Around 300 people have been equipped and discipled over the past seven years. The work is expanding into new areas – most recently at the Rutherford County Correctional Work Center (RCCWC). Mike and co-worker, Bruce Hunzicker, kicked-off “Project Braveheart” there on April 20. Eleven men are being discipled through a character development program while incarcerated. They are paired with outside individual mentors (trained and equipped through Timothy Network’s discipling ministry) who will encourage them in order to build a trust relationship that they can continue once each offender is released.

As the work grows we are experiencing typical growing pains in the area of financial resources. This e-letter is to apprise you of the exciting things that are happening and also to ask for your help. We are very much in need of your financial partnership at this particular time.

We are seeking financial partners to bolster and further the work we started in August 2005. $15,000.00 raised during the next month will help us catch up on various expenses and propel us into the summer months. As Mike’s workload increases, he needs relief from fund raising responsibilities. The Board of Directors is committed to provide more help in this area, thus this special letter.

Good things are happening. Please help us sustain the momentum. Three hundred people who will give $50.00 will meet this challenge. Maybe you can give more. Maybe less. Whatever God puts on your heart, please do help in one of these three ways.

1) Write a check to The Timothy Network and mail it today to: P.O. Box 332555 Murfreesboro, TN 37133

2) Visit our website at www.timothynetwork.org and click on the Paypal link. Credit card donations are readily and quickly accepted using this tool.

3) We need monthly contributors. Write or e-mail us, and we’ll provide the necessary automatic bank draft forms for your contributions.

In closing, please read the following perspective penned by Board member, Dr. Robert Blaylock.

Thank you, John King

From Dr. Robert Blaylock

Since the beginning, The Timothy Network has had the goal of reaching and training disciples from across the spectrum of society. As we have grown and developed over the past seven years, we have realized success with three primary groups of people.

The first are leaders, people already active in serving within God’s kingdom but who want to become more focused on building intentional, effective discipling relationships. Because this group requires the least investment to be ready to work, our first discipling groups were heavily weighted with these leaders.

The next group is what we like to call “hungry people.” Often these men and women are already Christians who have just not found a place to plug-in or who have not yet taken Jesus’ call to discipleship seriously. It has been a joy to watch many of these people grow and blossom into mature disciples of Christ. Many have now become leaders within their churches and within The Timothy Network.

Men and women in these first two groups have been equipped to disciple others. Many of them have become multiplying disciple makers, thus achieving the goal of reproduction (i.e. making disciples who make more disciples, etc)

The third group is made up of “marginalized” people, men and women who for one reason or another are living in fairly desperate circumstances (jailed, homeless, chronically poor or ill, etc). They have hit bottom and life is not working for them. While it is possible for any of us to end up in this category, many of those in this group we find at places like Green House Ministries or at our new work at the Rutherford County Workhouse. It is true that these people take more time and a more broad range of skills to successfully disciple. This is why it is such a great blessing that we have built an army of leaders / disciple-makers from the first two categories who are now on fire for God and are ready for the challenge of sharing the good news of Jesus with those who most need it. Also within this group are those society has forgotten such as those we have been privileged to work with at nursing homes.

It is my conviction that interaction between these three groups of people provides invaluable opportunities for spiritual growth for all parties. We all need each other.

In many ways the journey of growth that we have been privileged to help so many people with is mirrored in the growth of the ministry itself. We are excited to be working to disciple not only Christians but not–yet-Christians as well, both rich and poor, educated and uneducated, those of many races and ethnicities and backgrounds. Surely this is a reflection of what heaven will look like.

As David Young, the preaching minister at my own church has so eloquently reminded us over the past several months, the church’s work can be organized around a few key activities that bring both focus and balance to the lives of its members. As David puts it, these core activities are experiencing authentic conversion, living holy and righteous lives, immersing yourself in the life of the congregation, finding your place to serve in ministry, and sharing the good news of Jesus with others. These five commitments reflect well the mission that The Timothy Network tries to do in the lives of disciples. In fact, it is one of our greatest goals to strengthen the church by investing in people one life at a time.

Please let us know if you’d like to become involved in any phase of our work.

Thank you,
Dr. Robert Blaylock

Milton and his wife Shelly have been active with Timothy Network since 2009. Both participated in the equipping phase of our work and are now discipling others. They’re pictured above with daughter, Evangeline. By asking “Who(se) are you?”, Milton points to the need for personal investment in those we’re trying to reach.

“Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea. You will show faithfulness to Jacob and steadfast love to Abraham, as you have sworn to our fathers from the days of old.” Micah 7:18-20

That’s our God, in whose image we’re made, and into whom we are being transformed, every moment of every day, through the holy indwelling of his Spirit, the precious sprinkling of his Blood, and the wondrous outpouring of his Mercy and Grace. But we don’t really act like that all the time, do we?

When I first heard about the Timothy Network, I was a little skeptical and hesitant – resistant, even. I liked Deuteronomy 10:13 – “obedience!” far more than the verse before it – “love!”. How did I define disciple-making? Baptizing. Studying. Attending. And I think so many Christians feel the same way – that the Christian life is essentially two parts: a personal relationship with God, and a corporate worship service on Sundays and Wednesdays.

But as I began immersing myself in the life of a disciple, I saw how much I really was missing by only doing those two parts – namely, everything else! Personal relationships with others. Personal worship with others. Taking the time to personally invest in the people around us – those also made in God’s image – all of whom crave discipling, whether they realize it or not.

And as I read that passage of Micah, it struck me what all I had been ignoring. The God in that passage never stops seeking to enlarge his family – not just because he wants to be worshiped, but because he is loving. Merciful. Joyful. Compassionate. Faithful. And if we truly want to be like Him, we have to embody those traits, and that requires imitating he who made himself nothing, took the form of a servant, and lived to die for his brothers and disciples.

Timothy Network will launch “Project Braveheart” on Friday April 20. The goal: To connect prisoners with Christ-centered mentors who will help them back on their feet through longterm discipling and encouragement. The opportunity comes as an exciting next step for our work. Braveheart will pair equipped disciplers with men whose lives have taken a wrong turn. The following update is to provide background on why and how the project came together.

“All men die. Not all men live.”

The quote is from Braveheart, a film starring Mel Gibson in the role of Scottish patriot William Wallace. Whether or not Wallace actually said this, it does ring true. Death comes to all; ironically, most people never really “live” in the first place!

Jesus Christ came to radically change the deadend nature of man’s pursuit of living. He desires that we experience real life, not a cheap imitation. He boldly claimed, “I have come that you might have life and have it abundantly.” John 10:10

Real living invites losing ourselves in the bigger picture of God’s kingdom. It often means exchanging the safety of the familiar for opportunities that stretch and challenge us. Jesus went out of his way to minister to hurting people with messy lives. He invities us to join him in the adventure of serving in places where pain and despair are commonplace. Braveheart is an effort to answer his call.

A Serendipity

Good things and opportunities often come as a surprise. That’s what happened when I relocated my office last December and became a neighbor with Maridel Williams and “Open Doors of Hope.”

Open Doors is an outreach to women housed at the Rutherford County Correctional Work Center (RCCWC). The ministry engages offenders in weekly life skills classes. They’re simultaneously encouraged by trained “godmothers” on the outside.

Open Doors celebrated its first birthday a few weeks ago. During the first twelve months they shared a better way of living with eighty-seven women. Many of these women remain in discipling relationships with their godmothers after being released from the Work Center. The goal is to raise up godly women through longterm relational discipling.

I hope you’re reading between the lines. Timothy Network and Open Doors of Hope represent kindred visions. God seems to have brought our paths to a crossing point for a reason.

A New Partnership

I recently attended a graduation ceremony for women completing Maridel’s class. What I saw and heard didn’t have markings of an ordinary ministry program; it breathed life. Lives on both sides of the aisle (mentor and mentee) are being enriched and impacted by relational mentoring. Discipleship is happening.

I talked with Superintendent Bernard Salandy that day. He attended the ceremony because of his respect for Maridel’s work. He told me of his dream to see a similar support ministry for men housed at Work Center. While many churches conduct Bible studies at RCCWC, there was no longterm pre/post-release mentoring effort before Open Doors began working there in 2011. Superintendent Salandy believes mentoring is a main key for reducing the return-to-jail rate the penal system often sees. He hopes to see male offenders impacted in the same way Maridel’s team has influenced lives on the women’s side.

