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From your partners in men’s ministry
A bimonthly e-mail letter from agency officers and staff
to leaders of United Methodist Men
April 14, 2014
Living with Gusto
By Bishop James E. Swanson, Sr.
Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise builder who built a house on bedrock. The rain fell, floods came, and the wind blew and beat against that house. It didn’t fall because it was firmly set on bedrock. But everybody who hears these words of mine and doesn’t put them into practice will be like a fool who built a house on sand. The rain fell, the floods came, and the wind blew and beat against that house. It fell and was completely destroyed.
Matthew 7:24-27 CEB
This year, as I watched the NCAA basketball tournament or what many of us refer to as March Madness, one thing stood out very clear to me. The teams that play all out––whether they win or lose––return to the locker room more satisfied with themselves than those that play the game in a timid fashion.
Life is for the living. So, let’s build our lives on a foundation that will allow us to live with gusto.
Here are ways we can live with gusto:
- Develop a self you can respect. Generate a deep sense of responsibility for your thoughts and actions. Set your own internal standards, and cease comparing yourself to others. Life is not a matter of being better than someone else; respect and integrity demand that you be better than you thought you could be!
- Commit yourself to others. Believe in them; take time to nurture their dreams. Build into the lives of those about you by providing nutrients of gratitude and encouragement; invest time and energy in their aspirations.
- Turn disappointments into divine appointments. Achievements worth remembering are stained with the blood of diligence and etched with the scars of frustration. The pages of history are filled with the heroic stories of undaunted men and women who triumphed over disabilities and adversities.
- Enjoy life’s process, not merely its rewards––the journey as well as its destination. Our impulsive, impatient society seems hooked on immediacy: one-minute oatmeal, one-hour dry cleaning, instant coffee, and microwave-dinner trays. But to “live with abandon” we must savor the little victories while realizing that life is an endless journey broken into segments of personal fulfillment.
- Become involved in causes “larger than life.” Choose a challenge bigger than you are, and work at it in pursuit of excellence. Measure success not by what you’ve, done, but what you could and yet shall do.
- People that live like this can enjoy life and will not have lives that crash when the rains come, the floods rise and the winds blow.
GO FOR THE GUSTO!
Add Rather Than Give Up
By Gil Hanke
I hope you have had a blessed Lenten Season. I have.
I used to give up things for Lent.
Early in my walk with Christ I gave up things I did not do, like elephant hunting or skydiving. Then I became more of an adult.
When I lived in East Texas, I took this more seriously and gave up elevators at work; I taught in a three story building, and worked in a hospital with three floors, so that worked pretty well.
Recently I have been adding things during this season. For the last several years I have read the Upper Room Disciplines every day, which combines some reading in the Bible and a devotional, but during this time I added Lenten devotionals from the Society of St. Andrew (www.endhunger.org) and from the church my oldest brother and his wife attend, Church of the Good Shepherd in Vienna, Va. (www.goodshepherdva.com).
So every morning during Lent I read three devotions. In each I have read devotion written by persons I know, in each I have found great stories of faith and found challenges for me to consider.
From each I have received great illustrations I will use in my work, and in each I have been posed questions with which to work as I go through my day.
Although this takes more time in the morning, it doesn’t seem so.
As I write this message to you, Easter is around the corner and I know I will miss what I have added to my morning routine. I have been wondering what I should add when these two Lenten devotionals are completed; what’s next?
Maybe I will add another devotional or expand the lectionary Bible reading found in the Disciplines.
My prayer life could use some work, and maybe I’ll carry a 3x5 note card with a prayer list on it as my grandmother did. I know that is “old, old school,” but it still works.
Maybe I’ll write a personal email to one of the hundreds of volunteers who make this ministry work, or a note to one of the many missionaries around the world supported by this great church.
If you gave something up, what else can you ‘give up’ for the next season of your life? If you added something for Lent, what could you add each day for the sake of the Christ’s Kingdom?
