Our History
THE HISTORY OF Truth & lies
Written March 9, 2019
In 2000 in Northern Atlanta, Casey & Christi Sanders walked out in faith to begin a “1 on 1” Discipleship via a newly formed Ministry called Jesus Spoken Here. During that first year, guys came out of the woodwork asking us, “Hey, I know I’m supposed to surrendered, but I just don’t know how. Can you help me with that?"
At the same time, Kelly Talamo approached Casey about being one of the original table leaders for another new Ministry to Men, called Men Step Up. Kelly, a gifted professional marketplace communicator, had done many Men’s retreats over the years. What he learned was that focusing on Lies that Men Believe up against Truth of Scripture was a catalyst for change in men’s lives. It was actually more effective than a Bible Study!
The idea of a weekly Friday morning men’s forum in Alpharetta Georgia became a reality in October of 2000. Men Step Up became a place of transformation, transparency, vulnerability, and fun. It grew quickly, mainly due to Kelly’s leadership, creative thinking, and amazing pastoral gifts. Kelly introduced a new paradigm to the leaders, that your table can be your ministry.
We learned to Shepherd the men through the weekly Truth/lie and listened to each man’s heart…giving each a chance to be heard and think out loud in a safe place. The bottom line is that Kelly’s approach from Men’s Retreats worked maybe even better weekly at the Cabernet Restaurant from 6:30am to 7:30am each Friday.
So, Kelly continued to shepherd Casey by challenging him to start another Men Step Up venue in Duluth Georgia in 2005. In March of 2019, we celebrated our 14th anniversary of watching hundreds of men come through California Dreaming each week and get fed with great anonymity, 100% application of Truth, and fun.
We now begin our 15th year in Gwinnett County at the same place, but at a different time (now 7am-8am) and name.
We are delighted to announce – CARDS ON THE TABLE! We move from black and white to Technicolor with a new brand, but excitedly using the same tried and proven approach…thanks to Kelly Talamo.
In addition to the weekly meeting, we have added a virtual way to participate. By subscribing to CARDS ON THE TABLE, anyone can choose from our 14 year old library of episodes. This includes an audio file of a 10 minute set up to a 20 minute discussion, and a PDF file of the Truth/lie card. We also will have many facilitator resources.
Trust us, Jesus is Spoken Here through this very effective method of ministry to men. Visit us in person or at cardsott.org.
