Men of Fuel

A number of years ago, a friend of mine kept telling me about this TV show called “Lost”. Apparently he and his wife were completely hooked on this show, and said it was a “must see”. It was getting ready to start its 3rd season, and he offered to loan my wife and I the DVD set of the first two seasons. My wife and I watched the very first episode, and agreed that while it was interesting, it didn’t seem to captivate us like it had our friends.

Then we watched the second episode, and it was over. We became obsessed. To the point that after a few nights of little sleep we had to implement the “Two Episode Only” rule, as we were watching up to three shows a night.

I bet I am not alone. I bet everyone reading this E-mail can relate. It could have been a book, or a movie, a TV show, a sporting event, a conversation, a deal on which you worked, a test, a class that you took or something else that just grabbed us in such a way that every bit of us was committed to seeing what the outcome was going to be. Now while we might not be able to all agree on what the situation was, we could probably all agree that at some point it involved mental or emotional strain; intense, suppressed suspense, anxiety or excitement. Would you be surprised to know that is the definition of Tension?

That’s what makes a story great. Tension is what makes sporting events epic. It’s what makes almost anything we do memorable. Unfortunately I don’t think we leverage it like we could. You know who did………….Jesus.

You read through the bible and He never seemed rushed to give an answer or relieve the tension of a situation or conversation. Why? My guess is that His believed His message was more important than relieving the tension that hung in the air.

Last week we kicked off our series “The Greatest Story ever (mis)Told”. We looked at the first three verses, and what we see is a very tense situation that Jesus is about to address. Please join us for week two tomorrow “The One or the 99”

Please know that unlike the series Lost, you can join midstream. However like the show Lost, the first week was just putting things in place for the rest of the series.

Hope to see you guys in the AM

D.R. Carlson

After thinking about yesterday’s conversations at Fuel, I suspect Jesus loves Billy Joel. OK, not that He’s going to concerts and tracking with his life style, but sort like in the same way I read on a T-shirt that said, “Jesus loves Porn Stars.” Its an awkward statement when you hear it, but its true.

The point is, Billy Joel wrote these lyrics “I’d rather laugh with the sinners than cry with saints; sinners are much more fun…” And on many levels, I believe this thought resonated with Jesus back in the day, and still does.

I think if we were honest most people we consider to be “religious” are not really the people we often consider to be the most fun. I think Jesus knew that; and that’s part of the reason why he hung out with tax collectors, prostitutes, and Samaritans. And the funning thing is, THEY were drawn to Him. There was this mutual attraction. What was it about Jesus that caused people who did very little to think about God, or righteousness, or being good to be interested in Him?

Maybe perhaps God is not as interested in our behavior as we may have been led to believe. Maybe its something more.

Maybe they sensed something in Jesus that most people don’t sense from the church, or people claiming to be Christian.

Maybe it was a sense of acceptance, and an unconditional love—like one would receive from a Father…

Whatever it was and is, it had to be relevant. Like we discussed, Jesus wasn’t out there running a break-dance ministry or instructing people with a list of do’s and don’ts. Maybe He was just a little more understanding and compassionate. Maybe He listened more than He preached. Maybe He seemed more forgiving than condemning?

Whatever it is, something about Jesus is different than what most of us have been told to believe.

Is it possible that the real message of Jesus is relevant to your life? And are you open to that possibility?

And if you follow Jesus, do you attract the people who don’t follow Jesus? And what might you be able to do in order to be “more like Jesus” and change that?
Maybe Virginia SHOULD wait, and Christians could be much more fun, and Billy Joel hasn’t heard the real story either…
We’ll continue this conversation next Wednesday, and look into what God is really concerned about…because its not what you have been told. It’s a lot more…

Invest and invite,

Pat

After thinking about yesterday’s conversations at Fuel, I suspect Jesus loves Billy Joel. OK, not that He’s going to concerts and tracking with his life style, but sort like in the same way I read on a T-shirt that said, “Jesus loves Porn Stars.” Its an awkward statement when you hear it, but its true.

The point is, Billy Joel wrote these lyrics “I’d rather laugh with the sinners than cry with saints; sinners are much more fun…” And on many levels, I believe this thought resonated with Jesus and still does today.

I think if we were honest most people we consider to be “religious” are not really the people we often consider to be the most fun. I think Jesus knew that; and that’s part of the reason why he hung out with tax collectors, prostitutes, and Samaritans. And the funny thing is, THEY were drawn to Him. There was this mutual attraction. What was it about Jesus that caused people who did very little to think about God, or righteousness, or being good to be interested in Him?

