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Why Are Christians So Convinced Christianity Is Special? [Patrick Morley]
The Big Idea: My motivation for outreach: I am so staggered by the love of Jesus that I can’t keep it in and be happy. Romans 5:8, Matthew 9:36, 18:14, Mark 10:21, Luke 13:34, Luke 19:41, 1 Timothy 2:3-4, 2 Peter 3:9, Lamentations 3:33, Ezekiel 33:11, John 11:25-27, 2 Corinthians 2:14-5:21 In every generation, the…
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Why Your Leadership Style Should Be Dying
The Big Idea: Servant leaders give their lives to helping others really live. Ephesians 5:25; Matthew 16:24-26; John 13:1-15 What makes a great leader? The world will tell you it’s about winning – achieving your own victory or helping others achieve it for themselves. But the hallmark of a servant leader is not winning, it’s…
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Jesus Picks Unremarkable Men To Do Remarkable Things [Pat Morley]
BIG IDEA: The more unremarkable I am the more God can get the glory when I do remarkable. Mark 3:13-19, Acts 4:1-13, 1 Corinthians 1:26-2:5 Were you ever the kid who got picked last for a team, or didn’t get picked at all? Jesus did the exact opposite when he picked his core leadership team.…
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What We Learn About Leadership From Jesus [Patrick Morley]
Mark 9:33-37, 10:35-45, Matthew 23:1-12, Luke 22:24-27 The Big Idea: Everything I need to know about leadership I can learn by staring at Jesus. Three things make it difficult to talk about leadership. First, the subject is so broad that we tend to talk in “glittering generalities” rather than get down to specifics. Second, many…
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Broken Wings, A Warming Hut, “I Care” [Patrick Morley]
Big Idea: Men will decide if our Christianity is “real” based on how well we love them. John 13:34-35, 1 John 4:20-21, 1 Peter 5:6-10, 2 Corinthians 1:3-11, Galatians 6:1-5 When a man shows up for your small group, why did he do that? What do you think just happened? What is the problem he…
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Understanding Integrity From God’s Perspective
Luke 16:10-12, Job 2:3-10, Galatians 5:16-17, Mark 12:13-14, Genesis 39:6-10 We all have hopes and dreams. But what if you’re unwittingly sabotaging those hopes and dreams? Wouldn’t you want to know what’s holding you back, and how to correct it? Join Patrick Morley as we learn more about how we can live as men of…
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Finding Your Ministry Niche
BIG IDEA: When I am filled to the overflow I can’t wait to give it away. John 15:1-17, Philippians 2:13 What’s their secret? Why do some men leave such a big crater for Christ, while others bump along barely getting by? You may be surprised at that the answer! Join us as we learn where…
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A Puzzle Needs All Its Pieces
Big Idea: My mission is my unique fit into God’s people and plan. 1 Corinthians 12:27-31 No puzzle is complete until the last piece goes in. The picture is incomplete, unfinished. Likewise, the body of Christ is not complete without all of its pieces. Join us to learn why your contribution to Church is so…
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God Has a “Personal” Ministry Just For You
Big Idea: I will feel most alive when I’m doing the works God created me to do. Ephesians 2:4-10, Matthew 28:18-20, Galatians 2:10 Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; Ephesians 4:11-13; 1 Peter 4:9-11 We all know we are created to serve—to make a difference, right? But did you know that God actually has a “personal” ministry…
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Stewards of the Mysteries of God
The Big Idea: Your faith is screaming to be lived out! If you had the cure for cancer, would you keep it to yourself? If a person walked up behind you entering a building carrying a heavy box, would you let the door close on her? If a child in a store was 42 cents…
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Introducing the Spiritual Disciplines
The Big Idea: Disciplines are how I release the power of God into my everyday life. James 4:8, Psalm 19, Romans 1:20, Psalm 8:3-4 A man said, “Do me a favor. Tell me how to be good. I already know how bad I am.” Spiritual strength, like surgical skill or athletic excellence, requires training and practice.…
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4 Contrasting World Visions
The Big Idea: My belief system is perfectly designed to produce the results I’ve been getting. As we kick-off the Challenge 2 in The Journey to Biblical Manhood entitled, “The Gospel: Build a Firm Foundation in the Faith,” I thought a good place to start would be contrasting the four visions of the world we…
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The Skeleton Key to Biblical Manhood
The Big Idea: A group, a Bible, and serving someone else will solve 90% of my problems. You love Jesus. Great. But if loving Jesus by itself was enough to achieve biblical manhood, you would’ve arrived a long time ago, right? So what’s really going on, and what can we do about it? The solution…
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The Bible Guides Me
The Big Idea: The Bible guides me to truth. Every time. Do you feel like your life is full of questions that you don’t know how to answer and decisions you don’t know how to make? Where did we come from? What happens when I die? How do I love my wife better? How can…
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What Separates a Successful Leader From One Who Fails?