Change is good; adding something positive or setting aside a distraction both are moves in the right direction. What is next for you?
Gil Hanke, general secretary
General Commission on United Methodist Men
GHanke@gcumm.org
A Clear Crisp Day
By Dan Ramsey
As I sit here on this beautiful clear, crisp, day, I stare up into the heavens. I see the majesty of God’s creation. I block out all of the man made things around me and see the beauty of things only God can make; it reminds me of the smiles of my family. To know the love of our loved ones and see it in their faces is truly a gift from God. But what about those in need? Many times they are alone with no family, no home, and no knowledge of where their next meal is coming from. Do they see the same crispness of a clear blue sky? Or do they see a cloudy, dingy sky of depression. We had an opportunity to minister to people from different backgrounds at our NACP meeting in March.
The first responders at a fire station who were working even while we were there. Some left and went out on a response call, some returned from a fire after saving life and property, but they seemed to enjoy our presence and to know that we cared about them and their service. They graciously accepted our gifts of Strength for Service to God and Community devotional books.
Encouragement was the direction of the day at the veteran’s center where Strength for Service devotional books were distributed. It just might be that this was the only gift they have received in quite a while. They gift of thanks from a grateful group of men and our country.
Then there were the bags of beans and rice that were put together and distributed to the children of a low-income elementary school. This may have been the only meals they had during their spring break at home. To see pictures of those children will bring tears to your eyes to know that we have children in this country that are hungry.
Those three mission opportunities are a drop in the bucket as to what we are called to do in our communities. We are called at the local level of the church, where the rubber meets the road, to do God’s ministry in our lives. Don’t miss out on what God has called us to do!
You too can be blessed to see the clear crisp skies of the love of God if you will step up and be a part of men’s ministry in your community. Remember, it is not about you and me; it is about making disciples in a hurting world. You will never know how much you can change a person’s life by a word, a deed, a touch, or a carried out mission for Jesus Christ. Thank you for what you do.
Thinking of You!
Partnerships Strengthen Ministry
By Larry Coppock
Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil.
Ecclesiastes 4:9
Partnerships and collaborations expand opportunities for outreach and evangelism.
General agencies are sometimes viewed as bureaucratic organizations, but they provide resources––both material and human––for churches and communities around the world.
Paul says, “So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth” (Corinthians 3:7).
Often we allow “walls of water” to create islands that separate us from one another and these walls prevent us from reaching our goal––“to declare the centrality of Christ in every man’s life.”
There are several examples of ways the General Commission on United Methodist Men staff and volunteers have worked with other general agencies in order to fulfill the denomination’s mission “to make disciples for Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.”
1. In 2010, the Boy Scouts of America announced Nothing but Nets would serve as their first international “Good Turn” project. More than $17,000 was raised at the 2010 BSA National Jamboree as a result of a BSA partnership with GCUMM, United Methodist Communications and the United Nations Foundation. Funds were used to purchase 1,700 nets to save lives of African families affected by malaria.
2. The Strength for Service to God and Country devotional book is sold, distributed and marketed through The United Methodist Publishing House and the commission. More than 480,000 copies have been published and most of them have been given free to military men and women over the last 12 years. Testimonials may be viewed at www.StrengthforService.org.
3. Strength for Service to God and Country is supported by the Advance (No.3021221), a fund managed by the General Board of Global Ministries.
4. The United Methodist Church Foundation created the Eugene A. Hunsberger Endowment Fund to ensure that Strength for Service to God and Country will continue to be available to U.S. troops.
5. More than 57 youngsters of incarcerated parents have been matched with mentors through Amachi, a restorative justice mentoring ministry. The matches in 18 annual conferences were made possible by funds from Human Relations Day offerings, administered by the General Board of Church and Society.
6. The General Board of Higher Education and Ministry helped the Office of Scouting Ministries identify and recruit chaplains for BSA jamborees and high adventure bases.
