I have been listening to this Sermon Series call “Wise Up” from Skip Heitzig on the book of proverbs.   The last DVD I listened to was talking about where to get Counsel and who should give Counsel (it covered it well).      We can pay to get wise Counsel from professionals – but the best Counsel comes from a one on one talk with a great friend.   The sermon states that we need to seek out a person that we can visit with and the next best thing is a small group.
As Guys this can be a really big Challenge and does not come natural but is a must to help us go forward the way God would direct us.   I am a Promise Keeper at heart and when they first started the PK Conferences – I was sold out on what their objective is.   I believe that we need a band of brothers that we can study with and hold each other accountable.
So what is a 2am guy????  Every guy should have one of these…..   The 2am guy is someone you can call up at 2am and he will be there.  I have several of these guys and I have tapped in to them at 2am – 8am – 6pm to pray or have a coke with.   Just a quick warning – when you call them at 2am it may take a couple of tries to wake them up.  I had one of those 2am moments and instead of calling one of the guys – I sent a text message to a few of them.  To my amazement several of them called and we prayed together.   I have also gotten the call at 2am and did not get to the phone in time – but called right back – we met for a cup of coffee at 2am.
So to close – if you do not have a 2am guy – then you must connect with a Men’s Group at your local church and start getting connected…   or better yet start a Men’s Group.   If you are unsure on how to get one started – send me an email bobbyg@godsmightymen.com   and we can connect – I can give you some of my pointers or direct you to some great groups that are already meeting in town and you can observe what they do.
Bobby G

Submitted by:  Dan Cheever:
Does God care about football games (or any sport for that matter)? I believe the answer is an emphatic yes but let me qualify that. I believe God cares about everything that has to do with His creation. So, the answer is that God cares about sports but most likely Not in the way we do. If the physical is a shadow of the spiritual (and I believe that it is), then the process of athletic competitions could be likened to the process of God’s eternal purpose. In sports, teams (or individuals) compete to win. Much happens prior to the competition – practice, scouting, planning, exercise, research, proper fueling (eating nutritionally), etc. Generally speaking, the team or individual most prepared wins. The problem I see with Christianity today is that many brothers and sisters in Christ believe that because we’ve already won (Christ dying on the cross for our sins), the competition is over and no more preparation is necessary. If that’s true, then why bother? Oh yea, to win others to Christ and to help the poor, and to house the homeless, and, etc. Sharing the Gospel and alleviating suffering is, I believe, very near to the heart of God. That said, I still feel the need to ask, “Is that all there is to this life?” Have you ever considered the question, “Why am I here?” Or “Why was I created?” Drawing on the above logic, the answer might be, so Christ could die in order that I might be saved, and so I could help the poor, homeless, widows, orphans, lost, etc.
Consider Colossians 1:16 (NKJV) “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.”
If we are as this verse says, created “for Him,” then to what end?
And: Ephesians 3:8-12 (NKJV) “To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, [9] and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; [10] to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, [11] according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, [12] in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him.”
What is this eternal purpose spoken of in this verse? I believe God created mankind for the purpose of showing love to His Son. That love will ultimately manifest itself in four very important forms. First, the form of a Body of Christ made up of each member of the Body (all brothers and sisters in Christ with Christ as the head); secondly, in the form of a House made from living stones with Christ as the Chief Cornerstone, thirdly, in the form of a Family of God made up of each son and daughter in Christ; and finally in the form of a Bride for His Son made up of each member of the ekklesia with Christ as the Bridegroom. If you’re not careful here, you may miss the emphasis. The emphasis is not on mankind and what God has and can do for us. The emphasis, the sole purpose, is for God the Father to express love to His Son, even Jesus Christ. And we get the privilege of being a part of that! That, my friends is The higher calling. That is why we run the race! That is what we are to be preparing for! How do we do that? That’s another subject for another blog.

Submitted by: Tom Carpenter.
 
