We were near the end of a great Bible Study during Man Cave at the Sunshine Rescue Mission. All of a sudden Police cars were all over the neighborhood with Officers carrying high powered rifles. A hostage situation had been reported and every precaution had to be taken. The situation ended peacefully. Somebody had done something we might call stupid. Our Bible study was a about a man who called himself stupid - and yet he wrote a chapter in the Book of Proverbs.
          Now you probably might ask, "How can a stupid man write a chapter in the same Book of Proverbs that were mostly written by Solomon - one of the wisest men ever to walk the planet?" Here's Proverbs 30 in its entirety so you can begin to chew on it and digest some wisdom about stupidity. In parentheses and bold print following some of the passages I've included parts of what we discussed. Our target verses were 24-28. The main theme of our lesson was: "Weak flesh covered in wisdom creates spiritual understanding."

The words of Agur son of Jakeh. The oracle.The man’s oration to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal: 
2 I am more stupid than any other man, and I lack man’s ability to understand. 
(Agur is stupid only in comparison to God's wisdom.
The knowledge of God is limitless.
The knowledge of man in comparison is less than
a grain of sand on the world's beaches and deserts.)
3 I have not gained wisdom, and I have no knowledge of the Holy One.
4 Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in His hands? 
Who has bound up the waters in a cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is His name, and what is the name of His Son— if you know?
 (These verses sound like Job.
His story details the loss (or weakening) of every strength he had.
In the end God blessed him with more than he could ever imagine.)
5 Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.
6 Don’t add to His words, or He will rebuke you, and you will be proved a liar. 
7 Two things I ask of You; don’t deny them to me before I die:
8 Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me. Give me neither poverty nor wealth;
feed me with the food I need.
 (This verse does not point to Solomon as the Author of this Proverb.
He had more wealth than anyone in the world.) 
9 Otherwise, I might have too much and deny You, saying, “Who is the Lord?” or I might have nothing and steal,
profaning the name of my God. 
10 Don’t slander a servant to his master or he will curse you, and you will become guilty. 
11 There is a generation that curses its father and does not bless its mother.
12 There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, yet is not washed from its filth.
13 There is a generation—how haughty its eyes and pretentious its looks.
14 There is a generation whose teeth are swords, whose fangs are knives, devouring the oppressed from the land
and the needy from among mankind. 
15 The leech has two daughters: “Give, Give!” Three things are never satisfied; four never say, “Enough!”:
16 Sheol; a childless womb; earth, which is never satisfied with water; and fire, which never says, “Enough!” 
17 As for the eye that ridicules a father and despises obedience to a mother, may ravens of the valley pluck it out
and young vultures eat it. 
18 Three things are beyond me; four I can’t understand:
19 the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship at sea,
and the way of a man with a young woman. 
20 This is the way of an adulteress: she eats and wipes her mouth and says, “I’ve done nothing wrong.” 
21 The earth trembles under three things; it cannot bear up under four: 22 a servant when he becomes king, a fool when he is stuffed with food,
23 an unloved woman when she marries, and a servant girl when she ousts her queen. 
24 Four things on earth are small, yet they are extremely wise:
25 the ants are not a strong people, yet they store up their food in the summer;
26 hyraxes are not a mighty people, yet they make their homes in the cliffs;
27 locusts have no king, yet all of them march in ranks;
28 a lizard can be caught in your hands, yet it lives in kings’ palaces.
 (These four verses are about weak things imparted with the knowledge of God's strength and wisdom.
They have no rational ability to think for themselves yet follow God's sovereign plan.
He created them and us for a purpose.
​When we are weak, in Him we become strong.)
29 Three things are stately in their stride, even four are stately in their walk:
30 a lion, which is mightiest among beasts and doesn’t retreat before anything,
31 a strutting rooster, a goat, and a king at the head of his army. 
32 If you have been foolish by exalting yourself or if you’ve been scheming, put your hand over your mouth.
33 For the churning of milk produces butter, and twisting a nose draws blood, and stirring up anger produces strife.

          Many times we feel weak when our best efforts fall on deaf ears. Folks we bend over backwards to help overcome an addiction or change their lives fall back into destructive lifestyles. It's easy to let our emotions sink into a depressing place. We feel the sting of rejection.
          Everything we do for God has value. We told a story about a dad driving with his son. A bee started buzzing around the boy who was allergic to bee stings. He cried out to his father who caught the bee in his hand, squeezed it and then let it go. As the bee was now free, the boy cried again. The father opened his hand and said, "Son, I took the sting for you. The bee can no longer hurt you." 
          Jesus took away the sting of our sin that separated us from our Father. Jesus was rejected, killed and buried. It looked like He was weak and useless, but that wasn't the end of the story. No matter how futile your efforts appear, what you have done for His glory is valuable. You may not see the end of a person's life, but you will know that God sees your efforts as worthy and valuable. Carry on.​ 

O death, where is your victory?
    O death, where is your sting?
For sin is the sting that results in death,
and the law gives sin its power. 
But thank God!
He gives us victory over sin and death
through our Lord Jesus Christ.
So, my dear brothers and sisters,
be strong and immovable.
Always work enthusiastically for the Lord,
for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.

