All Converts Are Disciples

 I recently heard someone state that the reason the church ministries they had created failed was because they had only made converts and not disciples.  What they really meant was that these believers had never matured.  It is clear from God’s Word that all converts are disciples who have started, and I emphasize started, on the path to become mature reproducing disciples.  Unfortunately, new disciples can fail to move on to maturity.  This can be changed!  It is already happening around the world as pastors, leaders and emerging leaders become shepherd leaders who can take disciples through all the stages of discipleship to make disciples who make disciples.  Check it out at www.hisheartmyheart.org

Transformational Shepherd Leadership

What comes to mind when you hear, "Biblical Leadership?"  A number of years ago I was asked to create a graduate level class for a Master's of Ministry degree called "Biblical Leadership."  After carefully investigating all the different Seminary and University curriculums with a leadership class, I didn't find any with this title.  That lead me to investigate what "Biblical Leadership" involved.  What I discovered was that the primary metaphor in the Word of God for Biblical Leadership was that of a Shepherd.  There were other supportive metaphors like Servant, Slave, and others too.  However, Shepherd Leadership was in fact what we should call Biblical Leadership.  As a result, I began a ministry in 2017 to pastors, leaders, and emerging leaders called Transformational Shepherd Leadership.  The goal is to equip these leaders to be Shepherd Leaders who can take disciples through all the stages of discipleship to make disciples who make disciples.  Interested?  Take a look at www.hisheartmyheart.org

His Heart, My Heart Discipleship Training

"The importance of the devotional life can be caught, to be practiced it must be taught." - Mike Parrott

Interested in making disciples who make disciples?  It all begins with listening to and responding to God.  Contact me about my His Heart, My Heart Shepherd Leadership Training at hisheartmyhearttransformations@gmail.com and ask for a brochure!

Our Team Arrived Safely Back To Chicago

God protected us during the whole project.  Students are getting rides home and flights home from Chicago.  Pray we recover from jet lag.  

On The Way Home

I am sitting at the gate for our flight home from Uganda.  We have had a great experience and a very effective ministry to others.   Over all we presented the gospel to 8,258 students and saw 927 make first time decisions for Christ.   We also saw many believers re dedicate their lives to Christ.  We did 18 assemblies in 16 schools.   We visited and helped two orphanages.   Keep us in your prayers as we travel home over the next 30 hours.

Second Week in Uganda

Today our team visits our second orphanage.  Then tonight we have our Celebration dinner with everyone (about 35).   We did assemblies at eight more schools this week and now we have shared the gospel with 7325 students and have 773 first time decisions for Christ.  And we aren't done

Our First Week in Uganda

This last week our team of 17 shared Christ with over 3000 students in 7 high schools and saw over 220 make first time decisions for Christ!  We spoke in our eighth school this morning where 394 heard the gospel and 47 received Christ.  Pray for the additional seven schools we speak at the rest of this second week including one that has 4000 students!  Our team is all doing well but are tired today since we had to leave at 6 am this morning to get to our 7 am assembly.

Arrived in Uganda!

Our team safely arrived in Uganda at 10:07 pm Saturday.   Everyone is doing well today.  It is lunch time here and we just finished our morning worship time and team meeting.   This afternoon we are preparing for the school assemblies, taking a tour of the city from 3-5 pm, then dinner and another short team meeting tonight.  Keep praying!  Our first assembly is Tuesday at  4 pm.   Tomorrow we meeting for prayer with the Life Ministry staff and then work in the details of our assembly programs with them.

On Our Way to Uganda!

At the airport in Chicago ready to board our first of two international flights!  We are going to be one tired group by the time we get to Uganda on Saturday night about 9:45 pm Ugandan time - that will be about 2:45 pm East Coast Time.

It is time! Uganda here we come!

Tomorrow morning (Thursday, June 12) I leave for our team's briefing in Chicago.  We will have all but two of our team members there.  Saki, from Japan, is flying directly to Uganda and we will meet her there. Ashcon is graduating this weekend from college and will join us two days late.  Our schedule has come together, funds have been raised (although a few of us, including me, still need to see some more come in while we are gone), students have developed outreach and discipleship skills (and will develop a lot more in the days ahead), parents have and are praying, African staff have worked hard and already seen God open some critical new doors for them and our team, and many other things have and are coming together for our time in Uganda.  Keep praying and check back here for updates on our team!

One Week To Go

In just one week our team of 17 will be heading for Uganda!  Everything is coming together.  There are a few of us who still need additional financial support.  Pray for this.  Continue to pray for Life Ministry as they set-up our time there.  Pray for our team to unite together with one mind and to work together as one body.  Pray we see God work in student's lives and we are able to help accelerate the local work!  Pray for the spiritual health, physical health, and safety of our team and the African team.  Thanks for your partnership with us and your prayers!

Uganda is my favorite project location!  This summer a team is forming to once again minister in Uganda from June 12 to July 3, 2014.  God has raised up new leadership there and once again we are able to do a joint venture with CRU High School and MIS at Cedarville University!  Pray for our team as it forms and prepares to work with the local Life Ministry Uganda ministry to reach and disciple high school students.  If you are visiting this site and want to know what takes place during one of our projects check out the rest of this site.

Outdoor Assembly in Africa Summer 2012

High School Assemblies in Uganda 2012

Every assembly situation was different.  Some were indoor assemblies of 100 to 1500 while others were 100 to 500 outdoors.  Most assemblies lasted one hour but some were two and a half hours long.






The assemblies covered academic excellence, life skills, relationships, and the most important relationship - knowing God personally through Jesus Christ.

Travel Challenges in Africa

Not every road you travel down in Africa is paved.  In fact many times the road is a dirt road.  Sometimes that dirt road goes for some time to get us to the high school we are going to for the day.  It is usually not smooth but rather bumpy and sometimes real bumpy so we have to drive slowly.  And at times the road begins to look more like a river bed which it actually is when it rains.

Traveling Together in Uganda

We had some great times together traveling to and from high schools together in one bus.  Here all our Cedarville students, CRU High School and Campus students, and all the Life Ministry Uganda staff, volunteers, and students are together.  Everyone you see here is part of our team!  What a great time working together!  Lots of prayer, singing, planning, and talking.

Adam Praying With Ugandan Students

One of the great opportunities we had this last summer was to share Christ in assemblies and then in small groups.  Here is one of the small group meetings that ended in a time of prayer with Adam.

Leading Teachers to Christ in Africa

This last summer I saw two teachers come to Christ with me in Africa - one in Kenya (top picture) and one in Uganda (bottom picture).

Wrapping It Up In Kampala

Today is our last day of reaching schools in Kampala. It is Friday morning July 6th. On Monday we will focus on reaching schools in Entebbe here in Uganda. As of this morning we have spoken in seven schools and eight classrooms sharing Christ with 3521 students and with 440 indicating a first time decision for Christ just in Uganda! There will be lots of work for the Ugandan Student Venture staff and volunteers to do when we leave next Thursday for Kenya again. In Kenya and Uganda together our team has reached 6752 students for Christ with 632 indicating a first time decision for Christ. Keep praying we finish strong.

Uganda!

We arrived yesterday. We are doing well. We start schools tomorrow morning (Tuesday) at 7 am.