Here’s the punch line: Since my conversation with the Work Center’s superintendent, Timothy Network and Open Doors have formed a working partnership. Beginning on Friday, I’ll co-teach a thirteen week life skills class with Timothy Network volunteer, Bruce Hunzicker. Twelve inmates are enrolled, and twelve Braveheart mentors have signed on to work with them pre- and post-release. Our first group of volunteer mentors include:

Tom Beckwith
Ben Bohannon
Kimball Bullington
Rick Chambless
Ryan Florida
John Gardner
Ronnie Henderson
Daniel Pritchett
Milton Stanley
Brent Walker
Joe Wakham
John Williams

Ephesians Chapter 6 shows that disciples of Jesus are engaged in a spiritual battle with the forces of evil. Project Braveheart will put men on the battle lines as they engage the enemy in a battle for the souls of men. Pray and stay tuned!

By Nick Mobley

Nick has been a good friend and partner in Timothy Network since 2008. We met him as a result of a trip that he made to the barbershop one day, but that’s a story I’ll save for a another time. For now it’s enough to say that Nick is passionate about discipleship and disciple making. His passion is put into action on a daily basis as he practices “life on life” disciple making with teens. ms

Romans 1:15-17

15 So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

Gatorade asks athletes, “What fuels you?” Suggesting that if you want to succeed on the field of competition you must be filled with a replenishing source of strength. In the passage above, we see the driving passion in Paul’s life was to take the Gospel to every tribe/nation. That’s exactly what he writes to the Romans; even though it wasn’t exactly the buckle of the Bible belt he prepared to visit.

What gave him this confidence? His strong personality? The spiritual gifts that God provided him? The deep sense of love and appreciation people had for him and his ministry? NO! It was the power of the Gospel!

Whether in the midst of his dearest brothers and sisters in ministry or before his most vile persecutors, Paul stood unashamed of the Gospel. This was his anchor to hold, his banner to wave, his message to preach – Christ died for the sin of the whole world (Jews and Gentiles)!

We all have different burdens, responsibilities, and talents. Whatever God’s called you to do and wherever He’s placed you right now –ask yourself: Why am I really doing this? What is it that gives me the fire, the passion, and the ability to do what I’m trying to do? If it’s anything other than the power of God’s salvation at work in your life you are missing it! Man’s applause is inconsistent. Our own talents and abilities fade over time. Church programs come and go. But what will stand the test of time? The gospel of Jesus Christ. May this be the song we sing, the banner we wave, and the Word we share each day.

Check your heart. Look deep down. We must care more about what He thinks than anyone else. We must care more about making much of HIS Name rather than our name. We must be faithful regardless of how we feel for this is not our battle – it is the Lord’s. We cannot stop. Life is short. Eternity is real. And the souls of men have but one hope – the gospel of Jesus Christ.

By Katie-Lynn Bohannon

Katie-Lynn and her husband, Ben, have been involved with Timothy Network for over three years. Both are now active in discipling others. In this e-letter she shares reflections on relational disciple-making.

I’m so thankful for God’s gift of friendship. I can remember specific relationships that were key in opening my heart to God’s will in my life. Some of those friendships remain active to this day. I remember others with gratitude for the time that person allowed God to use him or her to influence me.

When introduced to the Timothy network, the vision made sense: to go and intentionally make authentic relationships with the idea of helping people to see and know Jesus. The women’s discipleship group I joined deepened as we embraced the challenge to become more transparent and authentic with one another. After being discipled for about a year, we were challenged to look for opportunities to do the same with others.

I’ve been thrilled to see friends and family get involved in the process. I’m not always sure what God is doing, and I’ve even had some discipling attempts not to work out so well, but I have hope that God’s goodness will overcome. Just like seeds being scattered, there’s always some uncertainty about which friendly introduction will take root and develop into a Christ-centered relationship. I just pray I can simply be a part of building God’s kingdom.

Maybe a kind word to a stranger will open their heart to God or give encouragement. Perhaps some friendships will develop into true and transparent relationships. I pray those relationships will give encouragement just like the encouragement I have received from others who have poured themselves into me. I pray the process will then continue on.

Praise God for using the smallest details to work in His kingdom! One relationship may be the next step in a cascade of people knowing the grace that comes through Jesus.

_______________

I’ve been having coffee with a leper. No, not the kind of person who has the flesh-eating disease. This man is a sex-offender. He was convicted and has served jail time for behavior that is not only punishable by law, but which also goes against the most basic of all human ethical codes. In our society he is labeled for life, shunned, and marginalized. His plight is very similar to the biblical leper who lived isolated from mainstream humanity.

Laws have been passed which mandate that this modern day leper register his location, which becomes public information. He’s now a branded man and his every move is monitored. He’s lost his job, his home, his family, and his reputation.

