Sunday morning used to be...

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Thank God what Sunday morning used to be is no longer what Sunday morning is today!

Here's WHY my Sunday mornings are different now.

If God allows me to grow old, here's how I want to live...

I was at our ridiculously small—okay, I'll just say it—podunk—post office. (Which I love!) I was dropping off our latest missionary prayer letter. A few days earlier, a small team of our friends and family generously helped us apply labels and stamps to envelopes and now, here I was with an overflowing bin of prayer letters ready to be mailed to our friends around the country.

Once I got through the door, I found myself waiting in line behind a little old lady. I'm not kidding. She was little, old, and a lady. For quite a while, it was just the little old lady and me standing there facing the same direction. No postal worker in sight. Then I heard a voice from the back room: "I'll be right with you in moment." That's when I decided to put my big box of mail on the floor.

The little old lady heard me, turned around, took a look at me, and then looked down at the big pile of mail. I'd guess she was in her 80s or maybe even in her 90s. She said, "You've got a lot to mail today." I smiled and agreed. Then she politely nodded and turned around.

The two of us continued to wait together. Quietly. Patiently. Still no sign of the postal worker.

Finally, the little old lady turned around again and earnestly said, "Did you know if you repent and receive Jesus Christ as your Savior, you can become a Christian?"

I got goosebumps. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. I LOVE that this little old lady was trying to share the Gospel of Jesus with me. Think about it. When is that last time someone tried to share Jesus with you? It's so rare. And there's something about her being a little old lady that makes this all the more charming, wonderful, and instructive for me.

I stepped in front on my large box of envelopes and said with a smile, "When I was 15-years-old, I heard the story of Jesus. I repented and put my trust in Jesus." Her eyes lit up and a great big smile came over her face. I continued, "This big box of letters I'm mailing today are our prayer letters. I'm a missionary."

She looked me right in the eyes and said so matter-of-factly that it shook me, "Aren't we all?"

* Here's why she's right.

* Here's how YOU—as a follower of Jesus—can practically and daily embrace your God-given identity as a missionary.

* Here's a FREE audio that dispels the reasons you don't believe you're a missionary.

* Here's training that can equip you to live like a missionary—no matter what you do for a living.

* Here are some practical next-step resources for living like the missionary God designed you to be.

Thanks for stopping by for this Psalm 71:18 Moment...
"Now that I am old and gray, do not abandon me, O God, Let me proclaim your power to this new generation, your mighty miracles to all who come after me."
—Psalms 71:18

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Stories of YOUR ripple effect...

When YOU pray and $ partner with Cadre, it's like throwing a penny (or three) into a calm pond. Because we, as Cadre missionaries, focus our energies on making disciples who make disciples—who then make more disciples, your investment ripples throughout this generation and the generations to come. Think of it as making disciplemakers. Only Heaven will be able to reveal the eternal impact YOU are having through Cadre for His glory.

Check out below how God is multiplying YOUR prayer and $ investment via us as Cadre missionaries! From our hearts to yours, thank YOU for investing in disciplemaking.

The best way to view this ministry update is to go here. You can also click on any image below to enlarge for reading.

Would you please pray for us? We are disciplemaking missionaries with Cadre Ministries. We need you. About 2 times a month, I'd like to send you a short email with details about how you can say a quick prayer for us. If you are willing to say a quick prayer for us 2 times a month, please email me and put "prayer team" in the subject line. We'd be glad to pray for you too.

Happy birthday to... Cadre!
That's right. Your Cadre missionaries are celebrating our 14th anniversary/birthday and here's fun, simple, and life-changing way YOU can celebrate with us.

For up-to-date ways you can pray for us, go here.

God and three pennies...

As a young, faith-filled woman, Mother Teresa of Calcutta told her superiors, "I have three pennies and dream from God to build an orphanage."

Her superiors chided her, "You can't build an orphanage with three pennies.... With three pennies, you can't do anything."

"I know," she said with a sly smile, "but with God and three pennies I can do anything."

Cadre officially started 14 years ago with zero pennies and a God-size dream to see every follower of Jesus participate in changing the world one heart at a time like Jesus did through disciplemaking.

September 2016 marks the 14th birthday/anniversary of Cadre Ministries!

For 14 years, God and YOU have made it possible for us, as Cadre missionaries, to multiply Jesus-like disciplemaking here and around the world.

From our hearts to yours, Thank you.

And look at what God is doing!

If you love Cadre missionaries and our disciplemaking mission, we invite you to be God's wind in our sails.

In honor of our 14th birthday, would you please prayerfully consider donating a special gift of $14?



