Hurricanes in Ohio?

Last Sunday, the remnants of Hurricane Ike hit Ohio.  84 of 88 counties were affected, but Dayton and Cincinnati got it the worst.

(image copyright 2008 geocam20000)

The Dayton Vineyard was without power for a while, holding a worship service Sunday night 'unplugged'... Completely unplugged!  It actually was pretty cool having candle light and a few lights lit along extension cords hooked up to a small generator.

With something like 300,000 people in the Dayton area without power, this week has been something.  I've personally been without power since 2:15 pm Sunday, September 14th (I'm writing this on the 19th).  Being without power also means no water for those of us in the country; no power, no pump on the cistern.  

We saw our favorite oak tree fall on Sunday.  Winds were gusting to 60 mph and higher for about 5-6 hours on Sunday, just too much for a lot of trees to take.  But through it all, God was there. 

My wife was the first to point out that there were very few trees that landed on houses.  Most limbs and fallen trees seem to have spared buildings and cars (with some exceptions, of course).  People have been mostly patient and upbeat, though that's starting to wear a bit thin as the week progresses.

This week has made us have to depend on friends and family.  We stayed with friends on Monday night for a place to sleep and a place to shower, and we've been relying on my mom's shower the rest of the week.  

What does this all mean in the scope of vineyardMEN?  I'm not sure, but I do know that, as I've been driving into how God wants me to lead, this has reminded me that I have to continue looking to Him.  My authority to lead only comes to me through Him, and I have to rely on Him to provide for me and my family.  He's done that, and then some.  We've turned down more offers than we can count to stay with friends.  These weren't offers that people hoped we didn't take them up on; these were sincere offers to help us out when we needed it.

I have to continue looking to God to figure this stuff out.  This week has been ups and downs in that.  At times I seem to busy trying to get my arms around the problems that I seem to be on my own.  At other times, there's nothing to do but listen for God to lead me somewhere in all this.

Through Him, it can eventually all make sense, even when there are hurricanes in Ohio.

Welcome to vineyardMEN: Authentic Manhood

I want to welcome all vineyardMEN to the two curriculum tracks available this year. I hope everyone is ready for a great new season of Monday night vineyardMEN learning sessions, along with “Band of Brother’s” fellowship. We will be studying Robert Lewis’s beginning series “The Quest for Authentic Manhood”. This is a 24-week study to help men understand their true identity and learn how to pursue genuine masculinity for a lifetime.

Our first class session will begin at 7:00pm sharp, on September 15, 2008. As we continue, we will take a break after the December 12, 2008 session, for the holidays. We will start back with Lesson 14 on Monday, January 12, 2009. This schedule will allow us to have our final lesson on March 23, 2009.

The journey on which you are about to embark has energized and excited men from all over the world. Many have commented that these messages have blessed them with a new sense of their own masculine identity, giving them a personal manhood vision, as well as insight into what God had in mind when He first brought man into the world.

The “Quest for Authentic Manhood” sets out to answer some questions that are universal to men.

· What makes a man a man? A real man?

· How does one become a man?

· Is there a moment when it happens?

· What is it that holds men back from their true masculine destiny?

· How should authentic manhood express itself today?

Those are just some of the questions “The Quest for Authentic Manhood” will answer for you in specific ways that you, as a man, can get your arms around practically.

In the sessions we will have together, we will closely examine our development as men, the wounds which often hold men back, and how those wounds can be healed. We will discover the importance of male mentors for encouragement, the power of Dad, raising healthy sons and daughters, and the role of a man in a marriage. Other topics we will address include the biblical definition of manhood, the different seasons of a man’s life, and how one “becomes a man!”

In other entries on this blog you will find additional information regarding the second track we are following this year. We are looking forward to seeing and serving you this year. 

Rene K-A

Who's your cut man?

Who's your cut man?

photo by hkfuey97

You know, in boxing, the guy who puts the stool down, takes the boxer's mouthpiece out, puts the spit bucket in front of him, fixes his cuts so he can go out and fight another round? Usually there are two or three guys in the boxer's corner, each with a specific task. Not only do they give rest and comfort for his bruised and bleeding body, they give encouragement to keep fighting when he doesn’t feel like it, to push through the pain, to go one more round. They also warn of blind spots, like, “you are dropping your hands and he’s tattooing you with that left jab.”

Wh0 are my cut men? (in life, not boxing!) I’m not naming names here, but I have them. And I have strict requirements. They must be honest. I must trust them. They need to pursue integrity—which means admitting when they make a mistake. Yes, they are allowed to make mistakes. They are even allowed to aggravate or upset me at times—after all, we are all human. But they have proven themselves by providing me support in the past—even when I didn’t ask. They also meet a need or have a skill or have something about them that uplifts me in some way. All of them profess Jesus as their Savior.

Some of my cut men come from my men’s group—but not all the men in my group are my cut men. Some are in my small group at church—but not all the men in my small group are included. Some don’t even go to church—but they speak to my soul in an uplifting way. They are the chosen few, who for whatever reason connect with me and I with them on a level beyond the immediate.

You can’t win the battle alone. You are only fooling yourself. When the round is over, the corner is a lonely place to stand. Find your cut men!

Welcome

Welcome to the vineyardMEN blog!

We're the men's ministry for the Dayton Vineyard in Ohio, and what you'll find on this blog are thoughts and info from the leaders of vineyardMEN. We'll include topics we're discussing as a group as well as whatever is on our minds. Feel free to comment and let us know what's going on!

Our 2008 Fall schedule is coming up. We'll be kicking everything off on September 8, 2008, at 6:30 at the Dayton Vineyard with an open invitation to all the man at the Vineyard to join us for an evening barbecue. This is basically a time to get more information on where the vineyardMEN ministry is heading and to get more detail on the fall curricula.

Starting September 15, 2008, Monday nights will get more interesting! As a group, we'll meet in the main meeting room for opening prayer and thoughts.

The guys will then choose which path they'll be taking for the fall. The first option is Men's Fraternity, the Quest for Authentic Manhood. This is an incredible series that will actually go through the spring of 2009, and gives men very practical tools for growth at home, with the family and at work.

The other path available is Spiritual Leadership, Defining God's Call to Lead. This is an indepth series on not just leadership, but spiritual leadership from a biblical perspective. This is about core leadership at home and in the church.

Then our big annual event, the Bootcamp, is October 24-26, 2008, at Camp Joy. The topic will again be Spiritual Leadership, and we're blessed to have both Doug Roe and Scott Sliver speaking. This is more than a men's 'retreat'. While we have incredible worship and life-changing interaction with our God, we also have a lot of fun. If you haven't experienced a bootcamp at the Vineyard, you're missing out!