The six temptations men face - CFN newsletter 85

CHRISTIAN FAMILY NETWORK NEWSLETTER 85

> Temptation - and how to handle it - US author Patrick Morley has some wise advice for men
> News
> Church steps in to support schoolboy's food aid
> Gospel gift for children reaches thousands nationwide
> MU in drive to catch 'em young
> Sites:
> Harry Potter: resources for handling HP with your kids
> New Christmas musical It's A Boy
> Marriage MOT: How to fight!
> Events:
> Alive for God women's events in Wimborne and Birmingham
> You've got to laugh: One for left-handers
> Members' Zone latest

Dear All

We've got some great content for you in this latest update -

• advice for men on resisting temptation
• Sophia Mwangi's on the spot report from Care for the Family's new training weekend
• Catherine Francis' thought-provoking column on why teenagers behave the way they do
• more on the debate about families and bringing up children.

PLUS the latest family news, reviews, events, humour, marriage tips and more. And next week I'll be mailing you our review of Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets ...

Christian Family Network is here to direct you to the best in parenting, marriage and family resources; to link you up with other Christian families up and down the UK; and to help you make the most of life as a follower of Christ - at home, at work, at school and college, at play and online. Your feedback, positive and negative, enables us to develop CFN in the way that is most useful for you - so please tell us if we're off the rails or on the button!

And don't forget - if we can pass on material (sample copies of Families Together, leaflets) which will help you tell your friends and your church about CFN, just mail Lyn Bedford at marketing@christianmedia.org.uk and she'll be glad to help you out.

Every blessing

Russ Bravo
Christian Family Network
info@cfnetwork.co.uk
http://www.cfnetwork.co.uk

ADVICE

Men - beware of temptation

• Men and women respond to temptation differently. Women tend to flee temptation, while men like to crawl away slowly and hope temptation will overtake them, believes Patrick Morley

No man sets out to succumb to temptation on purpose. Yet every day we learn of men, Christian men, who fail. Unless a man remains perpetually vigilant, his own evil desires carry him into temptation and sin.

Six temptations men face:

1 Emotional neglect. Men are most tempted not to give their wives the thing they desire the most: emotional connection and intimacy; the sharing of yourself at the deepest level,
and wanting to know the same level in your spouse.

God commanded: "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church" (Ephesians 5:25). The Bible gives no similar instructions to wives because wives are naturally drawn to an intimate love relationship. For men, it must be learned.

2 Lust. Men become sexually stimulated visually. When a man looks and lusts, that does not mean he no longer loves his wife. He is engaged in temptation - physical and spiritual.
We live in a sexually over-stimulated culture in which many men are drained of the spiritual energy needed to expose temptation and the moral energy to resist it.

The best way to resist sexual temptation is to flee from it.

3 False gods. You can have only one god. Most men try to worship an idol and God. That, too, is impossible. Idolatry is the error of giving worship or homage to any power or object other than God. It's either going to be Jesus Christ or something else. And whatever the something else is, it will never satisfy (eg accomplishments, money, pleasure, possessions, power, prestige, or position).

What are the other three major temptations men face? To find out, go to the rest of this article in our Advice section at http://www.cfnetwork.co.uk/members/advice.asp

> THIS WEEK'S NEWS

>Church steps in to support schoolboy’s food aid

A generous schoolboy from North Tyneside became involved in a modern-day "loaves and fishes miracle" when he decided to help those less fortunate than himself.

Go to http://www.cfnetwork.co.uk/members/news.asp for the full story

> Gospel gift for children reaches thousands nationwide

Thousands of children across the country now have their own personal Bible thanks to five years of work by a Somerset-based charity.

Go to http://www.cfnetwork.co.uk/members/resources.asp for the full story

> MU in drive to catch 'em young

The Mothers’ Union held its first Young Members Conference in London late last month.

Go to http://www.cfnetwork.co.uk/members/news.asp for the full story

> MARRIAGE MOT

> Check out our archived marriage tips in the Members' Zone, plus stacks more marriage resources at http://www.2-in-2-1.co.uk .

How to fight!

Have it out, don’t brush it under the carpet.

Be fair, don’t aim below the belt - but don’t wear the belt around your neck!

Always stick to the subject, but it helps to know what the subject is – it may not be what started the fight.

Don’t bring up past history. If it’s more than a couple of days old, let it go.

Don’t call each other names. That’s character assassination, not fighting fair.

Always finish the fight. Don’t walk away however much it hurts.

Hold hands while fighting. This reminds you that it’s the love of your life in front of you and he/she’s more important than winning the fight!

(Based on advice from Marriage Encounter)
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> EVENTS

• Wimborne: Monica Acton, Merry Hill Cottage, Long Lane, Colehill,Wimborne, Dorset BH21 7AQ (Tel 01202 885589)
  
  
• Birmingham: Maxine Pitherson, Birmingham Christian Centre, 1 The Parade, Birmingham B1 3QQ (Tel 0121 236 2997)
  

With the latest Harry Potter film now hitting the nation's screens, the whole phenomenon will be visited afresh by Christians in the UK and beyond. Head for http://www.gospelcom.net/content/potter for a stack of useful and thought-provoking analysis. Do the films and books promote witchcraft and the occult? Is banning Potter from your house a valid approach? These links will help you decide ...

Looking for a fresh new resource for Christmas for your church? Check out It's A Boy from evangelist and escapologist Steve Legg - http://www.itsaboy.org.uk

ONLINE EVANGELIST?

If you're comfortable with the internet and have a heart for the lost, Christian outreach site Acts on the Net is looking for you!

Sharon at Acts on the Net is looking to put together a team of online evangelists, so if that sounds exciting to you, pay a visit to http://www.acts-on-the-net.org or mail her at info@acts-on-the-net.org

> YOU'VE GOT TO LAUGH ...

Little Johnny was spending the weekend with his grandmother after a particularly trying week in nursery school. His grandmother decided to take him to the park on Saturday morning. It had been snowing all night and everything was beautiful.

His grandmother remarked: "Doesn't it look like an artist painted this scenery? Did you know God painted this just for you?"

Johnny replied: "Yes, God did it and he did it left-handed."

This confused his grandmother a bit, and she asked: "What makes you say God did this with his left hand?"

"Well," said Johnny, "we learned at Sunday School last week that Jesus sits on God's right hand so he HAD to use his left hand!"

www.ChristianWebSite.com

> CHRISTIAN FAMILY NETWORK THIS WEEK
(MEMBERS' ZONE) - http://www.cfnetwork.co.uk/members/default.asp

> Advice

> Men and temptation - the dangers and the solutions
> Marriage MOT - How to fight!

> Resources

> Catherine Francis on why teens behave the way they do
> Sophia Mwangi goes on a Care for the Family training weekend
> Families Together - what's coming up in our Autumn/Winter issue

> News

> Church steps in to support schoolboy's food aid
> Gospel gift for children reaches thousands nationwide
> MU in drive to catch 'em young

> Reviews

> Closer, by Simon Goodall. ICC Records, CD £14.99
> Unafraid, by Paul Oakley. Survivor Records, CD £14.99
> Newsboys Remixed, by the Newsboys. Sparrow Records, (EMI Christian Music Group), CD £9.99

> Top sites this week

> Harry Potter resources as new film hits the big screen
> It's a Boy! - new Christmas musical for your church
> Photomission - web gathering point for Christian photographers

> Events: More of what's on near you

> Webwatch Index: more than 500 sites at your fingertips
> Site Search Engine: the easy way to trawl our 500-page plus archives

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