February 2011 Issue 
TRUE STORY:
A Missionary Disguised as a Handyman
by Bill Allison

I ran into him at an office store where I was buying a 2009 calendar. As soon as I saw him, my heart lifted. I know him to be a friend and supporter of missionaries... including me. I also know him to be one of the best handymen in the business. He's been to my house many times to make up for my domestic incompetence... and usually makes sure I don't pay too much. I love this guy. I've broken bread with him in his home. He's special to me. "Hey man, it's great to see you!" I said as I unashamedly hugged this bearded 50-something year-old man right in front of the store clerk. "What are you doing?"

"Getting my life for 2009 together," he said, smiling holding up a 2009 calendar.

"Me too, though I'm not so confident about getting my life together anytime soon," I said with a twinkle in my eye and a smile on my face... joking... but not really. "I just talked to Stacy about having you help me with my 2009 honey-do list," I said hopefully.

He said, "I'd be glad to help you with that list. But check this out. I'm not going to do the handyman thing much longer. I just don't have enough time and energy to do all that needs to be done to do the business side of it by myself."

"So what are you going to do?" I asked, starting to feel slightly alarmed at the possibility of not having his help with my 2009 honey-do list.

"Well, you know I'm in a small group with [names a prominent and respected Christian man in the business]. He offered to hire me at a very wonderful salary... and I could do what I'm basically doing right now without all the headaches of the business side of things."

I said, "Hey, that's great. So that's what you're going to do then?

"Well, no. I prayed about it and I sensed God wanted me to join a couple of other guys. These two guys are real close to beginning a relationship with God... but they're not quite there yet."

I gently slapped him on the left arm and said, "Wow, I can't think of a better guy to help them on their journey. Are you getting a similar deal with these guys?"

"Yes and no. Yes to doing what I do best without having the headaches of the business stuff. No to the really wonderful salary part." Then he paused, looked me square in the eyes and said with humility and conviction, "I just think this is something God wants me to do... and we both know this whole journey isn't about money."

Wow. Here I am in an office store minding my own business, and God shows up. I knew the words were coming from my friend, but my spirit sensed I was hearing directly from the very heart of God (Luke 15). This guy is not just some highly skilled handyman who is at the beck and call of the highest bidder. He's a man on a mission... a mission from God. He's a missionary disguised as a handyman.

Maybe you're thinking, "That's a nice story Allison. But what does it have to do with me?"

Everything. But probably nothing. And that's precisely the problem.

Think about it. Are you living to just make a living... or are you living to make disciples? You were created for so much more than to live to just make a living (Ephesians 2:10). You are so much more than what you do for a living. If you know Jesus Christ as your Savior, you are a man or woman on a mission... a mission given to you by God (Matthew 28:19). So I dare you to embrace your biblical identity as a missionary. Here's your first step: Fill in the blank:
"I'm a missionary disguised as a _________________________."

If you really want to move from living to just make a living to living to make disciples, like my handyman/missionary friend in the story above, read on for some very practical and life-changing next steps...

---

FREE Downloadable PDF:
How God Wants to Use YOU!

No matter where your friend is spiritually, you can cooperate with God in his/her journey... right now! For a FREE one-page PDF download that graphically illustrates how you can cooperate with God in the spiritual journey of your friend, go here. We encourage you to print out the one page PDF, work through the exercise, and share it with others. Whatever you do, get on with the adventure of cooperating with God in the spiritual journey of a non-Christian friend. To get the full equipping experience of Cadre's Evangelism Is Relationships training live, contact info@cadreministries.com.

---

 

$.99 Cent PDF Training Session:
Getting Close Enough to Impact

If you want to impact people with your message, then you must get close enough to touch their lives. This PDF download shows you how to do just that... using real life stories, examples, and an important lesson from Jesus himself. This $.99 cent (yes, cent) download includes personal application pages that are also great for small group discussion. What are you waiting for? To download the PDF now and start your journey, go here.

A very inexpensive training session for those in your ministry or church: If you want to share the above download with others in your ministry or church by emailing them the PDF or printing it out and giving it to them, then all you have to do is pay $.99 cents per person per PDF or printout. You can do that securely, quickly, and online right now. Just go here.

 

---

 

3 Tools to Help You Embrace Your Missionary Identity

1. Evangelism Is Relationships training workshop 2. Evangelism Is Relationships training set 3. The John 3:16 Factor devotional guide

 

 

---

 

Is Cadre Training Coming Your Way? You'll never know unless you go here.

 

---

 

Just for Fun There must be a better way Why your evangelism efforts might not be working.

---

We're your Cadre missionaries! As Ephesians 4:11-12 missionaries of encouragement and equipping, we live by faith and trust God to financially provide for our families and our ministry with Cadre. We know we can't do this wild and wonderful Cadre adventure without God and crazy friends like you.

Cadre Ministries: Equipping Local Churches to Make Volunteers WILDLY Successful!

Cadre Ministries is a [501(c)(3)] not-for-profit ministry.

To be trained to take Cadre training to your church/ministry, contact info@cadreministries.com and ask about Cadre's certification process.

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

For Cadre training resources visit www.cadreministries.com/store. Cadre's fun-loving staff serve as support-based, God-dependent missionaries who can only do this ministry with Cadre because of generous friends like you. To make an online, tax-deductible donation to Cadre Ministries:

Donate Online  |  Recurring Donations

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

---

Want to receive this via e-mail?

Subscribe Now

Need to see a previous issue?

Issue Archives

< Back to TRAINING Home