Ten Mission Trip Land Mines

by Bill Allison
www.cadreministries.com

We had just put the finishing touches on what I thought was a great summer mission trip. For a number of people in our group, this was their first time on any sort of mission trip, and since I love watching God use first-hand mission experiences to transform lives, I was pumped up.

As our group was saying goodbye to our newly-made friends overseas, I watched a fifteen-year-old girl from our group walk over to a teenage male, a national and friend of the missionary who hosted us. I was sure she just wanted to say farewell to him. But she didnʼt say a word. To my total astonishment, she simply walked up to him, put her hands on his shoulders, tilted her head, leaned into him, and gave him a l o n g, s l o w  k i s s... a kiss that, from my perspective, seemed to last for an eternity. The young man looked stunned but delighted. (Letʼs just say that he didnʼt run away crying to his mommy, nor did he file a sexual harassment complaint. He may, however, still be telling the story to his friends some twenty years later.) I, along with the rest of our group, the hosting missionaries, and the other national believers, didnʼt enjoy the kiss nearly as much. I felt my heart jump out of my chest and flop hopelessly on the ground in a mixture of blood-boiling anger and deep discouragement.

Talk about missing the point of a mission trip! How could she even think that was in the realm of the appropriate? How could we ever undo the collateral damage of this little but profoundly inappropriate goodbye kiss?

This young girl had stepped on a mission trip land mine. Our group and Godʼs work in that area of the world paid the price in damage.

Make no mistake about it: On a mission trip, the collateral damage of one small misstep could have a profoundly negative effect on you, your group, and your ministry.

The fact is that there are a lot of mission trip land mines buried just beneath the surface... waiting patiently... for you or someone from your group to make one wrong step. Shouldnʼt you know where these land mines are buried so you can avoid stepping on them?

Donʼt head out for that mission trip without first having each person in your group read, Ten Mission Trip Land Mines! Itʼs a FREE thirteen page PDF download especially for Cup O' Joe readers like you. Inside this FREE download, youʼll find:

1. Ten mission trip land mines and how you and your team can avoid them.
2. A Checklist Covenant that each person can sign.
3. A FREE mission trip training session—great for an orientation meeting.
4. Recommended training and devotional guide for mission trips.

To download the FREE thirteen page PDF of Ten Mission Trip Land Mines, GO HERE.

And of course, you have my enthusiastic permission to share the FREE thirteen page PDF of Ten Mission Trip Land Mines with everyone you know who is going going on a mission trip this summer!

It's FREE. It's for you to share with others. It's from your biggest fans... your missionaries of encouragement and equipping at Cadre Ministries.

Monday Funday: Something an iPad can't do

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Now the Green Blade Rises

  Now the Green Blade Rises

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Now the green blade rises from the buried grain,
Wheat that in the dark earth many days has lain;
Love lives again, that with the dead has been:
Love has come again, like wheat that springeth green.

In the grave they laid Him, Love Whom we had slain,
Thinking that never He would wake again,
Laid in the earth like grain that sleeps unseen:
Love has come again, like wheat that springeth green.

Forth He came in quiet, like the risen grain,
He that for three days in the grave had lain;
Quick from the dead the risen Christ is seen:
Love has come again, like wheat that springeth green.

When our hearts are wintry, grieving or in pain,
By his touch can call us back to life again;
Fields of our hearts that dead and bare have been:
Love has come again, like wheat that springeth green.

You can purchase this song on iTunes here.

"The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds."

—Jesus in John 12:23-24


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Adventures in missing the point...

Simon says, "Pat your head." We pat our heads.

Jesus says, "Make disciples." We memorize that verse.

Here's how you can get beyond missing the point to making disciples.


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Let me encourage you and make you think 2-3x a week with a virtual Cup O' Joe with Bill in your email inbox. Go here and submit your email. Then check your email inbox and click the Feedburner confirmation link. Note: You can unsubscribe anytime simply by clicking the "unsubscribe" link at the bottom of any email that comes from Cup O' Joe with Bill.

Monday Funday: When Iron Butterfly meets Sunday morning church

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You, God, and Cadre... Spring 2013

The pictures and stories below speak of our adventures with you, God, and Cadre so far in 2013. Click any image below to enlarge for reading and viewing. To view as a two page PDF go here.

