PALCO January 12, 2010 Details

Our next day of encouragement for your heart and equipping for your hands for The Peoria Area Leadership Community Ongoing...

When:
Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Time:
9 AM to 4 PM

Where:
The Barn

Who:
The disciplemakers of the Peoria Area Leadership Community Ongoing

What:
Disciplemaking Is Relationships
You get a training manual and take home follow through resources for application


Special guest facilitators:
My disciplemaking conspirators, Dave and Rennie Garda

Format:
Not a presentation but a learning community dialogue

Tuition:
$50 per person, includes training manual with take-home training labs. Special option for this PALCO only: Each paying attendee can bring his wife or one other ministry team member for FREE.

Registration Deadline:
Tuition is due no later than December 31, 2009
* To pay via check, download invoice here.
* To pay securely online, GO HERE.

NOTE: If it's better for your ministry budget to pay immediately after the first of January, that's fine. Please let me know via email me so I can plan well.

If I were Satan...

In Transforming Discipleship, Greg Ogden says, "If I were Satan and wanted to fatally stunt the growth of disciples to maturity, what would I do? I would divert the leaders from fulfilling their God-given function of equipping the saints [Ephesians 4:11-12]. Instead, I would distract them with other good and high-sounding activities that have nothing to do with growing people to maturity and engaging them in ministry. This is exactly what has happened. We have shunted our spiritual leaders into being program developers, administrators, and caregivers."

Tired of being distracted by good but lesser things? Find out what's holding you and your ministry back—and how you can breakout of the rut—by downloading Ogden's FREE article called, Breaking Free: From Caregiver to Equipper

A video for your next training: Lessons on becoming AMAZING

How many times do you think this guy has fallen off his bike? Why do you think he keeps getting back on his bike?

What is the connection between falling down and becoming AMAZING?

What one skill, if you developed it and did it in an excellent fashion, would have the greatest positive impact on your life?

What's your next step toward becoming AMAZING?

What are you waiting for?

I totally dare you to check out Proverbs 24:16.

Is this really how Jesus did it?

Ran across this today after our lunch conversations. Check out this link, Here's the questions: Is this really how Jesus made disciples or is this something else?

If I were Satan...

"If I were Satan and wanted to fatally stunt the growth of disciples to maturity, what would I do? I would divert the leaders from fulfilling their God-given function of equipping the saints [Ephesians 4:11-12]. Instead, I would distract them with other good and high-sounding activities that have nothing to do with growing people to maturity and engaging them in ministry. This is exactly what has happened. We have shunted our spiritual leaders into being program developers, administrators, and caregivers."
—Greg Ogden, Transforming Discipleship, page 41

Some of the Peoria Area Leadership Community Ongoing

takeaways

Wow, how does one sum up the day of training that both encouraged and
challenged the socks off you???? Well, I guess I could offer a couple
of numbered takeaways:
1. Engage my team in MEANINGFUL dialogue concerning what God IS
currently doing in their lives
2. Engage my lovely wife in a dialogue of how we can better pray for
and serve those we are CALLED to serve.
3. Tighten up my accountability and prayer time with Jake and Nate -
4. Revel in the FACT that the PALC 2 crowd is a GREAT crowd, I now
love more men and am not afraid to say it :)

Doug Rumbold

Pheaney Lindell's takeaways from PALCO 9/1

1. Train Recruiting Motivating & Retaining Volunteers (RMR) with Brittany.
2. Offer to train RMR with the COCUSA full time staff
3. Offer to train RMR with the Pekin Bible elders, deacons, and ministry leaders.

Next PALCO Book: Transforming Discipleship by Greg Ogden

On January 12, 2010, we'll be discussing and applying ideas from this book. Over the next three months, we'll savor the reading by interacting with each other on this blogs over parts 1, 2, and 3 of the book. Order it now online at:

half.com

Amazon

If current leadership wisdom is working for you, DON'T READ THIS!

This is one of the best leadership articles I've read. Warning: This article contradicts much of the leadership "wisdom" currently circulating in books, articles, and conferences. Those who don't like people messing with their heads should turn back now. You have been warned!



Becoming a Leader of No Reputation
by R. Scott Rodin

[Note: R. Scott Rodin is the former president of Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.]