          We always try and bring books with us during our Man Cave Mentoring sessions at SRM. The guys are hungry for more Bible studies and any books they can read to deepen their faith. If you have Christ-centered books to donate, please call us at 716-830-8240.
Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody. Jesus loves you and so do we.

          We backed into our Man Cave Mentoring class at the Mission by beginning at the end. Several guys have to leave early to take care of the Food Truck responsibilities. All of our lessons begin with the Truth of God's Word and hopefully end with directions on how to work out the Truth in our lives. Today we gave the application first and left it up to the departing guys to dive into the Truth on their own.
          Our Study Text today was 1 Kings 17 and the story of Elijah delivering God's news of a coming famine. He wasn't a very popular guy. Life wasn't easy for him or any of us. God has a plan to build our faith. We need to trust in His sovereignty and believe that what happens to us is designed to bring greater glory to Him.
          We told a story from Bob Goff's book, "Love Does." Here's a couple of quotes that hit our hearts hard.
"I used to want to fix people, but now I just want to be with them."
"I'm with you."
What we talked about was not judging people and loving the the way they are and let Love make any changes they might need. Whatever somebody is walking through, love them enough to say, "I'm with you."
          The outline of today's lesson is posted below. Please contact us with questions or thoughts you may have on this website or, [email protected] 716-830-8240.
          Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody. Jesus loves you and so we.

Study Text: 1 Kings 17

Key Terms

Elijah or Eliah - "my God is Jehovah" or "Yah(u) is God"
Tishbite - “captivity”
Gilead - "rocky region" You could call that a hard place.
Ahab - “father’s brother” (uncle) His legacy - “Ahab son of Omri (pupil of Jehovah) did even more open evil before GOD than anyone yet—a new champion in evil! It wasn’t enough for him to copy the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat; no, he went all out, first by marrying Jezebel daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and then by serving and worshiping the god Baal. He built a temple for Baal in Samaria, and then furnished it with an altar for Baal. Worse, he went on and built a shrine to the sacred whore Asherah. He made the GOD of Israel angrier than all the previous kings of Israel put together.”1 Kings 16:30-33 MSG 
Jezebel - pronounced, “e·zeh'·vel”, "Baal exalts" or "Baal is husband to" or "unchaste". Adjective - not chaste; not virtuous; not pure: You could say she was a dirty woman. an unchaste woman. characterized by sexual suggestiveness
Cherish  - a cutting; separation; a gorge, a torrent-bed or winter-stream.
Raven - unclean bird, scavengers who ate roadkill. Dirty birds!

Elijah was:

• One of the greatest of Prophets in one of the hardest of times.
• He delivered an uncomfortable message to earthly authority.
• He was a man of prayer. 

“Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.” James 5:16-18 NKJV

1. Serves God and has to escape to save his life.
2. Goes alone to a creek and gets fed by unclean birds who eat unclean things. They ate dead things, roadkill was a dirty delicacy. It really wasn’t the dirty birds who fed Elijah, it was God. He’s our Provider - Jehovah Jireh - the Lord will provide.”
3. The creek dries up. 
4. God tells him to go to a poor widow whose plan is to cook her last meal and die with her son. Oh, how uplifting and encouraging!

Elijah followed God. - Elijah was in captivity in a hard place under a King who was more evil than any before him, who was married to a dirty woman who killed prophets. God takes him from this “good life ” and sends him to a creek that dries up, to be fed by dirty birds. He leaves that “good life” to go to a poor widow who’s collecting firewood to cook a last meal for her and her son. And then the boy dies - before Elijah brings him back to life. 
Moving from Truth to Application 

1. Word & Prayer - When you are in a dark and hard place; a lonely place. Take time out and stay in the Word. Search for Bible studies that focus on what you’re struggling with. Ask Christian brothers and sisters to pray with you and for you.
2. Don't Move - Refrain from making any major decisions while you’re in bondage to anxiety, depression or confusion. 
3. Love & Serve - Don’t worry about fixing yourself or anybody else. Take your feelings of inferiority, unworthiness and inadequacy and go serve somebody. Go love on somebody without trying to figure things out.
4. Plan - The only plan you have to have in your heart right now is a plan to love Jesus and others in greater ways everyday. The Holy Spirit will plant something in your heart. He will fertilize your thoughts as you mature in Him and you will reap a harvest in due season. Seasons change, opportunities come and go, but God will never leave you or forsake you.

