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Connections Ministry 4.1 Group Link Events
This is the fourth of five chapters in a 25 part blog series titled: The Five Elements of a Fully Implemented Connections Strategy, published over a five week period. Everything I have posted here is the result of my own personal experiences, from serving on church staffs, volunteering as a lay leader, and being brought in as…
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Pause To Be Thankful: My Parents
I have a lot to be thankful for. I come from a tightly knit family that sticks together no matter what, and as time goes on I realize just how rare that can be in this world. I’ve been blessed, while many have grown up in broken homes, full of dysfunction, without the safety and…
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Remember When Our Daughter Had Spinal Cord Surgery?
It is hard to believe an entire year has gone by since our most difficult season ever as a family. But it was a full year ago, and God has blessed us immeasurably. The timeless lesson here is to trust God fully, and use every ounce of your strength to honor that trust in every way…
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How To Take Your Wife On A Date (2 of 2)
Yesterday I wrote “How to take your wife on a date.” Well, to put my words into action, I took my wife out on a surprise date last night. Here’s how it all went down. In the planning phase, I took advantage of our existing schedule. We had a meeting scheduled for some consulting that she…
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How To Take Your Wife On A Date (1 of 2)
The weekend is coming, and you should probably take your wife on a date. Sometimes newlyweds get so excited to finally live under the same roof that they get out of the routine of going out and doing fun things together. At first, everything was so great and new. Her thoughts were filled with: “Oh…
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Do’s And Don’ts of Small Groups (5 of 5)
The Do’s and Don’ts of Small Groups: DON’T: Assume childcare is no big deal. The absolute dumbest thing you can do is claim small groups (or any other meeting for that matter) are essential and vital to your mission, and follow up with the phrase “childcare will not be provided.” Childcare is a really big…
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Free Tips: Parenting Three Kids (morning edition)
Here are some free tips for being a parent of three kids. When you sit down in an unknown damp substance, you need to roll with it. Finish feeding your 8 month old while the other two are eating. Resist the urge to run to your bedroom and change. Otherwise, the 2 year old will…
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The Dangerous Power of Vulnerability
I don’t believe Jesus Christ unleashed the church on a dying world to work together as emotionally isolated and lonely souls bottling up our hurts and struggles. That just seems so counterintuitive. But then again, vulnerability indicates weakness, and weakness isn’t good. Right? Being vulnerable is a risky necessity to building trust with other believers…
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Five Reasons NOT To Marry That Person (5 of 5)
This is an excerpt of a post previous published called “Five Reasons NOT To Marry That Person” from March 2012. Enjoy! Reason #5: Because you can’t find anyone else. You might look more like Mclovin than Brad Pitt, but that doesn’t mean you have to settle for an unhealthy relationship. The idea of having…
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Five Reasons NOT To Marry That Person: (4 of 5)
This is an excerpt of a post previous published called “Five Reasons NOT To Marry That Person” from March 2012. Enjoy! Reason #4: Because you have different religious beliefs. Am I hearing you correctly? The entire world throughout history can’t stop killing each other over religious differences, but somehow your marriage “isn’t like that”…