Have you seen the news lately? Local, Regional, National or International?
Does it seem like things are in a turmoil? It sure does to me.
We are told in the bible from Jesus himself and the apostles that despite having faith in God, we will still experience strive and temptation that could cause us to waiver in our faith. But at the same time, we are to focus and count it all joy and know everything works toward God’s divine will.
That said, a few news items really stick out. The disappearance of regular church goers and/or people that identify with any one certain faith. Instead, there is often the generic, “I believe in God and am a spiritual person,” holding fast to the ambiguity of not committing to any one church, pastor, body or belief. Then there’s the church jumpers that not only go from church to church but also from faith to faith, again, making sure to not adhere to any certain doctrine lest they feel trapped. Lastly, of course, is those that want to appear as above all other humans when they either say, “I think ALL of the world’s religious have merit,” or “How could I believe in a God that would allow such suffering to go on?” so don’t believe at all.
Next item, the on-going attack, literally, on Christianity. You’ve certainly heard the stories of groups trying to marginalize or out-and-out shut down any recognition of God despite our great nation’s founding on Judeo-Christian ethics. I am not sure of the current score, but in faith I know who is going to win this one. It’s just the trials we will have to endure until that victory that should keep us on our knees.
Lastly, the insidious encroachment of the progressive movement. If anyone voices opposition to gay marriage, living together outside of marriage, abortion, drug legalization, expansion of porn availability as they minimize the family unit and particularly minimizing MEN, then that opposition is cast as against civil rights, as far out radicals who only hate and so need to be silenced and ignored.
Look no further than how men are portrayed in the media. They are often shown as inept, out-of-touch cartoons instead of the spiritual leader of their homes.
So, here we are. Now you can just take the rest of this as me preaching to myself if you want. Because I, for one, really need it!!!
What I need to do is turn-off the T.V., the computer and limit the amount of news I absorb. I am the gate keeper of my eyes and ears. I can control what goes into my mind. I have been very down on the world here of late and a lot of it is because of the news. Next, get into my bible and get down on my knees in prayer. And these prayers need to be positive, uplifting prayers for all the leaders of the world, both just and unjust, as well as all the people of the world, even those that would do everything in their power to silence me and take God out of every facet of my life.
Lastly, I must go touch some people. I will be the first to admit I am a bit judgmental. There are certain attitudes and appearances people display that make me instantly cringe and want to avoid. This is WRONG! Through prayer I can (by HIS power with the guidance of the Holy Spirit) overcome this. At the same time though, realize that God has given me certain abilities with certain groups of people, i.e.
my circle of influence which often starts on the inside of my front door at home.
I don’t know if we are all in the last daze (sic) or not. But why take the chance? Why not man-up, pray-up, WORSHIP and PRAISE up and know if in fact we are at the end of days, that we are ready?
Also, we need to support each other, deeply! Course joking, trying to be of-the-world and  kingdom minded at the same time doesn’t work, and meaningless banter just reduces my effectiveness and wastes time. Again, preaching to myself. For I, T-Carp (Tom Carpenter), of myself do not possess enough righteousness to polish any of you gentlemen’s shoes, much less give advice. BUT, the one that is in me, the one true God, through his Son, Jesus Christ together with the guidance of the Holy
Spirit, makes me worthy. Brotherly love to all!
 
 

In my travels lately I get to enjoy some really great worship times and recently a song from MercyMe has really been doing some talking.  Please read these Lyrics below – they are Awesome….

 

MercyMe

I’ve been the one to shake with fear – And wonder if You’re even here – I’ve been the one to doubt Your love – I’ve told myself You’re not enough -I’ve been the one to try and say -I’ll overcome by my own strength – I’ve been the one to fall apart -And to start to question who You are.  I’ve been the one held down in chains – Beneath the weight of all my shame – I’ve been the one to believe – That where I am “You cannot reach”. 
The veil is torn -And now I live with the Spirit inside -The same one, the very same one – who brought the Son back to life – Hallelujah, He lives in me…
***You’re the one who conquers giants -You’re the one who calls out kings – You shut the mouths of lions – You tell the dead to breathe – You’re the one who walks through fire – You take the orphan’s hand – You are the one Messiah – You are I am -You are I am.
 