Big Idea: Successful leaders, they have no illusion about what it takes for people to adopt change. Why do some men just get a better result? We want to give God all glory and credit, of course. But the Holy Spirit usually does his best work when people know what they’re doing–whether that’s piloting a…
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Is America Ripe for Another Great Awakening?
The Big Idea: Only God can send revival but we can hasten the day through humble repentant prayer. It gets pounded into our heads every day: “We are a divided nation.” Even if that’s not as true as some would have us believe, it does seem to dominate public discourse. Where is Christianity in all…
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1st Step: What Does God Want You to Do?
The Big Idea: The first step to every great outcome is to imagine its possibility. The challenges you face look and feel overwhelming. You’re not sure what to do. Or if it would make any difference if you did. Or whether it’s even worth the effort. But if you DID know what to do, and…
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Manhood Demonstrated
The Big Idea: We can pursue, protect, and produce because Jesus has pursued, protected, and produced for us. What does manhood look like in real life? How do you know if the way you are living your life will really make a difference in the end? The scripture shows us not only what a man…
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Fulfilling God’s Plan For Your Life
The Big Idea: I want to be so utterly convinced I am doing God’s will that I wouldn’t change a thing. One day St. Francis of Assisi was out hoeing a row of beans when a passerby asked, “What would you be doing right now if you knew this was the last day of your…
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Leadership Now!
In extraordinary times, extraordinary leadership is needed. All times are extraordinary! Today Peter talks about the singular importance of leadership and how godly leadership affects God’s flock, Christ’s church, His body which is to be at point for extending the Kingdom of God in our day and age. Dr. Pete Alwinson talks about a subject…
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Did Someone Tell You Christianity Was Going To Be Easy?
The Big Idea: Because God is faithful, I can do my best in the midst of suffering. Maybe you heard it at a youth camp, or in a sermon, or from a well-meaning friend: Becoming a Christian is great! It solves all your problems and makes life so much easier! Here’s the truth: Christianity is…
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How You Can REALLY Make A Difference
The BIG IDEA. To be a Christian is to love everyone and want God’s best for them. Imagine your neighbor. He knows you’re a Christian. You know he’s not. He’s constantly testing your patience, puts everything you say under a microscope, and needles you for “believing” whenever he gets a chance. Or maybe it’s a…
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Becoming The Man People Turn To When Life Gets Too Weird
The Big Idea: Walk in the world like a priest, and there are many of us. We’ve been looking at how we can keep ourselves straight, even as the world gets more and more weird. But what about the people around us? Where can they turn when their lives start getting a bit too weird?…
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Habit #6: Spiritually Happy Men Are “Part” of a Church
The Big Idea: Don’t be estranged from your Father because a few siblings let you down. Most of us have heard someone say, and many of us have said ourselves, “I know I should be more committed, but I just don’t feel challenged and inspired by church. Besides, I’m getting everything I need in my…
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A Men Reaching Men Celebration!
The Big Idea: It takes a man to teach a man to be a man. Men are often frustrated because they know “what” needs to be done, but not “how” to do it. That’s why in this series we focused on proven, easy-to-execute ideas to reach other men. And it’s working! You guys have gone…
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What Are The Questions For Which Christ Is The Answer?
