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You Can Take the Man Out of Youth Ministry, but...

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Click any picture to enlarge. Over the course of my life so far, I've worked at a YMCA, a juvenile detention center, a factory, as a youth pastor in a local church, a public school English teacher, and, for the last 23 years, the executive director of Cadre Missionaries . (I still don't know what I want to be if I grow up.) However, on most Tuesday nights these days, you can find me and my fun/crazy friends volunteering —hanging out with students at Chillicothe Campus Life.  What do we do to build authentic  Christ-sharing relationships with students? We eat together.  We get to know each other through questions .  And we listen, share our stories , and share God's story.  Meals. Stories. Questions. In other words, w e do exactly what Jesus did.   It's simple AND transformational. Up to this point in my life, I had never been to a Youth for Christ "club" before. But my daughter, Sadey Rose , who leads the Chillicothe Campus Life Club, invited me to share...
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How We Set Up the Next Generation to Fail

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  "We set young leaders up for a fall if we encourage them to envision what they can do before they consider the kind of person they should be." —Ruth Barton Are you interested in helping the next generation of young leaders BE before they DO? This is for you . Let me encourage you most Mondays !   Instagram            Facebook             Twitter      
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Programs Don't Make Disciples...

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Programs don't make disciples . This is a problem too . Where you start really matters . These seven questions could help . You might get stuck in a false dichotomy here. Here's a reason WHY we aren't making disciples . This  also  doesn't make disciples . THIS makes disciples ! Track with us on social media!        Instagram                 Facebook               Twitter           Subscribe HERE and let the fun begin!
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To God and God Alone Be the Glory!

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"WOW! I am completely floored at how GOD has had me come across your path!!!! You may not remember me, but boy do I remember you! I was only 12 years old when you helped lead me to the LORD at an AWANA group meeting at First Baptist Church in Streator, IL, back in April of 1987!  Over 38 years has passed and I have not yet and never will forget you. I went on to graduate from Judson University as a Youth Ministry major. I got married and now have 4 beautiful children of my own. God has blessed my family and I know the Holy Spirit is alive in my family today! My wife and I attend church in McHenry, IL, and love it. We are excited because GOD has us on a wild journey in our faith and we are sold out to HIM—just in AWE of His mighty power! I just want to tell you how thankful I am to you for surrendering your life to Christ many years ago! I know GOD always has His plans for us and I am forever grateful that you listened loud and clear. Thank you brother!" — Dan Estes God makes ...
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Deliver Us from Me-vil

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At first this meme made me smile. Then it amused me. But the more I thought about it, the more it disturbed me. In many ways this meme is a brilliant and insightful commentary that strikes to the very heart of the problem with much of current Western Christianity. But before we throw "current Western Christianity" under the bus, just a gentle reminder that... We  are current Western Christianity . Ouch. Sorry about that. This ain't much of a "Monday Funday" is it? But as that great 21st century philosopher/theologian, Michael Jackson, once sang: "I'm looking at the man in the mirror. I'm asking him to change his ways." So I'll go first. I confess. I have the uncanny ability to make even my relationship with God about what I get. How about you? As Americans, we are consumers to the core of our beings. Too often, God is simply a means to a selfish end for so many of us. We don't love Jesus. We love what we get because of Jesus. We're ...
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No More New Year's Resolutions...

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  Dear God, I want to thank you for being close to me so far today. With your help, I haven't been impatient, grumpy, judgmental, or envious of anyone. But I will really need your help soon because... I'm about to get out of bed. Amen We make resolutions on New Year's Day to become better people. Our hearts are often in the right place, but somehow, our resolve doesn’t quite translate into results. Research on New Year’s resolutions indicates that... Within the first two months of the new year, 25 percent of us will break our promises.  By six months, nearly 40 percent will have failed.  By the end of the year, approximately 82 percent will be unsuccessful.  Think about your own life. Haven’t you ever made a New Year’s resolution to diet only to gain weight? We all start out so well, but most of us don’t finish well. As the great poet/philosopher Homer once said:   “I used to rock and roll all night and party every day. Then it was every other day. Now I’m ...
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Join Us in Reading the Bible Together in 2025!

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Would you like a better, stronger relationship with God & friends? By far the single most important thing I've ever done that has helped my relationship with God is reading through the Bible — with some friends . News Flash:   A better, stronger relationship with God will not happen accidentally. This is your invitation to invite your friends and family to take a life-changing AND guilt-free Bible reading adventure   together . Here's our 2025 Reading Plan ! 1.  Here’s WHY you probably won't do this . (Just keeping it real.) 2.  Here's an online community for sharing what we learn together . 3.  Here's a story about what God can do if you dare to try in 2025 . So, are you in? If yes, then invite your friends to join you in this guilt-free Bible reading adventure  starting January 1, 2025 .  This begs the question: WHO  needs to do this  with  you this year? What are you waiting for? Invite them right now. Friends don't let friends re...
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