Bill’s Front Porch

J.T. and I just got back from a conference in Birmingham on men’s ministry and it was tremendously informative!  I must say that I went to be able to spend time with J.T. but I was incredibly blessed and challenged by the conference.

 Many things were said that I needed reminding of and some things that I need to think about.  One of the things that was said is that we have “feminized” the church and that is one reason that many men don’t come.  I’m not sure what that means in real life.  Any ideas?  We also talked about how men don’t have many strong relationships with other men (if you ask many men who their best friend is, they will tell you someone from high school that they hardly have any contact with anymore).  I think some of that is a pride issue (many men don’t want to admit that they have a need), but I wonder if it is more than that.  I have really tried to expand my circle of friends in these older years of my life and have found that I have missed many joys in not doing this sooner.  Men, what do you feel that needs are in men’s ministry and how can the church meet those needs.  Ladies, from an objective point of view looking at this, what do you see?  Just wondering.

Bill

Just an aside: Laura brought up a very good point on the last discussion about it being hard to evanglize those who think they know everything.  I think that Jesus was frustrated (bad word, but maybe you get what I’m saying) with the religious leaders in His time because they already felt that they knew everything and were unteachable.  An example being the parable of the pharisee and the “sinner” going into the temple.  The “sinner” came out forgiven, the pharisee did not.

Sorry for my absence from the porch lately.  I was sick for a while and had to go inside, then my internet connection was really messed up (it is still not right) so I couldn’t even get on the porch!  I missed my rocking chair, the soft breeze, the sounds of spring (it is always either spring or fall on the porch), but most of all my friends.  Thanks for all of the expressions of support and concern.  Also for all that you have done for me.  I have gotten a request to explore more deeply the area of end-times evangelism.  This is probably a subject that needs to be on our minds all of the time.  Watching our world, the attitudes of people (even in our family of faith), and the environmental manifestations, I think that we are very close.  So close that I wonder if Elizabeth will be around long enough to get married (of course there have been times in the past, as she interacted with Karon, that I have wondered that same thing but for a different reason)!  I really do wonder if we, as Christians, have lost that love for the lost, or that fear of hell.  Has the concept of eternity just totally gotten lost in the living for the minute world that we find ourselves?  Why don’t we (including me) evangelize more, or, for some of us, even a little?  Is it just this disobedient heart that we have?  Is it the fact that hell, eternal destruction, and “life” without hope doesn’t move us anymore?  You know, it just came to me that it shouldn’t matter if something “moves” us or not anymore.  It should be that we do it because we are commanded to and it was important to Jesus.  Maybe it’s time that I got off the porch and did what I know to do.

(aside to Dolan, can you please add Deanna’s, Cami’s, your’s, and the church’s blog sites to my “links” or whatever that is, if they are not there already?)