It is harder to lead a family than to rule a nation

• One out of every two marriages ends in divorce.
• In 1996, two out of every 5 households was maintained by a woman with no husband present.
• One million teenage girls will get pregnant out of wedlock this year.
• Sixty percent of all church-involved teenagers are sexually active.
• Sixty-six percent of American high school seniors have used illegal drugs.
• Every seventy-eight seconds, a teenager in America attempts suicide.*

Leading a family through the moral chaos, relativism and decadence of today is like trying to lead a small patrol through enemy territory. There is danger at every turn. The forces trying to break up a man's family and ruin his kids are powerful, ever present and they never sleep. What are we leaders of our families to do? How can we protect our marriages? How can we keep our kids from becoming a statistic? How can we recognize the danger before it's too late and steer our families around it?

First and foremost, you have to become a man of the Word of God. Ps. 119:105 says that God's word is a lamp unto our feet, a light unto our path. Proverbs tells us that God's word brings wisdom for living. God's word protects us by revealing dangerous paths and brings peace by showing us the right way. To attempt to lead a family without the light of God's word is going into enemy territory blind with no intelligence and not even knowing who the enemy is. You have to know where danger lies and how to avoid it if you don't want to become a statistic. A man leads and protects his family first by becoming a man of the Word.

Second, a man leads and protects his family by leading them to base camp, the church. At church, the family gets the support it needs to be able to go out on patrol. God ordained the church to help provide what a family needs to make it through the dangers. Without actively being involved in a healthy local church, a family is own its own. No base camp, no support.

Third, to lead and protect his family, a man needs buddies who have his back and can help him see where the dangers are, a small group. A family leader needs other men he can learn from, who will tell him if he is going down a dangerous path and who will be there to help fight back the enemy. Without a small group, a family leader is on his own in enemy territory with no back up and no other resources. Many men try to be like Rambo, going it alone. Their pride tells them they can handle it. The enemy loves to catch a soldier going it alone. Some can make it, most don't.

*These statistics were published in Steve Farrar's book Point Man.

Young Business Leaders of Jackson

Why Get Married?

Why get married? The typical answers to that question by people today are "Because I love him/her" or "I want to spend the rest of my life with them" or "They are my soulmate", something to that effect. In other words, because it will make me happy and fulfilled. The problem with those answers is that fulfillment is about 4th on the list of God's reasons for two people to get married, not first. Getting married for self fulfillment is not wrong. It just should not be the primary reason for getting married. If it is, then when things go wrong as they inevitablly will and you are not happy anymore in your marriage, you will have a great excuse to bail out. So if happiness is not the primary reason for marriage, what is?

To understand the answer to that question you first have to understand that marriage is created and ordained by God and is a calling. God officiated the first marriage between two human beings in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. God gave Eve to Adam to be his wife not just for their pleasure and fulfillment, but for other reasons as well. This makes the marriage between a man and a woman a calling that God ordains for His purposes. This makes the number one reason for two people to get married to be because God has called them to it. To marry someone without being sure of God's call is a dangerous proposition. See also 1 Cor. 7:20.

The other reasons that God calls two people into marriage are 1) a human marriage is to be a reflection of God's marriage to His bride, the church (Eph. 5:22). A marriage between a man and a woman is a message to the world about God and His committment to His bride. He promises in the scriptures never to divorce his bride, no matter how unfaithful she may be (see the book of Hosea). One reason God hates divorce is that it takes this message about God away and people can't see God through the marriage anymore. 2) God created marriage to put man/woman in relationship. God said that it was not good for Adam to be alone. God uses relationships to shape and mold us, to sanctify us. The marriage relationship is one of the great classrooms that God uses in our lives. 3) God ordained marriage for procreation. The family is the basic building block of society. God designed that people would be conceived by a husband and wife and raised in a family relationship, another great classroom that God uses in our lives to train us up; again relationships. When the family is fractured, the incubator that God planned for children can't work as effectively. These children grow up into broken adults. People who grow up apart from the family God intended are like people who never go to school. 4) God ordained marriage to complete a man and a woman (Gen. 2:20-24). A man and a woman in a marriage ordained by God become one and complete each other. They fill each other's gaps. They balance each other out and together they are better than they are seperately. 5) God ordained marriage for man's/woman's fulfillment and pleasure. If you study the Hebrew in the Gen. 2 passage you see that Adam was pretty pumped when he saw Eve, the perfect woman. And I am pretty sure the feeling was mutual. Fulfillment is a reason to get married. It's just not the only reason nor is it the primary one. Being married is a calling from God. He has several reasons for calling men and women into marriage. And so when we are not happy in our marriage as will be the case in every marriage, that is not a reason to bail. It is a time to walk by faith, to trust God, to address issues in a biblical way as needed. Walking in obedience to God can sometimes be very difficult. You can't be selfish, you have to let go of your agenda. The rewards though are worth it everytime.