            You know that we as guys seem to think we can do it on our own and end up getting so far into trouble that we cannot see anyway of coming out of the hole that we have dug.   We always forget to call on the one that can help…   I believe that we need to find what I call “Wilderness Time”.  Christ would go out into the wilderness and spend time with his Father in deep prayer and we need to do the same.        
            I get allot of Wilderness Time during my drives around Wyoming for work –  but when I get to a point as the song above states – that is when I run to the Mountains.   I will take the dog and we will go up to Pole Mountain and just take a long hike and talk with Jesus (even talk out loud at times).    The times when I am having some serious Issues with someone or something – I will build an Alter for this in a remote area.   This is a reminder for me as to where I have left the problem – at the feet of Jesus and it is no longer mine.  A Friend of mine (Jay) asked me one time – Does this Really work?   The answer is Yes…
      Your Wilderness Time may look allot different then mine – *A Motorcycle Ride – Running – A long Drive – A closet……..  But you need to see where it is that you can go and pray fervently.    When you start doing this – you will feel the Spirit that lives in you and you will start tapping into its strength allot sooner.
  Bobby G
           
 

To start, I have to go back to 2011. I was blessed with the chance to go back to school for a semester before being blessed with a full time job with the Wyoming Air National Guard. I was pursuing a music degree, which I still plan on pursuing in the near future. God brought the opportunity to apply for this position, and for a while I wrestled with whether I was supposed to stay in school or work and go back later. I finally came to a place of peace knowing that whichever I was supposed to do, God would give me a clear sign. Well, I was blessed with the full time job. I knew it was good for me because it was a way to provide for my wife and, then, first daughter, Hana. I started the job and things were awesome for quite a while. Then a little bit down the line, somewhere around the beginning of 2012, I started noticing some differences.
I started having issues at work that were, to say the least, making me look pretty bad. It seemed like I was not doing as well as I started out to when I first got the job. My relationships with some of the people I worked with started going sour because of my performance, and my leadership wasn’t the greatest either. I clashed really badly with one guy who was pretty hard on me in the first place. Higher ranker and seemingly arrogant with his promotion, I had a really hard time being at work with him or anyone else. It got to the point where I just dreaded going to work. Part of it was because I thought I was being treated unfairly, which in some aspects I was. Military life is much different that civilian life. But my attitude wasn’t the greatest either. I just wanted to be done. But I had nowhere else to go!! What was I going to do?
Then God spoke up! And it was, at what seemed to be, the most inopportune time. It was like He was late because I was already at my lowest of lows with work and I wanted to give up; even though I prayed for strength. Turns out that was the best time for Him to show up! Then He gave me a word. A word that would give me what I needed to endure and overcome the rest of the time I was to be there. He said I was going to finish well. I thought, how cute! That isn’t happening now!!! But knowing that God sees the big picture, I went with it. He told me that I needed to pray and seek Him daily on finishing well, and when anything tried getting in the way I was to pray against it in the name of Jesus. I can honestly say I sought Him every day I went to work. Not to toot my own horn, but to show my obedience to His word on my life. It was not easy though. Some days I still hated going to work, but I still prayed faithfully. And since then, I have seen the changes and the promises He made come to life. I had to be reminded though that I would finish well in His eyes, not those that I worked with. It was God’s opinion that mattered the most in how well I finished, not others. So I had to pray and ask God what that looked like. And to protect me from myself. He showed me, and now I feel that His promise has given me the confidence I need to finish well. Not perfect, but well, in His eyes.
I am nearing the end of my full time here, switching to a reserve status so I can go back to school and pursue my music degree in order to be a worship pastor. And now that I’m here, I can see that God’s word for this journey, along with His strength to get through it, was one of the things that has matured me in my faith, in my attitude, and in my dependence on Him. Though my relationships with people I work with are much better than they were, though I am capable of doing my job a lot better, and though my attitude has been more joyful, God is due the praise and glory. He got me through it. And I know that this is just one of many journeys that I will endure. But I trust in God and what His word says in James 1:2-4. (Give it a read) And I hope this encourages those of you that choose to read it. You too will finish well, wherever in life God has you. Seek Him daily and know that when we are at our lowest, He is good and showing us how great He really is. Continue to worship Him even when things get tough. And consider it joy when you endure those trials. They are there for a reason. They are opportunities to trust in God and draw blood upon the enemy. One day you will be complete and mature, lacking nothing!!

