Deciding Isn't Doing
by Bill Allison

Four birds were sitting on a wire.

One decided to fly away.

How many are left?

Four.

Because "deciding" to fly away and actually flying away are two totally different things.

We're experts at making and proclaiming our decisions, but less effectiving in carrying them out. Know what I mean?
We "decide" to improve our marriage, but...
We "decide" to take our spiritual life to the next level, but...
We "decide" to lose weight and exercise, but...

We have a big "but" problem.

Instead of actually "flying away," we tend to sit on a wire blowing hot air at other birds about what we've decided to do--impressing them and decieving ourselves.

But "deciding" isn't doing.
Pontification isn't production.
Articulation isn't accomplishment.

Nonetheless, many of us seem content to live in the verbose and delusional land of "hope"--where we never really get around to taking serious action--but we still feel great about ourselves because what we talk about and wish for is noble.

But we must remember that talking about flying away and actually flying away are two totally different things.

If you're ready to put some "wings" on your life--this edition of Cadre Connection is for you! Read on...

To share these free Christmas gifts with others:
Tell your friends about this issue!

A Leadership Lesson from Flight Attendants
by Bill Allison

Every time I get on an airplane, I am reminded that my first and most important job is to keep me healthy.

Before each takeoff, the flight attendant always points out that if the cabin experiences a loss of pressure during the flight, oxygen masks will fall from the compartment above our heads. Should this happen, I am instructed to pull down on my mask to start the flow of oxygen, place the mask over my mouth first, tighten the straps—and only then—am I to help others around me to do the same for themselves.

The fundamental idea here is this: If I don’t help myself first, I won’t be in any condition to help those around me!

The same is true of you. If you don't help yourself first, you won't be in any condition to help those around you!

Yet, I'm sure you are probably so busy with life's activities that you tend to neglect your own spiritual health. You can get away with this for a while. However, if you continue to stay busy and neglect your own spiritual health, eventually, you will crash and burn.

You won't be in any condition to help others if you don't learn to regularly take time to put a spiritual oxygen mask over your mouth first.

To put it another way: The first person you must learn to lead well is... YOU!

This is precisely why you need a personal growth plan for 2006!

Want some FREE and PRACTICAL help on how to develop a personal growth plan for 2006?

Read on...

A Free New Year's Gift for You:
Developing and Following Through on a Personal Growth Plan

A free PDF download of a highly practical tool that you can use--and share with as many others as you like:

http://www.cadreinternational.com/download/GMLgrowthplan.pdf

Time Management Secret #2
Quit Trying to Manage Time

No one can really manage time.

Think about it.

Time tenaciously and mercilessly marches on--with or without you. There is NOTHING you can do to "manage" time!

The only thing you can do is manage yourself in relation to time.

So quit trying to manage time... and instead... start managing yourself.

Just a thought.

BA
PS. Need biblical training to manage yourself in relation to time?
Time Management for Painfully Pooped-Out People THE WORKSHOP

For more free, amazing, brief, thought-provoking, funny, interactive, and ironic time management secrets you can share with your friends:
http://amazingtimemanagementsecrets.blogspot.com

Cadre Training Festival in Midland, Michigan!

March 18, 2006 8:30-12:30 Midland Evangelical Free Church in Midland, MI

Choose one of three training tracks:

1. Ministry Is Relationships http://www.cadreinternational.com/training/relationships.php
This workshop for...
Any Christian--junior high through senior saint--who wants to learn to love others effectively with God's love!

2. Becoming a High Impact Teacher http://www.cadreinternational.com/training/bahit.php
This workshop for...
All Sunday school teachers, small group leaders, Bible study leaders, and anyone who wants to learn how to become a high impact teacher.

3. Creating a Culture of Training in Your Ministry http://www.cadreinternational.com/training/culture.php
This workshop for...
Anyone who wants to train volunteers to effectively serve in ministry.

For more information or to register for the Michigan Cadre Training Festival, contact:

Wendy, 989-631-4411, wendyhoag@mefchurch.org

* A special Saturday afternoon train-the-trainers certification is being offered!
Certification for Ministry Is Relationships AND Becoming a High Impact Teacher (participation in the Saturday AM workshop is required for certification).

For more information about the certification option on Saturday afternoon, contact info@cadreministries.com

See Photo Gallery from September 05's Training Festival >>

Bring Volunteers to Cadre Training...
Mark Your Calendars NOW!

* Central Illinois Area, Sunday 12 Noon, 1/8/06
Creating a Culture of Training in Your Church/Ministry
http://www.cadreinternational.com/training/culture.php
Peoria/Chillicothe IL. 12 noon to 2 PM.
For volunteer and vocational church leaders.
Hosted by Chillicothe Christian Church. Contact bill@cadreministries.com for more info.

