Starting Friday: Men's Fellowship Through Accountability

Recall that the “great snowstorm of 2018” here in Charlotte pushed back our plans to meet last week.  So this week, we’re doubling up on our study’s chapters about Peter (Chapter 2) and Andrew (Chapter 3).  Ironically enough (or not), it’s great that we’re going to be talking about these two brothers this week.

Some of you, like me, grew up with a sibling, perhaps a brother or two.  The Bible is not clear about who is older, Simon (Peter) or Andrew, but all indications seem to point that Peter was the elder of the two.  He’s more polished, shows more leadership, and quickly becomes Jesus’ right hand man.

As we’ll learn this week, however, it’s Andrew who makes the initial introduction of Jesus to his brother, Peter.  Andrew hears about Jesus from John the Baptist, and then has a period of following Jesus, and then alerts Peter that “we have found the Messiah”.

It’s almost as if Andrew wants to lay claim to finding Jesus….first.

“Look at me….look at me,” is maybe what Andrew runs telling his brother.

But we know how the story unfolds, right.

Poor Andrew…...

More on these brothers this Friday!

Bring your coffee and your seat belts!  We’re going fast this week!

Gather beginning at 7:30 am.  Rob Miller will kick off the Peter lesson at 7:45 am.

See you then!

The Cornwell Center will have a delayed opening this Friday of 10 am due to the winter storms that hit the Charlotte area.  As such, we are going to post-pone our FMMF this Friday.

NEXT Friday, we’ll double-up on lessons….so please come prepared!  Rob Miller will lead us in the lesson on Peter for about 20 minutes.  Then, Mike will pick up the scheduled lesson on Andrew that same morning, also for 20 minutes.  It will be a fast & furious FMMF on January 26th!  Come prepared to buckle in tight!

Hate to miss our lesson this week, but better to stay off the roads, especially early in the morning when the ice is still very present.

Peace!

This week, we tackle our first apostle:  Peter.

Many of you already know much about “Peter”….but what do we know about “Simon”?   Simon, according to some scholars was anything but a leader of the church.  Yet, Jesus knew that Simon had potential.  He changed his name to Peter….”Petros” in Greek which translated means “a piece of rock, a stone”.

Peter is always mentioned as the leader of the apostles but you might not know that he was actually selected third when Jesus was walking around with His “follow me” invites!   Homework this week is to concentrate primarily on Chapter 2 of our study.  Supplement your reading with the corresponding workbook sections for Peter as time permits.  Our “rock” this Friday will be Rob Miller, as he introduces Peter to our fellowship.

 

And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon!  Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.  But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”  LUKE 22:31-32

See you this Friday!  Gather starting at 7:30 am.  Rob will begin the lesson at 7:45 am.

Peace!

Last week, we introduced our new series, Twelve Ordinary Men, in rather quick fashion.  Now, in our second week, we’re doing what most men do when it comes to taking a journey:  We’re going to circle back around along the same path all over again!

This week, our homework is to read the Introduction and Chapter 1 all over again.  Great news if you didn’t get that done last week….and even better news if you were worried you’d be falling behind right out of the gate.

As you read this week’s assignment, think about a few things:

• First, Jesus chooses the twelve not because they were famous, smart, powerful or even wealthy.  Why do you think this was the case?
• Next, read 1 Timothy 3:2-7 and write down the qualities that Paul says are prerequisites for being a leader in the local church.  Think about which of those qualities would not have been present in the disciples when Jesus first chose them.
• Finally, how can we balance out the understanding that God delights in choosing ordinary nobodies (like us) but yet has high expectations for us at the same time?

Lots to cover this week and it’s a long reading.  Remember to break it apart, if you must, and save time to go ponder the three questions above.

Mike Lenhart will lead us again this week.  Gather at 7:30 am at The Cornwell Center.  We’ll begin the lesson promptly at 7:45 am.

Peace!

Happy New Year!  And what a chilly start to the new year, here in Charlotte!  Bitter cold weather continues!

But there’s hope….and this Friday you’re invited to “come in from the cold” as we kick off a new year and a new series:  Twelve Ordinary Men by John MacArthur.

This week, Mike Lenhart will lead us through an introduction of the 12-week series.  If you’ve purchased the book already, your “homework” is to read the Introduction section and Chapter 1.  Bring the corresponding workbook if you’re purchased that as well.

Do you have a favorite apostle?  If so, consider picking one Friday or two as a particular week’s leader.  You can sign up via the FMMF Charlotte “SignUp Genius” page at this LINK.  Six of the twelve weeks are currently covered …. but there are six more Friday’s that need ownership!

We’ll see you this Friday beginning at 7:30 am where we gather in fellowship.  Lesson One kicks off at 7:45 am.  Bring your own coffee.  Meet in the front parlor room at The Cornwell Center.

FMMF…..it all starts with “fellowship“!