The core issues men face are not that different than they have ever been—finding significance and love, resolving loneliness and guilt, contemplating one’s own mortality, coping with the emptiness of material success or lack thereof, broken relationships, pride, fear, anger, lust, and sin—to mention some of the most obvious ones.. God inserted Jesus into human…
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The Indispensable Necessity of Connecting Men to Church
The Big Idea: A real man invests in his church, then helps other men do so as well. Many men today consider church to be optional or a low-priority item on their list. But after you connect with a man who wants to grow in Christ, the reality is that it will be impossible for…
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Getting a Man to Say Yes
The Big Idea: An intentional spiritual friendship is built over time. It’s a relationship, not a transaction. So how exactly do men develop relationships? We tend to bond in shared experiences (verses shared conversations), and there’s a definite progression. You can see it in the way that Jesus built a seemingly random group of strangers…
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Next Step Triple Threat
The Big Idea: Be a friend. Pray. Serve. Give. The challenge in the previous message, “How a Cup of Coffee Can Change the World”, was to begin the process of engaging another man in conversation and begin to get to know him. Great. Now what? Introducing the Next Step Triple Threat. Like the great “Read Option”…
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How One Cup of Coffee Can Change the World
The Big Idea: Discipleship is one man caring enough about another man to help him build a relationship with God, a worldview that’s biblical, and a lifestyle worthy of Christ. Let’s presuppose that, like Peter, James, John, Paul, Timothy and others, you’re a true believer that making disciples is the main work of a Christian.…
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Why Knowing We Should Make Disciples Isn’t Enough
The Big Idea: The more consciously you witness in the power of the Holy Spirit, the more consistently you will see lives change. In His final messages, Jesus told the disciples to carry on His mission—to go and make disciples. But Jesus apparently knew that wouldn’t be enough. I agree. In a career that spans…
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Guilt-Free Disciple Making
The Big Idea: Our work for God (making disciples) will always be a reflection of our walk with God. Why do we feel so much pressure—and guilt— when we hear Christ’s command to “go and make disciples?” Actually, you’re probably already doing a lot more than you think! In today’s lesson we’ll explore what Jesus…
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Jesus, The Tender Warrior
The Big Idea: Jesus wants to heal our most broken places so we can be completely His. Jesus fights for his friends. In John 21, Jesus renews and restores the disciples so they can live the great adventure he set before them. In this message, we’ll learn how He can do the same for us.…
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Did Jesus Actually Rise From The Dead?
The Big Idea: What changed their minds then is what will change our minds now. Long before we get to the “meaning” of the Resurrection, the bigger issue for most of us was, or is, “Did it actually happen?” It’s natural to have doubts. But whatever they are, they’re probably mild compared to the doubts,…
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The Empty Tomb: What (Else) Is Missing?
The Big Idea: Jesus defeated death and sets me free from my sin. The story of Jesus’ execution, burial, resurrection and bodily existence post-execution is a public narrative. Literally dozens of people saw him die and saw him alive again. In this message, Man in the Mirror vice president Brett Clemmer looks at the Bible’s…
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What Jesus Wants Us To Know About His Kingdom
The Big Idea: Every form of truth requires some form of faith. From his verbal exchange with Pilate, we learn something explicit about the nature of Christ’s kingdom we would otherwise not know. Join us as we delve into why some men are so conflicted about the truth, what we know that’s true about the…
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How Men Deny Jesus and What We Can Do About It
The Big Idea: Men deny Jesus when they value something else more than they value knowing Him. Peter hit rock bottom after having perhaps the worst 24 hours in history. While we may not face the drama he did, all of us are tempted to deny Jesus in big and small ways. We may not…
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What Does the Holy Spirit Do, and How Does He Do It?
The Big Idea: The Spirit will make Jesus known to you in every way you need to know Him. The Bible says, and Christians often encourage each other, “God will never leave you or forsake you.” But of course, the human Jesus did leave. So the Bible means that the personally indwelling Holy Spirit will…
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What Should You Expect If You Make Disciples?
The Big Idea: Half the people in the world are not going to like you anyway, so it may as well be for the right reason. Every Christian man knows he’s supposed to share his faith and make disciples. Yet not many follow through. Why is that? It couldn’t possibly be a lack of knowing…
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The Secret To Bearing a Lot of Fruit
The Big Idea: Bearing a lot of fruit is easily sustainable by abiding in Christ. Who doesn’t want his life to count, to make a difference? Who doesn’t want to do something significant with his life? We all want to make a lasting contribution. That’s just how we’re wired! But some men appear to do…
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7 Things Jesus Said About the Holy Spirit
The Big Idea: The Holy Spirit is doing even more for us now than Jesus did for the disciples then. The Christian life is difficult, but not impossible. However, try to imagine what it would be like today if Jesus had called, equipped, and sent men to be disciples in their own strength. Disaster! But…
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How You Can Obey Jesus Without Becoming a Legalist
The Big Idea: Obedience is the trademark of a biblical Christian. Who hasn’t heard a sad story from a man who grew up in a legalistic home or church where he always felt either a) the shame of never being good enough, or b) the pride of thinking he was better than everyone else because…
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What Are The Prayers That God Will Answer?
The Big Idea: It’s 100% that Jesus will give you what you ask when it’s to do what He wants done. We’ve all asked for something in the name of Jesus that we did not receive–something important and precious, perhaps something for which we were desperate. But Jesus said, “Whatever you ask in My name,…