Men's Fraternity Week 20

Men’s Fraternity
Week #20 Comfort



Introduction:

John 4:31-35
Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” So the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest.

I. Deep Idol of Comfort

• There is a hidden, yet sudden power in comfort!

1. Comfort Idol yearns for privacy, making no demands and will only do for others if it brings stability or relieves stress.


1. Selfishly introspective.
2. Constantly noncommittal.
3. Abhors anything impinging upon personl freedom.


2. Greatest nightmare for those who worship comfort is spontaneity and demands.

II. Comfort Idol’s Traps

1. The Fear of Responsibility.


• Man hides from obligation, believing that real happiness is found apart from responsibility.

2 Thessalonians 3:11
For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busy bodies.

[If we’re idle we begin to meddle, talking about how things could have been done better]


2. Trap of Consumption


• Preoccupation with consumption is a diversion, but it’s not a solution to the stressful messes around us.

Proverbs 25:27-28
It is not good to eat much honey, nor is it glorious to seek one’s own glory. A man without self control is like a city broken into and left without walls.

Deuteronomy 31:20
For when I brought them into the land flowing with milk and honey, which I swore to give to their fathers, and they have eaten and are full and grown fat, they will turn to other gods and serve them, and despise me and break my covenant.


• If your “go-to” when times get hard and stressful is to consume, there’s a great chance that what is driving you is a deep comfort idol.


3. Trap of Escapes


• Rather than deal with the harshness of life or feel the pain that is part of life we create an alternate reality of escapes.

2 Peter 2:20
For if after they have escaped the defilements of the world, through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first.


• The real pleasure in life comes not in the pursuit of pleasure but in the fulfillment of responsibility.
• Deep happiness and satisfaction is NOT actually found in pursuing freedom and escape, but it is actually found in the middle of walking with God in the midst of uncomfortable, challenging times.
• ”Sin is what you do when you are not fully satisfied in God.” - John Piper

III. Replacing the Idol of COMFORT

1 Peter 5:6-7
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that at the proper time He may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on Him, because he cares for you

• ”Humble” - having a teachable spirit and attitude. That is our part!
• ”Proper time He may exalt you” - God will lift us up in His proper time. That’s God’s part!
• Cast anxious moments on Him - Run to God, not to your temporary comforts. That is our part!

1 Peter 5:8-9
Be sober-minded: be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.

• Sober-minded…watchful – We must be on high-alert against an enemy who is seeking to gain access to our lives.
• Adversary - the devil functions like a prosecuting attorney in our mind bringing up our failures and messes creating fear.
• Devour - means to drink or lick, the enemy wants to create fear in us so that we turn into a mess of liquid emotions.
• Resist him - Stand! Keep your focus on Christ!
• Brotherhood - the suffering you face, others are facing too! Best have each other’s back!

1 Peter 5:10
And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen and establish you.

• Suffering a little while - resilience in the midst of difficulty only lasts a little while. At the moment it feels like forever but compared to eternity it is a little while.
• God’s Grace is sufficient - God is the ________ of all spiritual comfort and help for every ________.
• Restore, confirm, strengthen, establish - That is God’s complete work in our lives.

If we are not fulfilled and secure in God, we will inevitably seek other sources of happiness and security.

Discussion:
Which traps are you most prone to find yourself in during stressful or difficult times: Fear of responsibility, trap of consumption, trap of escapism?

Sometimes we seek the idol of comfort because we lack overarching purpose in life or because of the pain of adversity. Do you agree? How have you seen this in your life?

In what sense can pleasure and comfort be an idol?

What is your “Comfort zone” that you struggle getting out of?

In Psalms 16:7-11, what is the Psalmist’s attitude towards pleasure?

Journal - Another Doctor Visit

On Monday, I had an appointment with Dr. Feilmeier (pronounced file-myer) at the Kearney Eye Institute. Dr. Feilmeier’s office is actually in Omaha, but he comes to Kearney once a month since there aren’t a lot of cornea specialists around here. Joni and I arrived in time for the 10:30am appointment.
At about noon, we finally got to see the doctor. He took a quick look at my eyes through the microscope, check the pressure, and did all the basic things that happen during any visit to the eye doctor. Then we talked about surgery for a few minutes, and some of the risks involved. He told me that any surgery I get would be done in Omaha, and probably the first couple of follow-ups, but anything after that could probably be handled in Kearney. I already knew that, but he did tell me a couple of things I didn’t know.
First, he said they would probably do cataract surgery first, then the cornea transplant at another time, rather than doing both at the same time like I thought. I assumed that since they have to go through the cornea to get to the cataract, they would just go ahead and do the transplant at the same time. Instead, he told me that the cataract is handled through a small incision on the outer edge of the cornea, rather than removing the cornea completely.
Secondly, I learned that one of Dr. Feilmeier’s associates also visits this area once a month, at an office in Grand Island. The two doctors come on a rotating schedule so that one of them is here every two weeks. That made me feel a little better because I was worried about only having a doctor here once a month in case there are problems after surgery.
All in all, it was a good visit. A positive visit as you might say. I was only with Dr. Feilmeier for about 15 minutes, but already I liked him better than Dr. Halgren in Omaha. He was just better at explaining things and letting me know how everything would be handled. He said he would go ahead and put me on the transplant list since there is about a two month wait. In the meantime, he will be gathering my records from Dallas and Omaha. If he decides that any further tests need to be done, they’ll contact me for an appointment, otherwise the next time I hear from them will be when they’re ready to schedule surgery.
Oh, there was one other thing he mentioned. When we were talking about surgery, I asked if I could have a bionic eye, knowing full well there is no such thing. What he mentioned was a type of prosthetic cornea that they sometimes use now in patients that have had multiple rejections. He didn’t go into great detail, but it has something to do with a natural cornea being layered with a plastic lens. I’ll have to look into that and see if I can learn more.
Anyway, I’m scheduled to see Dr. Feilmeier again on August 11, but I may very well hear from his office sometime before that if he decides we can go ahead with surgery. Keep me in your prayers!