          The blind man was born into physical darkness. All of us are born into spiritual darkness. Life is a battle in our minds as we struggle to live humble lives of minimal sin. Today we focused our sights on the story of a blind man in the ninth chapter of John in the Bible.
         The word "blind" is mentioned 14 times in 41 verses. I think Jesus wanted to make sure we knew that this guy really was blind. We start out in verse one by reading the words "And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth."
          Before we went any further, we took a step backwards to examine the last verse in chapter eight. "Then they took up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by." His life was in danger, he was about to be stoned and he passed by and away frm trouble.
          Life as Jesus was not easy and yet he took time to notice a man in need as he passed by. We would do well to notice who we pass by in our daily travels. We would do well to pass by trouble. As the disciples were passing by, they noticed the man's condition. Instead of offering to help, they asked Jesus about the man's blindness. "Master, who did sin, this man or his parents that he was born blind?"
          Many folks think adversity is the result of sin. It can be, but most often it's a natural life struggle. Jesus makes a beautiful statement in answering their question. "Neither hath this man sinned or his parents, but that the works of God should be made manifest in him." What Jesus is saying is that this condition happened so that the glory of God could be revealed. Adversity is an opportunity to reveal God's glory.
          Sometimes we pass by people and make a judgment regarding their condition. It would be more of a "Jesus-like" thing to do by asking how we can help them. Jesus  spits on the ground, makes mud and puts it on the blind man's eyes. He then tells the blind man to go and wash in the Pool of Siloam (by interpretation, Sent.). I find that interesting because it seems to me like Jesus made the man's world darker.
           Faith-building is a step by step process. Jesus goes to the man, muddies him up and then tells a blind man to take a walk toward water. That may seem hard enough, but add in the fact that this was in a crowded city with many people who viewed this guy or his parents as sinners. Building our faith requires action in trying circumstances.
          After the man washes off his muddied eyes, he gains his physical sight. After we are washed in the water of the word, we gain (or regain) our spiritual sight. Our darkened (sinful) condition is muddied by the world of temptation around us. Jesus is standing at the door of our hearts and wants to put mud on our blind eyes. He was sent by the Father so that we would be sent in his name to share his love with a blind world.
          Have at it my friends, it's a joyful and rewarding struggle that will knock your socks off! Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody whom you just might be passing by. Jesus loves you and so do we.
  

        "For we are God’s masterpiece.
He has created us anew in Christ Jesus,
so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago."
Ephesians 2:10 NLT 

          God may have made us a masterpiece, but sometimes we act more like disaster-piece! Life is full of offensive opportunities to build resentment. This week's class at the Sunshine Rescue Mission (SRM) was about the dangers of being offended. Resentment is like a parasite that destroys our relationships with God and people.
          We finished up Session #12 and the Epilogue of the workbook "Strong Men Great Dads." The written material is combined with a timely message that we believe the Holy Spirit has given us: Just for these men. At such a time as this in their lives.
          Our notes from this week are posted below followed by pictures of our lesson in the workbook. We love questions and we remain teachable as we can all learn more about God's love from each other. Please feel free to leave a question or comment below.
Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody. Jesus loves you and so do we.

          Notes From Our Time of Prayerful Preparation

• Fresh fire from God will only fall on a worthy sacrifice - unblemished, undefeated, undefined and totally surrendered.
• Sin must be burned up in the fire of repentance before the fire of God will consume an offering.
• Sometimes it’s okay to burn bridges.
• It’s okay to burn your bridge to what you were addicted to.
• It’s okay to burn your bridge to anything that comes between you and God.

          “What do you want me to do for you?”
          “Lord,” he said, “I want to see.”
​          Luke 18:41 NLT

• Lord, I want to see what You see. Amen.
• The cup comes before the crown. Suffering comes before glory.
• Brokenness is a bridge to a greater capacity to love.
• Jesus agonized being separated from His Father.
• Abraham must have agonized over Isaac.

“America is spiritually dying because God has sales reps and not channels of His glory.”
Mario Murillo - “Reaching Critical Mass”

• Fire will will not fall on offended folks.
• Your offendability is like a stethoscope from which can be heard the sounds of your woundedness.
• The offendability scope reveals the wounds still festering in your character.
• “Resentment can transform from a behavioral reaction to a

personality trait. However, when Christ stitches our wounds
together, the bleeding stops and peace is restored.”

• Some resentment carries no blame - you can’t blame anybody

because they are all doing what’s acceptable.

• Identifying the reasons for resentment is not always possible. Trusting God is always possible.
• Ask yourself: “Is my resentment a reaction to the inaction of

somebody not meeting my expectations?”

• Resentment is a magnet that pulls hurtful memories to the

forefront of your thoughts.

• Resentment is a parasite that takes up residence in your heart

and causes behavioral alterations. It uses you as the host body to
perpetuate its parasitic destruction of your free will. Eventually
you become like a resentment zombie, resenting everything and
everyone.

1. Am I easily offended?
2. Does resentment cause me to be depressed?
3. Do I have a critical spirit?
4. Forgiveness can be an offensive behavior when the person you’re forgiving had no intention to sin against you.

“Gently instruct those who oppose the truth.
Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts,
and they will learn the truth.
Then they will come to their senses
and escape from the devil’s trap.
For they have been held captive by him
to do whatever he wants.”
2 Timothy 2:25-26

• What’s the loudest voice in your heart?
• Pride and arrogance are parasites.
• Parasites steal your identity in Christ?

“Never hold a grudge or try to get even, but plan your life
around the noblest way to benefit others.”
Romans 12:17 TPT

• Faith that isn’t tested is faith that can’t be trusted.
• Reading the Bible put me into a tailspin. Not stopping, I knew I had to press in.
• The devil wants us to think think that it’s a mark of humility to boast about our past and present sinfulness, our weaknesses, our failures and our unworthiness.
• We are God's masterpieces created to give Him glory through our thoughts, words and actions.