* Central Illinois Area, 1/10-12/06
Ministry Is Relationships
http://www.cadreinternational.com/training/relationships.php
Springfield, IL area
For details contact bill@cadreministries.com

* Eastern Illinois/Western Indidana Area, Sunday, 1/15/06
Ministry Is Relationships
http://www.cadreinternational.com/training/relationships.php
Sunday afternoon, First Baptist Church, Chrisman, IL
For cost and details, contact kcoe@insightbb.com

* Bloomington/Normal Illinois Area, Monday, 1/16/06
Time Management for Painfully Pooped-Out People Lab
http://www.cadreinternational.com/training/pooped.php
2 PM to 4 PM
Come all ye who are pooped out and learn to apply ten biblical principles for taking control or your life and time! For more info or to register, contact bill@cadreministries.com

* Northern Illinois/Wisconsin Area, Saturday, 1/28/06
Evangelism Is Relationships!
http://www.cadreinternational.com/training/evangelism.php
For more information, contact bill@cadreministries.com

* Rockford Illinois Area, Saturday, 2/4/06
Evangelism Is Relationships!
http://cadreinternational.com/training/evangelism.php
For more information, contact bill@cadreministries.com

* Chicago Illinois Area, Saturday, 2/11/06
Time Management for Painfully Pooped-Out People workshop
http://www.cadreinternational.com/training/pooped.php
9 AM to 1 PM
Come all ye who are pooped out and learn to apply ten biblical principles for taking control or your life and time! For more info or to register bill@cadreministries.com

* Central Illinois Area, Friday & Saturday, 2/17-18/06
Equip Ministries Conference at the Peoria IL Civic Center
http://www.equipconvention.org
Six FREE training sessions presented by Bill Allison of Cadre Ministries and a cadre of friends
Youth Ministry for Volunteers. You're never "just a volunteer" when you work in youth ministry! About 90 percent of churches don't have a paid youth pastor. If it weren't for volunteers, youth ministry in the regular church wouldn't happen! This training track is your chance to have your heart encouraged and your hands equipped with practical tools that you can use to take your volunteer youth ministry to a new level of effectiveness.

Friday Equip Sessions:

Why Youth Ministry Is Worth Your Time, Money, and Energy
By volunteering in youth ministry, you can literally change the world! The purpose of this session is to encourage you be reminding you that when you volunteer in youth ministry, you're serving in the most strategic mission field in America.

You Can Recruit a Team of Adults to Help You in Youth Ministry
How can you get a few more adults from your church to help you in youth ministry? When you leave this session, you will have a plan and the tools to recruit others into your youth ministry.

Saturday Equip Sessions:

Your First and Most Important Job as a Volunteer Youth Leader
What's the most important thing you can do as a volunteer youth leader? You might be surprised at what you find out in this workshop. Come to learn by participating and having fun.

How to NOT Be a Boring Teacher
It's time to take your teaching cues from the greatest teacher who ever graced the planet--JESUS! Come to explore, discover, and apply The Teaching Genius of Jesus to your life and ministry as a volunteer youth leader. Bring your Bible!

Relationships: The Glue of Youth Ministry
This session is NOT for the faint of heart. This out of the box learning activity will show you why building relationships with students is essential if you want to impact them for Christ. Come to participate... not spectate.

Quit Entertaining Students and Start Training Them to Do Ministry
Do you simply entertain students with your program--or do you develop and train them to become disciples? How can you move your youth ministry away from making students happy to making students disciples? This session is for you.

* Central Indiana Area, Saturday, 2/25/06
Becoming a High Impact Teacher
http://www.cadreinternational.com/training/bahit.php
Antioch Church, Frankfort, IN
8:30 AM to 12:30 PM. For youth leaders, small group shepherds, and Sunday school teachers.
For more details bill@cadreministries.com

* Chicago Area, Saturday, 3/11/06
Kid U for Children's Ministry Workers
http://www.kidology.org/training/kidu/2006/chicago
Barrington, IL

Cadre workshops at this conference are:
1. Your First and Most Important Job as a Volunteer in Children's Ministry!
2. Training Really Does Make All the Difference!
3. Why Volunteers Hate Meetings and What You Can Do About It!
4. You Can Recruit Excellent Volunteers Into Your Children's Ministry!

* Bismarck, North Dakota Area, Saturday, 3/25/06
Time Management for Painfully Pooped-Out People workshop
http://www.cadreinternational.com/training/pooped.php
Come all ye who are pooped out and learn to apply ten biblical principles for taking control or your life and time! For more info bill@cadreministries.com

A Strange But True Allison Family Story

Read it now:
http://allisonfamilystories.blogspot.com

Cadre: We're guilty of inciting a volunteer TRAINING revolution in the church!

Cadre is a not-for-profit ministry [501(c)(3)] that exists to assist local churches in becoming the greatest volunteer training organizations in the world. We're asking God to give us 5,000 non-staff trainers who are obsessed with Ephesians 4:11-12! To pursue certification to take Cadre training to your church, contact info@cadreministries.com.

Cadre staff serve as support-based, God-dependent missionaries to come alongside volunteers and those who care for volunteers in the church to help accomplish their God-given mission.

We provide FREE monthly online training for volunteers in the church (Cadre Connection), for volunteer Jr. High Youthworkers (Batteries Included), and for Student Leaders (Spiritual Caffeine). Visit www.cadreministries.com to preview our recent free training or to sign up to receive training in your email-box monthly.

For more information about bringing a certified Cadre trainer to coach and train the volunteer teachers, leaders, and youth workers in your church, contact info@cadreministries.com

For Cadre training resources visit http://www.cadreministries.com/store

All other tax deductible donations can be sent to:
Cadre Ministries
PO Box 278
Sycamore, IL 60178

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