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CMN News
Equipping Christ-Centered Mentors Worldwide |
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Chrissy Myal, Editor December 2009, Issue 2 | |
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MERRY CHRISTMAS! |
From our CMN family to yours,
we wish you all a peaceful
Christmas season.
In spite of the chaos of this busy holiday season, or the current economic uncertainties, or the many unknowns we have to face regarding our future... there is One promise that is stable and enduring ~ Jesus Christ.
God stepped into mankind in the person of Jesus Christ to be the perfect gift to provide a bridge so we can have a personal relationship with Him, the Lord of all creation. If He had not taken that step to us, we could never be good enough to reach up to Him on our own merits.
Jesus really is the reason for this glorious season and He is the only source for deep lasting daily peace and confidence to face tomorrow and whatever it may bring. Knowing Jesus is the gift that perfectly fits the void in evey heart.
We wish you peace and the gift of a closer walk with Him as you learn to trust Him more as we enter another New Year. | |
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What's New? |
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NEW FREE Christian Mentors Network DVD
Are you thinking about starting a mentoring - discipling ministry in your church or community? Watch online or order a free DVD from Christian Mentors Network to hear from people who have been involved in this mentoring ministry.
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Hear from individuals tell how being mentored has affected their lives
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Hear from individuals who are now mentoring others and tell of their excitement of seeing lives change before their eyes.
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Hear the testimonies of pastors tell how Mentoring His Way - Disciple Twelve has strengthened their churches.
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Hear from two women share the anticipation and blessings as they began their journey together as a mentor and a mentee.
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Hear from the author of Mentoring His Way - Disciple Twelve, Roy Comstock, share how this ministry was birthed and of its current mission.
This CMN DVD is hosted by Jeff Myal and produced by Michael Rodgers, Lead Pastor and Associate Pastor at Epic Christian Church, San Tan Valley, Arizona.
WATCH ONLINE or ORDER YOUR FREE CMN DVD TODAY
GO TO
In the website, CLICK ON THE FREE INFORMATIONAL DVD link on the left column
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| REACHING OUT TO SHARE CMN |
National Coalition of Men's Ministries
Recently, Roy Comstock had the privilege of sharing the CMN ministry at National Coalition of Men's Ministries annual leadership conference at Glen Eyrie, the Navigator's headquarters, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The theme for the Conference was: Reflect, Refresh, and Reengage. Many ministry leaders came together to develop "The Case for Men's Discipleship in America" project. This project will define the Biblical role of men in the home, church and community. The speakers were: H.B. London, Brady Boyd and Paul Stanley. Roy is following up with several organizations to partner with them in their mentoring/discipleship ministries.
Mayor's Prayer Luncheon Topeka, Kansas
 Roy went on to Topeka, Kansas, were he spoke at the 35th annual Major's Prayer Luncheon. The luncheon was sponsored by the Christian Business Men's Committee of Topeka with approximately 350 in attendance. Roy shared his life testimony and several people made decisions to accept Christ as Savior and others rededicated themselves to following Christ. Pray for these individuals and the CBMC as they follow up with each one of these decisions. There were other speaking opportunities for Roy while in Topeka, one being at a Juvenile Detention Center. All the boys in the facility and the staff were invited into the cafeteria to hear Roy talk about his life struggles when he was growing up and what Christ has done to provide direction and purpose since his decision to ask Christ into his life. The boys were very attentive as Roy spoke, because they recognized this man knew first-hand what they are going through. In this environment, Roy could not ask if anyone wanted to make a decision for Christ, but if one boy was awaken to what Jesus Christ can do with a surrendered life, it was worth it. While speaking at a church in Topeka, Roy talked with two couples who are considering the possibility of starting their own mentoring/discipling ministry using CMN materials. It is amazing for a couple to serve together in a ministry watching people grow up to maturity in their relationship with Jesus Christ and showing them how to share that with others. |
| A MESSAGE FROM ROY |
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"Who do YOU say I am?"
Jesus Christ asked the most important question ever asked... "Who do you say I am?"
