Man In The Pew

For men who seek to follow Jesus in all of life - at work, at home, at church, and at play

God and Hamilton: How Art Reveals Spiritual Themes MITP047

God and Hamilton: How Art Reveals Spiritual Themes MITP047

By

Have you seen the musical Hamiton? It’s been a greatly popular musical in recent years. Rosie O’Donnell even went so far as to call it “medicine that I need for my soul. It is vital to me; it feels like going to church.”

Kevin Cloud, pastor of Midwest Fellowship in Overland Park, has written a profound book that explores the life of Hamilton, the musical and biblical themes and how they help us see and live out the gospel.

This conversation includes important insights for believers on how we can look for redemptive themes and allow art to start important conversations with our friends, family and communities.

Listen here:

You can also buy the book here on Amazon: (affiliate link)

Kevin Cloud is the pastor of Midwest Fellowship in Overland Park, Kansas. Kevin blogs at Godandhamilton.com and Godinterest.com. Kevin and his wife, Allison, live in Kansas City with their four boys, Sam, Ben, Andrew, and Levi.

Follow Kevin on social media:

Twitter: Twitter.com/kevincloudKC

Instagram: Instagram.com/kevincloudKC

How to Pray More Effectively with Phil Mershon MITP046

How to Pray More Effectively with Phil Mershon MITP046

By

Ever feel like you don’t have enough time to pray? When you do have time do you know how to pray more effectively?

Ever wonder if God is listening?

In this episode, Phil Mershon explores some of these issues and makes a big announcement about Man in the Pew.

ABOUT THIS SHOW:

    • Why don’t we pray more effectively?
    • Big announcement about Man in the Pew
    • Challenge activity

HOW TO PRAY MORE EFFECTIVELY

In James 5:15-18 says the following in teaching us to pray more effectively:

15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. 18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.

Here are some observations:

#1: God answers prayers and forgives our sins.

#2: We are called to confess our sins

#3: Jesus is praying for us even now.

What keeps us from praying effectively?

#1: We’re busy.

#2: We don’t believe God is really going to answer our prayers.

Ray Edwards talks about his struggles with praying for difficult things in this episode.

A great book to help you pray differently is Pray With Your Eyes Open by Richard Pratt.

Join the 7-Minute Prayer Challenge

Day #1: 7-Second Stare Challenge: Stare into a partner’s eyes for 7 seconds straight. Talk about it. Why is it so hard to focus for only 7 seconds?

Day #2: 7 Minutes of Silence: Get somewhere quiet where you know you won’t be disturbed. Be still for 7 minutes. Every time a thought enters your mind write it down. Try not to follow that thought but return to a place of stillness. After 7 minutes notice how many different things you were thinking about.

Day #3: 7 Minutes of Praise: 

“Great and marvelous are your deeds,
Lord God Almighty.
Just and true are your ways,
King of the nations.
Who will not fear you, Lord,
and bring glory to your name?
For you alone are holy.
All nations will come
and worship before you,
for your righteous acts have been revealed. Revelation 15:3-4

Song: Praise to the Lord the Almighty

Day #4: 7 Minutes of Confession

These are the ones I look on with favor:
those who are humble and contrite in spirit,
and who tremble at my word. Isaiah 66:2

Song: We Confess by Glenn Peckiam

Day #5: 7 Minutes of Renewal

Trust in the Lord and do good;
   dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
Take delight in the Lord,
   and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord;
   trust in him and he will do this:
He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,
   your vindication like the noonday sun. Psalm 37:3-6 (NIV)

Song: My Life is an Offering

Day #6: 7 Minutes of Intercession

Spend time praying for those God puts on your heart. This could include the following:

  • Immediate family.
  • Co-workers
  • Friends and neighbors
  • Your pastor and church
  • Issues in your city
  • Your country’s leaders
  • Missionaries
  • Current events

Day #7: 7 Minutes of Thanksgiving

Spend time in thanksgiving. Come up with at least 7 things you are thankful for. Write a note of thanks to someone and mail it to them.

Song: Jesus, Thank You (Sovereign Grace)

What do you think?

I’d love to know what you find difficult in prayer.

How to Overcome Imposter Syndrome with Ian Anderson Gray MITP045

How to Overcome Imposter Syndrome with Ian Anderson Gray MITP045

By

Do you suffer from imposter syndrome? The feeling that you’re going to be discovered to be a fraud. Someone might find you don’t have the skills, knowledge or experience needed for your work or calling.

These are all lies, but they sneak in very subtly to our thinking. As believers, we can embrace the truth that God is our power and He equips us for everything he asks us to do.

In this interview with Ian Anderson Gray, we explore how this issue cripples many believers and ways we can be set free to pursue God’s plans for our lives.

ABOUT THIS SHOW:

  • What is imposter syndrome?
  • How does it hinder our success?
  • What steps can you take to overcome imposter syndrome?

WHAT IS IMPOSTER SYNDROME

“Impostor syndrome (also known as impostor phenomenon or fraud syndrome or the impostor experience) is a concept describing individuals who are marked by an inability to internalize their accomplishments and a persistent fear of being exposed as a “fraud”. (Wikipedia)

Imposter syndrome is a form of false humility (some call it a humble brag). There are insecurities inside all of us and the further we get in our careers the more apt we are to discover this.

The Upper Limit: In his book The Big Leap, Gay Hendricks shows how many of us have limiting beliefs that prevent us from reaching our potential. He also discusses our propensity to sabotage our success so people won’t expect too much of us.

Ultimately imposter syndrome is a lie. The enemy uses this to keep believers from reaching their potential and believing that God would use them in His plans.

HOW TO OVERCOME IMPOSTER SYNDROME

Here are some simple things we can do to overcome imposter syndrome.

#1: Trust God’s plan

The Apostle Paul reminds us in Phil 1:6:

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

We are works in progress and God is in charge.

 

#2: Believe God is creating a masterpiece in us (living poem)

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)

Michael Card wrote a great song based on Ephesians 2 to remind us that we are living poems in the hands of God.

#3: Reflect daily on who God made you and what is true

Consider creating a notebook that reflect upon what is true about you.

Put time in your schedule to feast on God’s word regularly.

#4: Pray that God will expose the lie and remove it from our minds

#5: Spend time being grateful and collect notes of praise from others.

#6: Develop community with people who believe in you and with whom you can be completely honest

#7: Learn to laugh at your mistakes and celebrate your successes

QUOTES:

After I found initial success, I didn’t think I could do it again

The more success you have, the more exposed and alone you feel. (picture of king of the hill like this)

We tend to diminish praise and amplify criticism.

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)

EPISODES REFERENCED:

Angus Nelson: http://maninthepew.com/recover-rock-bottom-angus-nelson/

RESOURCES:

The Big Leap by Gay Henderson

Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield

Thou Shalt Prosper by Rabbi Daniel Lapin

ABOUT IAN:

https://iag.me/about/

Ian is passionate about teaching and turning the techno-babble of social media, marketing, and the internet into plain English. Known as The Tools Guy, he speaks at conferences around the world on the topic of social media and marketing tools.

He is also trained as a professional singer at the Royal Northern College of Music. You can listen to him singing on his personal SoundCloud page.

He’s husband to Helen and dad to two lovely and lively kids and lives near Manchester in the UK.

He has a very wide musical taste from Opera to electronica, baroque to bluegrass and choral music to jazz. He loves good food (Indian in particular), wine, single malt whiskey and quality tea and coffee.

He also loves travelling and exploring new places.