Our Citizenship is in Heaven

Philippians 3:18 For, as I have often told you before and now say again even with tears, many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.19 Their destiny is destruction, their god is their stomach, and their glory is in their shame. Their mind is on earthly things.20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ

Home is where the heart is. Traveling is great, but it is always good to be home. As followers of Christ, our citizenship is in heaven. This means that we are not citizens of this world but just passing through it as though visiting. When we are visiting a place we don’t spend a lot of time and energy on that place. Otherwise, we leave it all behind when it is time to go home. So the message here is to have our focus on our true home in heaven and while we are in this world, live as though we are only visiting. Notice that Paul says “their mind is on earthly things” in reference to those who live as enemies of the cross. In contrast, as believers, our minds are to be on heavenly things, where our home is. We walk by faith, not by sight. We follow the path of Christ even though it may be contrary to what we want, contrary to what seems reasonable or even contrary to what everyone else is doing. Keeping your eyes on heavenly things is keeping your eyes on Christ and doing His will.

YBL COM Bible Study Materials available

Concentrating on the Majors (COM)

The COM is for those who want to learn or review a basic introduction to the bible and its most essential truths. Vital Christian principles are explained in this study and topics covered range from how to be sure of your salvation, to experiencing God's forgiveness to how to grow in your relationship with God.

Download YBL COM Bible Study

YBL Jackson Spring Banquet

May 23, 2011
Hilton Hotel, Jackson, MS
11:30- 1:00 p.m.

Mark your calendar and save the date for the 2011 YBL Jackson Spring Banquet. Our speaker will be Frank Harrison, Chairman and CEO of Coca Cola Considated, the largest indepent Coca Cola bottling company in the U.S.

Click Here to Register Now!

For more information contact the YBL Jackson office at 601-957-6860 or go to our website at www.ybljackson.org.

Let us be beacons for the truth

Take a look at this article http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/03/24/whos-hell-michigan-pastors-book-sparks-debate-eternal-torment/ and you will see a perfect example of why we need to be doing what we are doing in guiding men to the truth of God's word. It is very easy for people to get confused and to be swayed by emotional arguments that sound really convincing if you aren't really sure what is right. This pastor has fallen into this trap. He has subordinated the word of God to his own reason, which he believes will better guide him to truth. He found an ally in author Rob Bell's book which I guess in his mind persuaded him to abandon the truth of God's word about hell. He basically is saying that Rob Bell has it right even though it goes against what thousands and thousands of godly Christian men and women have believed for centuries, probably because he feels bad that some people will end up in hell. And in his position as a pastor he will potentially lead many unsuspecting others astray. This is why it is so important to be diligent in the pursuit of biblical truth. We need to be able to recognize the counterfeit. Obviously, just because someone has been to seminary or is in a position of authority in the church doesn't mean they can't be deceived. When people can't recognize error themselves, they are easily led astray.

2 Cor. 4:4 says that Satan "has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel". 2 Tim. 2:26 says that Satan holds them captive and uses them to do his bidding. Sometimes Satan is able to get blinded people into church leadership. Many times he comes disguised as the "angel of light", hard to recognize unless you know the truth. This has happened numerous times throughout the history of the church. Some leader goes down the path of error and takes many with him. Then a split occurs as those who know the truth stand up to the error. The Protestant Reformation is one example and the cults are others.

My friends, heaven and hell are real places that Jesus taught about. He also gave us access to the truth that will lead us from hell into heaven. Pay attention to Him. Be alert and sober. No one will be able to blame someone else for leading them astray when they stand before him on judgment day.

Let us be beacons for the truth for there are many who are speaking and teaching error and leading many astray. "For the time will come when they will no endure sound doctrine, but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their won desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths." 2 Tim. 4:3-4.

YBL announces keynote for Spring Banquet

Join YBL as we welcome Mr. Frank Harrison, Chairman & CEO of Coca-Cola Consolidated, Charlotte, North Carolina as the keynote speaker of the 2011 Spring Banquet, Monday, May 23 at the Jackson Hilton. Read more about this event.

