon us who are capable to fast all day on Tuesday for his sake. If some of us cannot fast from food for medical reasons, I would ask that they fast from some activity or convenience. His life is worth far more than anything we could give up for the day. I pray that God will work a miracle in his life.-- Christian Pruett
Thursday, July 12, 2007
Looking Ahead...
Great work today! Awesome feedback and great challenges for all of us.
We looked closely at Proverbs 27:12; The prudent (smart) see danger and take refuge, but the simple (not-smart) keep going and suffer.
Remembering that the Direction Determines Destination, it is important that we are on the lookout for trouble (danger/evil). Furthermore, when we see it we need to take action. We discussed the four dynamics that go into this...
We looked closely at Proverbs 27:12; The prudent (smart) see danger and take refuge, but the simple (not-smart) keep going and suffer.
Remembering that the Direction Determines Destination, it is important that we are on the lookout for trouble (danger/evil). Furthermore, when we see it we need to take action. We discussed the four dynamics that go into this...
- ACTION - Do something about it!
- SACRIFICE/PAIN - Perhaps giving up something
- EMBARRASSMENT - Sometimes we look foolish in the eyes of others when we make a decision now for something better down the road or in the grand scheme of things.
- RELIEF - Being able to look back and see the moment you made a change to better your life and have a sigh of relief.
Apply the Principle of The Path to these 4 areas...
- Health
- Finances
- Relationships
- Faith
Look forward to some excellent discussion about this and thanks again for the great feedback!
-co
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Looking Ahead - Topic for tomorrow
JourneyMEN “LOOKING AHEAD”
The Principle of the Path: Direction Determines Destination
INTRODUCTION:
We've all ended up places we never meant to be--where life was complicated and there were seemingly no good options. And looking back we saw the warning signs. We just chose to ignore them. But it doesn't have to be that way. By looking back at an old wisdom saying we'll learn to look ahead and avoid the danger the lies in wait for us down the road.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1.) What are the reasons that people avoid warning signs? Why is it that we sometimes walk right into trouble?
2.) Read Proverbs 27:12. When have you seen someone look ahead and take the steps necessary to avoid impending danger? When have you seen someone walk right into trouble?
3.) Taking refuge and responding to danger before it happens involves action. What are some things that you might have to do in order to avoid danger?
4.) Taking refuge often involves sacrifice. What are some things you might have to sacrifice in the short term in order to steer away from complicated situations up ahead?
5.) Responding to danger before it happens can often be embarrassing because others won't understand your actions. What is a situation in which it might be embarrassing to take steps to avoid potential trouble?
6.) The payoff for doing something, for sacrificing, and for facing potential embarrassment, is the feeling of relief once the potential danger has been diffused. When have you felt the relief that comes when you look ahead and do what is necessary to avoid danger?
THINK ABOUT IT:
Where in your life do you presently see danger ahead?
WHAT WILL YOU DO?
What will you do this week to avoid the impending danger?
CHANGING YOUR MIND:
The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it. Proverbs 27:12
The Principle of the Path: Direction Determines Destination
INTRODUCTION:
We've all ended up places we never meant to be--where life was complicated and there were seemingly no good options. And looking back we saw the warning signs. We just chose to ignore them. But it doesn't have to be that way. By looking back at an old wisdom saying we'll learn to look ahead and avoid the danger the lies in wait for us down the road.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1.) What are the reasons that people avoid warning signs? Why is it that we sometimes walk right into trouble?
2.) Read Proverbs 27:12. When have you seen someone look ahead and take the steps necessary to avoid impending danger? When have you seen someone walk right into trouble?
3.) Taking refuge and responding to danger before it happens involves action. What are some things that you might have to do in order to avoid danger?
4.) Taking refuge often involves sacrifice. What are some things you might have to sacrifice in the short term in order to steer away from complicated situations up ahead?
5.) Responding to danger before it happens can often be embarrassing because others won't understand your actions. What is a situation in which it might be embarrassing to take steps to avoid potential trouble?
6.) The payoff for doing something, for sacrificing, and for facing potential embarrassment, is the feeling of relief once the potential danger has been diffused. When have you felt the relief that comes when you look ahead and do what is necessary to avoid danger?
THINK ABOUT IT:
Where in your life do you presently see danger ahead?
WHAT WILL YOU DO?
What will you do this week to avoid the impending danger?
CHANGING YOUR MIND:
The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it. Proverbs 27:12
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Summertime!
Hey guys,
Can you believe it is July 5th?? As my Dad always said, "we are on the backside of the year now". Wow - That is hard to believe. With the summer months, it can become chaotic and busy with activities, travel and long days. This is a great time of year to review what has happened, what has been accomplished and furthermore, evaluate what needs to be done moving forward for the 2nd half of 2007.
Remember those New Years resolutions? Uh oh! The day after a fun, food and drink filled 4th of July I think of those health resolutions :)
2 things to consider here...
#1 - If you have accomplished some of your goals - congratulations! Take a moment to celebrate the victory! One on particular that I have witnessed is Joe Davis, my friend, neighbor and fellow JourneyMan. He made a DECISION on New Years Eve to get fit. Not only did he have some goals in mind - HE CHANGED HIS PATH. Joe has lost 60 LBS (so far)!!! He looks great and feels awesome too. Janet, his wife looks incredible too. Way to go, Joe and Janet!
#2 - If you have fallen short on a goal(s) - don't give up!! It is okay if you recognize it now and CHANGE the DIRECTION. Remember, DIRECTION DETERMINES DESTINATION!
Whether it is health, financial or relationships, apply the principle of the path.
We have 6 months left in 2007. Is that not enough time?? Look what Joe Davis accomplished in 6 months...
See you guys next Thursday.
charles
Can you believe it is July 5th?? As my Dad always said, "we are on the backside of the year now". Wow - That is hard to believe. With the summer months, it can become chaotic and busy with activities, travel and long days. This is a great time of year to review what has happened, what has been accomplished and furthermore, evaluate what needs to be done moving forward for the 2nd half of 2007.
Remember those New Years resolutions? Uh oh! The day after a fun, food and drink filled 4th of July I think of those health resolutions :)
2 things to consider here...
#1 - If you have accomplished some of your goals - congratulations! Take a moment to celebrate the victory! One on particular that I have witnessed is Joe Davis, my friend, neighbor and fellow JourneyMan. He made a DECISION on New Years Eve to get fit. Not only did he have some goals in mind - HE CHANGED HIS PATH. Joe has lost 60 LBS (so far)!!! He looks great and feels awesome too. Janet, his wife looks incredible too. Way to go, Joe and Janet!
#2 - If you have fallen short on a goal(s) - don't give up!! It is okay if you recognize it now and CHANGE the DIRECTION. Remember, DIRECTION DETERMINES DESTINATION!
Whether it is health, financial or relationships, apply the principle of the path.
We have 6 months left in 2007. Is that not enough time?? Look what Joe Davis accomplished in 6 months...
See you guys next Thursday.
charles
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