I have been asked to reflect on my five years in the presidency at Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and to do so honestly, I need to begin with a confession. I was wrong. That is the most accurate statement I could make in summing up my experience in this position. Mind you, I was not wrong about everything. In fact, I believe we were quite right and accurate about a lot of things we attempted and accomplished during my tenure. I could make the usual list of ‘legacy’items that we former presidents do in justifying our term in office. There is much to be thankful for, many moments to treasure and certainly a legacy that I trust will make a difference to generations of students and faculty at our seminary.

Yet at the very heart of my reflection on my service lies this one major conclusion… I was wrong. I was wrong in my understanding and preconceived notions of leadership in Christian ministry. I was wrong in my expectations of others and myself. And I was wrong in my motivations, which may be the hardest thing to admit.

To continue reading the rest of go here.

How bad do you want to avoid church?

Utah boy, 7, goes for spin to avoid church

PLAIN CITY, Utah (AP) -- Police say a 7-year-old boy led officers on a car chase Sunday through Weber County in an effort to avoid going to church. Dispatchers received reports of a child driving recklessly on Sunday morning and Weber County Sheriff's Capt. Klint Anderson says one witness said the boy drove through a stop sign.

Anderson says two deputies caught up with the boy and tried to stop the car but could not. He says the car reached 40 mph before finally stopping in a driveway.

Anderson says when the boy's father confronted him, the boy said he didn't want to go to church.

The boy is too young to prosecute and no citations were issued.

Link here: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_ODD_YOUNG_DRIVER?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2009-07-28-20-47-26

Are we a Christian nation or not?

What do YOU think?

Anyone want to be certified to do this training?

If so, the first step is to take in this training as a participant. See details below. For details, GO HERE.
I'd be more than happy to discuss this train-the-trainer possibility with any PALC guy who so desires. Call Bill.

What do you think?

Just read this article which I got from a retweet from Twitter. What do you guys think?

The Best and Worst of the Church

I just spent the last couple of days at Rob Bell’s conference for pastors and church staff called Poets, Prophets, and Preachers. The whole thing was awesome, and gave me a lot to think about. However, the most moving experience came at the very end.

We were about to take communion, and Rob announced that one of the people in attendence had just gotten a call that he’d been fired from his church for attending. There are some churches and denominations that take issue with Rob and others who take issue with Rob and other leaders of the “emergent church” movement. Which is fine. But they called him while he was there and told him he was fired for going. Ouch.

Obviously, there must have been pre-existing tensions between the two parties. Perhaps even an ideological feud that had been going on for who knows how long. But to fire someone over the phone, no questions asked, is pretty cold. I understand the fact that differences can sometimes be too big to overcome in a work, and especially church-work environment. But there had to be a better way to handle that.

With tears in his eyes, Rob announced that they were going to take an impromptu collection during communion, in order to help the guy and his family get through the next couple of months. A beautiful gesture of support and solidarity.


By the time I reached it, the basket was brimming full of money, and on the top of it I saw a check for $350. I instantly choked up, thinking of how God was already providing for this person because His people responded to a need.

In 20 minutes, I saw the best, and the worst of the church Earth.


What about you? What’s the best you’ve seen? What’s the worst?

A Morning of Training for Volunteers in Youth Ministry

To download this as a one page PDF to share with others (via print or email), GO HERE.

How GOD can use YOU to start a MOVEMENT of...

Watch and think...


1. At what point does this become a MOVEMENT?
2. What do you think guy #1 felt like for the first minute when he was alone?
3. How did guy #1 react to guy #2?
4. How much guts did it take to be person #4-104?
5. How does this video apply to YOU and making disciples who can make more disciples... who can make more disciples... who can... you get the picture?

I would totally enjoy reading your thoughts on one, some, or all of the above questions. Click the comment link below and let's learn together... from each other...

Porn and Paper Pastors

by Dan Phillips

[NOTE: I thought this was a particularly stimulating read. Passing it on to you. I welcome your thoughtful comments.]

Decades ago, I read a disturbingly candid essay by a pastor about his struggles with pornography. It was in Leadership magazine. Years later, two of his realizations still stand out to me.

The author came to see (as I recall) that he was attracted to these images because they were unreal. The women in the pictures never had bad days, were never crabby and demanding, never disrespectful and demeaning. No mood swings. They always suited his mood, his needs, his wants. They were unreal.