Does Science contradict the Bible?

Does science contradict the Bible? In short, no. That is if it is good science. Science is simply the study and investigation of God's creation to understand how it works. God created our world and God wrote the Bible. God is truth. He never lies and He doesn't change. Therefore, the Bible and science can not contradict each other. If they seem to, then our understanding of one or the other is flawed. Why does the scientific world seem to be so biased against the biblical world view? Click this link to listen to Dr. James Tour, who is ranked as one of the Top 10 chemists in the world over the past decade, explain why this may be a false perception and why he believes that science and the Bible are compatible.

http://www.rzim.org/resources/listen/letmypeoplethink.aspx?archive=1&pid=2056

YBL 2010 Highlights

A few highlights for YBL in 2010 include:

- we now have a full 10 member board
- we hosted two banquets, with over 500 in attendance, including Danny Wuerffel
- we started 3 COM studies, 2 new discipleship groups and added a number of men to our 10 + existing bible studies
- hosted record setting golf and sporting clays functions
- hosted a successful year end lunch for members
- moved to a FREE office in November
- generated revenue of $145k through November vs $117k at same time last year

Though we need $160k to break even, we are working hard and trusting the Lord to close the gap. We have seen about $7700 come in so far in December but we still need about $7300 more to come in by 12/31 to get to breakeven. If you are able and are led to help us, it would be greatly appreciated. YBL is a tool that the Lord is really using in our community in men's lives and I hope that we will impact even more lives next year.

If you want to help, you can mail a check to YBL, PO Box 13432, Jackson, MS 39236. Or if you prefer, you can make a donation on line by going to the YBL website, www.ybljackson.org and clicking the "Donate Now" button. Thanks.

YBL Fall Banquet a big success.

The 2010 YBL Fall banquet was held on October 12 at the Hilton Jackson with former Heisman Trophy winner Danny Wureffel as the speaker. There were almost 350 in attendance which made this the second largest banquet we have ever had.

There were several men who expressed and intrest in getting more information about having a relatiohship with Christ and 60 who wanted information about joining a bible study or about YBL. We are following up with them now.

Many of these men will be unchurched and will be learning about how to walk with Christ through our bible studies. I expect that we will start at least 2 Concentrating on the Majors studies as a result. We are also trying to start a downtown discipleship group as well as another one in the Clinton area. Our goal is to have at least one discipleship group meeting in every segment of the Jackson Metropolitan area.

We currently have 11 discipleship groups meeting around the Jackson area. These groups provide an avenue for their members to study and discuss how to apply God's word to everyday problems. They provide accountability and a safe place to be real. They are a great way for men to sharpen one another. If you would like to find out about the locations and contact persons you can go to this link on our website. http://www.ybljackson.org/docs/YBL%20Map%2010-22-10.pdf

Who knows how many men's lives will be changed through all of this or how many marriages and families impacted. Who knows what difference this will make in the Jackson business community or in our churches as some of these men grow into spiritual leaders. I hope to share some personal stories again soon, as I have in the past, to highlight some of the stories. Thank you for helping to make all of this possible through your support of YBL. We are making a difference.
Sincerely,

Doug Owen
YBL - Jackson

Fall Banquet Wrap Up

I count it an honor so many chose to attend the recent Young Business Leaders of Jackson Fall luncheon. We were entertained and challenged by Danny Wuerffel’s talk.

The YBL luncheons provide an opportunity to be exposed to Christian professionals who are a success in both their professional and personal lives. I personally have found the meetings to be a special time of encouragement. They also provide an excellent opportunity to meet other businessmen in our community and a means by which you can expose your friends and business associates to our organization.

I hope you will consider getting involved in a YBL bible study. These studies are designed to help you learn more about the Bible, about God and to deepen your walk with Him. We have a level for everyone, from those who are just beginning, to those who need a refresher course, to the seasoned veteran. Below is a brief description of the studies we offer.

Our three week Investigative study on the person of Christ deals with questions such as “Is the Bible valid?” “What is a Christian Philosophy?” and “How can I find real purpose and meaning in life?” It is for those who want to learn how to begin to walk with God. This study usually involves two or three people, lasts 4 weeks and the time and place are flexible.