We hope you will form partnerships with other organizations in your church and community in order to increase opportunities for discipleship making.
Larry Coppock, national director of scouting ministries and director of the Strength for Service Publication Fund
General Commission on United Methodist Men
LCoppock@gcumm.org
Winners Plan--Planners Win
GOD has the Winning Plan
By Mark Lubbock
Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the LORD's purpose that prevails
Proverbs 19:21 –
What is the greatest burden on your heart for your church right now? Get out a notebook and write this down. You now have a focus for your daily prayers. (You ARE praying every day, aren’t you?––Good!)
Burden of your heart
Often the things that lay heavy on our heart are there because God intends to do a great work, and we are a key component of that great work. Our first response should be to pray, pray and listen, listen. When we see a need, think of an activity, identify a needed ministry, one that we just cannot get out of our heart––then it may be something that God wants to implement.
Share the vision
The next step, when we’ve identified the “What” is to share this idea with others. Talk it over; look at it from a variety of angles. Make notes of other thoughts and considerations that arise from the conversation and visioning. This becomes the topic for prayer and discernment.
Set a date
Establish a firm deadline for action. Without a firm date, this will never move from being a “good idea” into a plan of action.
Count the cost
What? Who? When? Where? Why? What resources will you need? Who should you recruit or invite to join you in this project? When do you need to start? Why are you doing this? What is the end result? Proper assessment will allow you to get all of the requisite resources lined up.
Points of entry
Always be on the lookout for opportunities to invite other men to join you and your group. This burden that is becoming an objective, mission or ministry will open doors for others that God would have be a part of His great work!
Thinking for a moment about the men in your church who are NOT engaged, what sort of opportunities to connect would appeal to them?
Strength in numbers
God is all about community! Be intentional to look for ways to for a partnership with other churches in your area on activities and outreach. Don’t just dismiss an idea because your group is too small or does not have the resources or financial foundation to execute. This may well be the means to building a larger community group or activity among several churches!
Pray, listen, discuss and act!
Blessings!
The Rev. Mark Lubbock, deployed staff member
General Commission on United Methodist Men
mlubbock@gcumm.org
Mark speaks to churches and groups and conducts workshops like “Accelerating Ministry to Men”. You can host Mark or schedule a workshop in your area by emailing your request to: mlubbock@gcumm.org
“Learning to lead like Jesus is more than an announcement; it is a commitment to lead in a different way. This change will not happen overnight. We believe Leading Like Jesus is a transformational cycle that begins with personal leadership and then moves to leading others in one-on-one relationships, then to leading a team, family or group and finally to leading an organization or community. This sequence occurs in both life leadership roles and organizational leadership role.”
––Ken Blanchard and Phil Hodges
During Jesus’ brief ministry on this earth, He invested most of His time in the training and equipping of His disciples in the three areas: 1) Personal leadership; 2) One-on-one leadership and 3) Team leadership.
It was only after Jesus’ return to the Father that His success in equipping the disciples for the fourth and final stage of the cycle of organizational leadership for a new church could be measured.
We are still measuring that success today!
Personal leadership
As servant leaders, this transformational leadership cycle always begins at the personal leadership stage with the desired outcome being the onset of heart transformation.
In this first step, the leader asks two questions: “Whose am I?” and “Who am I?”
The first question deals with who our main authority and audience is going to be based on who we are trying to please.
The second question seeks to discover our life purpose: Why am I on earth? What is my mission? How do I leave a legacy that matters?
If you look at the world through the lens of the Bible, your initial questions should be “What is God trying to say or do?” “What is His will for me?”
Answers to these questions will come from your relationship with God and others through love and surrender to service.
“Come, follow me and I will send you out to fish for people,” said Jesus. At once they left their nets and followed Him.”
Matthew 4: 19-20
Jesus knew getting men to make God the primary authority for their lives would require a heart transformation that moved them from being self-serving to becoming servant leaders for the Kingdom.