Because of God AND the prayer and financial partnership with God’s people like YOU, we are able to take Jesus-like disciplemaking, equipping, and encouragement to thousands of people in hundreds of churches and ministries each year! That's what Cadre Ministries has been about for over ten years now. God is at work and we love being along for this, crazy, fun, and fruitful ride.

But make no mistake about it: We couldn't do Cadre without friends like YOU.

Would you prayerfully consider joining our financial partnership team on a monthly, quarterly, or annual basis starting now?

To explore taking this adventure with us, go here.

From our hearts to yours, thank you for prayerfully considering our request.

Bill, Stacy, Emily, Bill, Aubrey, Josey, Libby, Sadey, and Ivy

FYI:
* Go here for some of the stats and stories of 2012.
* To give securely online now go here.
* Cadre Ministries is a recognized 501(c)3 not-for-profit ministry and all donations are tax deductible.


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Let me encourage you and make you think 2-3x a week with a virtual Cup O' Joe with Bill in your email inbox. Go here and submit your email. Then check your email inbox and click the Feedburner confirmation link. Note: You can unsubscribe anytime simply by clicking the "unsubscribe" link at the bottom of any email that comes from Cup O' Joe with Bill.

On men who badmouth their wives...

Every now and then I read an article and I think, "I wish every man would read this."

The article I'm about to share with you qualifies.

But before I share the article, I must warn you. 

1. Some of you won't be able to get over the first line in the article because of a certain crude word that is used. If this is you, please abandon this post right now. You will miss the point of the article.

2. This article was written for a news organization for real guys... not for some sort of nicey nicey men's ministry magazine.

3. The problem the author points out is pandemic—and sadly Christian men are just as guilty as other men.

4. I have an agenda. The final challenge given by the author is exactly what I hope every happily married man will start doing.

If, after all that, you still insist on reading this article, that's fine. 

But you have been warned.

One last thought: The article is way better than the video, so please read the article first.

Here's the article.

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Monday Funday: Just you wait...

My teachers always told me I wouldn't amount to anything because I procrastinated so much. 

I told them, "Just you wait."

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How I Did Training in WI with a Bunch of Packer Fans and Lived to Tell About It

On February 28th through March 3rd I, along with my wife and our three youngest kids, packed the car far greater than its capacity, and headed up north to WI to take The 2013 Disciplemaking Training Tour behind the cheddar curtain.

[Click any image to enlarge for viewing.]

Cadre Ministries worked in partnership with the Forrest Lakes District of the Evangelical Free Church of America to bring the Disciplemaking Is Relationships training experience to four different locations in four days.

Day 1: LaCrosse, WI
I was immediately encouraged—even before the training started—by this young woman below. She walked up to me and said...

"You were the speaker at the district youth conference in Green Bay in 2010. I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior then and there. I want you to know that I went home from that conference and was immediately discipled. Now I'm senior in college, I volunteer in the youth ministry at this church, I'm discipling two other friends at college, and I'm getting married to a great Christian guy this Spring."

It's moments like that I totally understand we are all along for God's ride!

Day 2: Rice Lake, WI

In Rice Lake we were greeted warmly by our friend Tony Nord and everyone at the training was treated to several different kinds of homemade soup and desserts. The people who participated in the training were eager learners... and I suspect many of them were living a Jesus-like disciplemaking way of life and that my job was to encourage them to continue on!

Two days in, and no one has even mentioned the Green Bay Packers—or that I am a stubborn and mouthy Bears fan. (Have I mentioned that Da Bears are undefeated so far in 2013? The Packer's can't say that!) So far so good. I just might make it out from behind the cheddar curtain without any sort of trouble from the green and yellow. (Hey, isn't snot also green and yellow?)

Day 3: Mosinee, WI

In Mosinee, Rob Weise, Student Ministries Director for the Forrest Lakes District, told everyone I was a pistol of a Bear's fan. For a moment, I wondered if I would ever be able to do the training with these cheese heads. But, it turns out that Jesus is bigger than the most significant football rivalry in NFL history! Who knew, right? We had so much fun together during the training that at one point, we all just went outside and took a group picture. No, we didn't sing Kumbaya, but I dare say that if someone would have started it, we all would have joined.

