Be
on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.
Let all that you do be done in love.
1 Corinthians
16:13
What would come to your mind if you were told to "act like
a man"? Well, for many of us, our upbringing, culture and
even the Church have left us a little confused and uncertain
about what exactly it means to "be a man". Fortunately,
there is Someone who knows exactly what it means. In fact, masculinity
was His idea! God knows
what He meant when He made you a man. The Men's Ministry at
Maple Ridge Community Church is committed to helping men discover
and recover their true masculine hearts as God intended
them to be in Christ. We can't do this alone. It will take each
of us. We will need to learn to fight side by side to gain the
freedom and to live the life Christ has given each of us to
live. The lives of others around us depends upon the outcome
of this battle. The fulfillment of God's call on our lives depends
upon our willingness to walk out this journey together. It's
the ultimate adventure. The stakes are high. The rewards are
eternal.
It
is not the critic who counts, not the man who points
out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds
could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man in
the
arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who
strives valiantly…who knows the enthusiasms, the great
devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the
best knows in the end of the triumph of high achievement, and
who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly,
so that his place shall
never be with those cold and timid souls who have
never known neither victory nor defeat.
~
Teddy Roosevelt
Each
fall our retreat provides a time to get out of town for a night
or two with our brothers to draw nearer to God and each other.
We need to relax, recharge and reassure each other as we walk
out
this journey together. This year's retreat will be on Friday
and Saturday, October 26th and 27th at the Camp Tecumseh Leadership
Center. Watch for more details.
The
Way of the Wild Heart
"We
aren't meant to figure life out on our own, God wants to father
us." This Fall we will continue to use John Eldredge's
new book, The Way of the Wild Heart: A Map for the Masculine
Journey to look at the stages of a man's life and explore
this journey we are on seeking further restoration of our hearts
as men of God. We will also learn how to shape the hearts of
our sons so they can successfully navigate through life's stages
in becoming men. This will be a continuation of our study that
started in the Spring of 2007. We will meet on Thursdays beginning
September 6th from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall.
Wild
at Heart
We'll experience some
basic boot-camp training in discovering and living as a man
as God intended. The best selling book: Wild at Heart
and the companion Field Manual will provide us with the
road map. Watch for our next group in 2008! Trust us on this;
when this twelve session sojourn ends it will be just the beginning!
Waking
the Dead
The glory of God is a man fully alive - in Christ! The Scripture
tells us to "Watch over your heart with all diligence,
for from it flows the springs of life" (Proverbs 4:23).
This twelve week series is designed to help us regain the life
we were meant to live from our hearts. Our Lord Jesus has cleared
the path out of the fog and dullness for deadened hearts. A
lot of guys will testify to this! Our plan is to follow Him
using material from the book Waking the Dead by John
Eldredge along with the Guide Book. Watch for our next group
coming in 2008!
The
Kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and
the violent take it by force.
Matthew
11:12
Band of Brothers (BOB) in Leadership
God has
given every man a purpose in life; a call to fulfill. Some have
discovered they have a call to leadership in ministry and to
give leadership to other men who are seeking their mission in
life. A Band of Brothers in Leadership is a group of
men who are recognized as having this call on their lives. They
demonstrate in their lives the ability and the willingness to
give leadership to the church and to build a "fellowship
of the heart" with other men who are called to do the same.
They share a common heart and a common mission.
We're looking to recruit those the Lord is recruiting. Are you
one of them?
From
everyone who has been given much,
much will be required.
Luke 12:48
If you desire a more
focused relationship with Christ that will enable you to pursue
maturity in basic areas of your Christian life and you don't
want to go it alone, this is for you. Laborer's Network
has been a big help to a lot of guys who have gone through it.
Interested? To learn more about this opportunity, please contact
the church office.
Getting to Know
the Guys
Through out the year we create casual, recreational opportunities
for some of the newer men in the church to get to know guys
who have been around for awhile. We'll do stuff like barbecue,
a monthly breakfast, hike, shoot hoops, take in a movie, do
a hands on service project or just go golfing - whatever it
takes to break the routine and begin to know each man and his
story. Watch for details as events come up. Currently we are
meeting on the first Saturday of each month at 8:00 a.m. for
breakfast at Christo's in West Lafayette. Come and join us for
this time of sharing and getting to know one another.
Father and Child Outings
During the year we plan a time when Dad's and their sons
from Maple Ridge can come together for some fun and fellowship.
It
gives us a chance to model real manhood to our boys. Single
guys are welcome but they have to hold the hand of a father
when crossing the street! Watch for details as events are planned.
This summer we have planned a father and son camping and canoe
trip on Friday, June 15th and Saturday, June 16th at Shades
State Park. In the fall we are planning to hold a father and
son skeet shoot. Additional events will be scheduled for us
to spend quality time wiht our daughters such as the upcoming
Dinner and Dance on Friday,
May 18th at 7:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall.
