Summer Classes for Men

Summer Classes for Men at THE ADULT LEARNING CENTER

REGISTRATION MUST BE COMPLETED by Friday, August 17th 2008

NOTE: DUE TO THE COMPLEXITY AND DIFFICULTY LEVEL OF THEIR CONTENTS, CLASS SIZES WILL BE LIMITED TO 8 PARTICIPANTS MAXIMUM

Class 1
How To Fill Up The Ice Cube Trays--Step by Step, with Slide Presentation.
Meets 4 weeks, Monday and Wednesday for 2 hours beginning at 7:00 PM.

Class 2
The Toilet Paper Roll--Does It Change Itself?
Round Table Discussion.
Meets 2 weeks, Saturday 12:00 for 2 hours.

Class 3
Is It Possible To Urinate Using The Technique Of Lifting The Seat and Avoiding The Floor, Walls and Nearby Bathtub?--Group Practice.
Meets 4 weeks, Saturday 10:00 PM for 2 hours.

Class 4
Fundamental Differences Between The Laundry Hamper and The Floor--Pictures and Explanatory Graphics. Meets Saturdays at 2:00 PM for 3 weeks..

Class 5
Dinner Dishes--Can They Levitate and Fly Into The Kitchen Sink?
Examples on Video.
Meets 4 weeks, Tuesday and Thursday for 2 hours beginning
at 7:00 PM

Class 6
Loss Of Identity--Losing The Remote To Your Significant Other.
Help Line Support and Support Groups.
Meets 4 Weeks, Friday and Sunday 7:00 PM

Class 7
Learning How To Find Things--Starting With Looking In The Right Places And Not Turning The House Upside Down While Screaming.
Open Forum
Monday at 8:00 PM, 2 hours.

Class 8
Health Watch--Bringing Her Flowers Is Not Harmful To Your Health.
Graphics and Audio Tapes.
Three nights; Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 7:00 PM for 2 hours.

Class 9
Real Men Ask For Directions When Lost--Real Life Testimonials.
Tuesdays at 6:00 PM Location to be determined

Class 10
Is It Genetically Impossible To Sit Quietly While She Parallel Parks?
Driving Simulations.
4 weeks, Saturday's noon, 2 hours.

Class 11
Learning to Live--Basic Differences Between Mother and Wife.
Online Classes and role-playing
Tuesdays at 7:00 PM, location to be determined

Class 12
How to be the Ideal Shopping Companion
Relaxation Exercises, Meditation and Breathing Techniques.
Meets 4 weeks, Tuesday and Thursday for 2 hours beginning at 7:00 PM.

Class 13
How to Fight Cerebral Atrophy--Remembering Birthdays, Anniversaries and Other Important Dates and Calling When You're Going To Be Late.
Cerebral Shock Therapy Sessions and Full Lobotomies Offered.
Three nights; Monday, Wednesday, Friday at 7:00 PM for 2 hours.

Class 14
The Stove/Oven--What It Is and How It Is Used.
Live Demonstration.
Tuesdays at 6:00 PM, location to be determined.
Upon completion of any of the above courses, diplomas will be issued to the survivors..

FREE Live Cadre Training with Cadre Missionaries, Dave and Rennie Garda

Would you like to provide training for those who serve in your church's youth ministry... but can't afford it?

Can you say FREE live Cadre training? Can you say, "ROAD TRIP!"?

When: Friday, August 1, 2008

Where: Taylor University, Fort Wayne, IN

Cost: FREE (no joke)

Who: Key students, all volunteers, and all paid youth leaders.

Double click the image below to enlarge for reading and printing.
To register yourself and/or your group online NOW, GO HERE.

To register yourself and/or your group via phone NOW, call 260.422.1958

To listen to a four part audio interview with Cadre missionaries, Dave and Rennie Garda, about this FREE youth worker training, click the links below:

1. Intro to the FREE training, Remedy FM, the Gardas, and Cadre Ministries

2. Morning Training:Youth Ministry 911 or 101—How to know the difference and what to do about it.


3. Afternoon Training:Communicating Visually

4. Evening Training: Ministry Is Relationships

Rethinking How Disciples Are Made—Part 3

NOTE: This post is neither an endorsement nor an indictment of Willow Creek Community Church. I am simply offering this video clip in the context of rethinking how disciples are made... for that is what I've been posting about for the last month or so. I applaud Willow for the opportunity to rethink out loud about how disciples are made... for that is truly a worthwhile discussion.

