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2022 July Lively Update (Open pdf link or read here)
July, 2022
Dear Friends,
I am seeing a pattern develop since 2019 when I started mentoring / training a few good friends (one was a new friend). It was a good start but we weren’t settled into our current program as we are now. Then it turns out that God has prompted us to add four or five new participants for my personal mentoring and training each year. When a participant finishes the 60 weekly sessions (Topical Memory System), they are led to actively pray and pursue someone to mentor and train.
BTW, it is important to distinguish that we combine mentoring for our mutual spiritual growth while training for ongoing multiplication of disciples who are disciple-making disciples. Otherwise, the impact will be minimal in the future.
Each trainee who becomes a “trainer” is tested to use their new knowledge, tools and skills to take that bold step to train others. We don’t play Junior Holy Spirit so this has to be ultimately up to that person to start training someone else as they have been taught. The best way I have found to do this is to switch trainer / trainee roles in the initial training. By that time in our relational discipleship approach, the trainees feel more comfortable attempting a teaching role – usually something that they would not have done too easily if ever. We aim to build their confidence with our OJT method. My “bark” is much less threatening than someone new to this system.
BIG POINT – no one needs to have experience or a seminary education to participate in Biblical Mentoring. If someone does, we adjust and everyone benefits but we can train a young shy person to overcome those obstacles ONLY if he or she is teachable. That is the primary requirement.
Another thing I am learning is to cease any aggressive recruiting for new participants and let God and the Holy Spirit do that for us. How do I know the difference? Somehow, the relationship from the start is usually so easy. It is always a challenge to know if God is leading someone or if I am being more direct than usual. I just got four new participants all in unique ways. One thought he saw my ministry URL on a billboard way up in MN near Canada! He did a Google search and found our site and made a call and asked to participate. One new young fellow is eager to learn memory verses (The Word of Truth) so he can be better prepared to become a full-time missionary one day. (Thanks Pastor Stephen for initiating that development).
Next – I aim to contact some ministries who can benefit from their staff participating in BM so they will be better equipped in their work/ministry. I am in touch with a new home for battered women and their children. Surely these brave mothers need what we offer for themselves and their children. We still have hopes of providing certain types of health patients our mentoring / training to aid them in their own recovery (healing) but also in the recovery work of others. You can see a page titled Ministry Partners on our website. I am asking now for your prayers and/or participation to help build those partnerships. Let’s do more together than we can do alone. Contact me with suggestions but it will be better if you can serve as a bridge to make that happen.
Update on Memory Cards: After much thought and prayers, the development work I am doing today will help in the future. Each person who is training someone (we now have 6 trainers working with 9 trainees) participates in a monthly mentoring / coaching call with me. This allows for their ongoing growth with new verses & discussions while sharing with me their questions and experiences they have in mentoring others. So we use a new set of cards in these monthly sessions. What is neat and something I encourage is that most of the 19 participants to date (except two) have continued with the monthly coaching calls.
I aim to have seven sets of cards in the near future. These are:
Topical Memory System (TMS – 60 verses which is Done);
GRACE (G – 40 verses which is almost Done);
FAITH (F-36 verses);
HOPE (H-36 verses which is Done);
LOVE (L-36 verses);
JOB (J-42 verses which almost Done);
PROVERBS (P-31 verses which is Done).
Now that this ministry is making progress, I have set a goal to increase our financial and prayer support so please visit our Donor page and make a pledge for regular support or offer a one-time gift. My next goal is $1,000 regular monthly support.
So grateful for your prayers and participation as you are led (II Corinthians 9:6-7),
In and for Christ,
Ron
2021 Lively Update (Open pdf link)