E-MALE Newsletter #5

"E-MALE"
...An electronic newsletter for Christian Men. Volume 1, Number 5.

Prepared for the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists
Dick Duerksen, editor
duerksen@bigfoot.com

PURPOSE:
TO ENCOURAGE AND CHALLENGE CHRISTIAN MEN IN SPIRITUAL GROWTH AND SERVICE.

...INVITATION FOR INPUT:

This is your newsletter and we want it to grow more valuable with each issue.
If you have resource suggestions, devotional ideas, event information
or anything else that would be of value to Christian men, please e-mail
a note to Dick Duerksen at his web address: duerksen@bigfoot.com

DEVOTIONAL:

Her Little Black Book

But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the LORD; and you
may be sure that your sin will find you out. Numbers 32:23 NIV

There are some powerful men in New York who aren't sleeping too well tonight.
It seems that a high-priced whore who specialized in leather and spanking has
just gotten herself murdered. Much to the chagrin of her johns, the police have her
little black book. And there listed are the names of high-placed politicians
and jurists, business moguls and celebrities - and a preacher or two.
Paragons of virtue, the guardians of the peoples' freedoms and morals, are now
at high risk of being revealed for all the world as unable to guard
their own ways - let alone ours.
Of course, now that I think more about it, why should they worry about public censure?
Look at our national heroes - the men and women who wear their depravity like a badge
of honor: Consider the Madonnas and the Rodmans, the Versaces and the politicians
who no longer ask for our forgiveness, just our understanding!
Hey, I'm surprised that these guys haven't taken out an ad in USA Today.
"Try it, you might like it too!" theymight trumpet.
"And you prudes stuck in your puritan piety, doesn't the Bible say don't judge?"
Don't buy it! Yes, it's time we quit judging one another on our manner of worship
arrange the pews or the hymns we or communion or how we sing. It's time to leave
the nits alone and tell the world around us the Truth: "The day is coming when
God will judge the world in righteousness." And then all the sins men and women
covered by night's dark blanket will be revealed - not thought were in some whore's black
book but in the books of heaven. Every unforgiven sin will stand out in its horrible
sinfulness and we'll know God wasn't kidding when he declared sin's wage to be death.
When I see Jesus at Calvary hanging on the cross, I know God's not
kidding about sin. And if He's not kidding, maybe we shouldn't take it so
lightly either. Too bad that lady's black book won't really matter much
this month. Maybe if it did, some of the men listed in it might turn from
death to life. I wonder, if we could get them to look into God's eternal
record book, maybe then they would see the benefits of living in God's
love. Maybe we could save a few. We've certainly got to try!
Forgive us our sins, Lord - PLEASE!
Major Dale Forrester, Chaplain, US Army

CONTENTS, AUGUST 5 ISSUE:

...Devotional from Army Chaplain Dale Forrester
...Event Calendar
...Resources for Christian Men
...Quotes Worth Considering
...Irrelevant Data
...USAF to the Rescue
...Solution for Diabetes
...Church Bats and Death
...Finding Time to be Dad
...Last Thought

EVENT CALENDAR:

(I am certain there are many additional men's activities in the division. These are the ones I have on the calendar at the moment. Please send dates for any additional events you are aware of.)

RESOURCES FOR CHRISTIAN MEN

MEN AT THE CROSS ROADS: Beyond Traditional Roles and Modern Options by Jack Balswisck. InterVarsity, 1992. Even though this book is 5 years old, you will find it to be right "on target" for the challenges men are facing in 1997. Balswisck provides dozens of specific suggestions for living a more positive and productive life as father, provider, husband and friend.

FATHERLESS AMERICA by David Blankenshorn. Basic books, 1995. You will probably not like this book as it graphically describes the problems being faced by youth who are "abandoned" by their fathers across America. Blankenshorn describes this as much more than just an urban dilemma, but a problem of commitment, a problem that we - as Christian Fathers - can conquer.

THE TOP TEN MISTAKES LEADERS MAKE, by Hans Finzel. Victor Books, 1994. The title suggests that this is a negative book describing how "not to do leadership," but instead, Finzel has written a book with far more than just a description of the problem. This volume is packed with proposals, suggestions, ideas on "how TO do leadership." It's finest feature is Finzel's personal commitment to the value of each individual in the organization.