I was visiting with a special friend of mine recently (LPB) and we were reminiscing on his relationship with his sons and the talk was drawn to the unsaved sons.    His heart was aching on what he could have or should have or could do about bringing them to a relationship with Jesus Christ.   As most guys do – the blame game always comes up — How did he fail them:   Was he always tired and angry when raising them because he worked midnights – did they turn because he made them go to church – were they abused because of his lack of protection – did he not tell them that he loved them enough – how could he help them with their debts (student loans – tough losses) – because of his failures did they stray away.     As you can see his heart ached and he was crying out to Jesus for help……..

Well as the conversation went forward – the premonition that he received was that the only thing he could do was “Pray” and go forward the best he could – because only through his own relationship with Christ could he be successful.    One of my great friends (Nick) and I were having a conversation about Grace recently – we came to this conclusion:  We are given Grace (which can be very difficult to accept) and giving Grace can be very difficult to give someone…. but giving ourselves Grace is next to impossible.   *So we must forgive ourselves and go forward.

As the story would go – one of his sons called recently and stated that he was going through a process to cleanse his body and his soul.   His son was looking for a way to seek GOD and wanted to know about a few things.  It was like the story of the Prodigal Son – Pure Joy and celebration – and the tears just flowed and flowed and flowed….  (He lost a couple of Man Points – but he says no one but him and God knew about it).    As the story would go – it is through our brokenness that God does his greatest work – but this would be the brokenness of the Father – From this he has a much deeper relationship with Jesus Christ.  His sons are hard workers and now he has hope for their salvation.

My thoughts come back to Obedience:  If we Cry out to Jesus out of our brokenness and seek his help – all things are possible.  We will receive great Joy – Wisdom – Hope and a much greater relationship with Jesus Christ and with all those who surround us.

We are all People of a Second Chance.                    AMEN.

Bobby G.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
In my travels this week all this stuff kept going through my head…  Passion – Obedience – Humility – Wisdom (Fear of the Lord) and I was struggling trying to come up with a Blog.  I was born and raised in a Christian home and when I went through a study called Experiencing God (at about the age of 38) it blew me away.  What is this thing about having a relationship with God – I was saved when I was 12….. but I found out there was more to it. 
      I just got a News Letter from a good Pastor Friend of mine (Velcro) and he wrote a section on “New Creation” –  this is what had been going bump through my head (article below).   With true passion comes the knowledge of where it comes from and then there is no holding it back.   But with that passion comes the desire to be Obedient – Humility and then the knowledge of Wisdom that only comes from the fear of the Lord (Proverbs)……  WOW 
               Bobby G.
 ENJOY

 New Creation

                A friend of ours has been a Christian for a great many years, yet through those years, he was divorced several times and his children would seldom visit and he had no friends and even his co-workers didn’t really like him.
                 A few years ago, this Christian man suffered a very traumatic event. Since that day, he has built a great marriage with a wonderful lady and his children look forward to visits and he has friends everywhere he turns and his co-workers enjoy just being around him.
                  What happened? That’s the question his son asked me. My only answer was that he had yielded his life to God. His son responded with, “But he’s been a Christian since before I was born.” My reply was that there is a difference between saying “I am a Christian” and experiencing the life-changing reality of God Almighty.
                  Unfortunately, we too often tell people, “All you have to do is say this prayer …” and we don’t even realize we have missed the most important part of salvation – the heart. The change from “Old things are passed away” to “All things are made new (2 Corinthians 5:17) requires our hearts to change.
               Without the heart change, Christianity is just a bunch of “Do’s” and “Don’ts”. The “best Christians” are the ones who obey the most rules but they do not understand the reality of being a Christian.
                True Christianity is being obedient to God not because we have a list of rules but because there is nothing more important in the world than to please our God. Being a true Christian means loving others, all others, so much that when others hurt, you feel their pain. True Christianity is not about you, your wants, or your needs. True Christianity is about serving others.
Pastor Velcro    churchwithanattitude.com 
 