Those of you who know us know that we don't often ask for financial support like this. However, on our 14th anniversary as a ministry, we need your $ help, so we're asking God's people—like you—to join us in this disciplemaking adventure.

We'd love to see 500 of our friends respond with a special gift of $14. That would bless Cadre with $7,000 much needed dollars.

Will YOU be one of our 500?

If you've never financially supported Cadre Ministries before, this would be a great first step. If you're already a $ partner with God and Cadre, then please prayerfully consider an additional $14.

In a ministry like ours, every dollar makes a huge difference. Each gift—no matter the size—is a huge encouragement, much needed, and greatly appreciated.

Because Cadre seeks to make disciplemakers, only Heaven will reveal the full impact of your partnership.

We are your Cadre missionaries. Thank you for celebrating 14 years of Jesus-like disciplemaking with us and to God be the glory!

Bill Allison, Executive Director, for the Cadre team.

* To donate $14 securely and immediately online, go here.
* Mail a check: Cadre Ministries, PO Box 278, Sycamore, IL 60178

Other giving options...
* To give more than $14 securely and immediately online, go here.
* To support a Cadre missionary on a monthly basis, go here.
* For questions and more info, please call Rennie at 815.501.3132.

Cadre Ministries is a recognized 501(c)3 not-for-profit ministry and all gifts are tax deductible.

We need YOU to join our prayer team!

We are missionaries with Cadre Ministries. About 2 times a month, I'd like to send you a short email with details about how you can say a quick prayer for us. If you are willing to say a quick prayer for us 2 times a month, please email me and put "prayer team" in the subject line. THANKS!

[The story about Mother Teresa was taken from Jesus is the Question by Martin B. Coppenhaver.]

Because it's funny AND true...

More on church volunteers here.

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How You Can Become a Trainer with Cadre

We often get asked questions like, "How can I become a trainer of Cadre training experiences?"

Nothing excites us more! This gets to the very heart and soul of what we, as disciplemaking missionaries with Cadre Ministries, are all about.

So let's explore how YOU can become a trainer/multiplier with Cadre...

Step 1 Experience It
You cannot pass on that which you do not own. In order to own and internalize the Christo-centric disciplemaking values of a Cadre training experience, you must first experience it—not by yourself—but together with some friends and/or family.

Step 2 Live It
Begin to immediately live what you learned from #1 in your everyday life with a few others others. This is where the Cadre training manuals and living guides come in so handy!

Step 3 Spread It
Now that you're aspiring to live out what you've experienced in #1 and #2 with a few others—help them share it with others. Have them start with their spouse, children, friends, pastor(s), neighbors, ministry leaders, volunteers, students, elders, etc. (Hint: Use the training manual and the living guide you received at the training in Step #1 to help them share what they're learning and living with others!)

So, what's your next step?
1. Experience It.
Bring Cadre to your church/ministry OR see if Cadre training is happening near you. Note: We have no trainers who haven't first experienced our training as learners.

2. Live It.
Take a slow, steady walk through Cadre's living guides with a few others. Note: If you participate in a Cadre training experience, but after the training you don't take a slow walk through the accompanying living guide with a few friends/family, then you've missed the point.

3. Spread It
Help your friends and family share with their friends and family. Note: Your disciplemaking role here is to help the friends/family in your relational sphere of influence live out steps #1-#3 with others in their relational sphere of influence.

If you aspire to a disciplemaking way of life as described above AND you want to be encouraged and equipped to help others—so they can help others, please contact Cadre so we can figure out how best to walk alongside you as a disciplemaking friend. We don't care if you're a paid ministry leader or a volunteer ministry leader. If you aspire to live and share this way of life, contact us.

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On my continued love affair with the great people of Wisconsin...

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Here's what God did in 2010 when I spoke. To God be the glory!

Information about how you can bring your group here.

Because this is happening January 6-8, 2017—AND—it's in Green Bay, WI, I expect this to be true.

I thank God that He's given me a long and fun history of love and friendship with youth leaders in WI.

All that said, would you please pray RIGHT NOW for God to use this conference to bring students to himself in a powerful, personal, and life-changing way?

[That's right. I didn't even mention anything about the Green Bay Packers in this post. That's probably because the Packers have humiliated Da Bears for a while now. And let's face: I'm really in love with the great people of Wisconsin.]

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Jesus and Pokemon

Click image to enlarge for viewing and reading...

Okay. Everybody take a deep breath. 

I'm just have some fun here.

I'm trying to make you smile—even just a little.

But I also hope to give you pause. 

To make you think about this.

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Good Ideas or God Convictions?

"All the Athenians and foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking and listening to the latest ideas."
—Acts 17:21

When we read books, we get ideas.

But...

