My Fellow Americans:

Last night, when I spoke with you about the fall of Rome, I knew at that
moment that troops of the United States and our Allies were crossing the
Channel in another and greater operation. It has come to pass with
success thus far.

And so, in this poignant hour, I ask you to join with me in prayer:

Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our nation, this day have set upon a
mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and
our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity.

Lead them straight and true; give strength to their arms, stoutness to
their hearts, steadfastness in their faith.

They will need Thy blessings. Their road will be long and hard. For the
enemy is strong. He may hurl back our forces. Success may not come with
rushing speed, but we shall return again and again; and we know that by
Thy grace, and by the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph.

They will be sore tried, by night and by day, without rest — until the
victory is won. The darkness will be rent by noise and flame. Men’s
souls will be shaken with the violences of war.

For these men are lately drawn from the ways of peace. They fight not
for the lust of conquest. They fight to end conquest. They fight to
liberate. They fight to let justice arise, and tolerance and goodwill
among all Thy people. They yearn but for the end of battle, for their
return to the haven of home.

Some will never return. Embrace these, Father, and receive them, Thy
heroic servants, into Thy kingdom.

And for us at home — fathers, mothers, children, wives, sisters, and
brothers of brave men overseas, whose thoughts and prayers are ever with
them — help us, Almighty God, to rededicate ourselves in renewed faith
in Thee in this hour of great sacrifice.

Many people have urged that I call the nation into a single day of
special prayer. But because the road is long and the desire is great, I
ask that our people devote themselves in a continuance of prayer. As we
rise to each new day, and again when each day is spent, let words of
prayer be on our lips, invoking Thy help to our efforts.

Give us strength, too — strength in our daily tasks, to redouble the
contributions we make in the physical and the material support of our
armed forces.

And let our hearts be stout, to wait out the long travail, to bear
sorrows that may come, to impart our courage unto our sons wheresoever
they may be.

And, O Lord, give us faith. Give us faith in Thee; faith in our sons;
faith in each other; faith in our united crusade. Let not the keeness of
our spirit ever be dulled. Let not the impacts of temporary events, of
temporal matters of but fleeting moment — let not these deter us in our
unconquerable purpose.

With Thy blessing, we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy.
Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogances. Lead us
to the saving of our country, and with our sister nations into a world
unity that will spell a sure peace — a peace invulnerable to the
schemings of unworthy men. And a peace that will let all of men live in
freedom, reaping the just rewards of their honest toil.

Thy will be done, Almighty God.

Amen.

Franklin D. Roosevelt – June 6, 1944

My son-in-law Todd Coons and four of his friends meet monthly for accountability. Below is a good outline to follow as you are developing your own accountability group. I joined an accountability group 8 years ago and it has been a great value in keeping my life encouraged and accountable. Enjoy! Boyd

Men’s Breakfast – Accountability Group
2008 Outline
As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another
Proverbs 27:17

Purpose of Group:

To productively build relationships and community, and to participate in prayer, encouragement, and accountability with other men in the small group Bible study.

Frequency / Setting of Group:

Meet for breakfast once a month at same agreed upon location and time, unless another time and place has been designated. Each man will be responsible for his own breakfast payment.

Structure of Group Time:

I) Begin with relational time, general hang out, and breakfast order

II) Open in prayer, person leading/facilitating time opens or appoints another to lead

III) Discuss the following three questions, each on a major aspect of a man’s life. Take time for each guy to answer briefly:

1) Relationship with God: What is God most teaching you these days?

2) Relationship with wife/ family: What are you learning from your family?

3) Relationship with work: What is your number one issue at work?

IV) Discuss topic of the month – Either decided in advance, or a pertinent topic that is brought up by members of the group during question answer/discussion time.

V) Close time in prayer, again person leading/facilitating time closes or appoints another to lead

Group General Guidelines:

1) Everything discussed in the group is to remain confidential, unless otherwise specified.
2) Each participant does not have to answer questions or participate in topics in which they do not feel comfortable.
3) Group members will take turns facilitating the prayer and discussion time.
4) Group members will be asked to make maintaining consistent attendance, though not binding, a priority in their lives. Commitment will be made on a semester by semester basis to follow church calendar.

Future ideas for group:

Blueprint for Life – Life planning and coaching system

Man in the Mirror – Patrick Morley

Love and Respect – Emerson Eggerichs

Conformed to His Image – Ken Boa

Every Man’s Battle – Arterburn / Stoeker

Captivated – John and Stasi Eldridge

Experiencing God – Henry Blackaby

Perfect Leader – Ken Boa

Visioneering – Andy Stanley

Dan Glaze knows how to love on and invest in people. This is his job at National Christian Foundation where he’s a National Relationship Manager. Rita and I love him and his wife Donna. Below are three questions I asked him regarding relational investments…

1. What does it mean to invest in others relationally?

Investing in others relationally is sharing life upon life. Today’s culture is driving us toward isolation. We are spending more time looking at a computer screen than being face-to-face with people. I am confident that life cannot exist outside the context of relationships. We have limited time and energy and thus the most important use of our time is in the lives of others. Investing in others relationally means laying aside our desires for self and giving our life to someone else. (BTW – this is what Jesus did)

2. Why do you invest in others relationally?

There is a saying that only two things will last eternally – God’s Word and People. What then is worthy of our investment? Transformation (life change) takes place in relationships, not in isolation. I desire to be God’s touch into people’s lives. There is nothing more important than sharing life together. Someone said; “Shared joy is a double joy and shared sorrow is half a sorrow.” People are lonely today because they are building walls instead of bridges. But the main reason I invest in others is because this was God’s strategy for bringing life to a dead world. Emmanuel (God with us) selected purposeful proximity as His strategy. He could have come as an idea or a light, but He came as one of us and walked with us. The word relationship comes from the Latin relationem meaning “a bringing back, restoring.” So many, including ourselves, have the tendency to get off track to who God desires us to be. Relationships bring us back and restore us to who God created us to be. Having an intimate relationship with HIM.

3. How do you invest in others relationally?

I pour my life into the lives of others. I care for them. I invest in others by being more concerned with their needs than my own needs. I take a keen interest in their lives, their relationship with Christ, their families, their businesses, and their hobbies. There is one couple Donna and I met back in 1994. That year Donna and I intentionally decided to invest in this couple’s lives. What an amazing journey over the last 13 years. Each year, we spend 4 days together at their lake house laughing, eating, praying, crying, fishing and loving on each other. Chuck and Joanne have become almost as close as family. As I seek to serve and give to others, I end up receiving far more than I give. God’s economy is upside down from today’s culture. As I invest in the lives of others, God gives my life a huge return. There is no greater ministry than investing in others. Anthony D’Angelo states – “Treasure your relationships, not your possessions”. Relationships will give a greater return. “You have given us a new commandment to love one another even as You have loved us; so we must love one another. By this all men will know that we are Your disciples, if we have love for one another.” (John 13:34)