Man to Man - The Power of Friendships in
Developing a Friend in God
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| Teachers: Greg Davis, Arvin Engelson, Scott Downs, Russ
Ikeda and others |
| How does your 'belief' in God make any practical difference in the
way you sell Real Estate, or manage a quality control team, build a
custom home, or any number of ways you must apply your trade or
career? How integrated is your Christian faith with how you raise
your kids – I mean in detail, how does it really work itself out?
How does it impact the way you relate to and converse with your
neighbors; and guide you in the way you party, or plan, or pay your
bills? |
| So often we get the idea that to be "a good Christian"
means to be a guy who is highly involved at church, or even one who
just regularly attends church. A ‘radical Christian’ would be
one who is busily involved in a half dozen ministries throughout the
week. And, when it comes to "being a Christian out there in the
real world" we think it only means boldly holding a bible study
at lunch at work, or aggressively sharing the gospel in the office,
or not swearing, or not having a beer in public, or belonging to the
right political party (that was not a joke...), and you can fill in
the other typical views. Baloney! |
| With these views floating around our culture, no wonder most men
don’t get excited about the Christian faith. In this class we are
going to discuss what it means to have faith in God in such a way
that it naturally integrates with all of the complexities of our
daily experience – at work, at home, at the club where we work
out, or at our kids school or sports teams were we volunteer our
time. Furthermore, that integration need not be embarrassing, or
awkward, or forced. We can be intellectually honest, socially
sensitive and aware, and religiously faithful without fitting into
some spiritual mold that simply does not fit. |
| There will be an emphasis on how we as men can both give and
receive as a mentor and apprentice of the teachings of scripture.
The lone-ranger approach to living a Christian life is appealing,
but it also contains the seeds of its own destruction. So, we will
learn how to be involved with one another in order to sharpen our
understanding of God and deepen our experience of faith, and also
how to just enjoy mutual friendship without a sense of guilt driven
obligation. |
About the Teachers
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| Greg Davis Greg
is Pastor of Discipleship and Missions at Saratoga Federated. Before
joining the Pastoral staff at SFC Greg was involved in business
ownership and management here in the valley for 15 years. He has
spent time in the mission field in South America, and is currently
in the Master of Divinity program at Fuller Theological Seminary in
Menlo Park. Greg has a B.A. in Biblical Studies from Multnomah Bible
College in Portland, Oregon. He brings a unique blend of theological
understanding, real-world experience and spiritual passion to his
teaching. |
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Dr. Arvin Engelson No pastor has
served longer at Saratoga Federated Church than Arvin — 27 years
to date. He is gifted in his mastery of the scriptures and skilled
at guiding souls into a deeper understanding of God, themselves, and
those around them. His first career was as a counselor at public and
private colleges. He has also taught graduate courses for Fuller
Seminary. Trained in philosophy at Westmont College, and then in
pastoral counseling and history of religion at Gordon Conwell, he
went on to doctoral work at Princeton where he studied (in
particular) formative and transformative life experiences from an
interdisciplinary perspective. The integration of spiritual truths
with the nitty-gritty of life is his expertise. |
| "When I teach, my chief motivation is to offer
perspectives and tools that equip people to live hopeful and useful
lives. I am drawn to topics with practical, quality-of-life
application. Healthy faith begets healthy persons, who leave others
better off than they find them." |
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Scott Downs Scott is a
'Renaissance man'. By profession he is an artist, art teacher,
educator and two-sport coach. He is an avid student of history and
an insightful commentator of current culture. He is a father of
three, and a leader in the community. Yet, his greatest love is the
pursuit of God. In that pursuit he has ventured deeply into the
recorded lives of the men and women of the Bible. What he has
discovered is transformative for those with a teachable heart and
open mind. |
| Russ Ikeda Russ
has a Master of Divinity degree from Fuller Theological Seminary and
a Doctor of Ministry degree from Azusa Pacific University's Graduate
School of Theology. Born and raised in Hawaii, Russ served as
Associate Pastor at SFC for over two decades. Russ is now director
of Emmaus Ministries of Silicon Valley, "a relational ministry
of coming alongside people on their spiritual journey and providing
pastoral counseling and spiritual direction." Russ is an
adjunct professor at San Jose Christian College, a cohort mentor
with Fuller Theological Seminary and the chaplain for the Los
Gatos/Monte Sereno Police Department. Through teaching this class,
Russ says, "I hope to learn where others are coming from, more
about the Spirit as I prepare, and see the Spirit actually work in
our midst." |
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