He came to see that he had no actual relationship with these women whatever. If (he named a female celebrity) had sat down next to him in an airplane, she wouldn't know him from Adam. Whatever may have happened in his sinful fantasies, the two of them had no relationship in the real world.

Of course, this is why so many women resent actresses and models. It isn't catty pettiness or smallness. It is that they know how visually-tempted men can be, and they know that they can't compete with a fantasy — if their man is fool enough to chase one.

And they're right, in a way. They can't compete with these women. Because these women don't exist in the real world! They may not even look like their pictures! Thanks to computer wizardry, the pictures we see may actually bear only the slightest resemblance to the actual women.

Nobody can compete with a fantasy.

And this post is not about pornography, men, women, nor marriage.

It is about people with paper pastors.

Now, some professed Christians sin outright, by never physically attending an actual, in-person church. We've talked about that, and they aren't our focus.

But others do attend a church — physically. They come in, they sit down. They sing, they may give financially. They may look at you, Pastor, as you preach.

But you know their heart belongs to another.

Their real pastor isn't you. It's Dave Hunt. Or it's John Piper. Or it's John MacArthur, or Ligon Duncan, or Mark Dever, or David Cloud, or Joel Osteen. Or it's Charles Spurgeon, or D. M. Lloyd-Jones, or J. C. Ryle. Or Calvin, or Luther, or Bahnsen, or de Mar, or R. B. Thieme, or J. Vernon McGee.

And they're such better pastors than you are! You know they are!

Why?

Well, paper pastors are never in a bad mood. They're never cranky, or sleepy or sick. (Especially the dead ones.)

They've never just had someone else pull their guts out with a rusty fork, and then had to turn and listen graciously to your complaint about the translation they preach from, or argue about a Greek word you can't even pronounce. They don't have a family who loses the time you use. They never half-listen, never have an appointment that cuts short their time. Their office hours are your office hours. They're available 24/7, and everywhere, at your whim, and you always have their undivided attention.

What's more is they always have all the answers! They can tell you with complete confidence and masterful eloquence. They never stammer, guess, nor search their memory. And they can prove it — whatever they're saying! With footnotes!

And these paper pastors maintain the perfect distance. If you don't want to hear something, they don't press it — or you can instantly shut them up, snap! They never ask you to do something uncomfortable and follow up on you. They never persistently probe an area of sin, in you, in person, eyeball to eyeball... nor will they. Church discipline will not be a threat with them. Ever.

Because they don't know you from Adam.

Yet how many pastors know that there are people in their flocks, thinking, "John Piper would never say it that way. Dave Hunt says that what he just preached is heresy. John MacArthur isn't like that. Mahaney says that... Mohler says that... Lloyd-Jones said...."

So, because it's awkward for your pastor to say it to you — and because I've no church who'd suspect I'm talking to them, at the moment — I'll just tell you plain:

Brother, sister: John Piper isn't your pastor. John MacArthur knows nothing about you. Dave Hunt never got on his knees and prayed for you. Lloyd-Jones won't come to your house when you're recovering from surgery, or one of your children shatters your heart, or your marriage is shaking and rocking and barely hanging on. Charles Spurgeon won't weep with you as you weep.

You could buy or not buy _____'s next book, and he'd never know it. But if you're in a manageable-size church with a caring pastor and you're suddenly gone next Sunday, he'll be concerned. He may call. He may ask if everything's okay.

God gave you the pastor He gave you.

God told Paul to tell you:
"We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves." (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13)

God told the writer to the Hebrews to tell you:
"Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you." (Hebrews 13:17)

Your flesh-and-blood pastor can't compete with these paper pastors for the same reason you can't compete with paper women and paper men.

Because they're not real.

Taken from Teampyro

Dan L: A Man of Great Questions

Got this email from Dan L... and thought it would be a great discussion for us:

Dear Friend/Co-laborer/Other...

I have been asked to speak to 75+ college students who have committed their summer to discipleship training. My time will be next week.

The 2 questions I'm being asked ...

1) What are the top 2 most important qualities in a disciple-maker?

2) What are the 2 most common mistakes you see in disciple-making?

I would love to hear your feedback as I prayerfully prep for this very teachable audience...

Press On!!

DanL

Click the comment link and let's get this party started...

So What Does it All Mean?

This video rules... just not sure how to use it yet... it creates SO much tension. Thoughts?

