Thinking Ahead to 2011

Hello Great Men of God!

I hope you are all having a GREAT summer! It was great to celebrate the Fourth of July and just be thankful for our country even with all the problems facing us or maybe because of all the problems facing us today. Summers are filled with vacations and ball games, so enjoy yourselves and then let’s get ready for the coming year together.

The last weekend in September is always our “Training Camp” for the next year. We hold it at the Community of Faith Campground in Carterville, Illinois. This gives us a chance to come together, worship, have fellowship and get direction for the coming year. I always appreciate input on which book to use for our theme. Some people like books more on prayer, others like books on leadership and so on. I love it when people have a book that means something to them and they send me a copy. I really like it when they send me one that is underlined as that helps me to see where the “rubber hits the road” for them.

These three books have been suggested in consideration for our book for 2011:

1. “Man in the Mirror” by Patrick Morley

2. “Season of Life” by Jeffrey Marx

3. “Everyone Communicates, Few Connect” by John Maxwell

I know some of you are interested in what we are going to use for the coming year. So, I am appealing to you to look over these books and let me know what you think we should use and why. Our purpose in NGL is to build leaders and believe the Lord to call men forth as better men, husbands, and fathers and for the Lord to lead men forth to the ends of the earth to share the gospel in these last days.

My nephew’s wife Jill Hampleman just sent me the messages her church has been doing and they sure have some good points for all of us to consider and work on this summer:

“We just finished a series of sermons at our church entitled "The Warrior" the sermon spoke directly to men on how to reach younger men. There were 3 main points that dealt with your earthly father and your heavenly father: 1. Forgive your father Colossians 3:13. Stop replaying your parents or your father's shortcomings. 2. Accept your father for who he is. Romans 15:7 Accept his weaknesses. 3. Replace your earthly father with heavenly father. The Lord wants to be the one to believe in you. Find a young boy or man to encourage. Let him know: 1. I believe in you. 2. I am proud of you. 3. No matter what, I'll always love you. Matthew 3:17.”

Love ya’s,

Fred

Isaiah 12:4 (The Message) “Joyfully you'll pull up buckets of water from the wells of salvation. And as you do it, you'll say, “Give thanks to God. Call out his name. Ask him anything! Shout to the nations, tell them what he's done, spread the news of his great reputation!”