The encounter I mention here has led to an ongoing Bible study and friendship with a man who feels lost and alone. Before you get the wrong idea, I’m not arguing for toleralnce or downplaying sinful actions. I am, however, raising a hard question. How do we compassionately minister to people caught in a sin like this one? How do we sidestep our own inner prejudices and judgmental attitudes long enough to minister to people who’ve done things that tend to turn our stomachs? If they are truly penitent, what is our role in helping them experience and live out the grace and forgiveness of God? How do we avoid the temptation to write them off?

Disciple making is not a matter of picking and choosing who is worthy of the grace of God! If that were the case, we’d all be in major trouble. Paul’s letter to the church at Rome couldn’t have made it clearer. He wrote, “We’ve all sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3:23)

Jesus was accused of being a friend of sinners. Are we willing to suffer the same accusation? Let me know what you think.

Since 2005 The Timothy Network has built reproducible discipling relationships with people from all walks of life. Many of you have either been directly involved in the process or supported our work with your gifts and prayers. As another year comes to a close, we want to thank you for sticking with us and introduce you to a few of the men and women whose lives are being impacted by intentional disciple making.

People matter to God. They must matter to us, too!

To fully appreciate the value of individuals, we have to slow down and savor them one relationship at a time. People come from different socio-economic backgrounds. Some enjoy good health; others are chronically ill. They represent the sound of mind and the mentally challenged, the imprisoned and the free, the young and old, red and yellow, black, brown, and white – “the least of these brothers of mine,” Jesus called them.

Each God-seeker is unique. They range from young professional women like Katie, Kim, and Nicole to “street-hardened” men like Percy, Mike, and Willie. Some – like Joel – have successful careers in business. Others – Jim, for example – have seen their jobs and lives implode as a result of unfortunate circumstances.

The faces in the left column are a few of the men and women with whom we’ve built relationships over the past several months. Their experiences and circumstances vary widely, but they have a lot in common, too: they’re human beings on an intentional journey to become devoted followers of Jesus Christ.

Many with whom we work fit the category of “culturally Christian but undiscipled.” Some are on the right path, but they need focus plus a few other sojourners to help them stay the course. Others have been reared as believers but wandered away from faith and have fallen hard. Some, on the other hand, are men and women who are searching for God, but don’t know where to turn. In whatever situation we meet people, we try to provide very focused support, nurturing, and teaching.

Following Jesus is a process that requires help and encouragement. Lone-rangers don’t flourish well as disciples. Whether business owner, church deacon, recovering cocaine addict, school teacher, young mother, or a homeless guy trying to get back on track, life giving relationships are the hothouses in which disciples are made. By God’s grace we are building those hothouses one day at a time.

I recently introduced you to Randy Williams. Randy is a music teacher in the Dallas – Fort Worth area. He spent several weeks as a volunteer with Timothy Network last summer and is now using those experiences to disciple men in Texas. His follow-through is a good example of what we mean by “multiplying ministry.” It only took a spark to ignite an underlying desire that already existed in Randy’s heart. We are excited that he’s now spreading the fire by discipling people in the Lonestar state. Here’s Part II of Randy’ summary story from last summer. ms

A part of discipleship involves equipping people for ministry (who then equip others). I don’t mean the “pulpit style” of ministry. I’m talking about sitting down with a couple of other people in a restaurant or a coffee shop with open Bibles. Disciple making is a relational process that takes time and purposeful, patient involvement in the lives of others. It requires intentionally leading (and influencing) people and helping them develop a passion for transformation into instruments for God. It’s a process that will make them better husbands, fathers, sons, mothers, daughters, friends, leaders, business owners, and employees.

I saw this happening daily during my time in Murfreesboro last summer – even when I was not with Mike. Never had I seen Bible studies out in the open as I much as I did there — men and women! On one occasion as I was waiting to meet someone for a session, there was another man waiting for his study partner, too. The person never showed, so as he began gathering his things I asked if he wanted to study with me. He smiled and said, “I’ll meet you here next week, same day, same time.” We shook hands and thus began a new friendship and Bible study with a total stranger. I wouldn’t have taken that step in a million years had it not been for my association with Timothy Network. Fearless–that what was I was becoming, and I wanted to begin ministering to other men in Texas when I returned.

