Warmest Wishes for a wonderful Christmas.
“And the Hits Just Keep on Coming!”
You guys are probably much too young to remember hearing, “And the hits just keep on coming!” on the pop music radio stations we habitually tuned in during our teens and twenty’s. Apparently the deejay was letting us know that we were going to be treated to more of the stuff we enjoyed hearing. In the attic of my little house in Kentucky as my friends came over to spend the night, we’d talk about girls, cars, and probably even more girls and we listened to WLS radio all the way from Chicago. We couldn’t wait to hear our favorite tunes…again and again.
In a much more profound way the year 2014 has been about our Abba continuing to send his blessings and the “miracles just keep on coming”! You will see some numbers and details below, but please know that those numbers represent a growing army of people being liberated by the Gospel of Jesus not only for eternity but also for now, as they “live loved and give love freely…starting at home”.
Our Mission is to help “leaders live loved and give love freely…starting at home.” We truly want to help leaders know how loved they are by our Father and become experts at giving love freely to their families on the way to loving those inside the church as well as those who don’t yet know our Jesus.
Our Strategy engages our Encourager Couples to help us expand the ministry around the country and the world. In our travels we see God restoring homes and churches. The work is slower than we’d hoped but momentum is building daily as we see the Holy Spirit at work in this and other ministries. The A-B-C-D-E strategy is working. I would love to hear what you think about what you will read below and prayerfully suggest places and people you know with whom we may have future ministry opportunities.
Have the time and interest? Please read the details below:
A: Activate Marriage Mentoring with Couples (in person, on Skype, via GoToMeeting)
- Concentric Circle Online Communities with couples learning the new language of intimacy.
- Never Alone/Great Commandment Principle Online Communities with couples wanting to help their church leaders reach into their communities with God’s loving Gospel.
- Encourager Couples meeting two-on-two with couples in need of help.
- Encourager Couples leading monthly online training chapter by chapter through the IE book.
B: Build Marriage Ministries – TBI Encouragers at work
- In Akron, Ohio – Launching an Intimate Encounters small groups ministry (10 groups already completed and many legacies changed from dysfunction to hope)
- In Tampa, FL – Added to the 14 churches from 2013, another 10 have begun marriage / family ministries as a result of the NextGen Tampa Bay Training
- Work continues in Charleston, SC; Charlotte, NC; Elizabethtown, KY; Kenya – East Africa; California, and Georgia
C: Creating Marriage Conferences/Workshops/Retreats
- Kentucky – Four conferences with pastors; one Top Ten Relational Needs workshop
- Maine – A Top Ten Relational Needs workshop
- Georgia – Participated in several Galatians 6:6 Retreats alongside Dr. Ferguson
- Arkansas – Carol and I led a Galatians 6:6 Retreat in March
D: Develop Teams of Dedicated Volunteers (This work continues into 2015 and beyond)
- Akron, OH – The 13 couples we trained from March to May have led 10 IE small groups and are now seeing participant couples move into leadership preparation!
- Tampa, Florida – Because approximately 70 couples from almost 30 churches have attended the Intimate Encounters training, we’ve been able to help supply several churches with more volunteers for their marriage/family ministries.
- Denominational work with regional, national, and international overseers is opening potential for serving many church leaders to help them build a healthier volunteer base in hundreds, even thousands, of churches.
E: Enlist and Equip More Encourager Couples
Reviewing the work TBI is doing currently and the potential for years to come, we are praying the “Lord of the harvest to send laborers into His harvest field”. We will need and believe God is bringing an army of couples to help in this internationally relevant, much-needed ministry to equip saints for the work of service as we help leaders live the Great Commission from a Great Commandment heart and train others to do the same.
“We hope the 52-Week Plan has been a blessing to you and your family. Investing in loving “the Lord our God with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, and all our strength” as well as “loving our neighbor (near ones) as we love ourselves” in always one of the wisest ways to spend our time here on earth preparing for eternity. Jesus Christ not only illustrated that love for us, He offers Himself to us, and empowers us to live abundant lives here and takes us to heaven when we die. Our prayer is that you know this Jesus personally and have received Him as your only Savior and Messiah.
There is “no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved”.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the TBI family: Co-Founders: Carol and Dave Lewis,
“We hope the 52-Week Plan has been a blessing to you and your family. Investing in loving “the Lord our God with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, and all our strength” as well as “loving our neighbor (near ones) as we love ourselves” in always one of the wisest ways to spend our time here on earth preparing for eternity. Jesus Christ not only illustrated that love for us, He offers Himself to us, and empowers us to live abundant lives here and takes us to heaven when we die. Our prayer is that you know this Jesus personally and have received Him as your only Savior and Messiah.
There is “no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved”.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the TBI family: Co-Founders: Carol and Dave Lewis,
“We hope the 52-Week Plan has been a blessing to you and your family. Investing in loving “the Lord our God with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, and all our strength” as well as “loving our neighbor (near ones) as we love ourselves” in always one of the wisest ways to spend our time here on earth preparing for eternity. Jesus Christ not only illustrated that love for us, He offers Himself to us, and empowers us to live abundant lives here and takes us to heaven when we die. Our prayer is that you know this Jesus personally and have received Him as your only Savior and Messiah.
There is “no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved”.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the TBI family: Administrative Assistant: Linda D’Avanzo, Co-Founders: Carol and Dave Lewis