From Our Hearts in Three Parts...

(Pic above from the youth ministry of Grace Bible Church, Laredo TX.)

Part 1

In this crazy world, we find great comfort in Jesus—and friends like you.

Yes, in the midst of sheltering-in -place, we are busy being disciplemaking missionaries—locally and all over the map via different and creative ways like Zoom, Skype, and FaceTime. 

So make no mistake about it. The march of the Gospel of Jesus Christ continues and Jesus' disciplemaking way of life keeps multiplying—Coronavirus or not.

However, I want to humbly and gently remind you that we need your prayers and $ partnership especially now more than ever.

If you can help us at any level, go here. Anything and everything helps us a ton and is deeply appreciated. 

One other request: How can we pray for you? Email us and let us know how. We will PRAY RIGHT NOW (or at least when we check email : )

Thanking God for you and your partnership in the Gospel of Jesus Christ...

Bill for all of us

Part 2
Wondering what Cadre is up to during this time of quarantine? We're getting ready to release this FREEBIE—A Disciplemaking Manifesto—and Cup O' Joe with Bill subscribers will be among the very first to know! Stay tuned. Tell your friends.

Part 3

As a family, to prepare our hearts for celebrating the resurrection of Jesus this Easter, we've been watching the first season of The Chosen. It took me the first three episodes before I got attached to the characters and began to understand how this particular series on the life of Jesus is different than other series. My favorite thing; It has created a lot of good conversation in our family. (And I had one of the writers of this series in my freshman English class when I was a public school teacher.) You can watch full episodes now on Youtube—or via The Chosen app. Consider watching one a night up to Easter.

If video above doesn't appear, go here.

You, Me, and Coffee Monday... 

Let me encourage you and make you think ONE time a week (usually Monday morning) with a virtual Cup O' Joe with Bill in your email inbox. Two Simple Steps...

1. Go here and submit your email.
2. Check your email to confirm.

Ordinary Places, Extraordinary God

On March 7, 2020, before the Coronavirus quarantine, I, along with some of our Central  IL disciplemaking friends, traveled to New Beginnings Baptist Church in my beloved hometown of Streator, IL, to have fun equipping disciples to become disciplemakers—like Jesus intended. (Click any image below to enlarge for viewing.)

About 45 people from over a dozen different churches in the Central IL area gathered to study, live, and share Jesus' disciplemaking secret sauce. (Above: Friends from Central Church of Christ, Streator, and Harvest Time Bible Church, Rock Falls, IL.)

The Disciplemaking Genius of Jesus training experience in Streator, IL, with Pastor Steve Waggoner from Crosswalk Community Church, Delavan, IL... https://t.co/72c2gdKaxY pic.twitter.com/8JUBIpzZNv

— Cadre Missionaries (@CadreMin) March 25, 2020

(If video above doesn't appear, go here.)

Three of these men had a major role in discipling me as a young teenager! I shared two of their stories in The Disciplemaking Genius of Jesus book. It was surreal for me to do this disciplemaking training experience with the very folks who discipled me.

Our friends, Dan Hennenfent and Shari Tvrdik (both on the right), from Cup of Cold Water Ministries, joined us for our morning of encouragement and equipping. CCWM.org has 32 missionaries in seven different countries.

Disciplemaking as a way of life must start with our family. My daughter Aubrey and my mom in the center of the picture above. We're not kidding when we pray The Disciplemaker's Prayer: "...starting with my family."

The Disciplemaking Genius of Jesus training experience in Streator, IL, with church planter/pastor Derrick Smothers from the E3 Connection, Nevada... https://t.co/72c2gdKaxY pic.twitter.com/EdcE91F0Xu

— Cadre Missionaries (@CadreMin) March 25, 2020

(If video above doesn't appear, go here.)

Over thirty years ago, I was a youth pastor in Streator when I first met Jan Reinmann (center right at the table in the above picture). Jan received Jesus Christ as his Savior as a young teenager when one of the students I was discipling shared the Gospel with him. (There it is–three generations of discipleMAKING. Yes, students can make disciples who make more disciples!) Many years later, here we are with Jan, his wife Heather, his pastor and friends from the Assemble of God Church in Streator. Again, so surreal and so blown away by what Jesus does in and through us—all for His glory—and all glory be to Him alone.