QUOTES WORTH CONSIDERING:
"Where death means nothing, life is meaningless...What [death] has done for me is I don't carry a grudge as long. I try not to stay angry as long. I try to resolve conflicts in my family quicker. I try to keep my balance in that regard because I do know an awful lot of people who went off to work and didn't come back."
-- Mortician Thomas Lynch in his book, THE UNDERTAKING

RAPE is a crime men could conquer and eliminate within one generation.
-- anonymous

"Take away my people but leave me my factories and soon grass will grow on the factory
floor. Take away my factories but leave my people and soon we will have a new and better factory."
-- Andrew Carnegie

"Four questions every follower asks:

What am I supposed to do?
Will you let me do it?
Will you help me when I need it?
Will you let me know how I'm doing?"
-- Hans Finzel in his book, THE TOP TEN MISTAKES LEADERS MAKE

Atheism is a non-prophet organization.
Nothing is fool-proof to a sufficiently talented fool.
He's always late. His ancestors arrived on the Juneflower.
I wonder how much deeper the ocean would be without sponges?
Honk if you love peace and quiet.
Seen it all, done it all, can't remember most of it.
-- Talking Heads - 1984

IRRELEVANT DATA:

This year, more than 100 million Americans will ride bikes to work or for recreation.
That is 10 million more than in 1991. Yet, less than 1% of all federal highway dollars
are spent on bicycle related projects.
Nationally, the average bicycle fatality rate between 1986 and 1995 was 3.4 bicyclists per
million people. Florida had the highest fatality rate at 8.8 bicyclists per million.
-- THE WASHINGTON POST

BMW's advertisement for their new 130hp K1200 RS motorcycle, "the
most powerful BMW motorcycle ever built," shows a picture of the awesome
bike with the words... "CPR FOR THE LIVING."

The "World's Best Denim Workshirt"(#3488-57F) is now available for
$48 from Willis and Geiger. Call 1-800-223-1408 for a catalogue.

USAF TO THE RESCUE:
After the Fort Collins flood in late July the USAF called the
Salvation Army to say they were bringing several truckloads of clothing and
food from their Cheyenne, Wyoming base. The Salvation Army referred them to
the SDA Community Services Center in Fort Collins.
The trucks, a huge amount of stuff (and about 40 airmen) arrived at
about 3:00 pm. The Tech Sergeant asked how they could help. Janet and June,
directors of the center, described how all the stuff needed to be sorted
and organized. That was all it took. For the next 2 hours the troops
carried all the stuff to the church basement, sorted it out and labeled all
the boxes. They even vacuumed the entire church when they were done!
Not only did the airmen sort what they brought, but also everything
else that had been dropped off at the center. The entire church basement,
including most of the classrooms, was full of clothing and food, ready for
distribution to those in need.
For many families in Fort Collins, total devastation and loss has
been relieved thanks to the teamwork of the USAF and the SDA Community
Services Center. -- Larry Hoffman

SOLUTION FOR DIABETES:

Some types of diabetes can be reversed, in many cases within two or three days. This has been the experience of NEWSTART(R) physicians of Weimar Institute. Medical research confirms that 50% of type 2, adult-onset diabetics, of which there are 15+ million in the USA, can return to normal blood sugar within three weeks, by adopting the heart-healthy NEWSTART menu and regular daily exercise.
Weimar Institute, in conjunction with Poland Springs, Uchee Pines, Lifestyle Center of America, and Wildwood Hospital and Lifestyle Center, present three-day Reversing Diabetes seminars around the country. Nurses, dietitians, and optometrists can earn CEUs.

