In this FALL 2011 issue:
> The Lone Ranger
> The Real Weapon of Mass Destruction
> A Conversation with John Almey
> How to be Successful! … a look at Joshua1:8
> Fall ANVIL Calendar | ||
A Ministry of Georgetown Christian Fellowship
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THE ANVIL Ministry for Men Newsletter
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ANVIL Pigroast Video Highlights (Sept 15/2011).
We had a good feast and fun around the fire.
...here Ken Slaven blesses the pig in Hebrew before carving it up !!!
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The LONE RANGER
Has it ever struck you that the Lone Ranger wasn’t
truly alone? The role of Tonto was created, originally, so the Lone Ranger would have someone with whom he could talk. Everyone needs a Tonto.
When King David was alone, he was tempted. He was alone on
the roof top when he made the decision to take a second look. He should have been fulfilling his responsibilities as King and leading his army, alongside Joab, to destroy the Ammonites. Instead, he made the choice to give himself some down time, alone. In the cool of the night, alone …. he made a bad decision. It was a long painful road from the roof, until Nathan called him out. He needed someone to walk beside him, someone to hold him accountable.
If the Lone Ranger had found himself in the
same situation, Tonto would have chastised him. How far was it from the second look to having the woman’s husband killed? He deliberately made his way down “Deception Drive” to get to “Cover Up Court”.
We all need accountability within a relationship. I’ve enjoyed
my cluster group because I found consistent friendship in a safe place where I can share my heart. My group is as diverse in ages as it is in ministry positions - Paul Mittelstaedt is a missionary, Craig McKibbon is a lead pastor, Skipp Collins is a youth pastor and Kevin Shepherd is a lead pastor. Within this circle, we gently but determinedly hold each other to a level of acceptable accountability that we know is healthy. They have my back.
Diane Leach had my back just two weeks ago. In her weakened condition, she cared so much for our district family that she stayed strong - long enough to share with me a specific word God had given her to enlighten and encourage me. Before she died, just ten days ago at the time of this writing, I went to the Windsor hospital to visit and pray with her.
As happens so many times while visiting a child of God, I was the one who left her hospital room feeling uplifted.
I felt an anointing of the Holy Spirit as I received her words. It was a remarkable moment for me that I won’t forget.
Years ago I had a pastor friend, in another district, who was enticed to sin. In fact, he was contemplating sin on a particular day when he was sitting in their district executive meeting. He was sitting around a boardroom table, surrounded by godly men and yet couldn’t bring himself to confess the words to any of them; words that could have stopped him that day from ruining his life, losing his wife, his children and his ministry.
by lorrie gibbons
PAOC district superintendent
Proverbs 27:17 says “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” One person may sharpen another but you have to get close enough to let the sparks fly. Openness, honesty and vulnerability are needed AND the willingness to let someone into your life, close enough to watch your back.
· Everyone needs a Tonto.
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Joshua 1:8
“This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth; you are to recite it day and night, so that you may carefully observe everything in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do”
“I recall and repeat often now the first Scripture passage I ever memorized,” wrote evangelist Arthur Flake in his book Life at Eighty as I see It. He was referring to Joshua 1:8. “I memorized this more than fifty years ago. It is still fresh and invigorating, and I love it.”
I, too, have a clear recollection of memorizing this verse. It worked its way into my long-term memory and it’s never left. It contains a 3-fold command: (1) This book of the law must not depart from your mouth. We must keep speaking it, reading it, repeating it, hearing it (2) We’re to meditate on God’s Word day and night. The original Hebrew word came from a verb meaning “to mutter,” as if muttering to yourself. We’re to let verses of Scripture roll around in our minds all the time. We meditate on something by memorizing, visualizing, and personalizing it. We mutter it around in our minds by day and go to sleep at night letting its words sink into our subconscious. (3) Having read and meditated on God’s Word, we put it into practice and obey it.
Joshua 1:8 ends with a twofold promise: (1) If we read, meditate, and obey God’s law, we will prosper; and (2) we will succeed in whatever we do. As we meditate on God’s Word, our minds are improved. Our mind is “God-conditioned”. We begin thinking more as He thinks, looking at life from His point of view. As we’re transformed by the renewing of our thoughts, we become successful in those things God appoints for us to do. (by Robert J. Morgan)
I WANT YOU to know that ANVIL Ministry for Men WANTS YOU to be CONNECTED at
GCF !
ANVIL meets Thursdays @ 7pm
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Did you know? … that the PAOC Western Ontario District produces the online men’s publication HALFTIME REPORT at: www.thehalftimereport.com
The ANVIL Feature Interview:
There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John…!!! (John 1:6)
We asked GCF’s own John Almey to share a synopsis of his “life’s story” with us at one of our ANVIL meetings one recent Thursday evening. It is reprinted here with his permission. At 81 years of age John is an encouragement to us, and a testimony of God’s faithfulness! He reminds us of Caleb, of the Old Testament!
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The ANVIL: John, please give us a sense of your family background.
John Almey: I was raised just west of Trenton, Ontario, the ninth child of ten (6 boys & 4 girls). Four were born in military camps in England and one in Ireland prior to Dad immigrating to Canada in 1920. Dad was a Regimental Sergeant-Major in both the British and Canadian armies.
The ANVIL: Tell us about some early influences in your life and your journey to faith in Christ.
John Almey: We did not attend church though Mom professed to be Anglican. One brother, Maurice, who had been in the Airforce accepted Christ as his personal Saviour and became a Pentecostal minister. He prayed much for the family.
In high school, the sciences were my favourite subjects and I believed in a divine Creator but didn’t give a lot of thought about God. After graduating in 1948 from high school, I received a phone call asking if I would be interested in working in a lab testing food products for a food company called Crosse & Blackwell. Since I couldn’t afford university at that time, I accepted. Four months later the plant was sold, as Crosse & Blackwell were consolidating their companies in the USA and I was out of work. The Lord works in mysterious ways.