The real mission of Cadre Missionaries to make discipleMAKERS—who make more disciplemakers... like Jesus did... and continues to do today. Above: Stacy, Dave and Rennie Garda, Crazy Pastor Steve, and Derrick Smothers.

Want to Explore More?
* Does Jesus really intend for every believer to be a disciplemaker?
* What is Jesus' disciplemaking secret sauce?
* How can you bring disciplemaking training to your church/ministry?
* Are you interested in joining the Cadre training team?
* What is The Disciplemaker's Prayer?
* Want more on Crazy Pastor Steve and Derrick Smothers?

You, Me, and Coffee Monday... 

Let me encourage you and make you think ONE time a week (usually Monday morning) with a virtual Cup O' Joe with Bill in your email inbox. Two Simple Steps...

1. Go here and submit your email.
2. Check your email to confirm.
The first subscriber to email me using "TDMGOJ" in the  subject line by April 1, 2020, will receive a copy of The Disciplemaking Genius of Jesus book.

The Quarantine Life: That magical intersection of family, fun, arguments, coffee, and ice cream...

I know. At this moment in history, we aren't in a "fun" time. I totally get it. However, I would like to suggest that this is no time to lose our sense of humor. So, while we're all quarantined and pretty much glued to the latest news and updates, I hope this post will at least bring a smile to your otherwise serious life.

A very important part of our quarantine survival kit is Whitey's Ice Cream topped off with Dave and Rennie Garda's magical espresso in a Cadre coffee mug. (More fun disciplemaking and ice cream adventures here.)

Have you ever had an affogato? Here's your virtual affogato from Cup O' Joe with Bill. What's in your quarantine survival kit—besides toilet paper?

Speaking of toilet paper....

I've never been more thankful to God for little (but very important) things like toilet paper. I recently prayed, "Thank you God for toilet paper." Not kidding. How about you?

Want to help me fill out my brackets for #MarchSadness?

I can honestly say that I've washed my hands more than ever before. How about you?

One of the positives of the quarantine has been Time With (TW) with family.

And—to keep it totally real—we've also had some moments when all this time together has not been all that positive. We've laughed, argued, and cried together. (Which, by the way, is what happens in a normal family.) Has this also been true for you?

Here are the three news sources I trust the most. Thanks for reading all the way to the end of this post. Hope you at least smiled. We thank God for you. The first subscriber to email me using "CupOJoeSubscriber" in the  subject line by March 25, 2020, will receive a free copy of The Disciplemaker's Guide to Grow, Minister, and Lead book.

You, Me, and Coffee Monday... 

Let me encourage you and make you think ONE time a week (usually Monday morning) with a virtual Cup O' Joe with Bill in your email inbox. Two Simple Steps...

1. Go here and submit your email.
2. Check your email to confirm.

How can you make the most of this situation?

Because of the Coronavirus, it looks like we'll all be a little more sequestered for the time being. And if you're like most people, you'll spend much of that time binge-watching Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus, etc. (Or, maybe you're the person who loves watching funny cat videos on YouTube.) When you're finished binge-watching, consider this: How can you make the most of this situation?

What if I told you that in the middle of this world-wide concern about the Coronavirus, God has given a gift to you—a window of time with your family and closest friends. And right now, none of us know how long this will last.

Where can you start in making the most of this opportunity? Step #1 of The Disciplemaking Genius of Jesus is Time With (TW) people. Think about it. You can't make disciples like Jesus if you don't strategically invest time together with family and friends. Under normal circumstances, we're all so busy, we don't have time to be with people. All of a sudden, our various gatherings are being canceled. Many of us now have unexpected time together—at least for the moment.

As I write this, Stacy and I are at Dave and Rennie Garda's house for two days enjoying their friendship, sharing Scripture, praying, drinking great coffee, sharing meals, and working together on Cadre stuff. We are having so much fun too. (Normally we're out doing disciplemaking training experiences around the country on weekends.) And it's not just us. We just called home to our three daughters to check in. They are playing a board game. On Saturday morning—what?