As you watch the video clip, note WHAT is identified as "the biggest gap" in the discipleship process.

But even more germane to this post, note the STRATEGY that is being attempted to address the gap. (Watch carefully because the strategy is only mentioned briefly.)



Click the comment link below and respond to the following questions:

1. What was identified as "the biggest gap" in the discipleship process?

2. What is the strategy that is being put into place to address the biggest gap in the discipleship process?

3. Do YOU think this strategy will work? Why or why not?

ATTENTION ALL READERS: I will NOT publish any more anonymous comments to this post.... put your identity where your mouth is!


For a FREE resource you can use to think this issue through with others, GO HERE.

A Summer of Fun and Ministry

Click on any of the images below to enlarge for reading... and THANKS for reading Cop o" Joe with Bill!

FREE Book: Grow, Minister, & Lead in SPANISH

With the gracious and patient help of missionary translator, Marcia Carlson, Cadre Ministries is able to offer the book Grow, Minister, and Lead: Ten Training Sessions for Volunteers in the Church, in Spanish... for FREE! How cool is that? Please feel free to share this FREE PDF download with all your Spanish speaking friends... and missionaries.

Because God keeps on blessings us... we are able to keep passing on the blessing others! Thank you God... and thank you to those of you who pray and financially support our ministry with Cadre! What a team! What an adventure! What a God!


To download your FREE copy of Cadre Ministries' book,Grow, Minister, and Lead: Ten Training Sessions for Volunteers in the Church in Spanish, GO HERE.




And yes, we'd LOVE to hear from you about how you are able to use this to keep passing the blessing on to others. Drop us a note of encouragement by clicking the comment link below...

Comedian Tim Hawkins is opening up for me

This Saturday, June 28th at 6 PM in Champaign, IL, my favorite Christian comedian, Tim Hawkins, will be opening up for me.

That's right, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes is bringing in comedian Tim Hawkins to open up for me at their DATE NIGHT... a couples only event.

Okay, to be totally honest, FCA is building this DATE NIGHT around a nice supper (catered) and the very fun comedic stylings of Tim Hawkins... (read: FCA conveniently forgot to mention ME and my comedic stylings in their promo of this event—see picture of the registration form to the left) but the way I see it, Tim Hawkins is opening up for me : )

AND HERE'S THE KICKER—YOU AND YOUR SPOUSE ARE INVITED! I'm not joking.

So what are YOU doing THIS Saturday? Would you and your spouse like to join Tim Hawkins, Stacy, me, and my so-called friends at FCA for dinner and laughter in Champaign, IL?

Who is Tim Hawkins you ask?
Okay, here are a few video clips...

How can you register?
Go to this FCA website, check out the detail$, and if you are so inclined, you can register online.

Can we leave after Tim Hawkins or do we have to stay to hear you, Bill?
You are free to leave after Tim Hawkins, but if you do, I get first dibs on your dessert.

So line up that baby sitter now... and join the fun.

And if you're the praying type... this IS actually a prayer request too! At the end of the night, I'm going to be talking about how to CLEAN UP messy relationships... using God's relational cleaning supplies.... and my relationships tend to get messy whenever I talk about this... so please pray RIGHT NOW for the ALLISONS!

Clarification: This event is being held in Champaign, IL, but my guess is that there will be NO champaign in Champaign where we'll be having dinner : )

Rethinking How Disciples Are Made—Part 2

I picked up my fifteen year old son from school. When he got into the car, he announced, "I can drive now."

Having been through this before with his older sister, I saw the teachable moment and tried to lean into it. "Just because the state of Illinois gives you a permit and says you can now start driving with your parents in no way means that you can actually drive."

Unrelenting, my son spit back, "I'm a great driver."

Just as unrelenting, I shot back, "Driving the riding lawn mower at home in the yard and driving a car between the lines without actually hitting another car, stationary object, or a person are two different things."

"But I took a test in Driver's Ed today and passed. See, I'm a great driver," he affirmed—with a hint of indignation in his tone of voice.

"Passing a written driving test in a classroom in no way whatsoever means that you can actually drive a real car on a real road with other real cars around you. Really."