One-on-one leadership
In this stage of the leadership cycle, Jesus worked individually with each of the 12 disciples on the areas he deemed most important for kingdom development.
This step will never succeed if the personal-leadership stage has not been adequately addressed. People will follow a self-serving leader only if their individual needs are being met.
One of the scriptural supports to this stage can be found in Matthew 14:22-32:
“Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to the other side, while He dismissed the crowd. After He had dismissed them, He went up on a mountainside by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone, but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. When the disciples saw Him walking on the lake, they were terrified. ‘It’s a ghost,’ they said, and cried out in fear. But Jesus immediately said to them: ‘Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.’ ‘Lord, if it’s You,’ Peter replied, ‘tell me to come to You on the water.’ ‘Come,’ He said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, ‘Lord, save me!’ Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught Him. ‘You of little faith,’ He said, ‘why did you doubt?’ And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.”
Team/family leadership
The third leadership stage is team/family leadership with the goal of developing a community among the disciples. This is achieved through the establishment of trust through one-on-one relationships. In this stage, Jesus continued to develop the individual gifts of the disciples as He honored the power of diversity and acknowledged the power of teamwork being created.
Scriptural support of note here is John 13:13-17 -
“You call Me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”
Also of note in support of community outcome can be found in Mark 6: 7-12 and 30-31.
Trust is a key factor to the successful implementation of this team stage of development. It trust is not developed in the one-on-one stage, the followers will not have each other’s backs, and the team will be weak and ineffective.
Organizational/community leadership
The fourth stage of this transformational journey is organizational/community leadership. The quality of a leader’s influence at this broader level depends on the outcome of transformed perspective, trust, empowerment and community that was attained by the followers during passage through the first three stages of this journey of change and growth. The outcome of focusing on this fourth stage is unity, high performance and human satisfaction.
John 17:20-23 supports this stage:
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in Me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as You are in Me and I am in You. May they also be in Us so that the world may believe that You have sent Me. I have given them the glory that You gave Me, that they may be one as We are one— I in them and You in Me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that You sent Me and have loved them even as You have loved Me.
Jesus equipped the disciples in the first three stages and then sent the Holy Spirit to guide them at this fourth level as we see it developing in the book of Acts.
During His ministry on this earth, Jesus created the environments for developing this effective organization of disciples through His alignment with the plan of the Father and His identified purposes for them through the Great Commission and Great Commandments.
In considering this to “lead like Jesus,” we must remember leadership is not about us! It is about doing the will of God. It is about investing our lives into the lives of others and helping them discover the agenda God has for them.
Jim Boesch, deployed staff member
General Commission on United Methodist Men
jboesch@gcumm.org
Jim facilitates equipping workshops for “Lead Like Jesus,” servant leadership training; “Understanding Men's Ministry,” discipling leadership training; and “Equipping Equippers” learning-facilitation training. You may host any of these workshops in your area by calling him (407-721-0416) or by e-mail. jimboesch68@gmail.com
I Have a Group-What’s Next?
By Mark Dehority
“What can I do with a new church group?”
“How do we refocus our church?”
These two questions emerged in a morning conference call.
Our answers to these questions must somehow relate to the promise we made when we joined the church to faithfully participate in the ministries of the church with our “prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness” (2012 Book of Discipline ¶217.6).
I don't know of any of God's plans that don't fit into these five categories.
Answers must also relate to the mission of the denomination “to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.” (2012 Book of Discipline ¶120).
The UMC general rule of discipleship is “to witness to Jesus Christ in the world, and follow his teachings through acts of compassion, justice, worship, and devotions, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.” (2012 Book of Discipline ¶1117.2 a)
While these guidelines are helpful, we can only learn the will of God for our specific group through prayer.
As individuals or teams we need to be in constant prayer for God's direction. What is God asking us to do? We know he has a plan. We know were part of that plan. We need to discover His plan through prayer.
