Cadre Blog Friends: We were super encouraged by this note from the impact of one of our Disciplemaking Learning Communities… this one just happens to be inside of a prison.
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Dave & Rennie,
I wanted to take a couple of minutes to share with you one way you have impacted “K” inside of Muskegon Correctional.
When I was in the prison fellowship library yesterday . . . standing in the doorway getting ready to leave I had a brief conversation with K. and G. about a new, prospective volunteer. I was talking about a concern I had over a slight theological difference.
K. spoke of and said something like . . . “You don’t have to worry about that Chip. It’s like Dave & Rennie teach us, we just look to what it says in the Word”. He pointed to the library bookshelves and said “We have all these books with a lot of peoples views and opinions . . . but we need to look at God’s Word and what it says in the Bible.” That’s where we get our truth.
Something like that, you kind of had to be there but it was obvious that you guys have strengthened his commitment to the truth of God’s Word and the value of going to the Bible as the one and only authority.
The fact that you impact K. is HUGE as I believe he is the one most influential believer on our prison compound.
I love you guys and your willingness to be used of God inside of prison walls.
Chip
(Prison Fellowship and a Disciplemaking friend).
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Who will you walk with as a Disciplemaking friend today?
I’m so glad that for Rennie and I that includes life with K., G., and Chip!
What’s the difference between being a first-live-er and a first-tell-er?
I’d start by outing the western view and lack of a Biblical practice of leadership. Why are western churches so obsessed with a structure where a few special people (talent, presence, temperament, inheritance) define leadership?
I am so grateful for the towel wearing leadership of John the Baptist, Jesus and Paul…
Rather than focus on special vision, special leaders, I am excited to wake up each day to walk with friends and let the Holy Spirit (kavanah style) lead me, lead us…
The greatest leadership vision, action, example of leadership is when you and I live Jesus’ GO MAKE DISCIPLES, together vision, starting with our family.
We’re not leaders when we gorge ourselves on leadership reading, more leadership workshops and more leadership copying…
We’re leaders when we help others lead. When we multiply at home and with friends. When we break out of our silo’s and walk alongside and not above… leaders don’t rise above, they crawl alongside.
The gift of leadership is mentioned in only one gift list and that was to refer to it as a LESSER gift… instead Paul elevated, hospitality, towel wrapped servanthood and friendship. Please learn to lead as a role and not a position.
I love how 1 thessalonians 5:11-14 calls each of us to be disciplemakers who live alongside (encourage, Thayer) in a mutual/reciprocal way (one other, Thayer) who mutually leave each other with more (build, Thayer).
Then Paul refers to ways we can honor those in the role of leadership for their example and hard-work (first-live-ers) who offer spiritual example and guidance through an accessible life… (1 th 1 to 5).
Next PAUL returns to invite each, all of us to lead in each other’s lives like positive, hard-working leaders have modeled…
From my understanding of Jesus: Inflow, overflow, multiply are a flat org chart we’re all called to live, share, own and release. We are disciplemaking friends not leaders… and it starts in our homes.
My vote:Let’s drop the leader, follower dialogue… let’s erase our leadership boxes and layers then instead… be kavanah living, disciplemaking first-live-ers who lead by helping others multiply.
Of course, we’re talking about reading the Bible. But not just reading the Bible—as good as that can be. What we’re talking about is reading the Bible together. Why together? Because reading the Bible by yourself is great, but reading the Bible together is exponentially more transformative.
Have you ever wondered what a chronological New Testament would look like? Or how the Gospels describe the same event with different words and perspective? If so, this reading plan is for you. It’s impossible to state exactly in what order everything happened but this is an attempt and we hope it will bring new light to the eternal story of Jesus Christ.
We invite you to jump in with us as we utilize the YouVersion App and it’s reading plan feature. Simply activate the NT CHRONOLOGICAL plan. We also suggest that you activate the daily reminder feature . Since it’s a 6 month plan we’ll be able to read this plan twice during 2018.
