Are You Running
on Empty?
by Bill Allison
 One
time I was mowing my lawn with my handy-dandy motorized push mower. When
I came to a row of bushes, as is my custom, I rammed the mower between
the bushes to ensure that I cut the grass growing in that hard-to-mow
area. However, as I pulled the mower out of the bushes, I noticed that
a low hanging branch from one of the bushes caught hold of the gas line
from the gas tank to the engine of the mower and as I pulled the mower
back from the bushes, the branch pulled the gas line off the engine.
I watched as gas from the tank spilled all over and to my amazement
the engine continued to run even though it was disconnected from its fuel
source.
A normal person would be rightly concerned about the lawn mower catching
fire. Not me. I was too amazed that the engine continued to hum along
even though it was disconnected from its fuel source. I actually stood
there (risking my life), waiting to see what happened. After about 30
seconds, the engine finally sputtered and died.
I have a confession to make. Sometimes I am that lawn mower.
Do you see your own spiritual journey in that lawn mower?
It's possible to hum along in your life without being connected to The
Fuel Source for a short while. However, the Christian life is a long distance
run--not a 100 meter dash! Therefore, your long term spiritual vitality
depends on your constant connection to The Fuel Source--your relationship
with Jesus Christ.
So what's the reading on your spiritual fuel gauge right now???
What do you need to do about it?
Summer is just starting to wind up--and you know you'll be crazy busy.
You'll be so busy that you may even attempt to hum along this summer with
your spiritual tank on empty. Don't. There is a much better way.
Instead of trying to operate your spiritual life on fumes this summer
and running the risk of a "breakdown" somewhere along your journey,
do something different this summer: regularly connect your heart to God's--and
let God fill your tank.
Would you like some help?
Check out the highly biblical and practical "tank-filling"
devotional resources at "The Cadre Filling Station" below--great
for personal use and for the small groups who will participate in your
summer camping ministry, short term missions trips, retreats, conferences,
trips to music festivals, or whatever else you have planned for your group
this summer!
The Cadre Filling Station!
For Adults:
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No matter what age or season of life you are in
right now, finishing this life well is something to which you should
give some careful thought and intentional planning. The
Challenge of Finishing Well is a twenty-eight page
interactive workbook that is designed to help you wrestle with what
it means for you to finish well in God's eyes. It's ideal for small
groups or for use as a personal half or full day retreat.
More
Info / Buy Online
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The
Women's Ministry Edition of the One Another Devotional Guide
helps you explore and apply twenty-five "one another"
verses to your life, family, community and friendships. (For example,
love one another, pray for one another, bear one another's burdens,
etc.) It is a 5 1/2 x 8 1/2" workbook of biblical challenges
that helps you fill your heart with the love of God--and then let
that love overflow into your relationships with people in PRACTICAL
ways! Each day is keyed to one of the five love languages! Great
for both personal and small group study!
More
Info / Buy Online
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Many study the life of Nehemiah to glean from his
leadership prowess. However, we believe it was what Nehemiah believed
about God that made him such a great leader! What exactly did Nehemiah
believe about God that enabled Nehemiah to do great things for God?
That's precisely what the
BIG GOD--small problems devotional guide and audio CD
helps you explore!
More
Info / Buy Online
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For Adults and Students:
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The
One Another Devotional Guide helps you explore twenty-five
life-changing "one another" verses from the Bible. (For
example: love one another, pray for one another, bear one another's
burdens, etc.) It's a pocket-sized booklet of biblical challenges
that helps you fill your heart with the love of God--and then helps
you overflow God's love into your relationships with people in PRACTICAL
ways! Each day is keyed to one of the five love languages! (Buy
10 or more and receive a FREE download edition of our One Another
Small Group Guide.)
More
Info / Buy Online |
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The
One Another Small Group Guide--Twenty-five creative
activities aligned with the Cadre One Another Devotional Guide.
Ideas, activities and experiences that will help any group (large
or small) grow in their one-another values. This print version is
ready to share with your leaders. A
PDF download version is also available.
More
Info / Buy Online |
Just for Students:
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In Email
from Hell and More
Email from Hell, you'll meet the demon, Ichabod. He's
in charge of the demons who oversee the activities of Christian
students! His job is to train and advise the lower ranking demons
on how to discourage and misdirect Christian students so that they
don't become effective in their faith in Christ. In each of the
two volumes of Email from Hell, Ichabod's evil advice is captured
in a series of five emails that are accompanied by five Bible studies
for Christian students. Great for youth groups or for personal study.
More
Info / Buy Online |
To share this edition of Cadre Connection with others:
Tell
your friends about this issue!
Amazing Time Management
Secret #15:
Make Time for Play!
If you learn to manage your time well, you could save two hours a day.
That adds up to ten "extra" hours in a five day work week. That's
forty extra hours each month. In other words, every month you'd get an
extra week. That adds up to twelve extra weeks a year. That's three extra
months of time a year!
Think about this. You could have three extra months of time a year--all
by saving two hours a day.
The BIG question is: What would you do with the "extra" time?
Hopefully, you wouldn't use it all to do more work.
Work is important and has its place, but perhaps you should learn to
play a little too.
"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity
under heaven..." Ecclesiastes 3:1
(Bill at Timber-Lee Christian Center in East Troy, WI, playin' a little
blues with KC and the Gloworms www.gloministries.com)
Just a thought.
BA
For more free, amazing, brief, thought-provoking,
funny, interactive, and ironic time management secrets you can share with
your friends:
http://amazingtimemanagementsecrets.blogspot.com
New & Updated: Cadre Training
Mark Your Calendars Now
For the most current listing of training workshops, dates,
places, and trainers:
http://www.cadreministries.com/training/locations.php
FREE Toy Box Tales!
If you work with kids between the ages of 4 and
18, here's something you can use THIS WEEK!
They're biblical, fun, engaging, educational, and I've used them with
WILD success with kids between the ages of 4 to 18! Best of all, they're
FREE online! Second best of all, there's over 90 of them! Check out www.toyboxtales.com
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FREE
Da Vinci Code Apologetics Gold Mine
 Whether
you like it or not, The Da Vinci Code phenonemon will raise a great many
issues regarding the reliabilty and credibility of the Christian faith.
Will YOU be able to answer the questions people are bound to ask you
because of this book and movie?
GET READY NOW by checking out 40 FREE short video clips (that range
from 2-8 minutes long) from Dr. Erwin Lutzer, John Ortberg, Lee Strobel,
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* Can we trust the four gospels?
* What does history reveal?
* How can Christians respond?
Get these and other FREE Da Vinci apologetics resources you can share
with others NOW:
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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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