Then he threw down the challenge. He played the ace in his hand. He called me out AND called me an old man. "What's wrong old man? Afraid my driving is better than yours?"

The teacher/trainer in me kicked in. You see, when the learner is not getting the obvious point, the teacher/trainer may opt for drastic measures. There is a time to call his bluff and attempt to bring him back to reality. I calmly pulled the car over into a McDonald's parking lot. Put it into park. Got out and walked around to the passenger side front door. Opened it and said, "Let's go Mr. World's-Greatest-Driver-whose-never-actually-driven-a-car-before. Show me what you've got."

He looked stunned, but he quickly got out his seat and situated himself behind the driver's side of the car. He adjusted the seat, the mirrors, and fascended his seatbelt. So far so good. Then he stopped for a moment and looked down at the floor. After a long, quiet, pregnant pause, he looked up at me with complete seriousness and said, "Now which one of these pedals is the brake?"

I wished I was making this story up.

My prayer life has never been better.
THE BIG QUESTION IS:

What in the world does this true story have to do with rethinking the way disciples are made?

Why don't YOU tell me (and any readers of this blog) what YOU think this story has to do with rethinking how disciples are made.

Click the comment link below and speak your heart and mind. We're listening...


For a FREE resource you can use to think this issue through with others, GO HERE.

Cadre's Evangelism Training Experience for High School Students

See these high school students?
You won't read about these kids in the news paper, but that's unfortunate. These students from IL, MN, MI and GA are being equipped to make an eternal difference at Converge, Cadre's evangelism training experience designed especially for high school students.

On Tuesday, June 17, 2008, I, and five other youth workers from the Central IL, area jumped into a van and headed north to see what Converge was all about.
We spent the morning being trained to share the love of Jesus Christ with others.

The morning training was based primarily on Cadre's Evangelism Is Relationships.

In the afternoon, we all headed out to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with those on the beach along Lake Michigan. Some people were very open to having a conversation about God... others weren't... all were loved and prayed for. Each student and youth worker saw God as work in and through them... and that was life changing! And when these students go out on the "streets" each day, a few actually trust Jesus Christ as Savior!

On the way home, the Central IL youth workers stopped at Ed Debevics for debriefing, food, and insults from our waitress.

Our day at Converge was great.

If you're looking for something more than just baby sitting high school students... something more than just attending another Bible study... something more than just the next theme park.... something that actually equips students to share the life changing Gospel of Jesus Christ with their friends... then YOU really ought to check into doing a Converge evangelism training experience in YOUR area. No joke. This time next summer, you could be training high school students to share the love of Jesus Christ with their friends... and that could literally change the world.

For more in formation about Converge, check out this two page PDF.

If, after reading the above PDF, you have questions and/or would like more information, contact info@cadreministries.com.

If you have bored junior high students and you're not sure what to do with them either, then check out THIS contact info@cadreministries.com for more info.

Three Allison Teenagers and Mission Chicago

Click the images below to enlarge for reading or to download a one page PDF for printing and praying purposes GO HERE.


FYI, they are currently at about 25% of what they need to raise.

7/12/08 SUPPORT UPDATE: The kids are at about 50% of what they need to raise... they need about $300 EACH... so please keep praying!

Rethinking How Disciples Are Made—Part 1

"I came through the whole system with the best education that evangelicalism had to offer—yet I really didn't receive the training that I needed... seven years of higher education in top-rated evangelical schools didn't prepare me to 1) do ministry and 2) be a leader. I began to analyze why I could preach a great sermon and people afterwards would shake my hand and say, 'Great sermon, Pastor.' But these were the very people who were struggling with self-esteem, beating their spouses, struggling as workaholics, succumbing to their addictions, Their lives weren't changing. I had to ask myself why this great knowledge I was presenting didn't move from their heads to their hearts and their lives. And I began to realize that the breakdown in the church was actually based on what we learned in seminary. We were taught that if you just give people information, that's enough."
—Dr. Clyde McDowell, Vantage Point: The Newsletter of Denver Seminary, June 1998

Is it REALLY possible to make disciples of Jesus Christ by dispensing information via speaking, preaching, and teaching alone?

What do you think?

Click on the comment link below and speak your heart and mind.


For a FREE resource you can use to think this issue through with others, GO HERE.