Deselecting

Hey guys, had a tough conversation with a disciple this morning. I've been sensing that our time together was just something he felt he needed to day, i.e. "I can't say no to my pastor." So I gave him an out. Encouraged him, but left it in his court. If he wanted to meet together again, I would be open, but he would have to engage in it, and be the one to initiate. Have you guys ever had to deselect a disciple? How did you do it? What did you learn from it? How was the relationship after that?

Boys or Men?

Preaching

Got this link sent to me. Make sure you sitting down when you watch or listen to this.

My current answer to 'Preaching'

Hey! I recently listened to this and took these notes.

In doing so I think I found my answer to my preaching question (at least for now).

This is how I would say it:

Preaching- YES!
Sermons- Not necessarily

Thoughts?

What is Preaching?

Yesterday at the end of our time I posed the question: "Can we do church without the Speaking, Teaching, & Preaching and only with true Jesus-like training?"

While no one stood up and said: "Pheaney you're a heretic for even suggesting that!"... I did get the vibe that most of us would have answered that question with a 'negative'... "We need STP AND Training" is what I was sensing.

Let me ask specifically about preaching. (Because in any group setting of any size there will be Speaking... and Teaching can most easily be switched to Jesus-like training.) But what is Preaching?

I followed up with this question: "So do we need a weekly sermon?" I immediately was given a round of "No's"...

So here is the million dollar question I've been thinking about all night... (And I'm up at 7AM posting)... What is the Biblical preaching that we NEED to do? How is that separated from the weekly sermon we currently do in America?

(If I misrepresented anything in our interactions please call me out!)

UPDATED: IMPORTANT FEBRUARY PALC INFO

PALC Partners:

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING COMPLETELY AND VERY CAREFULLY.

Some stuff we talked about at our last PALC time at the Barn regarding FEBRUARY 2009:

1. Pheaney is bringing CJ's coffee (don't forget the half/half and sugar) for our next PALC and Steve is bringing goodies to snack on.

2. We're brown baggin' it again for lunch.

3. We've moved February's PALC to 2/19 at 8 AM.

4. Assignments for our normal meeting of PALC in February:

A. Memory verses—add John 3:22a to your list. Pheaney... please send everyone an update memory verse list.

B. Reading two chapters a day for the next 14 days, read through the book of Luke trying to discover the answers to this question: What was Jesus' strategy for making the most of his short life? Please make a few notes about what you discover as your the book of Luke and be ready to share with us.

C. Once you've completed #2 above... and ONLY after you've completed #2 above... then, over the remaining 14 days before our next PALC meeting on 2/19, I want you to read pages 17-70 of book, The Master Plan of Evangelism. Don't be thrown off by the word "Evangelism." I believe this book is mis-titled... So fear not...

5. I sent you all a video clip... via email... subject line: eye of the hunter. Be ready to share your responses to the questions I asked in that email. This will lead us into a discussion on HOW DO I DEVELOP A TRAINING SESSION?

6. We'll be checking out SOS chapters 7-8.

7. We'll be reporting back on any of the palc training we've done since our last meeting.

8. Bring your calendars... we'll try to schedule some time together with our families... giving special preference to Steve and Paul's schedule.

9. Bring your Bible, pen, GML book 1, and you may want to bring your laptop as well.

10. Here's a fun activity. Exchange the word "bar" with the word "church" in the following song lyrics.... and see how it fits with your ecclesiology (your understanding of the doctrine of the church). Seriously... try it.

I Love This Bar by Toby Keith

We got winners, we got losers
Chain smokers and boozers
And we got yuppies, we got bikers
We got thristy hitchhikers
And the girls next door dress up like movie stars

Hmm, hmm, hmm I love this bar

We got cowboys, we got truckers
Broken-hearted fools and suckers
And we got hustlers, we got fighters
Early birds and all-nighters
And the veterans talk about their battle scars

Hmm, hmm, hmm I love this bar

[Chorus:]
I love this bar
It's my kind of place
Just walkin' through the front door
Puts a big smile on my face
It ain't too far, come as you are
Hmm, hmm, hmm I love this bar

I've seen short skirts, we got high-techs
Blue-collar boys and rednecks
And we got lovers, lots of lookers
And I've even seen dancing girls and hookers
And we like to drink our beer from a mason jar