During the first half of the year (182 days) we’ll read thru the New Testament to observe Kavanah priorities. For the second half of the year (182 days) we’ll go deeper as we re-read the New Testament digging into the link between following Jesus and prayerfulness. We’ll start the read in January, but we’ll be inviting new friends to jump in along the way.Wherever we are in the sequence we invite you to begin where we are and read with us.
We invite you to read with us and friends using YouVersion and the NT Chronological plan during 2018. Jump in anytime and keep reading with us.
Tens of millions of people are using the Bible App™ to make God’s Word a part of their daily lives. Download the free app and access your bookmarks, notes, and reading plans from anywhere. Enjoy hundreds of versions, including audio, all on your mobile device. We’ll be using the NLT text and audio personally, but we invite you to read in the version of your choice.
The YouVersion Bible app makes it possible to not only read the Bible online via your smart phone, iPad, or computer, but you also can read it in whatever translation you choose. Another bonus is that you can also listen to an audio of each day’s readings for FREE!
But Wait! There’s More!
As we read through the New Testament together this year, we’re going to be looking for Kavanah. What’s Kavanah? That’s a great question.
Kavanah is a Hebrew word that helps us understand how God empowers us to live as disciplemakers. In its simplest form, Kavanah means “to aim.” In disciplemaking, it describes the place where my disciplined actions meet God’s active presence in my life. If disciplemaking is about following Jesus together, every day, we need his power to do it. And Kavanah helps us see how.
We find the roots of Kavanah in the Babylonian Talmud. Berakoth 32b says, “Our Rabbis taught: Four things require to be done with Kavanah, namely, [study of] the Torah, good deeds [loving others and showing kindness], praying always, and one’s worldly occupation.”
Kavanah is how we hit the bullseye as a disciple. It enables us to be filled up by Jesus, anticipating what God is going to do in us, through us and around us. We practice these four priorities with others, depending on the help of the Holy Spirit to hit the Kavanah bullseye…
So as we read this year, I suggest every time you come across one of the four Kavanah priorities in your Bible reading, you make a note in your Bible like so…
W = study God’s Word to know and love God
P = prayerfulness
L = loved extravagantly by God to love others
C = a C323 (Colossians 3:23) life of worship
If you’re really into crazy and fun, consider using four different colored pencils/highlighters—one for each of the four Kavanah priorities. When you’re done, you’ll have a fun and simply way of seeing just how much Kavanah is in the New Testament.
As we study, pray, love and live together, we hit the bullseye as disciples—who makes disciples—who make more disciples.
Celebrate Twelve Days with Cadre Missionaries.Day One: Christmas Day. Cadre Digital Living Guides from the iBookstore for iPads, Computers and iPhones for only .99 cents. NEW. These tools just hit the iBookstore in their enhanced made for iBooks formats. You’ll be able to carry with you on your phone, iPad or computer these effective Disciplemaker’s Tools: The Disciplemaker’s Living Guide and the One Another Living Guide.
Day Two: Free Digital PDF edition of Volunteer Dialogue 2. What’s the difference between Speaking, Teaching, Preach and Training?
Day Three: Save $6 on your digital iBookstore edition of Recruiting, Motivating and Retaining Volunteers. Grab your copy for only $6.99
Day Four: Fuel your prayerfulness while you save $1.50 plus get free shipping on your set of 10 Disciplemaker’s Prayer Cards for study plus 10 wallet sized cards.
Day Five: Save $4 and pick up your copy of Encourage Your Pastor for only .99 cents. This made for iBooks digital resource works with your iPhone, iPad or computer.
Day Six: Free Digital copy of Big God, small problems: A disciplemaker’s walk with Nehemiah. This made for iBooks digital resource works with your iPhone, iPad or computer and comes with bonus audio segments to prompt your havering.