How long will this window of opportunity for engaging in disciplemaking friendships with family and friends last? No one really knows. But let's a agree to NOT be like funny-man Dustin Nickerson:

All that to ask this:
How can you seize this window of opportunity for disciplemaking friendships?

To that end, we'd like to do something fun and practical especially for our friends like you who track with Cadre Missionaries.

Here's a FREE four-page PDF download that you can print and share with your family and friends immediately. (Hint: See page 4 for special discount code. Who loves you? Jesus and Cadre Missionaries—that's who.)

Four Ways YOU Can Help Us Multiply Disciplemakers

How God is Using Your Prayers and Partnership 

with Cadre Missionaries Spring 2020

Click here to enlarge for viewing and reading.

All glory to God alone for "everything comes from him and exists by his  power and intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen." —Romans 11:36

Can you help us multiply disciplemakers?

Here's how...

1. Join our email prayer team ("prayer team" in subject line)

2. Invest in disciplemaking via the Allisons and Cadre Missionaries

3. Bring Cadre training to your ministry or church

4. Become a trainer with Cadre

You, Me, and Coffee Monday... 

Let me encourage you and make you think ONE time a week (usually Monday morning) with a virtual Cup O' Joe with Bill in your email inbox. Two Simple Steps...

1. Go here and submit your email.
2. Check your email to confirm.
The first subscriber to email me using "CupOJoeSubscriber" in the  subject line by March 9, 2020, will receive a free copy of The Disciplemaker's Guide to Grow, Minister, and Lead book.

FREE Audio Especially for Cup O' Joe Subscribers

All you have to do is click the play button below...

Click here to listen.
Click here for MP3 download.

I had the honor of sitting down with the legendary Eli Beltran of Youth for Christ—on his radio program. In 24 minutes, we explored the following...
* Why are disciplemaking moms so important?
* Can our struggles make us better disciplemaking friends?
* Is real ministry something that happens mostly on a stage?
* What does it look like to live like Jesus today?
* Is the Jesus you're following the one in the Bible?
* Why is living out your faith so compelling to others?
* Is disciplemaking for every follower of Jesus?
* Why is "Down-Low Disciplemaking" a better approach sometimes?
* How important is eating together for disciplemaking friendships?

BONUS FREEBIE! 

For Cup O' Joe with Bill Subscriber's ONLY

Subscribe to Cup O' Joe with Bill by March 4, 2020 and I'll send you a postcard-size Disciplemaker's Prayer we talked about in the audio above! 
Two Simple Steps to Subscribe...

1. Go here and submit your email.
2. Check your email to confirm.
If you're already a subscriber, email me and ask for the Disciplemaker's Prayer.

What if every disciple became a discipleMAKER?

There’s a lot of talk about disciplemaking these days. But what does disciplemaking really look like for you in your everyday, real life? That's what we'll explore together. Bring your Bible, some friends, and your sense of humor.

What?
With a focus on Jesus, we'll explore how to be a disciple—who makes disciples—who make more disciples.

Session 1 Be a Disciple (D1)
Everything in life will try to pull you off the simplicity of following Jesus together with others.

Session 2 Who Makes Disciples (D2)
Following Jesus isn’t a subject to be mastered, but an infectious way of life that is lived together and shared with others.

Session 3 Who Make More Disciples (D3)
If those we disciple don’t make more disciples, then we haven’t made disciples like Jesus.

When?

Whenever is best for your church or ministry.

Where?

Your church or ministry.

Who?

For anyone interested in learning how to be a disciple of Jesus who makes more disciples of Jesus. You are encouraged to bring your spouse, teenagers, staff, ministry leaders, volunteers, student leaders, etc.

Tuition?

$20 per person for training materials.

Each person will receive a Disciplemaker's Living Guide AND The Disciplemaking Genius of Jesus book for living and sharing what you learn with others. * Note: If anyone can't afford the cost of training materials, please come anyway!

What are you waiting for? Contact me.

What is ministry success?

* Why you need to have this conversation
* Jesus' Church Growth Chart
* Are you only counting attendance?
* Rethinking Church
* There is no such thing as a "small' church
* Are we repeating 1 Corinthians 3:4-7?
* To succeed at the wrong things is to fail
* Death by success?