Day 4: Madison, WI

When I got up to do the training in Madison, I immediately noticed two full tables of Packer's football jerseys. Yikes! Remember, football season has been finished for well over a month now. Then I recognized these folks as people I had talked smack to on Facebook every Sunday during football season. They were coming to get me.

On breaks, they tried to surround me and make me drink green and yellow Kool Aide, but I would have none of it. One lone Bears fan stood by me... God bless her. At the end, one of these guys came up to me and said, "You're my favorite Bear's fan. But you're the only Bears fan I know, so don't get a big head." In all seriousness, it was a lot of fun and God did a lot of great things... keep reading below...

The ripples of disciplemaking... for God's glory!
It was great to hear from you this weekend! My team was very encouraged and it is great to get everyone on the same page. I've been trying to get them to catch the vision of disciplemaking ever since I started here and this will do a lot to get us moving forward. Not just in youth ministry but as disciples of Jesus who make disciples of Jesus, etc. etc. Thank you for loving Jesus and letting that spill over to me.
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I just wanted to send you a note thanking you for the great training last night. It was such an encouragement to see a man passionate about loving Christ and making disciples.

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Thanks for taking time yesterday at Door Creek to teach from your heart for Jesus! I appreciate your sense of humor, wisdom, and most of all love for God. It truly is contagious and what will set this world on fire for Christ! Keep going brother!!!!!
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It was great having you do this training. I am excited to follow up with my leaders again this year and see how God spoke to them about who they need to be pulling close and rubbing off on in Jesus-like disciplemaking. Blessings on you and your crew.
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I recently just attended your Cadre training session this Saturday in Mosinee. I just wanted to thank you for the time you invest to help and disciple people. God has given you a gift, and you're totally allowing Him to speak through you to reach thousands of people. The training helped me realize a little bit that even though I don't know where I'm going or if I'm in the right place, "as I go" I can invest in the lives of students I interact with on a daily basis and make a positive impact for God. Also, big thanks to your family for supporting you wherever you go and doing things together as a team.
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It was awesome to be part of the training last Sunday in Madison. Your passion for disciplemaking is contagious. Thank you for your ministry! It was also great to meet your wife and a few of the kids in your brood! IVY is a real sweetie....she will keep you young (Well maybe not). Be well and I anticipate some good conversations via facebook with you next fall - GO PACK!

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Why church matters...

It's theologically incorrect to say, "All you need is God."

Think about this with me for a minute.

In the perfect world God created before sin, God saw one man surrounded by flawless paradise on all sides and said...

"It's not good for man to be alone." (Genesis 2:18)

What? How can that be?

God was in community with Himself (The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). But at this point in the narrative, Adam was not in community with another human being as God designed. Yes, Adam had an intimate relationship with God that was unhindered by sin at this point and undoubtedly he enjoyed God's awesome creation. But he didn't have another human being "suitable" with whom he could live in community. So God declared it was "not good."

Then God made Adam a friend, a partner, and, yes, a lover.

But don't check out yet.

This post is NOT about marriage—but rather it's about our God-given need for human community. (Think about it. It's possible to be married and not live in real community with each other. Conversely, it's possible to be single enjoy living in true community with others.)

I believe the first two chapters of the Bible show us clearly that God craves for us to be in community with Him and each other.

To put it bluntly: God himself doesn't think that we only need Him.

This is why I contend that it's theologically incorrect to say, "All you need is God."

The biblical truth is: We need God and each other.

Good theology is weology.

Check out this short and powerfully true video.

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Monday Funday: Ready for the retirement home?

During a visit to the retirement home, I asked the director, "How do you determine whether or not a person should be institutionalized?

"Well," said the Director, "We fill up a bathtub, and then we offer a teaspoon, a teacup and a bucket to the patient and ask him or her to empty the bathtub."

"Oh, I understand," I said. "A normal person would use the bucket because it's bigger than the spoon or the teacup."

"No," said the Director. "A normal person would pull the plug. Do you want a bed near the window?"

*Got this from Mikey's Funnies.

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Let me encourage you and make you think 2-3x a week with a virtual Cup O' Joe with Bill in your email inbox. Go here and submit your email. Then check your email inbox and click the Feedburner confirmation link. Note: You can unsubscribe anytime simply by clicking the "unsubscribe" link at the bottom of any email that comes from Cup O' Joe with Bill.