Day Seven: Save $6 on your digital iBookstore edition of the Disciplemaker’s Guide to Grow, Minister & Lead (Helping Volunteers and Teams to Live & Support Disciplemaking). Grab your copy for only $6.99. This digital edition includes four bonus equipping audios with Bill Allison.
Day Eight: Save $13 and Getaway like Jesus for only $1.99. This digital PDF edition works with Kindle, iBooks, PDF screen readers.
Day Nine: Get your free copy of Volunteer Training Dialogue #1: Training Like-Jesus Makes all the Difference. This digital PDF edition works with Kindle, iBooks, PDF screen readers.
Day Ten: Free Email From Hell Episode: IDENTITY THEFT. Enjoy this dramatic audio and study sheet pdf to help you understand Satan’s strategy to steal your Spiritual Identity. Save $4.99.
Day Eleven: Free digital audio: How Personal Growth Can Move You from Ordinary to Extraordinary. Save $4.99.
Day Twelve: Free PDF training article from the Disciplemaker’s Guide Chapter 1: Why Volunteers Can Change the World. Save $1.99.
We read a lot about a leaders EQ — Emotional Intelligence. Or about the giftedness of leaders and their IQ — Intelligence. But I want to challenge you to grow your PQ!
Your prayerfulness as a leader is directly linked to your dependence upon God with the kavanah of his presence, active power and our all-in-obedience. This leads to the way you will lead in all contexts of life. What’s your Prayerfulness Quotient as you lead as a parent? As a friend? As a co-worker? As an employer?
I’ve got a suggestion to help you grow in your PQ? It’s where I learned the most about my leading with a high Prayer Quotient. Those lessons came from taking time to watch with Nehemiah. I journaled the lessons and discovered that when Nehemiah didn’t know what to do his first response wasn’t strategy. It wasn’t resources. It was prayerfulness. This insight wrecked me. It aligned me. It focused me. When I lead at home, work or in life I need to yield to God’s plans not drive my own. I know this is counter to our western view of leadership, but if I lead my way, I get my outcome. If I lead out of the Kavanah of God’s power & presence the potential becomes transformational as it’s fueled by a growing PQ.
Let me introduce you to Cadre’s “BIG GOD, small problems. small god. BIG PROBLEMS.” It’s a Kavanah journey into understanding leading with a God-sized PQ! This study for disciplemaking friends is available in print, reader’s pdf for kindle or as an interactive digital book make for iBooks.
HERE IS THE INTRODUCTION:
NEHEMIAH. Was it his leadership that calls us to study him? Maybe, but that’s not what makes him one of the most memorable volunteer leaders in the history of the church. In reality, it is Nehemiah’s understanding of God that makes him so worth studying!
Particularly fascinating are a series of belief statements that reveal what Nehemiah believed to be true about our God. If these statements are true (and I believe you’ll discover that they are) then we can learn to live our life as evidence of the active presence of a loving and active God.
Getting to know God through the eyes and heart of Nehemiah can transform:
• your day at work or school,
• your time with family and friends,
• your role as a leader in your community,
• your role as a leader in your church’s mission.
We challenge you to take ownership of Nehemiah’s BIG view of God as you take your small daily steps of faith. Let God reveals himself as active and present in your family, friendships, career and calling. As you align with a biblical Big God understanding this way of thinking will change how you live.
YES…
small god—BIG PROBLEMS! BIG GOD—small problems!
Dave Garda
Cadre Missionary for Disciplemaking Friendships
P.S. We’ve included optional companion audio segments that are drawn from messages or retreats I’ve led to help leaders own Big God convictions. I invite you to use these tracks as a prompt for the background and concepts contained in the Big God, small problems study. The audio segments range from 1 to 11 minutes in length.
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If you have iBooks on your mac, iPad or iPhone you can download a digital sample or purchase the entire study for you, friends, family or your small group.
I promise that you’ll grow your leadership PQ!
To download samples or purchase Cadre interactive digital books on the iBookstore visit: Cadre-i-Books
The One Another Living Guide with Bonus Small Group, Friend & Family experiences.