Ephesians 2:10 NLT “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has
created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good
things he planned for us long ago.”
Synonyms of parasite

• a person who is supported by or seeks support from another without making an adequate return
• a parasite who lived in the family's basement and ​refused to get a job or pay rent
• bloodsucker, freeloader, leech, moocher, sponge

The beginning of a Song called Parasite
I’ve been a Pharisee of hypocrisy.
A faker and a fraud - hyped with sanctimony.
Parasite
Yeah, I’ve been living with insincerity.
Resentment has overwhelmed and offended me.
Parasite
It’s become a bloodsucker living inside of me.
Cheerless and hopeless - Yo, I’m dying in a deep dark sea.
Parasite
Infected my heart, affected my mind,
Stolen. my Christ-sight, resentment has made me blind.
Parasite
“
Resentment is like drinking poison and then hoping it will
kill your enemies.” ::Nelson Mandela        

The following is a part of the Man Cave Mentoring Lesson at the Sunshine Rescue Mission on 3/16/21.

          The devil loves to keep us busy doing the wrong things to keep our minds off of focusing on the God things in our lives. B.U.S.Y is an acronym for "Being Under Satan's Yoke." We're not sure who used it first, but we heard about it from our friend Christos Terzan. For the first part of our class today we read the devil's letter to his demon followers. 

The following was taken from Full Circle Refuge.
Satan called a worldwide convention of demons.
In his opening address he said,
“We can’t keep Christians from going to church.”
“We can’t keep them from reading their Bibles and knowing the truth.”
“We can’t even keep them from forming an intimate relationship with their Savior.”
“Once they gain that connection with Jesus, our power over them is broken.”
“So let them go to their churches; let them have their covered dish dinners; BUT, steal their time, so they don’t have time to develop a relationship with Jesus Christ.”
“This is what I want you to do,” said the devil:
“Distract them from gaining hold of their Savior and maintaining that vital connection throughout their day!”
“How shall we do this?” his demons shouted.
“Keep them busy in the non-essentials of life and invent innumerable schemes to occupy their minds,” he answered.
“Tempt them to spend, spend, spend, and borrow, borrow, borrow.”
“Persuade the wives to go to work for long hours and the husbands to work 6-7 days each week, 10-12 hours a day, so they can afford their empty lifestyles.”
“Keep them from spending time with their children.”
“As their families fragment, soon, their homes will offer no escape from the pressures of work!”
“Over-stimulate their minds so they cannot hear that still, small voice.”
“Entice them to play the radio or CD player whenever they drive.” To keep the TV, VCR, CDs and their PCs going constantly in their home and see to it that every store and restaurant in the world plays non-Biblical music constantly.”
“This will jam their minds and break that union with Christ.”
“Fill the coffee tables with magazines and newspapers.”
“Pound their minds with the news 24 hours a day.”
“Invade their driving moments with billboards.”
“Flood their mailboxes with junk mail, mail order catalogs, sweepstakes, and every kind of newsletter, and promotional offering free products, services and false hopes..”
“Keep skinny, beautiful models on the magazines and TV so their husbands will believe that outward beauty is what’s important, and they’ll become dissatisfied with their wives.”
“Keep the wives too tired to love their husbands at night. Give them headaches too! ”
“If they don’t give their husbands the love they need, they will begin to look elsewhere. That will fragment their families quickly!”
“Give them Santa Claus to distract them from teaching their children the real meaning of Christmas.”
“Give them an Easter bunny so they won’t talk about His resurrection and power over sin and death.”
“Even in their recreation, let them be excessive. Have them return from their recreation exhausted.”
“Keep them too busy to go out in nature and reflect on God’s creation. Send them to amusement parks, sporting events, plays, concerts, and movies instead.”
“Keep them busy, busy, busy!”
“And when they meet for spiritual fellowship, involve them in gossip and small talk so they leave with troubled consciences.”
“Crowd their lives with so many good causes they have no time to seek power from Jesus.”
“Soon they will be working in their own strength, sacrificing their health and family for the good of the cause.”
“It will work!”
“It will work!”
It was quite a plan!
The demons went eagerly to their assignments causing Christians everywhere to get busier and more rushed, going here and there, having little time for their God or their families.
Having no time to tell others about the power of Jesus to change lives.
I guess the question is, has the devil been successful in his schemes?
You be the judge!!!!!
Does “BUSY” mean:
B-eing U-nder S-atan’s Y-oke?
If it does, it’s not normal.
In His love and service,
Jeff Myers
A servant of Jesus Christ

          Spend time with God. Spend time with family. Spend time with friends. Don't take any relationship for granted. Life passes too quickly. Don't hold back on revealing your belief in Christ. being too busy for Christ will mean He's too busy for you.
          Plan time to spend with God. Plan time to spend with God. Plan time to spend with God.
​Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody. Jesus loves you and so do we.

The following is a partial recollection of our Man Cave discussion at the Sunshine Rescue Mission on March 9, 2021.