It was recommended that I volunteer at Greenhouse Ministries in Murfreesboro as time allowed. Mike was already leading a mid-week study there with men in the homeless program, so it was easy for me to get plugged in. The men received me as one of their own as they heard my story unfold. I learned that when you are real with people, you can find help, support, and friendship unequalled anywhere on earth. Those men and women at the Greenhouse are my best friends today. Please, find an outlet for your passion to serve others and watch the blessings come from God!

So what did I do with all these transforming experiences once I returned to Texas? The first thing was to contact three men I wanted to disciple. Only one stuck with it, so I have asked several others. The numbers are growing already.

Tuesday nights at 7:00 at the IHOP at the corner of Interstate 20 Frontage Road and Little Road in Arlington, Texas, you will find a couple of tables of men with their Bibles open, sharing their stories, studying the Scriptures, and praying for each other. It does get emotional at times as we hear stories similar to our own, but hope is being given and shared.

New friendships are beginning! Men who had never met and from all types of backgrounds are bonding. They are being renewed and restored. It’s all God’s doing, by the way, not mine. He just used me to get this started. All it took was stepping up to the plate and saying “I’m having a Bible study. It has nothing to do with organized religion and wears no other name save the name of Jesus Christ. We are all on equal ground here. Let’s talk about our week, our hurts, our desires, our God, and let’s pray together. No having to be present every time. No one is going to call you if you don’t attend. It’s freedom in Christ that compels us to be a part of this. Would you like to join us?”

Whether or not it’s a part of the Timothy Network, please get involved with discipleship. For yourself, your family, your work, your friends, your church, and the world – just do it! Volunteer at shelters or ministries that help the hopeless and the helpless. Start a Bible study at a restaurant or coffee house. The Spirit compels us to serve. Listen to Him!

Back in the 1820s Tennessee sent Davy Crockett and over two dozen other Tennesseans to help save Texas from an invading army. Over the past summer, Texas sent one of its citizens to Tennessee to help us in the area of spiritual warfare. His name is Randy Williams, and we were blessed to enjoy his volunteer help from mid-June through early August. Randy joined me in discipling men and did other volunteer work at Greenhouse Ministries and Community Care of Rutherford County. It was a blessing to have his partnership! In this and the next e-letter, we’d like to share his reflections and experiences with Timothy Network. ms

From Randy Williams
Dallas, Texas

We all have a story. Maybe you’ve made poor choices or have caused others emotional pain. But that’s only part of your life story. How you write the next chapter is totally up to you. You are the author of your life. What should lead you forward now is the transforming power of God’s Word and the Holy Spirit. I listened as Mike shared his story not only with me but with many other men last summer. It was a way to get those men to trust him and see that he has had struggles, too.

I also had the opportunity to tell my own story and how I happened to be shadowing Mike this summer. At first, I wasn’t sure I wanted to reveal all my stuff to strangers. But Mike’s gentle prodding and assurance caused me to begin telling others what my life had been like up to this point. The men were very receptive and made me feel welcome and valued. It was transforming power!!

Mike and I talked about the hope that is given to the men we met with over the summer. There are men with little or no voice or who feel unlovable in their churches. They’re just looking for someone to listen, someone to give them their voice, someone who will value and love them. They just want to be heard as they tell the stories of their hurts and disappointments. These hurting men need to hear our stories to see that God is transforming us into productive, believing, Spirit-led men with no fear of facing what Satan hurls at us daily. Sharing the narrative of our lives with others builds strong relational community. Share your story, the true story with others. Your experiences can impact and give others hope in Christ.

We are the salt of the earth, Mike quoted often. We are not plain men without taste. We are mighty, salty, warriors as sons of the most holy God with a thirst within us to save men’s souls and quench those fires that have hurt us and others so badly! God is our strength and courage for each day. He is enough!

Pictured to the left is former American Airlines First Officer, Tom McGuinness. He was the co-pilot of Flight 11, the plane that hit the World Trade Center North Tower on September 11, 2001. Ironically, McGuinness’ seniority allowed him to bump another pilot from that morning’s flight. It was a choice that cost his life but saved another man from dying that day.

With the many sad reminders accompanying the recent 10th anniversary of the September 11th tragedy, part of me hesitated bringing it up yet one more time. Weighed in the balance, however, I decided to send along the following fifteen minute video. As you’ll see and hear, the touching testimony of First Officer Steve Scheibner, the pilot spared that day, strongly resonates with intentional discipleship. Scheibner is a Christ-follower. Officer McGuinness was, too.

Here’s the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLj4akmncsA