When we wrestle the Bible together, we get convictions.

I like books and ideas. I really do.

But here's something I love more:  Deeply rooted biblical convictions.

Why?

People with ideas are fascinating conversationalists (like the Athenians), but people with convictions change the world—regardless of their education, social media platform, or oratory skills.

Think about it.

Jesus' disciplemaking movement has never been built on ideas alone.

Jesus' disciplemaking movement is built on regular people who get totally captured by Jesus—and then share His disciplemaking way of life with others. It's a 1 John 2:6 conviction: "Those who claim to live in God should live their lives as Jesus did."

There's always another new book of cool ideas coming down the pike. And I find some of these interesting—but not compelling; informative—but lacking in their ability to transform.

And make no mistake about it: The need of the hour is not for just information—but for transformation.

I contend that well never get there unless we start doing the hard work of wrestling the Bible—not just books—together.

It's the people of God wrestling the Word of God empowered by of the Spirit of God.

We call it, disciplemaking friendships.

Like this.


Related Posts...
* More on convictions.
* Regular people change the world.
* Jesus' disciplemaking movement.
* Good idea or way of life?
* Secrets of a disciplemaking movement.
* A clear WHAT and HOW.
* Our love affair with books.
* Simple. Profound. But Not Obvious.
* The need for deeper friendships.

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If you learn to laugh at yourself...

If you learn to laugh at yourself, you'll never cease to be amused.

More Baptist humor here.

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Multiplying Next Generation Disciplemakers...

Your Cadre missionaries had a God-favored time of disciplemaking friendships and training with students and youth leaders from around the country (and some folks from other countries) at Challenge 2016. (Note: Click any image in this post to enlarge for viewing!)

Challenge Conference is the national student ministries conference for the Evangelical Free Church of America and was held in Louisville, KY. The only thing worth my short life is investing in the next generation and those who are investing in the next generation.

This year, the Cadre training team (me, Dave Garda, Rennie Garda, Seth Fagerland, and Nate Stenholtz) did 13 different disciplemaking training experience around the theme: Friends That Matter.  

(Note: These five disciplemaking training experiences/presentations are available here.)

Everyday of the conference we trained students and youth leaders at 1 PM and 3 PM for about 90 minutes each time. Of course, we didn't lecture for 90 minutes! That would be boring.

At least half our time in each session was devoted to helping students and youth leaders interact with God via the Bible. We call it havering.

Youth leaders and students exploring together what it means to live sent as disciplemaking friends.

We stopped our training often for times of prayer, hearing from God, and praying for each other. Hey, that's how disciplemaking friends roll.

And, everyday, in our training rooms, Ivy made new friends from around the country. I think they enjoyed her as much as she enjoyed them.

In addition to the Disciplemaking Friendship training series we did, I was also asked to do an equipping lab titled, Secrets for Sexual Purity.

In between sessions, we had so much fun meeting new friends and reconnecting with old friends! Did I mention disciplemaking friendships yet?

Mornings before the conference were used for coffee and time with various youth leaders from around the country. Above: With some of our favorite disciplemaking friends from CO and IA. With these guys on this morning, we explored my favorite disciplemaking training experience for middle school and jr. high students—and how they can take it back to their ministries.

We think disciplemaking friendships are the way disciplemakers are made. Let me explain.

"Bill, Thank you for a great equipping lab at Challenge! Great training!"
—a student from TX

"I was so inspired and moved by your family and your message at Challenge that I needed to write to you while it was fresh on my heart. My name is Jasmine and I was with a group of girls from Nebraska that sat and ate before the 1:00pm session on the last day. God has placed a passion in my heart to share this message. It's such an important message and I feel like it is overlooked in my community. I love your approach and want to learn more! Thank you so much for your time and Happy Anniversary to you and your wife! It was so nice meeting you both, and Ivy as well."

—Youth leader from NE

These aren't the leaders of tomorrow. They're the leaders of today. Our desire is to encourage and equip the next generations to live and lead like Jesus—the best "leader" in the history of the world.

Thanks for your prayers and support. You make Cadre possible and powerful. To God be the glory!

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How deep are your friendships?

For all this talk about "community" and "doing life together," if we're really honest, many of us would have to admit that we don't have the intimate friendships we long for deep in our hearts. 

You might be thinking, "I've got lots of friends at church."

But let's keep it real: Church is often the place we go to be alone, together.

Even if you do have a large number of friends, how many of them would you really bare your naked soul to? 

I dare you to make a short list in your mind right now.

See what I'm saying? 

For the most part, we're just like this picture above: "I'm fine."

But are we really fine?

And more importantly: What can we do about this?

Here's a thought.

And here's another thought. 

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