          When hiking on a mountain trail with a lot of rocks in your path, you may have a tendency to walk with your head down to keep from tripping. When our heads are down, we miss the mule deer, elk, coyote, javelina or the many different kinds of birds in the forest. We miss the beauty of clouds on a horizon or a brilliant clue sky. It's okay to trip once in awhile and take your eyes off the obstacles to see opportunities.
          On March 9, 1841, the US Supreme Court voted to release from an American prison a group of folks who'd been called slaves. Slavery was still legal in many parts of the world including America. Transporting people with the intent on enslaving them was a violation of international law. The order was given to release 35 people (the original number was 53, but while on the voyage or in prison, 18 of them perished.) Funds were donated by compassionate folks to finance their return trip to Sierra Leone.
          On July 2, 1839, a group of 53 Africans were forced to board a slave ship bound for Cuba. Some had been kidnapped, others sold to pay family debts and a few were captured in war. After being sold to a couple of Cuban plantation owners, they boarded a ship bound for the other side of Cuba. A few days after leaving shore, the group mutinied and took control of the ship. They ordered the plantation owners to take them back to Africa. Eventually the wandering ship was overtaken by the US Navy in waters off of Long Island, NY - a long way from Sierra Leone. The name of the ship was "Amistad." which is Spanish for "Friendship."
          Upon their release, the Africans were accompanied by American Missionaries on their return voyage. After arriving in Freetown, Sierra Leone many of the freed people went back to their families. Some stayed with the Missionaries as they established the Komende Mission. Komende in Afrikaans means "forthcoming,  approaching,  coming,  nearing,  imminent,  future,  impending,  oncoming,  near,  prospective,  advancing,  progressing,  at hand,  close,  docking,  looming,  next,  rising,  in the cards,  in the offing," It's used to mean: "The upcoming generation is expected to be well-informed."
          One of the abducted children was named Margru which meant "black snake" in her language. The missionaries gave her a new name, Sarah Kinson. Sarah in the Bible means "lady, princess, noblewoman" in Hebrew. In the Old Testament this is the name of Abraham's wife, considered the matriarch of the Jewish people. She was barren until she unexpectedly became pregnant with Isaac at the age of 90. Her name was originally Sarai, but God changed it at the same time Abraham's name was changed (see Genesis 17:15). Sara Kinson was educated in America and returned to Africa in November 1849 as the "schoolmistress" of the Komende Mission's new girls' school.
          We found that to be a fascinating story. Before we move on to make some deep observations, lets look at two other small, seemingly low impact stories.

1. ​Everyday I walk the grounds where I live to check the status of the spring bulbs that I planted last fall. Slowly they're popping up through slowly thawing ground after a long winter Shabbatt (Hebrew word for rest." 
2. My last failure happened on March 2, 2021 when I failed to meet my daily goal of 10,000 steps. I marked the day on my calendar as I resolved to begin again and correct the reasons that lead to my failure. My day of new beginnings was March 4th. I gave myself one day of rest to grieve my failure before beginning again.

Some valuable points:

• Rocks in our path can trip us or become stepping stones. Fear of tripping can cause missed opportunities. Michael Jordan was one of the greatest basketball players of all time. He missed more shots than he made, but he was never afraid to shot again.
• Abducted people became slaves on a ship called Friendship. They fought back and appeared to lose as they were put in prison. After two years they were freed and were shipped back to Africa to Freetown. Bad things turn into good things when they're given to God. Romans 8:28 AMP "And we know [with great confidence] that God [who is deeply concerned about us] causes all things to work together [as a plan] for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to His plan and purpose."
• Planting and planning both have a preparation process that requires patience. Fall is a time of letting go (put bulbs in the ground for future growth. Winter is a time of rest. Let God do His perfect work in you. Spring is a time of new beginnings and fresh starts. Summer is the celebration that reveals God's glory.
• People do things that may not be in the will of God, but all things that happen are allowed by God. Allow Him to do His work in you, and His will is revealed through you - regardless of what others do to you.

           Scripturally we examined a ruthless story in 2 Samuel 13 about the Rape of Tamar. It's a nasty story about an innocent young virgin who is taken advantage of by an immoral man. She was victimized and re-victimized by her brother. Too often we re-victimize people by telling them they should have done something to avoid being victimized. Go overboard with compassion and empathy.
          One of our main learning points today was "Don't Compare Yourself To Others." We will not measure up as a basketball player with someone like Michael Jordan. God wants you to be the best you He created you to be. Don't cheat God by trying to be someone else.
          There's another way we compare ourselves to others - we expect them to be like us. Just because we've been successful at conquering a problem like addiction, doesn't mean other folks can use the same method. Encourage people with your successes, but leave room for people to own their own stuff. The Bible is a life plan for all people, but it's also written to us as individuals. Having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ means He knows us all uniquely. 
          Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody. Jesus loves you and so do we.

Phnom Penh Killing Field Skull.JPG Created: 29 October 2011 Used under Creative Commons License,  
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Phnom_Penh_Killing_Field_Skull.JPG
The following story is a partial representation of material shared during a mentoring class at the Sunshine Rescue Mission on 3-2-21