Maybe perhaps God is not as interested in our behavior as we may have been led to believe? Maybe its something more?

Maybe they sensed something in Jesus that most people don’t sense from the church, or people claiming to be Christian?

Maybe it was a sense of acceptance, and an unconditional love—like one would receive from a Father…?

Whatever it was and is, it had to be relevant. Like we discussed, Jesus wasn’t out there running a break-dance ministry or instructing people with a list of do’s and dont’s. Maybe He was just a little more understanding and compassionate. Maybe He listened more than He preached. Maybe He seemed more forgiving than condemning?

Whatever it is, something about Jesus is different than what most of us have been told to believe.

Is it possible that the real message of Jesus is relevant to your life? And are you open to that possibility?

And if you follow Jesus, do you attract the people who don’t follow Jesus? And what might you be able to do in order to be “more like Jesus” and change that?

Maybe Virginia SHOULD wait, and Christians could be much more fun, and Billy Joel hasn’t heard the real story either…

We’ll continue this conversation next Wednesday, and look into what God is really concerned about…because its not what you have been told. It’s a lot more…

Invest and invite,

Pat

Pat Mancuso
patmancuso@mac.com (703) 401-8302
FUEL
See our Blog at: https://menoffuel.com/blog
Join us at: https://www.facebook.com/MenOfFuel

“It’s what you need to keep you going…”

Our mission is to create a comfortable, relevant and honest environment where men can explore and discuss aspects of life, purpose and faith.

We accomplish our mission by reviewing pertinent issues in men’s lives, examining them through relevant biblical principles, followed by a time of discussion with other men.

Wednesday mornings, September through May…and beyond
6:30 AM to 7:30 AM @ Hidden Creek Country Club, Reston, VA.

http://www.hiddencreekcc.com

Men of Fuel

I used to have a co-worker that had a very odd way of settling disputes regarding some things she held to be true. Now I don’t mean important things, I mean very trivial things like what she believed to be the best TV show, or the best pizza in the area. Every time someone would question what she believed (again, about trivial things) or suggest another “best”, she would simply indicate that there had been a “contest” and what she held to be the best had actually won.

It sounds a bit odd, because it was, however the brilliance behind it was that to continue the conversation meant that you had to either ignore her comment about the contest or mention that there was never really a contest to begin with. The issue, and the brilliance of this was that if you ignored her comment, she would again just point to this contest, and if you actually mentioned that there wasn’t a contest, you looked like an idiot because, of course there was never a contest.

Fast forward a few years, and I am sitting at my in-laws for Thanksgiving dinner. At this point we are well past the 5,000 calories of the main course and headed straight for the pumpkin, Apple and Pecan pie. As people were sitting around making small talk, my mother in law puts Whip Cream (Canister), and Cool Whip (Tub) on the table.

As my father-in-law begins to bury his Apple pie under a CO2 induced spray of Whip Cream, he motions to the Cool Whip and says “Not sure if you even need to bring that out” Being a Cool Whip guy, I say “Are you kidding, Thanksgiving just isn’t Thanksgiving without Cool Whip”

Whip Cream vs. Cool Whip was ON.

The first few rounds were as you can imagine, until of course I brought out “The Contest”. After stating again how he thought Whip Cream was the best I just shrugged my shoulders and said “Really, because they had a contest between the two and Cool Whip trounced Whip Cream”

It was over.

I mention that because I think we seldom know why we believe things, or why we hold things to be true. So seldom in fact that when a person can point to a reason for something they believe, even if it’s a fake contest, we don’t know how to respond.

Why do we believe the things we believe? Do we know them to be true? Have we experienced them to be true? I am sure that we could say yes to the previous questions when it comes to some of the things we believe………but all of them?

Ever been asked why we believe something, and responded with “I’ve just always believed that”? I have. The crazy thing is, that doesn’t even answer the question.

Where do we get our beliefs? If I am being honest I have to admit, that some of them I have made up. I have created a set of beliefs that fit comfortable into my life. In other words I have backed into them.

Tomorrow morning we begin our seven week series “The Greatest Story ever (mis)Told”, where we will look at the most important thing we will ever believe or not believe. And if it is the most important thing, let us at least make sure we are believing or not believing what God says is true, not something we made up.