Our Concentrating on the Majors (COM) study gives a thorough understanding of the essentials of the Christian life. This study provides the basic building blocks that are vital to successful Christian living at home and in the marketplace. It is for those who want to learn or review a basic introduction to the bible and its most essential truths. The COM involves 6-8 people and usually goes for several months. The COM studies will begin in a few weeks. They will be held at the YBL office, which is located at 300 Highland Park Cove, off of Highland Colony Parkway. These meetings take place either over breakfast or lunch.

After going through the COM study, you can opt to join a discipleship/accountability group. This is a group of about 4-6 men that meet weekly for bible study, prayer and mutual encouragement. An accountability group can provide the long-term support and motivation that men need to be consistently moving forward in their spiritual lives. A map of current group locations and contact persons can be viewed on the YBL Jackson website, www.ybljackson.org.

These are some great opportunities that I hope you will consider taking advantage of. If you have any questions or would like to talk with me about these opportunities please feel free to call me at 601-201-5489 or email me at dowen@ybljackson.org. Please visit our website at www.ybljackson.org to find out all that YBL has to offer.

I hope that you will have the opportunity to join us in the spring of 2011 for our next meeting.

Sincerely yours,

Doug Owen
Young Business Leaders of Jackson
618 Briarwood Dr., Suite A
Jackson, MS 39211
601-978-1848
www.ybljackson.org

The mission of YBL Jackson is to build an interdenominational movement of men who will lead men to faith in Christ, training them in how to be biblical men, spiritual influencers, and leaders in their homes, businesses and churches.

New YBL Bible Study Opportunities

I want to make you aware of some new bible study opportunities YBL is offering that you may want to participate in.

Concentrating on the Majors (COM)
The COM study gives a thorough understanding of the essentials of the Christian life. This study is a great place to begin learning the bible and what it means to be a Christian. It provides the basic building blocks that are vital to successful Christian living at home and in the marketplace. It is for those who want to learn or review a basic introduction to the Bible and its most essential truths. The COM study involves 6-8 people and usually goes for several weeks. We will offer two time options for this study, one at breakfast and one at lunch. The study will be held at the YBL office, which is located at 618 Briarwood Drive (Suite A), and it will begin sometime within the next few weeks. Contact the YBL office for more information.

Downtown Study
Beginning Tuesday, May 25, 2010, YBL will be offering a study in downtown Jackson, MS at Watkins and Young offices, 300 W. Capitol. This study will involve about 8 men, will meet over lunch and will center around the book The Measure of a Man which is a study of the qualifications for spiritual leadership in the bible. Men will gain encouragement for what they can be in Christ - as fathers, husbands, and mentors to other men. Contact the YBL office, Jim Young 601-354-3660, of Dallas Baker 601-953-7146 for more information.

Grace Walk Study
Beginning Tuesday, June 1, this study will involve 8-10 men and will meet at Mars and Steel, 4854 I-55 N., near Jacksonian Plaza. Grace Walk has helped thousands of believers leave behind the "manic-depressive" Christian walk: either running around trying to perform to be acceptable to God or thinking they've failed Him again and wondering if they'll ever measure up. Living the grace walk gets you off this religious roller coaster! Contact the YBL office or Victor Smith 601-932-2223 for more information.

Other Opportunities

Accountability Groups
There are over 12 different YBL accountability/discipleship bible studies meeting all over the Jackson metro area from Clinton to North Jackson to Madison. These groups involve 5-7 men and are designed to provide spiritual encouragement, accountability and regular study of God's word. Contact the YBL office for more information.

Investigative Study
Our three week Investigative study on the person of Christ deals with questions such as "Is the Bible valid?" "What is a Christian Philosophy?" and "How can I find real purpose and meaning in life?" It is for those who want to know how to begin to walk with God. This study usually involves two or three other people, last three weeks, and the times and places are flexible. Contact the YBL office for more information.
I hope you will be able to take advantage of one of these great opportunities to strengthen your walk with God.

Doug Owen
YBL - Jackson

Have you forgotten?

Did you know that caterpillars have 4000 muscles while humans have 629? Did you know that the Hubble Space Telescope site estimates that there are at lease 125 billion galaxies in the universe? Remind yourself about how awesome your God is by going to this website http://www.crazylovebook.com/videos_awe.html and watch "the awe factor of God" video clip that shows pictures of galaxies that the Hubble telescope has taken. And remember that Job 26:14 says that these are some of the minor things God has done.

A Good Word

Below is a devotional I received from a YBL member that I wanted to pass on to you for your benefit. It comes from Os Hillman who has a ministry called Marketplace Leaders. It's goal is to help Christians who are called to a secular vocation figure out how to influence others for Christ through that vocation. The website is http://www.marketplaceleaders.org.

