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Today’s guest blogger is Brad Brinkley. Brad and his wife Taylor have been a part of NewLife since last November.

Lover and a Fighter

“He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.”  (Isaiah 40:11)

“Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse!  The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.  His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself.  He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God.  And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses.  From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron.  He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty.  On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, ‘King of kings and Lord of lords.’”  (Revelation 19:11-16)

When it comes to understanding godly masculinity, two extremes dominate modern (especially Western) culture.  One extreme prevails more in the world, the other in the church.  They might be fittingly labeled thus:  The Bully and The Sweetheart.

The Bully is king of his castle.  He will have his way.  He will be obeyed, and if not, there will be consequences.  He loves to display his glory, strength and power.  He may even resort to violence.  The Sweetheart, on the other hand, is exactly that—sweet.  He rarely makes waves or initiates conflict.  He is often quiet, meek, and tender as a lamb.  His mission in life is singular:  to be nice.

Neither extreme honors God.  Neither is biblical.  And Jesus comes to destroy them both.
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Today’s post is reprinted from a post written on August 7, 2007. It’s one of my personal favorites, written back when we were a church of 40 or so, and a reminder to me of the amazing grace of our God. Despite our best efforts to screw things up, He continues to love us and to never give up on us, and continues to convince “O we of little faith” that the best is yet to come.

This one is for the little guy. This is for the disqualified ones, the barely hanging on, the ones who don’t belong, the struggling but still faithful.

This is for my church.

Every day, I read the blogs of about ten other pastors and church leaders in my desire to learn from others and improve my ability to do this thing we call ministry. These ten pastors are mostly higher profile guys, leading influential churches to dizzying heights of effectiveness in the kingdom of God. It’s hard not to be blown away by all that God is doing in their churches. Here’s a sampling of just four of yesterday’s posts:
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Today’s guest blogger is Jim Quigley.

“The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him.  But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends.  But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’  “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.  But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’” (Luke 15:28-32)

Most of you have probably read the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32).  This is one of my favorite parables of Jesus because it demonstrates so many of the characteristics of our Lord and Savior.  In case you need a refresher, the parable of the Prodigal Son is about a father and his two sons.  The younger son demands his share of his father’s estate and his father willingly divides the property between the two sons.  Despite the fact that it is incredibly disrespectful to ask for your inheritance before your father even passes away, the younger son further shows disrespect by leaving the house and “squander[ing] his wealth in wild living” (Luke 15:13).  It is not until he is out of money, starving, and in total despair that he realizes the life he could have back with his father on his property.  So he starts the journey back home and seeks repentance from his father.  And the father lovingly embraces him, welcomes him home, and throws a huge celebration for the return of his son. 

Many of us can personally relate to this story – maybe not literally, but spiritually speaking.  Read more »

Today’s guest blogger is Gordon Lawrence, a long-time member of NewLife as well as a volunteer with Free Inside prison ministry. He is writing today to share about his experience with Free Inside, as well as to share some of the opportunities for people to partner with this important ministry.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’” (Matthew 25:34-36)

On the second Sunday of this year, Peter Dewberry preached at NewLife Christian Fellowship, and I thought that as a follow-up, it would be useful to mention to the congregation that two members of NewLife are prison volunteers with Free Inside: Michael McCoy and me. Michael volunteers at Cybulski Prison in Enfield on Thursday evenings, and I volunteer at Gates Prison in Niantic on Thursday afternoons. Both of us can testify as to how much this has been a blessing to us, quite apart from how it might have benefited inmates.

My own experience over the last few months has been very encouraging. Read more »

“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” (James 5:16)

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.  A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)

I’m a big fan of New Year’s, mainly because I fail every day to be the man that I so want to be.  I constantly need fresh starts, new beginnings, second and third (and one hundred and third) chances to get it right.  So here I am in January 2011, trying again to become more disciplined, more organized, more courageous in my life, and more like Jesus so that God would be honored and those around me would be blessed. 
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“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is– his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:2).

I began writing weekly posts for the NewLife blog way back in October 2006.  Shockingly, I have not yet run out of things to say.  The hope from the beginning was to use this space primarily to reflect Biblically on the world around us.  Most of my sermons on Sunday morning begin with a Biblical text, and then consist of me explaining what it meant in its original context and what it means for us today.  The Pulse, on the other hand, usually begins with an observation about the world around us – something in the news, something I’ve experienced – and then I process or evaluate that observation or reality in the light of the Word of God.  The hope is that by doing that, we would do what Paul wrote in Romans 12:2, which I included above – we would no longer conform to the pattern of this world, but would be transformed by the renewing of our mind.

As I look ahead to 2011, I would like to hear your opinion.  What would you like to see me evaluate and reflect on from a Biblical perspective in the coming year?  What are the questions you’ve been wrestling with, or the things you notice in our world that you would like to see me talk about?  How can I use this space in a way that would build you up in your faith?  Please take the time to let me know, whether by posting a comment on the blog, on Facebook, or by emailing or calling me. 
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This morning was the memorial service for Eve Christie, a woman of great faith and prayer who was a long-time member of NewLife before moving to a different church in 2008.  Eve died last Wednesday of cancer at age 68, but she left a legacy of the power of prayer and the joy of trusting in the Father through even the most difficult circumstances.  One of the verses shared during the service was Philippians 1:21 – “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”  Eve’s life was most certainly about Jesus Christ, and praise God that in death she has only gained a greater relationship with Him. 

One of my most treasured memories of Eve had to do with prayer, of course.  Read more »

One of the highlights of my week this past month has proven to be Fight Club, the new men’s group that began meeting on Wednesday nights in May.  What a privilege it has been to see men sharing their lives and struggles with each other, encouraging each other with Scripture and from personal experience, and forming real friendships.  I have found that while there is a place for Bible study, there is also great benefit to beginning with our issues and struggles and then bringing Biblical wisdom into those specific situations.  One passage in particular that has ministered to our group has been Micah 7:8-9, which reads:

“Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light. Because I have sinned against him, I will bear the LORD’s wrath, until he pleads my case and establishes my right. He will bring me out into the light; I will see his righteousness.”

This passage speaks powerfully to those times that we find ourselves having sinned against God and feeling like we are not worthy to be forgiven.  Read more »

Whenever I am reading through the Bible, I always experience a sense of welcome familiarity upon returning to the Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John – that feels like returning home after a long trip.  As rich as many of the Old Testament books can be, they often require an understanding of the history and key people of Israel, as well as familiarity with the general scope of the Bible.  But the Gospels are familiar ground, the stories of Jesus’ life both beautiful and easier to relate to. 

This summer, beginning on June 13th, I’ll be preaching through different interactions with Jesus found in the gospel.  Read more »

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