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Showing posts from September, 2012

Da Bears! Da Ciplemaking!

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Church? Check. Bear's wear? Check. Meat from the Grill? Check. Game face? Check. Let's do this thing. Attention Green Bay Packer fans: Note all that cheese on those burgers. Da Ciplemaking! Da Ciplemaking!

Jesus Wasn't a "Leader"

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Jesus wasn't a "leader." He wasn't a CEO. He violated the "laws of leadership." He actually resisted opportunities to increase his influence—even when the crowd demanded more of him. (How strange is that in this day and age?) No, Jesus was none of the mental images that are so prevalent in our current North American thinking about leadership. I contend that Jesus was first and foremost a follower. Yeah, you'll probably have to read that previous sentence again. I know. Being a follower these days doesn't sound as near as sexy as being a leader, but Jesus didn't seem to mind being a follower. Explaining to his disciples that he was a follower—and who he was following, he said, "...I love the Father and... I do exactly what my Father has commanded me" (John 14:31). Make no mistake about it. Jesus was a resolute follower of God the Father—and the Father's agenda for his life... to the point of death. The irony here i

October is Pastor Appreciation Month

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[Note that when we speak of appreciating pastors, we mean any and all pastors: senior pastor, associate pastor(s), youth pastor, children’s pastor, etc.] Perhaps the greatest gift you could give your pastor(s) for Pastor Appreciation this October is a congregation that is equipped with the seven biblical ways God wants them to encourage the pastor. It sure beats a generic card. This 28-page booklet is great for Sunday school, small groups, and leadership gatherings—especially elders meetings. What are you waiting for? It’s time to get busy equipping the congregation with what God says about encouraging the pastor! Okay, the aforementioned generic card is way easier and less expensive... but in the long run equipping the congregation to live out their biblical responsibility to encourage pastors is way better for everyone. * For a FREE downloadable six-page PDF sample excerpt, GO HERE . * To order this booklet, GO HERE . * To get this on iBooks,   GO HERE . *

Monday Funday: Coffee with Jesus... just live

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Click to enlarge for reading... and smiling. Used by permission from radiofreebabylon.com

Monday Funday: Remember Where's Waldo?

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We were reading the Jesus Storybook Bible as a family at dinner recently. The story was about Saul's encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus. See picture below. When Libby (13) saw this picture above, she said, " Where's Sauldo ?" (See picture of Waldo to the left.) Everyone in this family thinks they are comedians. Funny Allison Kid Links: * That awkward moment when you know your parenting is working . * Surviving driver's ed... again . * Why I need your prayers . * Great moments in parenting .

How Jesus launched a disciplemaking movement...

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Sometimes leaders try to vision cast to the masses to start movements of discipleship. However, Jesus did not follow this particular leadership practice when he started his disciplemaking movement that is changing the world to this day. When it came to making disciples who would make more disciples who would make more disciples, Jesus did something different than casting discipleship vision to the masses. * He prayed (Luke 6:12). * He chose a small cadre of people  (Mark 3:13-15). * He invested lots of time with them (John 3:22). * He considered them friends  (John 15:15). He gave them his disciplemaking way of life and showed them how to give it to others in the same way he gave it to them—and they did  (Matthew 28:18-20). Note how different Jesus' approach is compared to ours. Jesus didn't change the world by growing the tree and then putting a root system in place. Jesus changed the world—and continues to change the world today—through disciplemakers w

Monday Funday: The REAL biblical approach to finding a mate...

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As a follower of Jesus, I try to live by the Bible. I like the Bible's approach to finding a mate. And that means... Parentally arranged marriage. We're picking our kids' in-laws. And with six daughters, we're also hoping to bring back the popularity of  the bride price concept ! Get  Cup O' Joe with Bill  in your Email Inbox! Let me encourage you and make you think 1-2x a week with a virtual  Cup O' Joe with Bill  in your email inbox.  1.  Go here and submit your email . 2.  Go to your email and click the Feedburner confirmation link .

Why Volunteer Ministry Leaders Matter...

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by Bill Allison , www.cupojoewithbill.com About 80 percent of churches in the United States do not have the luxury of a paid youth pastor.  And once you step outside of America, finding a paid church youth worker is about as common as finding someone listening to an ABBA eight track tape.  (I’m not saying they don’t exist, just that they are extremely rare.) Think about the ramifications of this for a moment.  The overwhelming majority of youth ministry here and around the world is quietly being done on the backs of volunteers in volunteer-led youth ministries.  If you think that’s news, as BTO once sang: “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.”  What’s really amazing to me is this: Despite often being ignored and minimized in the current youth ministry dialogue, I contend that many of these under-resourced volunteer youth workers from volunteer-led youth ministries are literally changing the world for Jesus Christ a few students at a time. The Paul Cone Factor I heard about

Monday Funday: God, marriage, and laughter...

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