Peace!

Our Friday Morning Men’s Fellowship (FMMF) – Charlotte is still on our holiday break but next week we’re starting a new series, “Twelve Ordinary Men” by John MacArthur.  This series will stretch for 12 weeks from January 5th to March 23rd.  You might notice that the series will purposely wrap up the Friday before Holy Week in 2018!

The book has a supporting workbook that we’ll use for this series.  Please plan on ordering both at from a number of online options.  We’ve included an Amazon link below.

Mike Lenhart will kick off the series on January 5th.  Then, each week, someone will be tasked to prepare and lead that Friday’s lesson.  An online signup form is available at the link below as well.

The weekly lessons typically will focus on one disciple or, in some cases, two or three disciples.  But the lessons are “stand-alone” so if your work or personal obligations take you away on a Friday, don’t worry….you won’t fall behind.  We invite you to come to all or as many as you can!  And feel free to bring a friend even if he doesn’t have the book!

Finally, we typically “gather” at the Cornwell Center’s front parlor room beginning at 7:30 am, with the lesson starting promptly at 7:45 am until 8:30 am.  Bring your own coffee and take some time during the 15-minute “buffer” to connect with others in our FMMF until the lesson starts.

Finally, this series is all about twelve “ordinary” men who collectively accomplished some extra-ordinary things….and in that message, there’s hope for all of us!

We’ll see you next week!

Peace!

LINKs for the book and supporting workbook:

Twelve Ordinary Men book

Twelve Ordinary Men workbook

LINK for signup sheet for weekly lesson leaders:

Twelve Ordinary Men sign-up genius

This Friday, it’s a wrap for our current Advent series with our final lesson, The Angels.  We’ll meet slightly later, however, at 8 am at The Original Pancake House over on Charlottetown Road.  (Side note…..Aaron’s favorite breakfast spot!)  Rob Miller brings it home this week, leading us in our final lesson of the series.

So let’s plan to discuss The Angels, and dig into some tall stacks of flap jacks!  What could be better, right?

This will be our final FMMF for the year.  After this week, we’ll gather on January 5th to start the new series, Twelve Ordinary Men.

Gather this Friday at 8 am.  Come hungry!

Peace!

I’m told, based on some research, that when the angels of the Lord appeared to the shepherds “watching over their flocks” that this was one of only two times a group of angels (rather than just one) appeared to announce important news.  Anyone know the second instance?  

So, God must have felt this was really, really, really BIG news to send out what some scholars have described as “millions” of angels.

But, why announce this to a group of shepherds, who were considered the lowest of the lowly classes of society during those times?  Why not announce this to kings, and queens, religious leaders, and other powerful figures?

This week, we’re up to lesson 4 in our series on the Nativity:  The Shepherds

Mike will lead us this week as we explore the significance of the shepherds and perhaps “why” God chose them to announce the birth of the Savior.

Gather at the Cornwell Center front parlor beginning at 7:30 am.  We’ll hit the lesson promptly at 7:45 am.

Next week, we’ll wrap up this series before taking some time off for the holidays.  Our next series, Twelve Ordinary Men, begins on January 5th….and will run for 12 weeks.  There’s a signup list now available for lesson leaders each week.  Find your favorite apostle and sign up to lead that week!

SIGN UP HERE for TWELVE ORDINARY MEN weekly leaders

See you this Friday!

Peace!

We had such a great time listening to Jason Schubert’s testimony, that we didn’t allow enough time to hit the lesson on Joseph.  So, this Friday, we’ll “double-up” on Joseph’s story, then Mary’s.

Schubert is still on the hook to present the Joseph lesson.

And, John Ramey will lead us on the Mary lesson.

Please read one or both….depending on how “prepared” you were for last Friday!  : -)

Lastly, looking ahead, please order our next study book and the supporting workbook for the series by John MacArthur, “Twelve Ordinary Men”.  Details are shown in the Resources section of this site.

See you at 7:30 am at the Cornwell Center!

Peace!

Remember a few years back, during a presidential campaign, a guy nicknamed “Joe the Plumber”?  Politicians on both sides of the aisle attempted to align with this ordinary “Joe” as a means of reaching out to the everyday man and woman.

This week, our study series focuses on another “ordinary Joe”…..Joseph the Carpenter.  You know him, right?  Mary’s husband.  We don’t actually hear much about him beyond his entrance into Bethlehem for the birth of Jesus.  Some say he was much older than his bride, Mary, and perhaps we don’t hear about him much because he died off.

Whatever the case, this week we’re giving Carpenter Joe top-billing!  John Ramey leads us in our study on The People of the Nativity, Study 2: Joseph.  Join us this Friday at the Cornwell Center beginning at 7:30 am.

Jason Schubert will share his personal faith testimony first, then we’ll jump into the story of Joseph.

See you then!