Three Is Enough

I didn’t just want to talk about it; I wanted to be in on it!
(1 Cor. 9:23 The Message)

I hear Paul saying this in response to, and in light of, Jesus’ announcement of the in-breaking of the Kingdom of God. It was an invitation to a life which is derived from and lived in the Kingdom: 

After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1: 14, 15 NIV)

Paul didn’t just want to hear about this invitation, this greatest of all invitations ever given to humanity. He wanted to participate. Spiritual formation in order to participate in the Kingdom of God by the power of the Holy Spirit for the sake of others is what Three is Enough is all about. Continually re-ordering our thoughts and actions (repent) and acting/behaving as if we have confidence—“bet your life on it”—in the Gospel of Jesus (believe) is the lifelong way to be “in on it” for followers of Jesus.

When Paul said he wanted to be in on it, he was saying “I became all things to all men” because he wanted to be a practicing part of the people of God. The practices associated with TiE are simply guides to help us get going along the same path in doable ways within the patterns of our existing lives.

I am in NYC this weekend. We are hosting a pilot training event for Three Is Enough Groups at the beautiful chapel at St. George’s in Lower Manhattan. Big thanks to my friend Rev. Nancy Hanna for finding us a place to meet. Big thanks also to Kimberly Reeve/Alpha/Neighborhood Bible studies and to Mike T/Vineyard Churches in the NYC area for getting the word out about TiE.

It is going to be a great night seeing old friends, making new friends and sharing the key ideas about TiE.

I’ll post a review and hopefully a podcast after the event.

Peace,

Todd

Lately I’ve been thinking that it would be great to keep you up to date on some TiE Groups. Below is one wonderful report. If you’ve got TiE stories to tell, pass them on to me and I’ll post them.

Hey Todd,

Long time no talk to.  Our three is enough group is still going.  Just wanted to let you know that we have had an influx of our clients coming in to talk to us about real life issues (i.e. serious illness, deaths, divorce, etc.)  Things obviously above and beyond the scope of the service we provide.  I truly believe it is our openness to doing God’s work in the workplace.  We have really been able to minister to some hurting people in His love and often directly using His name.  Thought you’d like to know! The change has been subtle but noticeable.  Look forward to seeing you at the NOC.

Kathy

Hey Kathy,

Thanks for the kind note—your story is just the kind of thing I have dreamed of for TiE Groups.

Todd:

These groups really do revolutionize the way we do small groups and community. (And you can quote me on that haha) There is such a difference when you are in a small group where you learn, share and are accountable with people you see every day!   It has changed the way we view work and has really helped us all work better in our mission field.  We can encourage each other when things are hard right there on the spot.  We can help each other identify opportunities that God places in our path.  It just really changes everything.  It is hard to articulate adequately.

Talk to you soon!

Kathy

My friend Elizabeth Chapin worked with us in Phoenix last weekend. Below is her report—thanks for the kind words Elizabeth!

Last weekend, Todd Hunter’s Conversational Evangelism Conference was a big hit in Phoenix, AZ. Over 300 attended to learn how to to connect naturally with the people Jesus misses most. David Kinnaman offered insight about how we shape (and solve) Christianity’s image crisis and exposed us to research on the efficacy of mass evangelism demonstrating that small is big when it comes to evangelism and without this “think small” attitude, we may do more harm than good. Randy Siever led a lively discussion in his session busting the myth of pre-evangelism. You can read more about this interesting topic on Randy’s blog. Randy also reported on his experience at CEC Phoenix.

Gary Poole inspired many people to start “seeker small groups” and almost sold out of the small group study guides he offered. It was exciting to see people not just hearing what they need to do to make evangelism a regular spiritual practice in their lives, but actually taking steps to DO something about it. Elisa Morgan encouraged many to get past the common excuses of why they can’t do evangelism and start thinking they can share their faith in real and everyday ways. Jim and Casper, a christian and atheist who visited churches together and wrote a book about it, had people laughing as they recounted their experiences on the road together at churches like Saddleback in Southern California and Mars Hill in Seattle. Matt Casper, a marketing guru, has an infectious personality and in his book with Jim Henderson asks the pressing question about church in America, “Is this what Jesus told you guys to do?”

Todd Hunter, who invented these Conversational Evangelism Conferences, helped us understand the cultural shift we are in the midst of and the call for new ways of doing evangelism—more conversational, less one-way communication. One of the highlights of these conferences is The Outsider Interviews where Todd Hunter and Jim Henderson interview young people, two insiders and two outsiders, to hear how they feel about Christians, Church and Christianity. My favorite part of the interview is the beginning when Jim has us stand and say the pledge of kindness. From the comments I heard after the interviews, the people in Phoenix held to their pledge and showed kindness not only to the interviewees but to one another as well.

If you haven’t had a chance to attend a Conversational Evangelism Conference, there’s one more this year - Kansas City on November 14-15. Visit for more information visit Conversational Evangelism and Off The Map for podcasts and pictures of the Phoenix event, etc.

If you would like to bring a Conversational Evangelism Conference to your city, contact me and we can discuss it.