Here are the balance of the 1997 seminars located at Christian conference centers:

Reno-Lake Tahoe - 3-5 Sept	Baltimore-Philadephia - 16-18 Sept
New York - 19-22 Sept	Portland - 21-23 October	Los Angeles-San Diego - 10-12 November

Here are the stories of two men who have returned to Normal Blood Sugar level within Two Days, without Insulin!
John Rowe, 51, ER nurse at Kaiser Hospital, Fontana, CA, has been diabetic for eleven years. For the past four years his physician has prescribed 144 units of insulin daily. November 11, 1996 he attended our NEWSTART(R) Reversing Diabetes seminar at Arrowhead Springs Christian Conference Center. He implemented the suggestions of our preventive medicine physicians and within two days his blood sugar returned to normal. He has not used insulin since. His blood pressure is now normal and in four months has lost 35 lb.. He said, "I had given the medical profession 11 years to help me control my diabetes. This Weimar program really works."
Kit Carson, 43, construction superintendent, Upland, CA, was taking 85 units of insulin daily. He was big--6'8", 440 lb., and relied on his pickup instead of walking! Within the two days of the NEWSTART(R) seminar (March 1995) his blood sugar returned to normal (85-95), yet it had been 500 one month earlier. In two years he has never taken insulin again and has lost 135 lb.. His crew divides in half to walk two miles with him in the morning and in the afternoon! He joked that "Three restaurants went out of business in our town since my wife and I adopted this lifestyle!" His wife, Arletta, commented, "This is so easy--it's not white knuckles. I had tried every diet known to man and couldn't lose weight. Now I've lost nearly 60 lb.. myself."
-- Henry C. Martin 800-525-9192 ext. 7016

CHURCH BATS and DEATHS: Three Pastors in the south were having lunch in a diner. One said "Ya know, since summer started I've been having trouble with bats in my loft and attic at church. I've tried everything--noise, spray, cats--nothing seems to scare them away.
Another said "Yea, me too. I've got hundreds living in my belfry and attic. I've even had the place fumigated and they won't go away.
The third said, "I baptized all mine and made them members of the
church... Haven't seen one back since!!!" -- KFattic@aol.com

A young lad was visiting a church for the first time and was slowly walking around the foyer looking at all the posters, advertisements and pictures on the walls. When he came to a group of photos of men in uniform he stopped and asked a nearby deacon, "Who are all those men in he pictures?" The deacon replied, "Why sonny, those are all our boys who died in the service." Dumbfounded, the youngster asked, "Was that the 8:00 or 11:00 service?"
-- Bill Hindman <74532.263@compuserve,com>

FINDING TIME TO BE DAD: Life for men, these days, seems to be more harried than it has ever been. To be sure, our lives are filled with work in the office, farm or shop, and anyplace else where we might go--even home. With the proliferation of pagers, personal computers and more so with laptops and e-mail, our work follow us around like a collar on a dog's neck. In short, our lives are filled with clutter.
And yet, the preacher/teacher in Ecclesiastes, tells us that there is a time for every purpose under the heavens. One of the most important of purposes is finding time to be a dad--especially if our offspring are still children, teenagers or even young adults.
Most of the classical psychoanalytic literature headlines the mother's impact on a child's development. Nonetheless, developmental psychologists have found that men have a profound, albeit different, effect on their children's development. Men play with their children in different ways than their wives do. Men have a unique form of interacting with their children that is special and necessary in the lives of their children.
Gentlemen, and those not so gentle, our children need us and we must find the time to spend with them to communicate concern, affection and love. Perhaps to find the time to be a dad we need to simplify our lives. A smaller house, a less expensive car, less frivolous spending, less emphasis on material wealth and more emphasis on relationships, less stress, less time on the road, more time to "smell" the children.
Let's allow God's grace and love to lead us, and pack lighter for the rest of our journey.
--Willie Oliver--NAD Director of Family Ministries
<74617,3130@compuserve.com>

LAST THOUGHT:
An atheist came upon a group of Christians who were citing the
miracles of the Bible and praising the Lord. The Christians mentioned how
wonderful it was that God had parted the Red Sea for the Israelites. "Well
actually," said the atheist, "According to the route they took the
Israelites probably crossed the 'Reed' Sea which at certain times during
the year is only 6 inches deep. So you see it really isn't a miracle that
they were able to cross it!"
The Christians looked at the atheist with smiles on every face and
once again began praising the Lord for such a miracle. "Don't you get it?"
screamed the atheist, "there wasn't any miracle it was a natural event."
"Don't you get it?" laughed one of the Christians, "The miracle is
that God was able to drown the entire Egyptian Army in 6 inches of water!"