Contrary to popular religious tolerance and philosophies that embrace the belief that "All roads lead to God" Jesus Christ proves to be a troubling figure in history and to other religious beliefs. Jesus Himself proclaimed to the religious leaders of His day "No one can come to the Father, except through me." You might say "How exclusive and unfair! What narrow-minded thinking!" "Who is he to make such a statement?" This proves to be the most important question you will ever ask yourself, and for the answer to this question, we must look at what the Bible has to say about Jesus.
Our culture's perception of Jesus is that He is a good teacher, a prophet, or He is compared to other religious leaders like Buddha or Mohammed. It is often said the truths that Jesus taught are included in most religions. Isn't it amazing that so little is said about who Jesus Himself claimed to be? Let's look at just three examples of what Jesus said about Himself.
1. When Jesus came to Caesarea Philippi, he asked His disciples, "Who do people say I am?" "Well," they replied, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah; some, Jeremiah or one of the other prophets." That was really a rhetorical question and Jesus didn't respond to their answers. Instead He then asked a more important direct question. "Who do YOU think I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are "The Christ, the Messiah, and the Son of the living God." Jesus replied, "You are blessed, Simon, son of Jonah, because my Father in Heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being." (Matthew 16:13-17) In this statement Jesus claims to be the Son of God. In the Jewish culture, they knew Jesus was claiming to be equal with God by calling Himself the Son of God.
2. While talking to the Samaritan woman at the water well she said to Jesus "At least I know that the Messiah will come - the one they call Christ, and when He does, He will explain everything to us.' Then Jesus told her, 'I am the Messiah.' " (John 4:25-26) Here again Jesus clearly makes His claim.
3. In the first chapter of the gospel of John, Christ is identified as God Himself in a human body. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through Him and nothing was created except through Him." (John 1:1-3) In these verses, the word "Word" refers to Christ. Verse 14 says, "And the Word was made flesh (human) and dwelt among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen His glory, the glory of the Father's one and only Son." Jesus in the flesh was God dwelling among us.
Jesus Christ is who He claimed to be, or He was insane, or He was one of the biggest frauds the world has ever seen. If He is God in the flesh, then we must all make a very important decision about what we are going to do with this knowledge about Christ. We must accept Christ for who He claims to be or reject Him completely as a lunatic. We can no longer just think of Him as a good teacher or a prophet or a religious leader.
We must draw the conclusion from His claims that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God, and He is therefore God in the flesh. Jesus said in John 14:6, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one can come to the Father except through me" A narrow-minded statement? But if it's the truth, it means the only way we can have a relationship with God the Father and the only way to get to Heaven and eternal life is by accepting what Jesus said about Himself.
Are you willing to risk it all? We must understand the consequences of choosing to NOT believe that Christ is the only way to Heaven. The result is to be separated from God because of unbelief in what God did to provide a way for you & me to be forgiven of all sin and to enjoy a relationship with Him. "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23)
Jesus is asking you right now,... "Who do YOU say that I am?"
Alive in Christ,
Roy
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Moving Beyond Mediocre Discipleship by Chrissy Myal |
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Something more than casual Christianity
For several years, Mike Rodgers had been looking for a mentor - someone who was older and wiser, with a little more life experience, who could guide him spiritually. He had tried starting accountability groups, and had even approached older men in his church about the possibility of being mentored by them, all of which failed to produce much of anything. What Mike soon realized is that most of the men around him had no more idea how to grow in their faith than he did. For the most part his meetings with other guys were spent shooting the breeze and talking casually about life and God, but Mike wanted something more than casual Christianity, casual victory, or casual discipleship.That is when a friend told Mike about Christian Mentors Network and explained how the mentoring program had radically changed his life. Soon after, Mike was finally being mentored.
Mike describes what happened next like this: "It was awesome to literally walk in the footsteps of a man who knew the road I was walking down, and was further down that road. He was where I wanted to be in my faith, he knew how he got there, and was able to show me how to get there. Plus, my mentor wouldn't let me quit! He was solid in our mentoring relationship where I would probably have been flakey!"