           In the four years between 1975-79 after I graduated from high school, I don't remember thinking about millions of people being slaughtered in Cambodia. The Killing Fields were named after the discovery of millions of executed Cambodians found in mass graves in about 300 sites throughout the country. Pol Pot was a genocidal despot who lead the murderous regime of the Khmer Rouge in wiping out almost one quarter of the population of Cambodia in only four years. Is it possible for a genocide to happen in America?
          You might think that seems like a ridiculous question, but how does a genocide happen in the first place? While  reading some of the survivor accounts and thinking about events in America today, I started to feel an extreme heaviness push down on my heart. As the sadness gripped me, a dismal thought came to mind, "Is it I, Lord?"
          In light of my life with many mistakes, that's a question I've often asked myself. It comes from a question the Disciples asked Jesus in Matthew 26:21-22. "Now as they were eating, He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.” And they were exceedingly sorrowful, and each of them began to say to Him, “Lord, is it I?” A guy named Judas was the one. He betrayed Jesus for some money and became part of the crucifixion story as Christ was murdered in unspeakable horror.
          Now the seemingly ridiculous question of genocide in America enters into an even more ridiculous thought process. How does a good friend betray somebody so special who healed people and came to save others? Why do all of His good friends even have to ask if they're the one capable of betraying Jesus? 
          Nobody believes that genocide will happen to them in the land of freedom, but why do guys who've been walking with Jesus, His close friends, actually think they could become betrayers? Because they are, and so are we. As human beings we're all capable of loving like Mother Teresa, killing like Pol Pot and betraying like Judas.
          The Khmer Rouge engaged in a sadistic genocide with the goal of returning Cambodia to the "golden age." The poor would farm the land in a quest for self sustenance and all capitalistic influences would be banned. Their methods to force people to comply were barbaric, ruthless and inhuman. How does a human commit inhuman atrocities? How are people convinced that it's in their best interests to betray friends, neighbors and family members?
          I was never personally a first hand witness to a holocaust, genocide or slavery, but I have witnessed the barbarity of gangland executions. Here's one thing I've learned, the first killing is the hardest and the second is easier and then it becomes easily accepted. After a young gang member is convinced that he has to join a gang, he tries to convince gang leaders that he's worthy of becoming a gangster. He's given a task which many times means killing somebody. The young, immature mind is convinced. that this act of murder is necessary. Misguided adrenaline helps him conquer fear and nervousness to put courage in his trigger finger. The only failure is not making sure the victim is dead. Usually the adrenaline makes him empty his weapon to make sure the execution is complete. Killing the first victim is the hard, but evil has a way of growing on you. Eventually the youngster develops a sociopathic mindset and kills without any trace of a guilty conscience. 
          What happened in Cambodia can happen again in any country. All it takes is spreading the bait of half-truths, combining them with fear and wrapping them up as hope for the hopeless; and you have a ready made hungry audience. Once the naked truth of Marxist control becomes known, it's often too late. Young people are taken from their families and brainwashed into committing atrocities. Friends, relatives and neighbors turn on each other for fear of becoming the next target of torture and execution. Slowly the insidious fear takes over neighborhoods, cities and then a country.
          The destruction of normal social structures is one of the main weapons of Communistic ideologies. The government is in charge of everything and controls the population in many ways including:

• Dictating the number of children you can have.(Forced abortions.)
• Taking away rights like business and property ownership (Fostering communal ownership.) 
• Discrimination against religious beliefs.
• Forced acceptance of political ideologies.
• Censorship of any opinion contrary to government control.

          Those who are instrumental in sowing the destructive seeds of genocide start by classifying people as enemies or followers. In the worst case scenarios, enemies are either imprisoned with the intention of brainwashing them or exterminated.
          Where is America today? It's easy to see the influence of big companies, social media censorship and foreign influence. The political parties have many members who cater to special interests who fund their political campaigns. The current President has signed executive orders allowing taxpayer monies to support the killing of children through abortion in this country and overseas. Cities have experienced destruction at the hands of angry mobs. Organizations claim to stand up for victims of racism and oppression while hiding their true mission of destroying nuclear families.  They act much like the wolf who dressed up as Grandma. 
          I read about a Rwandan Genocide survivor who said what's happening in America is eerily similar to what happened in his country before the Genocide. When a group or groups of people are treated as second class citizens, the process of dehumanization begins. Differences of opinion are turned into accusations of bigotry and hatred. Separating people by classes can lead to inhuman treatment. When enough folks engage in mistreating a class of people over an extended period of time, inhumanity becomes the norm and is no longer viewed as inhuman.
          In America, many people who identify as Christians or other religions have become targets of government legislation. If you have a Biblical mindset as a Christian, that means you wouldn't support the passage of the Equality Act. It doesn't mean that you don't love folks who do support the Act. We believe what God wrote in the Bible. God created man and women in His image. Changing the image of who He created to be is like telling God He made a mistake. Personally I'd never want to do that. Nations fall when God is replaced by idols. Pursuing self-fulfillment outside of the will of God is pursuing an idol of destruction.

• "For the nations that refuse to serve you will be destroyed." Isaiah 60:12 NLT 
• "Some find their strength in their weapons and wisdom, but my miracle deliverance can never be won by men. Our boast is in the Lord our God, who makes us strong and gives us victory!" Psalm 20:7 TP
• Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image and likeness. And let them rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky. Let them rule over the tame animals, over all the earth and over all the small crawling animals on the earth.” So God created human beings in his image. In the image of God he created them. He created them male and female." Genesis 1:26-27 ICB

          Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody. Jesus loves you and so do we.