I realize that seven weeks of Fuel will be up against many other things in your life competing for your time, but they once had this contest……………

See you in the AM

D.R. Carlson

Gents,

I wanted to recap our time on Wednesday morning, tie it to the new series we are launching next week called “The Greatest Story Ever misTold” and encourage you to invite someone to join us.

To build up to our series, we looked at the story in the bible of the demon possessed man, named Legion:

Mark 5:3 And no one was able to bind him anymore, even with a chain; 4 because he had often been bound with shackles and chains, and the chains had been torn apart by him and the shackles broken in pieces, and no one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 Constantly, night and day, he was screaming among the tombs and in the mountains, and gashing himself with stones. Basically, he was complete whack-job that scared everyone in the town, until of course, he met Jesus.

But within moments of meeting him, Jesus drove out the demons from this man, into a herd of wild pigs, whom then ran into the sea and drowned. Jesus set this man free. This man who desperately tried to control the evil spirits within, whom people tried to shackle and restrain to no avail was simply “set free.” Just because he asked Jesus…

I don’t know where you are or who you were… but I can tell you that I had a Legion of demons within me before I met Jesus too. But unfortunately, even though He set me free; I didn’t live free.

Because nobody told me the real story. Yes, my salvation was secure. But I exchanged one set of shackles for another.

So rather than living in freedom, I went on a quest of self-discipline, and developed a rather strong case of “spiritual B.O.” To my family and close friends, I became that “creepy born again” that believed that the only pathway to God was found through His Word, and my sanctity was going to be measured by my knowledge of Him. And it became all about how I could show God how worthy I was…because I could recite scripture. Because I could name all 66 books of the Bible. Because I stopped partying like John Belushi. Because I began to surround myself with Christian men, and led Bible studies, and was the King of Volunteers at my church. Because I was Captain Christian. And I just wore myself out, and anyone who came into contact with me.

And just like Legion, I began to scare the people around me, just in a different way. I had contracted a different type of Legionnaires’ disease. While I wasn’t running around naked…I was unfortunately equally as offensive.

And isn’t it the truth, that most people we know that don’t want to go to church or look to God, typically can point to a friend or relative that is a judgmental, self-righteous jerk that claims to be a Christian? Yuck.

In Paul’s letter to the Colossians, he wrote:

20 If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees, such as, 21 “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!” 22 (which all refer to things destined to perish with use)—in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men? 23 These are matters which have, to be sure, the appearance of wisdom in self-made religion and self-abasement and severe treatment of the body, but are of no value…”

No Value. That means the things that most men struggle with–(insert your vice here) and beat themselves up over for not controlling —is really of no value. Because its not about what we DO, its about what HE has done for us. Its about Him. Its about His glory, not about proving ours.

Paul also wrote, in 1 Cor 6:12 ”All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.”

Guys, this means once we are in Christ, we have freedom to do anything. That does not mean our poor choices don’t have consequences, it just means our FOCUS should not be on our sins, because God has something BETTER for us, and He does not want us wrapped around the axel beating ourselves up over the stupid things we do.

We’re forgiven. Free. That’s the good news. Crack open a beer, light up a stogie. Just don’t become consumed by it, either way—by doing TOO much of it or focusing on how you are NOT doing any of it anymore at all.

That’s a pretty cool thing, right? You mean, its not about quitting drinking or stopping late night visits to the strip club? Or using bad words? Or not doing this or giving up that? No. It’s much, much more. And you need to bring some friends out an found out why…

Because that’s what we are going to address in the next 7 weeks at Fuel. And we need you to invite your friends to find out the real story. Christianity is not about a religion or a theology or a doctrine. It’s not a set of rules that only the most sanctified people can live up to. Its about the person of Christ, the redeemer of this world, who came to give us life and pay the penalty of death on behalf of all those who believe in Him.

Its as simple as that; and yet so much more.

And that’s where I am going to leave it up to you. Because all of us know someone who can use some hope, faith, and direction. But the church is the last place they want to go, because some don’t believe they are good enough to go. More than that, most are sickened by the hypocrisy of the Christians they see played out in their neighborhoods, or on the front page of the news, or at their family reunions.

We Christians do more to drive people away from Jesus than we do to pull people towards Him. And that’s because we are not good story tellers. We’ve been mis-telling the Greatest Story Ever Told, ever since Jesus walked to Emmaus.

But FUEL is going to change all that. But we can’t do it without you getting your friends out to join us next week.

So do it. Invest and Invite.

See you next week,

pat