Prior to this, Mike felt like he had no real disciplines, and felt like he had experienced very little long-standing growth. He found key differences within this new mentoring experience that helped him to have victory, though, in his Christian life:
1. Consistency - Every single week he was committed to meeting with his mentor. His mentor was holding him accountable, and constantly challenging him towards positive change. From the beginning, it was communicated to Mike that this was a process, and that he would grow. However, just like anything, there would be ups and downs. He came to realize the downs were part of the process of becoming more like Christ was mentored on how to deal with those downs (or failures) as well as live in the victories.
2. Focus - In the past, he had tried to meet with other people for mentoring, but there was no focus or direction. He found it was too easy to just get together with some other guys and talk about their wives or what's going on at work and never really get anywhere. With the mentoring program, there is a plan to follow that keeps the conversation focused on what it needs to be focused on - growing in relationship with Christ.
3. Structure - Since Mike is not a naturally structured person it has been easy for him to get sidetracked spiritually. With Mentoring His Way, there was a structure in place that provided the stability he really needed.
4. Security - Finally, having a mentor proved to offer him the safety to share the truth of his struggles and areas of weakness, even the places of temptation. Knowing his mentor had committed to pray for him with absolute confidentiality; it completely eliminated the "fear factor" for Mike.
Mike knows that his relationship with Christ has been forever altered because of the mentoring program. He is thankful for a mentoring/discipleship process that does not just hope to focus on temporary topics, struggles with certain sins, or secondary things like being a good husband. Instead, he has learned how to walk with Christ in every part of his life, every day. He has learned how to truly live with Jesus as Lord over his family, work, relationships, ministry, conversations, and thoughts. He has grown to surrender everything to God daily, and is pleased to be passing this gift of discipleship to others who hope to be changed and transformed into men of God. |
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Finding courage in Mentoring, and in Being Mentored by Sarah Comstock |
 From Sarah's perspective ~ The thought of "mentoring" or "discipling" someone else to help them grow as a Christian can be intimidating. Thoughts came to mind that questioned my own growth. "I don't think I have enough Bible knowledge to be able to "mentor" someone" "What if I can't answer her questions?" "I'm not a counselor - I don't want to mislead her in anything." These were some of the questions running through my mind as I planned for my first meeting with Chrissy.
I've led women's Bible study groups before. I've been there for and encouraged friends as they faced hard issues in life. However, there's something daunting about the word "mentor" that made me ask, "Do I have what it takes to be a mentor?"
In the days preceding our first meeting, I asked the Lord for wisdom and guidance because I was feeling very weak and insecure in this commitment I had made. But that evening shortly before Chrissy arrived, the Lord calmed my concerns with His comforting words, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:9) What a relief! His grace is all I need... His power works best in weakness. I had the weakness and He has the power! I hung on to that verse giving Him my feelings of weakness and trusted Him for His grace and power as Chrissy and I got acquainted that first meeting and during the endearing meetings to follow.
I soon realized that being a mentor is not about me at all - It's about having the courage to allow God to work through me into the life of another person. It's about being surrendered and available to the Holy Spirit, so that He can bring to mind the verses, the life examples and analogies that He knows my mentee needs to hear, and trusting that His grace will be with me as I invite Him to do His work.
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Finding Courage in Mentoring, and in Being Mentored by Chrissy Myal |
 From Chrissy's perspective ~ I did not know all that Sarah was thinking. For the last year, I had been saying, "I know God has someplace new to take me. But I also know He has to do a work in this heart of mine before I can go anywhere new." I began hoping and praying that God would bring someone into my life that I could grow under. I knew I needed a new voice, a new perspective, and new level of discipleship in my life. Finally, God brought me a mentor. He brought me Sarah.
Oh, those first moments of fear when I was about to meet with her! "What if she doesn't really like me?" What will she think of me?" It can be an intimidating thing to allow someone a long look at who you really are: struggles, sin, weaknesses, and all. More than anything, though, I wanted to grow. I wanted to throw off more layers of myself and wanted to ask someone to see clearly into my heart and to speak freely about what she saw, so I stepped in.
I learned quickly that I could expect to hear from God when I met with Sarah, not because she was His mouthpiece in some strange way, but because she was his servant, and allowed Him to speak the truth of His Word over my attitudes, heart, and circumstances. I have been filled with thankfulness for this mentor in the faith who has spoken blessing and love over me through every joy and difficulty of the last months. I can look back and see the many moments of repentance and the pivot points of grace and I am in awe. I don't know what I was afraid of. Sometimes it takes great courage to jump in, but God, of course, is faithful. If we let Him, His grace will certainly be upon us as we invite him to do His work in each of us. |
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"Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others."
