Week 50 GraceMen Weekly Update

This Week:
1. Prayer
2. Meditation
3. Quote
4. Events
5. Book Recommendation

Grace and Peace to you brothers.

As we journey deeper into the final weeks of the year, we find ourselves at a pivotal moment to reflect on the race of faith we've been running. This week, we're called to embrace a spirit of perseverance - not as a burden, but as a defining characteristic of authentic manhood rooted in Christ. Just as an athlete trains with purpose and determination, our spiritual journey demands the same commitment and endurance. We invite you to pause and examine how you've been running your race of faith. Are you moving with steady resolve, or have obstacles and distractions begun to slow your pace? This week's prayer and meditation challenge you to discover how you can run with greater endurance, laying aside the weights that hinder you and fixing your eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. Through this reflection, we trust that the Holy Spirit will strengthen your resolve and equip you to finish the year - and your faith journey - with renewed vigor and purpose.

Prayer:

Father, help me to be a man of perseverance in my faith journey. (Hebrews 12:1-2)

Hebrews 12:1-2:  Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,  looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Meditation: 

Reflect on how you can run your race of faith with greater endurance.

Quote:

If we do not abide in prayer, we will abide in temptation. Let this be one aspect of our daily intercession: ‘God, preserve my soul, and keep my heart and all its ways so that I will not be entangled. - John Owen

Events:

Tuesday - December 9, 2025

Morning Bible Study - 6am - 7:15am

• At the Church in the Tower Room

Thursday - December 11, 2025

• No study this week

Saturday - December 13, 2025

Morning Bible Study - 7am

• At the Church in the Prayer Room
• Topic: Hosea 13:  Final Judgment 
• Facilitator: Eugene Allen

Book Recommendation:

Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald S. Whitney

Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life deserves reading because it transforms abstract spiritual aspirations into concrete, actionable practices rooted in Scripture. Unlike many Christian living books that remain theoretical, Whitney provides specific methods for Bible intake, prayer, fasting, and other disciplines while constantly refocusing readers on the ultimate goal: godliness rather than mere technique.

The book's value lies in its rare combination of theological depth and practical accessibility. Whitney grounds each discipline explicitly in biblical commands, ensuring readers understand these are not legalistic obligations but "channels of God's transforming grace". This approach prevents both aimless spirituality and mechanical ritualism by keeping Christlikeness as the clear purpose behind every practice.

Particularly valuable is Whitney's comprehensive scope - covering ten distinct disciplines from personal practices like solitude and journaling to corporate responsibilities like evangelism and serving. His detailed guidance on Bible intake (spanning two chapters) offers eleven methods of Scripture meditation, making this foundational discipline approachable for any believer. The book serves both new Christians needing structure and mature believers seeking renewal, having reportedly trained one in four American seminary students.

Readers should engage this work because it addresses a critical gap: while evangelicals affirm salvation by grace, many lack clear pathways for spiritual growth. Whitney bridges this divide, showing how disciplined practice cooperates with the Holy Spirit's empowering work to produce genuine transformation. His Puritan-informed perspective connects readers to proven historical practices while presenting them in contemporary, applicable terms.

In His Service,
GraceMen