 

I had the privilege of joining a Prayer event this last Sunday at the Depot that was extremely powerful and it was put together by 6 Pastors from 4 different Churches.  (Thanks to Pastors Galen, Shawn, Jeff, Max, Roger and Bob).  This was great seeing the churches coming together for One Cause – One Purpose in unity to Pray.  This is an event that needs to happen more often in as many venues as possible.     It was great to see The Church come together minus any denomination differences in unity and seeing a packed Depot full of Men/Women and young people praying.  
 
 There are many other areas where this can happen…              **My Pastor (Bob) has this vision of a non-denominational team going out door to door in a united Evangelism effort to share Jesus – and doing this for The Church and not A Church…    Evangelism at it’s best – no one trying to get people to a specific church.            **My wife has a Special Women’s Bible study that has women from different churches going through an intense 29 week study…   There are no divisional doctrines separating them from an enhanced study and there is healing through it all.
 
             Real quick point of clarification – I do believe we should all have a specific church to worship and serve in, but it is awesome when we can join together for a specific cause and be united.  GMM was started for just this purpose – our two major points of what to expect from a GMM Conference cover being united. https://godsmightymen.com/conferenc/
 
            1.  “To stand up and band together” – GMM would have all men be united in one body, that they would break down all denominational barriers and be able to connect with a larger body of Godly men.                 2.  “With encouragement and the power that the Holy Spirit gives, God’s Mighty Men will stand up and band together to win souls for Christ, while at the same time fortifying their town and churches from Satan’s attack.” –  GMM would have all men go back as warriors to their churches wearing the armor of GOD for the purpose of bringing the lost in and building up their congregations to win the battle.  They would also cover their congregations with the power of prayer to protect them from Satan’s attacks.
 
     I can see unity happening other cities and there is hope that it will keep on expanding.  I have connected with Murray in Laramie and I see the same unification working in his Churh and Community.  His Church is having a Men’s Conference and they have invited all men from all churches to come.  The Laramie Churches are also coming together and having a non-denominational prayer event this Thursday.  AMEN
 
  **You can see God doing some powerful work in our area.
 
             One of the Scriptures shared by one of the Pastors at the Depot was:        If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it. – Jeremiah 18:7-10
 
     So my prayer would  be that more of these Events will be coming and that we start uniting as “The Church” (Or as Galen would say THE Big C) – that more Christians would join in bringing together a Spirit of Unity so that God would place on us the Good that he has intended for us to receive.
 
 Bobby G
 

     In my job I get to travel allot and several years ago I was training inGreen River WY. and one of the employees got my attention.  While I was training Jeff started complaining about another employee who was a Christian and how he was always Preaching at everyone.   Then he turned to me and looked me straight in the eyes and asked the question “Are you one of those Jesus Freaks”?????………………………………………   I pondered that question and finally answered it — but the really big question that popped in my head was –   “Do people see Jesus in Me?”
    Since then I look at Evangelism in a different way – I believe one of the greatest tools for Evangelism is that people need to see Jesus in Me.  I do not mean that I am suppose to be Preaching at everyone that I encounter – but that I have a Spirit of Jesus that it is the core of my personality.  When people connect with me – they will encounter something really Special/Different that they will want to know more about.  It will become such a contagious personality that it will enable me to share what makes me Different. J
 
    I have been blessed to have a couple of people in my life that portray that type of personality:
            One of them is my Wife:   She has one of those Special personalities and it is apparent when she encounters people at her work.  I believe that the people come to experience her and leave with this special feeling because of the work that Jesus is doing through her – The Services she supplies becomes secondary to them.
            The other person is Jim (one of GMM’s Great Leaders).  Jim and I have been doing ministry work for a very long time – but recently he had a very bad Motorcycle accident and it will take him several months to re-coop.  What has been amazing is the way he is going forward through this terrible accident.  Anyone who has come into contact with him knows that there is something special and he has been a great example of People seeing Jesus in him.
 