Hmm, hmm, hmm I love this bar
Yes I do

I like my truck (I like my truck)
I like my girlfriend (I like my girlfriend)
I like to take her out to dinner
I like a movie now and then

But I love this bar
It's my kind of place
Just trollin' around the dance floor
Puts a big smile on my face
No cover charge, come as you are
Hmm, hmm, hmm I love this bar
Hmm, hmm, hmm I love this bar

We got divorcees and a big bouncer man
An old jukebox and a real bad band
We got waitresses and we got barflies
A dumb-#$% and a wise-guy
If you get too drunk just sleep out in your car

Reason number 672 why

Hmm, hmm, hmm I love this bar
Play it on out boys
Beer-thirty's over
Got to take it on home

Hmm, hmm, hmm I love this bar
I just love it


Am I the only one that sees some profound New Testament connection here?????

BA
PS. What happens when a man starts to think...
http://cupojoewithbill.blogspot.com

Making it My Own

Last night I did the PGP for some member of our church. Tonight for my Sr. High Students. Then again thursday morning at NCHS FCA. Thursday night at church. Twice on Saturday. Wow!!!!! I'm tired just writing that. Any way. I've started to rip apart Bill's stuff. It is becoming my own. I love becoming a trainer. Things start to make sense.

Report: Email from Hell CD

Just back from Green Bay, WI, where spent the weekend training students and youth leaders in the E Free Churches at their district student conference. I had three breakout training sessions—two with students and adult youth leaders and one with adult youth leaders only.

Here's why I'm posting: I used the brand new Audio Email from Hell dramatic readings in all three groups... and I was really encouraged by how they worked so well. Since I gave each of you one of these Audio Email from Hell disks at our last PALC... and I'm expecting you to use it and report back in January, I thought I tell you how I used it (you are not limited to doing what I did... just want to tell you how I used it with students... and you can decide how you want to give it a whirl).


The three breakouts I did were:

Loving People Inside Your Youth Ministry
Don't Entertain Students—Train Them
Loving People Outside Your Youth Ministry

Since I have access to all ten of the Audio Email from Hell episodes, I chose an episode for each of the workshops I was doing.

* For Loving People Inside Your Youth Ministry, I chose the Audio Email from Hell on BUSYNESS (theme of the audio: the enemy wants to keep us so busy that we don't have time for our three most important relationships in life).

* For the adult youth leader workshop, Don't Entertain Students—Train Them, I used the Audio Email from Hell on YOUTH WORKERS (theme: how to use Christian students to discourage the adult youth leaders to the point where the adults quit).

* For the Loving People Outside Your Youth Ministry, I chose the Audio Email from Hell on SCHOOL: GET THEM TO WASTE IT (theme: Christian students are the most strategic missionaries because they rub shoulders with more unsaved people every day at school... therefore... demons must get them to waste that opportunity... and the audio offers very specific ways demons try to get Christian kids to waste school)

Before I went to Green Bay, I printed out the PDF handout that is on each Audio Email from Hell CD... made enough copies and stapled them.

Then at the training workshop, I gave every person a handout. I explained that what they were about to hear wasn't an actual demon speaking... but what one demon might say to another demon about how to keep Christian students from being effective in their walk with Christ. Then I played the dramatic reading portion of the audio (I skipped the audio intro... but you might find that helpful the first time you use the audio as it sets the context of the dramatic reading). Each of the dramatic readings (the part where the demon is coaching other demons) is about 10-12 minutes long.

I was shocked how ENGAGED students were during the reading... as they followed along by reading the handout. When it came time to turn the page, EVERYONE turned the page.... they were totally tracking with the audio. At the end of the dramatic reading, I gave students about 20-25 minutes to work through the Bible study/application questions in small groups (Bibles were open and lots of great dialogue all over the room). Then I did large group discussion... using the questions they just grappled with on the handout.


I'm certainly not saying these CDs with audio/handouts are the best thing since the invention of sliced bread... but I am saying that two different rooms full of over 100 teenagers (each time) stayed focused and engaged... an interacted meaningfully with God, the Bible, each other, and me.

FYI... for a complete listing of our Audio Email from Hell CDs, GO HERE.

Can't wait to hear how using this shakes out for you... at our next PALC.

Wanting to do whatever I can to make YOU wildly successful in your God-given calling.

BA