II Timothy 2:2 |
| A PASTOR'S PERSPECTIVE by Jeff Myal |
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 From One Pastor to Another
Imagine walking into your local coffee shop and seeing two men from your congregation sitting at a table sharing in a time of personal accountability; or picture a woman from your church personally leading another lady through a one-on-one personal mentor/discipleship study; or perhaps envision sitting on a back patio with fifteen other men who are being trained in how to disciple other men in the faith. Wouldn't it pump you up to see these things taking place? Wouldn't you be excited to see that kind of authentic discipleship taking place in your church?
The situations I just mentioned aren't the hopeful dream of a pastor, but are instead actual events that I witnessed taking place with members in our church over the last couple of weeks. What is even more beautiful is that these same things are taking place on a daily basis in our community of faith. Men and women, young and old, new Christians and long time believers, are engaged in authentic, life-changing one-on-one discipleship.
This catalytic movement of discipleship began for us several years ago when a man in our church met Roy Comstock from the Christian Mentors Network. As he began the discipleship process he entered into a new adventure that eventually took his fundamental Christian beliefs and transformed them into a raging passion for Christ. This man met with Roy weekly and was changed by the power of the Scriptures as presented in the materials produced by the Christian Mentors Network. As this man walked through each of the Twelve Characteristics of a Godly Life, his walk with Christ changed before our very eyes. Through his transformation and on-going discipleship, this man began to mentor other men in our congregation. Eventually, I began meeting with Roy and was truly changed by God in ways that I wouldn't have ever expected.
As pastors we are consumed with helping men and women grow in their faith. We desperately want to see people surrender their lives to Christ, grow daily in their faith, and then pass that faith on to others. However, if you're like me, you've probably tried many things that have had limited success or mediocre results. For the first time in my ministry career, I am watching something significant taking place through this simple, powerful, and transferable discipleship program. The best part - it is happening because God is working through His Spirit, His Word, and through His people.
Soon, the fifteen men I mentioned above will be ready to disciple and mentor other men in our church. Nothing gives me greater confidence or hope for the future than knowing that God's word is being passed on from one disciple to another. So from one pastor to another, let me encourage you to take the next step and get your church involved in this incredible program. You will be blessed and the kingdom of God will grow exponentially before your eyes.
Pastor Jeff Myal
Epic Christian Church | |
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SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL LEADER SAMPLE PACK |
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 This is a very special introductory offer!
We are offering a sample pack with a 30 day money back guarantee!
Offer includes: one of each of the Mentoring His Way books (3 total), one of each Mentor Guides (3 total), and one Men's TriCord Journal and one newly released Women's TriCord Journal all for $112.00, a 20% discount off the list price (plus shipping & tax, if applicable). You can return this sample pack within 30 days by simply paying the return postage and we will promptly return your $112.00.
You have nothing to lose.... and you gain the tools to launch your own ministry! |
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Thank you to our faithful supporters |
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How can we help you?
During these difficult times will you let us pray for you, your family, your work, your ministry needs? We have a faithful team of prayer partners that will take your request to our Heavenly Father and trust Him for results. We believe strongly in 1 John 5:14-15: "Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will He hears us, and whatever we ask we know that we have the petitions that we asked of Him."
To send us your prayer requests, simply go to the "Reply" button and send us an email with your comments and prayer requests.
How can you help us?
As December 31, 2009 quickly approaches, please consider CMN when you evaluate your year-end giving. It would be most appreciated if you could give a regular amount each month of $25, $50 or more as you are able. This would help CMN with on-going expenses that need to be paid each month.
Please go to www.christianmentorsnetwork.org and click on the " Make a Donation to CMN" button to access PayPal where you can safely make a tax deductible donation using your credit card or checking account.
Please send your tax deductible donations by check to:
Christian Mentors Network
18521 E. Queen Creek Rd, Ste 105-216, Queen Creek, AZ 85142
Christian Mentors Network is a non-profit 501(c)3 corporation. |
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