My brother Maurice, whom I hardly knew, showed up at the house for a visit. He was pastoring a church in Haileybury in northern Ontario, and he asked if I would like to come to visit. My younger brother, who had been up there with Maurice, said “Don’t go! He will preach at you!”
I went. He did preach but I didn’t make a commitment to serve Christ. I did meet some of the kindest and friendliest people I had ever known. There was definitely something different about them.
Then one Sunday afternoon, a missionary from China was speaking. She related that though many of her colleagues perished as the Communist troops swept across China, she and a number of others survived. The Communist troops had broken through the Nationalist lines, & entered the city where the missionaries had taken refuge in a building on a hill, and proceeded to approach the building firing their weapons. Suddenly the Communist troops fled! The Chinese Nationalist’s recaptured the city and she had a chance to question a captured Communist soldier. She wanted to know why they ran from the building they were in. The soldier’s reply was unforgettable! He said “…you had people dressed in white with flaming swords protecting you!” By the end of the service I knew I had to ask Christ to forgive my sins.
The ANVIL: How did accepting Christ at age 18 affect your life direction?
John Almey: After staying four months with my brother Maurice and his family, I headed for Toronto to find work. I stayed with my brother’s in-laws and attended the Stone Church (a downtown Toronto Pentecostal church). I got a job in an office of a company building construction machinery and again the Lord provided three other Christians to help me in my growth spiritually and the four of us had devotions at lunch time. From the Stone Church, I joined a group witnessing on the streets of Toronto.
I didn’t particularly like Toronto, in part because of riding on crowded street cars and the weather was extremely hot that summer. I received a letter from an Inspector of Schools. His territory took in Cobalt, Haileybury & Kirkland Lake area. He wanted to know if I would consider taking a rural school as I could teach on a permit with my Grade 13 certificate. I laughed at the thought and declined. He kept writing and the summer kept getting hotter! The company I worked for even sent us home early one day because of the heat. Finally, I agreed to take a school. I had already fallen in love with the North Country. Thus began my teaching career. It would take me to Wawa for four years where the Lord helped two missionary ladies and I establish a church there. We began by simply holding street meetings and Sunday Services in the school gym. The school, Sir James Dunn Public School had 16 teachers at that time, teaching grades 1 to 12. To get grade 13, they had to go to Sault Ste. Marie. Most went to work in the Iron mine.
To further my career (I now had a wife and daughter). I accepted a position with the Etobicoke Board of Education. So here I am back in Toronto. The Lord led me to attend the Lakeshore Gospel Temple with Pastor Alex Ness, the Senior Pastor. Two years later the Lord performed a miracle for the growing church and we were able to purchase almost six acres of land on the Queensway for $75,000 that amazed real estate developers who had been trying for years to get the two owners to patch up a quarrel and sell them the land they owned. Thus began 30 years of my life at Queensway Cathedral. It also led to the creation of a Christian school there from kindergarten to Grade 13. I was asked to help start-up and run the school for Queensway and serve as chairman of the board.
Upon retirement, I moved with my wife to Peterborough to help assist with her parents. There we chose Calvary Church to attend. My wife had been a Sunday School teacher when Calvary was just getting started in the south end of Peterborough. Twenty-five years later, Calvary has grown, thanks to the Lord to over 1,000 people!
The PAOC Bible College (EPBC) eventually moved to Toronto. Trent University rented its buildings for 5 years. Further efforts to sell it failed. God had a purpose for those buildings. Today it has reopened again as a Bible
College with 125 students enrolled.
My wife’s health has failed and so my children wanted us to live closer to them to assist us. So now we are in Georgetown watching and waiting for the Lord’s return. Praise His wonderful name!
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Pornography
-The Real Weapon of Mass Destruction
-The Real Weapon of Mass Destruction
According to Focus On The Family research and our own research through Honor Bound Men's Ministries, 65% of Christian men admit to struggling with pornography. So what's the big deal?
Consider these facts:
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Pornography continued …
Be aware that you cannot control its lure nor gain victory from it on your own – once you become involved with it! So the best route is to have nothing whatsoever to do with it – even if that means you have to get rid of your cable, satellite dish and/or TV.
Here are two good guidelines from the God’s Word: Job 31:1 – Job stated: “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl.”
There’s the two keys:
Take charge of your thoughts.
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ANVIL CALENDAR
September:
Sept 24 PAOC Western Ont District Men's Day (Click here for INFO)
@ Braeside Camp ($35. & includes 2 meals)
Motorcycle Ride/Chess tournament/Flag football
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October:
Oct 22 Sat. Men's Breakfast at Ares Restaurant @ 8am
Oct 28-30 Father & Son/Daughter RETREAT - Kapikog Lake
Oct 22 Marriage Seminar -Andrew Jones Leading -"Godly Husbanding - Part 2"
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November:
Nov 1 Saturday Men's Breakfast at Ares Restaurant @ 8am
Nov 18-19 Promise Keepers Conference (Hershey Centre, Mississauga)
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December:
December 3 Saturday Men's Breakfast at
Ares Restaurant @ 8am
(Date TBA) ANVIL Annual Christmas Party
(@ Richard's Garage, Cambellville)
ANVIL Ministry for Men
A Ministry of Georgetown Christian Fellowship, 13619 Hwy 7 West, Georgetown, ONT L7G 4S4
905-873-9652 / http://www.gcfchurch.ca/
Email: anvil.gcf@gmail.com
Newsletter: The ANVIL Newsletter
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Questions, comments or to add your name to our email list, contact: anvil.gcf@gmail.com | |||