FROM A MESSAGE AT THE SUNSHINE RESCUE MISSION MAN CAVE ON FEBRUARY 16, 2021 

          Life or time is never wasted in the mind of God. The timing of God's provision coincides with the hunger of man. Life is filled with hangovers - memories of things we wish we wouldn't have done. In today's lesson we'll learn how God orchestrated a miracle through a little boy of insignificance (we don't even know his name.) One little boy in a crowd of many thousands. He can use you too.
          There are two times in the Bible where Jesus fed thousands with a few meager loaves and fishes. He started with what we would call, "not-enough," and ended up with "more-than-enough." The stories talk about feeding 5,000 and 4,000, but that's only the men without counting the women and children. Here's one account of feeding of more than 5,000 from John 6:1-13 ICB. (Bold letters are for added emphasis by me.)
"After this, Jesus went across Lake Galilee (or, Lake Tiberias). Many people followed him because they saw the miracles he did to heal the sick. 
Jesus went up on a hill and there sat down with his followers. It was almost the time for the Jewish Passover Feast.
Jesus looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him. He said to Philip, 
“Where can we buy bread for all these people to eat?” (Jesus asked Philip this question to test him. Jesus already knew what he planned to do.)
Philip answered, “Someone would have to work almost a year to buy enough bread for each person here to have only a little piece.”
Another follower there was Andrew. He was Simon Peter’s brother. Andrew said, 
“Here is a boy with five loaves of barley bread and two little fish. But that is not enough for so many people.”
Jesus said, “Tell the people to sit down.” This was a very grassy place. There were about 5,000 men who sat down there. 
Then Jesus took the loaves of bread. He thanked God for the bread and gave it to the people who were sitting there. He did the same with the fish. He gave them as much as they wanted.
They all had enough to eat. When they had finished, Jesus said to his followers, “Gather the pieces of fish and bread that were not eaten. Don’t waste anything.” 
So they gathered up the pieces that were left. They filled 12 large baskets with the pieces that were left of the five barley loaves."
          Here are some bullet points for you to chew on:

• People had to get hungry before the miracle occurred.
• An insignificant little boy with an inadequate supply was used by God to go beyond the people's needs.
• The little boy gave up all his food did not go hungry.
• Jesus gave thanks before the need was met.
• Did they give thanks for the leftovers?
• God does good things for us to remember in bad times.
• Nothing is wasted in the kingdom of God.
• Hangovers given to God become Do-overs.
• Leftovers are memories of God meeting our needs.
• The boy was willing, selfless and nameless - are you willing to be used by God that way?

          Jesus, just say the name. Be the leftover. Be the crumbs. Be the Bread of Life to every hungry person you meet. Are you willing to let God get the glory?  The boy gave up what he had, surrendered his sustenance and released his small provision. The results were a magnificent meal preceded by gratitude. 
          This is a mentoring story. Jesus used individual mentoring and group mentoring to teach a lesson. He used several different learning styles including, visual, auditory and experiential. The Disciples played a physically active role in a spiritual miracle. Jesus asks us to do the same. We are His mentors expected to go into the whole world and help others experience the miracle new birth in Christ. 

Romans 6:4-16 The Passion Translation"

Sharing in his death by our baptism means that we were co-buried and entombed with him, so that when the Father’s glory raised Christ from the dead, we were also raised with him. We have been co-resurrected with him so that we could be empowered to walk in the freshness of new life. 

For since we are permanently grafted into him[a] to experience a death like his, then we are permanently grafted into him to experience a resurrection like his and the new life that it imparts.

Could it be any clearer[b] that our former identity[c] is now and forever deprived of its power? For we were co-crucified with him to dismantle the stronghold of sin within us,[d] so that we would not continue to live one moment longer submitted to sin’s power.[e]

Obviously, a dead person is incapable of sinning. 

And if we were co-crucified with the Anointed One, we know that we will also share in the fullness of his life. 

And we know that since the Anointed One has been raised from the dead to die no more, his resurrection life has vanquished death and its power over him is finished. 

For by his sacrifice he died to sin’s power once and for all,[f] but he now lives continuously for the Father’s pleasure. 

So let it be the same way with you! Since you are now joined with him, you must continually view yourselves as dead and unresponsive to sin’s appeal while living daily for God’s pleasure in union with Jesus, the Anointed One.

Sin’s Reign Is Over 

Sin is a dethroned monarch; so you must no longer give it an opportunity to rule over your life, controlling how you live and compelling you to obey its desires and cravings. 

So then, refuse to answer its call to surrender your body as a tool for wickedness. Instead, passionately answer God’s call to keep yielding your body to him as one who has now experienced resurrection life! You live now for his pleasure, ready to be used for his noble purpose.[g] 

Remember this: sin will not conquer you, for God already has! You are not governed by law but governed by the reign of the grace of God.

Grace Frees Us to Serve God

What are we to do, then? Should we sin to our hearts’ content since there’s no law to condemn us anymore? What a terrible thought! 

Don’t you realize that grace frees you to choose your own master? But choose carefully, for you surrender yourself to become a servant—bound to the one you choose to obey. If you choose to love sin, it will become your master, and it will own you and reward you with death. But if you choose to love and obey God, he will lead you into perfect righteousness."

          Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody. Jesus loves you and so do we.

