The truth about family pictures... a tale of two photos

Here's what you will see and get...



But here's the truth about who we really are.



We're just like your family.

Equipping volunteers and students for ministry

Just like Part 1 and Part 2, Programing for Discipleship—Part 3 of 4 is a FREE 30-minute downloadable audio training AND a FREE downloadable ten-page training manual aimed squarely at helping volunteer youth workers program their youth ministries for discipleship.



What You Can Expect in Part 3:
* the importance of training others for ministry
* the purpose of ministry training
* the qualities of a good ministry team
* how to identify who should be on the team
* a plan for training the team
PLUS lots of practical application pages

Your guide on this audio/PDF training journey will be me, Bill Allison, a.k.a. Volunteer Coach Man. It's going to be a fun, fast-moving, and sometimes out-of-control training adventure... so buckle your seatbelts!

Along the way, you'll have lots of opportunities to stop the audio and work through the application pages in the downloadable PDF training manual. Warning: Don't just listen to the audio. Your learning will be exponentially higher if you download and print the training manual and then work through the training manual as you listen to the audio. Stop the audio to actually work through the application pages. For best results, use as described above with a small group of other volunteer youth workers and take the journey together... and be sure to order some pizza.

Are you ready to start downloading? Here you go... from our hearts to yours... from your biggest fans at Cadre Ministries...



FREE downloadable Training: Part 3 of Programming for Discipleship!

Proof that God Loves Us...

Ben Franklin said, "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."

But I say, "Coffee is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."

What do you say?

BA

Enough Said?

Something I often ponder these days...

If you have any insights, please leave a comment.

Oxymoron: Microsoft works

There was once a young man who, in his youth, professed his desire to become a great writer.

When asked to define "great," he said, "I want to write stuff that the whole world will read, stuff that people will react to on a truly emotional level, stuff that will make them scream in disbelief, cry in despair, howl in pain, and vent their anger in ways they've never dreamed of!"

He now works for Microsoft, writing error messages.

A frank conversation about teens and technical virginity

A weekend away with your teenager for "the talk"...

Signing an abstinence pledge...

Purity rings...

All good things right? But are they effective?

Researchers at Yale and Columbia University found that teens pledging virginity until marriage are just as likely as their peers to contract an STD. You might have to read that sentence again. According to Hayley DiMarco, those who pledge abstinence are more likely to engage in other forms of sexual experience... thus the STDs AND the term "technical virginity."

Great news: Many of our kids are saving THE act of sex for marriage.

Bad news: These technical virgins are doing just about everything else sexually.

I guess it does depend on what the definition of is is.

If you're open to a frank and open discussion about these things, I invite you to listen in on a conversation Dr. Jim Burns had with Haley DiMarco, author of Technical Virgin: How Far Is Too Far?

WARNING: These necessary conversations are NOT for the faint of heart. You have been warned.


Part 1: Is your child a technical virgin

Part 2: Is your child a technical virgin

Honk if you love Jesus... text while driving if you'd like to meet him.

Amazing Story: Four Years Later

Click any image below to enlarge for reading. To download this two page ministry update for printing or sharing, GO HERE.

For more information about how you can partner with God, us, and Cadre, GO HERE. To make a secure online donation right now, GO HERE.

The power of a sense of humor

Below is a video of some college students—who probably should have been studying—but instead decided to make a video of themselves doing some amazing and funny things with ping pong balls and cups. Check it out...


The video above is on its way to 510,000 views. I was told that it was shown on television a number of times. A lot of people have seen this video. Thanks to Youtube, a lot more people will see this video in the future.

But think about that for a moment... from the university president's perspective.

Since colleges and universities prefer to be known for their academic and athletic excellence, and since the university's name is so prominently displayed and tied to the ping pong frivolity in the viral video, it would be difficult to imagine the regents and administration of Olivet Nazarene University laughing along with the rest of us. From the point of view of the stewards of ONU, the video feels little like watching a child do something funny yet slightly questionable in public. Yes, it grabs everyone's attention, it's often humorous (hey, it's not your child), but you know when that kid gets home mom/dad will offer some sort of "instruction."

If you know anything about colleges and universities, you know that the public's perception of the institution matters to them greatly. Rightly so. Some donors and alumni might see this video and express concerns that it pictures the university in a less than stellar marketing light. What would parents of potential students think about the college? The list of possible concerns and complaints the leaders of the university would have to field about the above video could become a major public relations headache.

In light of these (and other) legitimate concerns, what should be the response of the leaders of Olivet Nazarene University?

Watch the video below. It's the response of the university professors, staff, and even the president of the university himself.







Now, note the title of this post. Do you agree? If so, why? If not, why not? (If not, what title would you have given this post?) I'd love to know what you think... and why? The comment link is below...