2 Peter 3:8-9 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. ESV

Journal - Blessings

God just continues to shower blessings on us! On Saturday, we had a nice visit from Mom and Brenna. They brought out some Valentine cookies that they made that afternoon. We enjoyed the visit and the cookies, and I think Sassie made a new best friend. On Tuesday night, we are going up to Kearney High School for Brenna’s swing choir program, and she also has an orchestra concert later this month. I’m looking forward to that.
Audiobook-Heaven continues to be showered with blessings as well. Last week I received six new audiobooks from Blackstone, and 2 from Susan Dunman. I also made a couple of new contacts. I emailed AudioGo, formerly known as BBC Audiobooks America, and they agreed to send me some audiobooks. I picked out three books and just received them yesterday. I was also contacted by an author, who wanted to know if I would review the audio version of his book. I’ve never heard of this author before, but it’s pretty cool that he went looking for a reviewer and found me. He sent me a link and I downloaded his book. I started listening to that one today, but I had to write back to him and tell him I couldn’t do it. The language was pretty strong.
But wait, there’s more! Also today, I received the books from Galaxy Press. It was about three weeks ago that they mailed them, so I was beginning to think they had changed their minds, but here they are. Galaxy Press, if you remember, is creating audio versions of some of L Ron Hubbard’s older works. I’ve really been looking forward to those. Did you know that L Ron Hubbard was born in Nebraska?
Wait, wait, there’s still more! Also today, I got a response from another publisher that I’ve been emailing, HighBridge Audio. They have also agreed to send me audiobooks. That won’t be quite like the Blackstone deal. With Blackstone, I can pretty much pick anything I want out of their extensive catalog, but with HighBridge, I can only pick from the periodic press releases that they email out. Still a good deal, though, and very exciting.
Business is booming, as you might say. If I had any money I would probably hire an assistant or something. God has been so good to me, and I just can’t wait to see what happens next.
In other news, I’ve finally made the decision to play my sax at church sometime. I have felt God urging me to do this for quite a while now, but as usual I have been dragging my feet. I had a hard time deciding what to play. I couldn’t find karaoke versions of the first couple of songs that came to mind. So I decided to keep it simple and just play Amazing Grace. I found a nice accompaniment track at Amazon.com and downloaded it, and have been working on that for about a week now. I also emailed the music director at our church and we’re trying to nail down a time when I can come in and have a little audition. It’s a busy time for him because they are just beginning to set up the audio-video-lighting in our new sanctuary, which is nearing completion. We may have to wait until that’s all done, but I’m determined. God has been so good to me and it’s about time I started giving something back. I don’t have much money to give, but I can sure use the talent that God gave me to contribute something.
Umm, what else? It’s only a couple more weeks until my Medicare becomes effective. Starting in March they’ll be deducting $115 from my social security to pay for that. That will make it even harder to cover the bills each month, but I have to trust that God will take care of it. He’s never let me down before. Speaking of which, our church really came through for us again and paid our propane bill. Actually they paid our last two. Our energy assistance from the state was drastically cut this year. Last year we got about $1100, but this year it was only $200. They said there were a lot more applicants this year.

1 Peter 2:1-3 Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind. Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good. NIV

2 Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. NKJV

Journal - Customer Service

Busy, busy, busy! "Audio Book Heaven" is all ready to go as far as the settings and layout are concerned. That table of contents I created is proving to be very handy. As part of my book reviews, I’ve begun adding a section called "Related Books" where I list other books from the series, etcetera. The books in the list are linked to other reviews if I’ve already done one. The table of contents makes it much easier for me to make the links. I hope my readers find it useful too, assuming I ever get any. ~smile~



On the Audible program, I’ve finally been approved as an affiliate. They had previously denied my application because I had put the wrong URL on it. That’s been fixed and I’m all set to go. I started looking through the different links they have that you can put on your website. I sort of want to modify the wording a little bit to fit my blog a little better, but I thought I should ask them first. So I sent an email to ask about that and I’m waiting for their response.



I also have an account set up with Amazon. They have some different things you can do, you can link to individual products or to product categories. I just got done emailing them some questions about that. I think it would be better to link to a category, namely books, but I asked them what would happen if someone clicked my link and then bought something in a different category. Also, it seemed like all they had were banners, so I asked if they had text links available. We’ll see what they say.



I also heard about another affiliate program with ABE Books. They sell new and used books, although I’m not sure if they handle audio books. I’ll give that a look sometime, my reviews are written from and for audio books but they would still apply to text books for the most part.



I’m still kind of playing around with the stat counter thing. Not having much luck though. I’ve heard of people having trouble not being able to see their own counters, although people on other computers can see them. So if you go to "Audio Book Heaven", let me know if you see a counter at the bottom of the page. I think it’s at the bottom anyway.



That’s it for now. See ya later!



Update! I just got an email back from Audible where I had asked if I could modify the link. The rep asked for an example of what I wanted it to say so I showed her what I wanted. I must say, the various people I’ve been contacting at Audible, Amazon, WordPress, and Stat-Counter have all been very good about getting back to me quickly. They've also been very friendly and helpful. It's nice to know that there are still friendly customer service reps somewhere out there.



Ephesians 4:32 Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.



2 Peter 1:7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.