          Sometimes folks live life on the "Island of Almost." Folks give up before they become "Finishers." Success and fulfilment is always a step away - reaching the space of almost done, but that's as afar as they go. Many guys who end up in shelters for men arrive with a long history of failures. All of us have failed many times over. The folks who've escaped from the "Island of Almost" have learned a secret. They no longer live as "Almost Men", they have learned how to become "Finishing Men."
​          Businesses almost thrive. Marriages almost survive. Addicts almost learn how to stay alive. The list of "almosts" is never complete, there's always another almost waiting to happen. Why do we stop short? Is it a character defect? Is it part of God's testing ground to grow our character? I won't waste time looking for excuses, let's focus on how to become finishers.
          There's something I've noticed that all successful people do - they own their own stuff (they accept responsibility for their place in life.). That means they don't play the blame game. The guys stuck on the island of Almost are always blaming somebody else for their failures. Back in the Old Testament days, folks with the contagious disease of leprosy would have to announce their presence by yelling, "UNCLEAN! UNCLEAN!" Folks on the Island of Almost announce their  presence as well. With their attitude and habits, they announce to the world, "ALMOST MAN! ALMOST MAN!"
          For some guys the recognition of danger is enough to catapult them off the island. One act can lead to the development slovenly (and sinful) habits that ignore consequences. King Solomon was recognized as one of the wisest guys who ever lived. He wrote many Proverbs to teach a wisdom. In Proverbs 14, he writes about the dangers of adultery. In the 5th verse he uses the word "almost." Read that verse in four different versions.
1. "I was almost in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly." KJV
2. "Now I’m totally disgraced and my life is ruined! "I’m paying the price—for the people of the congregation are now my judges.” TPT
3. "I have come very close to being completely ruined in front of a whole group of people.” ICB
4. "I have come to the brink of utter ruin, and now I must face public disgrace.” NLT
          Folks who live on the Island of Almost have almost given up hope of ever losing disgrace - that's the brink of ruin. Back in Solomon's day the act of adultery would get you stoned to death. That might seem like a harsh penalty for one act of cheating, but imagine what one sinful deed can lead to. People die from sexual disease. Marriages, businesses, friendships and relationships with children can be destroyed through infidelity. One bad act can have a ripple effect of greater destruction. One small step for Almost Man can be one step away from hell.  Folks in continued and unchecked sin are almost in hell.
         Our actions can cause us to become disgraced in front of a large group of people, but with God there's always grace. Our next article is called "Leftovers, Hangovers & Do-Overs." Jesus hung on a cross in disgrace that He didn't deserve so that we don't have to live in the disgrace that we do deserve. 
          Take ownership of your life and begin again. Turn your failures into steppingstones of success. Get off the island of Almost and stop living as "Almost Man." In a horrific end of life, Jesus was setting the stage for new life when He said, "It is finished." God doesn't consider anybody He made to be a waste of His time.
          Here are the steps to leave the "Island of Almost." 

1. Surrender your past. Jesus has already taken your past from you, don't pull it back.
2. Disgrace and shame are place settings for the devil. Don't share a meal with him.
3. ​Jesus fed 5,000 and 4,000 on separate occasions when nobody saw enough food. With Jesus, you will always have enough to get you to the finish line. 
4. Jesus didn't stop at almost, He gave thanks to God and always finished by the grace of God - and so will you!

Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody. Jesus loves you and so do we.
#ywap4Finishers #ywap4Christ #JLYASDW

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          We all agreed that without the breath of God, we would die. You can take that in a lot of different directions. We prayed and we read Bible verses about the Breath of God. We urge you to pray through them as well. We know everybody can't gather in the Man Cave to pray, but this is important - especially in this current political atmosphere. We've posted our notes below. 
​           Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody. Jesus loves you and so do we.

          MAN CAVE PRAYER Nov. 21, 2020 8am
                      cftnflag.com 716-830-8240.
                                                        
          BIRDS IN A VACUUM
Putting birds in glass and removing the air with a pump to create a vacuum will cause suffering and death.
Prayer opens an airway for God to breath into our lives.
Removing the breath of God creates a vacuum devoid of the hope found in Christ.
Men who don’t pray for their family’s leaves them gasping for the breath of God.
          A MAN-PRAYER
Hear us God as we seek You.
Lend us your hearing as we surrender all of our manhood to you.
Break now the bulwarks of worldly oppression.
Remove the shackles of the devils castigation.
Cleanse us from our lifelong habits of sinfulness.
Breath on us afresh with the air of Your Presence.
We have sinned against you.
Help us to turn wholly to You.
Cause us to rise up as men of prayer.
Grant us understanding of Your will for our lives.
We yield our whole heart, soul, mind and strength to You.
Make us strong men in Christ.
Make us strong men as leaders for our families.
Help us to be humble men.
We want to know You more.
Amen
          BREATH of GOD BIBLE VERSES

1. Genesis 2:7 HCSB Then the Lord God formed the man out of the dust from the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.
2. Job 27:3-4 As long as I live, while I have breath from God, my lips will speak no evil, and my tongue will speak no lies.
3. Job 32:8 But there is a spirit within people, the breath of the Almighty within them that makes them intelligent.
4. Job 33:4 For the Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
5. Job 34:14-15 If God were to take back his spirit and withdraw his breath, all life would cease, and humanity would turn again to dust.
6. Psalm 104:29-30 But if you turn away from them, they panic. When you take away their breath, they die and turn again to dust. When you give them your breath, life is created, and you renew the face of the earth.
7. Isaiah 42:5 God, the LORD, created the heavens and stretched them out. He created the earth and everything in it. He gives breath to everyone, life to everyone who walks the earth.
8. Ezekiel 37:5-6 This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.
9. Acts 17:24-25 The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.
10. John 20:21-22 Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”