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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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1st Tuesday Nights 2025: Evangelism for Non-Evangelists

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What if sharing your faith in Jesus Christ was as simple as praying, loving, speaking, and sharing? In Cadre's  Evangelism Is Relationships  training experience, you will learn to live a simple, Jesus-based approach for helping your family and friends find and follow Jesus. Session 1 Pray (Tuesday, January 7, 2025, 6-8 PM) iNTERCEDE .  The first step in helping your friends find and follow Jesus is not talking to them about Jesus. The first step is talking to Jesus about your friends. Session 2   Love (Tuesday, February 4, 2025, 6-8 PM) iNVEST.  The natural result of connecting with God's heart is a desire to love people with God's love. We will explore how Jesus intentionally befriended those in his relational sphere of influence—and how we can follow His example. Session 3   Speak (Tuesday, March 4, 2025, 6-8 PM) iNTERSECT.  We'll explore how Jesus brought God's truth  and  grace to people in His relational sphere of influence. Then, takin...
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Fun Christmas Stuff to Share with Others...

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Thank YOU so much for tracking with Cup O' Joe with Bill .  I thank God for you.  In the spirit of fun AND Christmas, here are eight fun adventures that range from the seriousness of the Christmas story to just plain ridiculousness. Enjoy and feel free to share this post with others. 1.  Christmas and the BIG Story of God   (video) 2.  It’s NOT a Wonderful Life  (video) 3.  Did the Real Santa Really Punch a Guy ? (true story) 4.  How NOT to Tell Your Kids About Saint Nick   (true story) 5.  Seven Christmas Gifts You Hope You Don’t Get   (yikes) 6.  Christmas Solos Gone Bad… Real Bad  (audio) 7.  A Christmas Message for Men Only  (video) 8.  How You Can Make Cadre's Christmas Merry   (serious) A Merry Cadre Christmas to you and yours from  the Allisons , your  disciplemaking missionaries  serving Jesus with Cadre Missionaries . Subscribe to Cup O' Joe with Bill & let the fun begin! Tr...
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Can YOU help us at year-end?

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  Note: We are disciplemaking missionaries with  Cadre Missionaries . As such, we give a brief ministry update here at  Cup O' Joe with Bill  once every three months—especially for those who love, pray, and support us. Look at What God is Doing! (Click any image below to enlarge for reading, viewing, and praying.)     Can you help us  continue  multiplying disciple makers ? Here's how... 1.  Give a year-end donation 2.  Join our email prayer team  ("prayer team" in subject line) 3.  Bring Cadre training to your ministry or church 4.  Become a trainer with Cadre     5.  Read and share The Disciplemaking Genius of Jesus Or you can send a check to  Cadre Missionaries PO Box 278 Sycamore, IL 60178 Thank you for reading all the way to the end. You are a true friend and we thank God for you! These dear family and friends made our year-end ministry 2024 mailing happen! Track with us on social media! ...
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