We need to pray about:
- How God wants to use our presence or attendance or involvement in building the kingdom. Our part of that plan has to include our involvement in the work.
- How God wants us to return a small portion of the gifts he has given us. It is important to remember that God gave us all of our presents. Our work includes sharing our abundance with others.
- God asks us to love our neighbors. We demonstrate that love by our acts of service. In what ways can we serve God and our neighbors?
- Our prayers, presence, gifts, and service are part of our witness. However, our specific witness should be part of our plan. Are our lives a proper witness to the love of Jesus Christ?
God gave you and your group special gifts and talents. They match a very specific plan God has for your kingdom work within the broad mission of the United Methodist Church.
What are the needs of your church, neighborhood, village, city and world? How can you and your group help meet those needs?
What is God calling you and your group to do?
Pray, pray, pray and pray; the Lord will guide you.
Mark Dehority, deployed staff member
General Commission on United Methodist Men
mdehority@gcumm.org
Mark conducts workshops tailored to focusing your group or ministry - You may host a workshop in your area by emailing your request. mark@dehority1.com
We Normally Have More Guys
By Greg Arnold
I’m always excited to venture into conferences, districts, and churches to talk about building the kingdom by making disciples for Jesus Christ. Sharing tools, resources, experiences and advice to men who are eager to do the same is second to nothing.
No matter where I go and regardless of the event or venue, I am usually greeted with a handshake, a smile, and a phrase; “We normally have more guys”. To which, I typically respond with, “Hey, don’t worry about that––‘where two or more are gathered in the name of Christ, He is among us’––and that is all we need.”
Let’s be honest, we “don’t normally have more guys.” I also am the president/director of my local church men’s ministry. We don’t normally have more guys either.
Why do we feel compelled to measure success by numbers?
We men are bean counters. It doesn’t matter where we fall on the spectrum, we absolutely love to measure ourselves and our successes by counting things. Whether it’s more tools, toys, points, antlers, trophies, cars, or hair––we count stuff.
The reality––pastors, districts, conferences, bishops, and councils must use some device to track progress. So, they count stuff.
When does counting heads lose its effectiveness?
Let’s take the foot off the gas for a minute. When it comes to making disciples, counting heads is of very little value. Let’s use the filter of Christ to look into our discipleship efforts. This means we must look past the number of heads present, and look at the hearts that show the fruit of transformation.
Jesus Christ modeled discipleship for us. He didn’t, however, model men’s ministry and programs. Jesus shows us how to be disciples first and disciple-makers second. This means we have to count the hearts in transformation before we can think about counting the numbers attached to the periphery.
So what does counting heads mean for your ministry?
When I’m greeted with, “Normally we have more people,” I begin with Discipleship 101. That one statement tells me that we’re counting heads and need more training on how to reach hearts.
On those rare occasions when I’m greeted by someone telling me about the transformed lives of those present, I skip the 101 stuff and go straight to graduate level training.
How can your ministry still count stuff and be successful?
Again, we are guys and we love to count stuff. We also are men who love a good challenge. So, let’s embrace our need to count by counting the number of lives transformed by discipleship.
However, doing this will require a shift in thinking. Rather than hoping to turn in a large number. Rather than setting yourself up for disappointment by expecting 100 and getting 15 or 20. Set your goal on the number of transformed lives. Perhaps this year, we’ll lead 2 or 3 to a deeper relationship with Christ.
Let’s stop focusing on who isn’t here - and start working harder than ever to disciple those who are. In time - the 100 or 300 you are hoping to reach - will come. always excited to venture into conferences, districts, and churches to talk about building the kingdom by making disciples for Jesus Christ. Sharing tools, resources, experiences and advice to men who are eager to do the same is second to nothing.
Greg Arnold, deployed staff member
General Commission on United Methodist Men
garnold@gcumm.org
Greg conducts the ENGAGE workshop - How to Reach Younger Men. You can host this workshop in your area by emailing your request to:greg@livebold.org
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