The Proper Foundation
TGIF Today God Is First Volume 1 by Os Hillman
Friday, January 22 2010

Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. - Psalm 127:1a
Imagine spending years building an expensive home with the finest materials and craftsmanship. It is a work of art, and the project is almost complete. As the day arrives to move in, a building inspector arrives and hands you a notice that condemns your beautiful home because it doesn't meet code.
Many Christian workplace believers who invest years in their businesses will one day stand before the Lord and realize they were building the house, not the Lord. God is very picky about motives behind the actions. Before we act, we must ask why? Why are we doing what we are doing? Has God called us to this task? Or is the real motive purely financial? Or control. Or prestige.
If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work (1 Corinthians 3:12-13).
David learned this principle by the end of his life. Throughout his life he had learned that God always tested him to find out what was in his heart, and what his motive was in his actions. David instructed his son to "...acknowledge the God of your father, and serve Him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts" (1 Chron. 28:9a).

All of us go to work. God has called us to work. The question we have to ask ourselves is why are we going to work? Our sinful nature wants us to go to work to make money not only to provide for our family but also so we can have things and find pleasure. Or so people will look up to us. Or so we can be powerful. Or so we can find significance and feel good about ourselves. God says go to work because you are called to provide for your family and go to work so that you can influence others for Christ. He also wants us to go to work because He uses our work to help and serve others. God feeds us by raising up farmers and people in the food business. He heals us by raising up people in the medical business, and so on. Going to work also brings glory to God because we are imitating Him and fulfilling His command to rule over and subdue the earth. There is nothing wrong with making money or pleasure, power or prestige if they comes as a by product or are secondary to following God. Those things become sinful idols when they become more important to us than God and His agenda.


Doug Owen
Executive Director
Young Business Leaders of Jackson
618 Briarwood Dr., Suite A
Jackson, MS 39211
o- 601-978-1848 c- 601-201-5489
www.ybljackson.org

Freedom

1 John 2
1My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for[a] the sins of the whole world.
3We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. 4The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5But if anyone obeys his word, God's love[b] is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: 6Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.


Can you live with out the Bible? Most people would answer yes probably, they can get by. Isn't that how we live? Most people these days know very little about the Bible. Some are exposed to it once a week on Sunday morning. But how many people these days are involved in some kind of systematic study of the Bible or even read it on a regular basis? Everybody's excuse is they are too busy. But is that really living or just existing?

Is it freedom to not have to worry about the restrictions and guidelines in the Bible? Or is it meaninglessness and chaos? Freedom comes from following what you are designed to be. Freedom comes from finding the right restrictions. A race car going 200 mph is free on the race track, but not on a busy city street. There is no freedom on the athletic field unless there are rules to be kept. Otherwise it is just chaos. A certain celebrity golfer it appears has been doing what ever he wanted in his life. But it did not bring freedom. What it brought was chaos and bondage. A canoe is not free sitting on the land but only as it goes down the river. We are only free as humans as we follow the will of our Creator.

The scripture above tells us there is no relationship with God without the Bible. To have a relationship with someone means you are willing to let the other person's will cross yours. Otherwise you are just using them like an object. The deeper the relationship, the more you are willing to let their will cross yours. To have a relationship with God means you are willing to let His will cross yours. The more you let God's will cross yours, the deeper your relationship. Without the knowledge of God's will in the Bible there is no possibility of a relationship with God because there is nothing to cross your moral will. You do what you want. You are your own boss. There is no need for moral discipline.

This is also why to have a deeper relationship with God you have to go deeper into His word. The deeper the relationship, the more you are willing to let the other person's will cross yours and you must know what that will is. A shallow understanding of God's word makes for a shallow relationship with Him. Understanding of God's word doesn't necessarily lead to a deeper relationship either if you are not allowing His will to cross yours.

To be a Christian means to have a relationship with God. We don't obey Him to get Him to save us. We let His will cross ours because He has already saved us, through the life and death of Jesus Christ. We grow in our relationship with God by finding out more and more what He created us to be, the right restrictions, and disciplining our moral will to align with His. This is freedom. Can we really live with out the Bible? Or is it just existing in chaos?

Doug Owen
Executive Director
Young Business Leaders of Jackson
618 Briarwood Dr., Suite A
Jackson, MS 39211
o- 601-978-1848 c- 601-201-5489
www.ybljackson.org