    So the question comes back – Do they see Jesus in Me?  –  I have come a long ways since that first encounter of being asked if I was a Jesus Freak and I have a very long way to go to make sure that I am never asked that again.  I try to focus on each experience that I encounter and try to decipher how Jesus would respond and it is getting better.
     I have also had to understand that not everyone will see Jesus in me and there will be times that I really blow it.  I also have to remind myself – Jesus encountered Pharisees that seen him as an enemy and we will too – but I still need to focus on my response as I go forward as Jesus did.
 
Here are some areas to Ponder the Question:  Do they see Jesus in Me?  (You may have others that I have not identified – the list could be very largeJ).
 

1. When I have a disagreement at Church – Do the Church members see Jesus in Me?
2. When I am playing Softball and the Umpire makes a terrible call – Do the Team members see Jesus in Me?  (Pastor Bob)
3. When I am standing in the really long line at the Post Office – Do the people around me see Jesus in Me?  (Just had to plug this one in)
4. When I get bad service at a Restaurant or Store – Do the Servers see Jesus in Me?  (2$ bills)
5. When the Bad Driver cuts me off – Does my family see Jesus in Me?  (Pres. Ryan)
6. When I am in a tough work enviroument – Do my Co-Workers see Jesus in Me? 
7. My Relationship with my wife – Does she see Jesus in Me?  Ditto for my Kids…
8. When I am encountering one those Hardships that are suppose to be pure Joy – Does the world see Jesus in Me? (Jim – you are doing great)

 
**So when people encounter me – the encounter should be pointing to Him…
 
Bobby G.
 
 

     This will be our 4^th GMM Conference and we have enjoyed the progression of each theme that God has presented to us:

“”How big is Your GOD”

 “Alive in Christ”

“Driven by the Power of the Holy Spirit”

“Activate Your Faith”

We also have what we expect  you to get when you attend a Conference – check on the Tab for the Conference to see what they are.
But my biggest question is what does “Activate Your Faith” look like – Pastor Roger helped us in getting the theme for the upcoming Conference while I was having lunch with him.   The discussion was along the lines of guys stepping out and doing some service projects in the Downtown area – and his comment was – “Wouldn’t that be great to see guys activating their faith”…  and with some help from a couple of the board members (Jim and Jay) we came up with the Theme.
Well I have been pondering that question and I have to tell you – it must look different for everyone and every church.  God has given us all different gifts and we all seem to have our own unique relationship with him.   So when I look around to see how this is demonstrated – I see it in allot of different ways.
Here are some of them:

1.  Church’s:   Pastor Jason has this Miracle Mile (expanding to 2 miles) that surrounds his church.  The Church members look for different ways to serve the needs of the community (Homes – Schools – Businesses and even other Church’s).  Could you imagine another church helping a different church become successful?  WOW.
2. Prayer:  Pastor Grant has been putting together a Prayer Event in which several groups of guys take on a 2 to 3 mile section of a 30 mile circumference around the city and pray for the city.
3. Service Projects:   This could be in Your Church – Your Community – Homeless Shelters – Hospitals – Rest Homes etc….
4. Evangelism:   Taking in a stranger for the night – A friend from Church (Micah) did that one night after our Bible study – he took in a young couple that was going to spend the night in their Van at the Church parking lot…  talk about activating your faith.

My thoughts could go on forever – but what I would really like to know is….                How do you explain or see “Activate Your Faith”?  –  Please send me an email and explain what your thoughts are on the topic – as I stated it looks different to everyone.
Email to bobbyg@godsmightymen.com.      Or you can post a comment on this Blog.
Bobby G.