Travel Time

The Apostle Paul was intentional about discipleship in its many forms. He was a preacher and a teacher, but did not limit his discipleship to the crowds. He invested in individual people, in individual conversations. Perhaps no one was so thoroughly influenced by Paul as young Timothy. They spent time together -- not just "doing ministry," but traveling, eating, talking. I imagine they both challenged each other and grew quite a bit through those times.

That's what a lot of world-changing discipleship looks like -- friends talking about life while sipping coffee, parents talking with their kids while driving from place to place, groups of people chatting before and after church on Sundays. We are shaped in significant ways through our everyday relationships with others.

I'll be going to youth camp again this year. It is not an insignificant distance -- around seven hours of drive time each way, in addition to the usual stops. Because camp starts in the morning, we will leave the day before and stay that extra night in Idaho. Practically speaking, the distance adds quite a bit of expense and inconvenience to the whole experience. But there is far more to life than speed and convenience.

I'm looking forward to the trip because it is an opportunity to invest in relationships with these young people, and I pray that God will guide and bless our time together.

Works For Me

I tend to be a very relational guy. For me discipling is all about the journey, the relationship. It is not about having the right curriculum, God already gave us that, nor it is about having all the right answers, I don't. As Jesus walked with his disciples he often assessed their understanding of himself, of the Father, of the mission. One of those times, out of his time of communion with the Father, Jesus asked his disciples, "Who do you say that I am?" This opened the door to a new revelation that the disciples may not have been able to articulate had he not asked. Good questions help those we are discipling to think through what they think, believe and know in the depths of their hearts. Good disciplers practice forming questions until they have developed a habit of asking the right question at the right time to help those they are discipling come to a greater understanding, and a deeper commitment to following Christ.

Filling Cracks in the Heart

We're touring the District this week for the annual SDMI training event. This year, we have been enjoying the company and teaching of Pastor Hal and Debbi Perkins. They are passionate about and committed to making Christlike disciples who, in turn, also make disciples. This is the life to which we are called.

Hal and Debbi are parents of four grown children. Their parenting years started with a set of triplets and grew again with the birth of the fourth several years later. I love Debbi's account of the significant role Hal played in the life of their son David during a particularly difficult time. The video below tells that story, including the impact years later.

Rightly Fierce

I was young and still pretty new to a particular church when I encountered a small group leader talking inappropriately about a certain category of people. I had no idea how to respond; apparently others didn't, either. There are times when my first reaction is an over-reaction, but this did not seem to be one of those times. And even if it were, a rapidly-growing relational barrier between us became quickly apparent to me, and that also needed to be addressed. I had to confront the issue.

But how? I knew the command to initiate reconciliation and I knew the Bible's teachings about members of the body helping each other to grow together in Christlikeness, but had no idea how to actually do any of that. Thankfully, with a bit of coaching, accompanied by motivation from knowing I'd be held accountable for following through with the conversation, I talked with the one by whom I'd been offended, and it went very well. Difficult, yes, but absolutely worth it. Many years later, our relationship is strong.

That was a defining experience in my life. It was probably the first time I'd really entered a difficult conversation to seek reconciliation and lovingly correct another person. I don't think I'd ever even seen that kind of conversation. The experienced helped me to realize how incredibly vital it is that we be both willing and able to respond well at such times.

I read a book last year entitled Fierce Conversations. The word "fierce" does not imply being mean or threatening, but bold and powerful. Fierce Conversations are ones in which we show up completely and well, openly and honestly participating with others to tackle often-difficult challenges in ways that enrich and strengthen our relationships. And I am convinced that the Church needs what is in this book. We need to be genuine, challenging, and respectful as we encounter both speed bumps and mountains in life and ministry, and as we work together to accomplish our God-given mission.

So... care group leaders, Sunday School teachers, parents, grandparents, employers, employees, pastors, teachers, and anyone else who interacts regularly with imperfect people -- if you haven't read it, I'd encourage you to do so.

And if you have, I'd love to hear what you're thinking!

Careful to Love

"So be very careful to love the LORD your God" (Joshua 23:11).

Be careful to love. This is so different from our culture's view! So often love is proclaimed as something that just happens, something to celebrate while it lasts and to mourn when whatever happens that causes the magical bits to go away. Genuine love, though, is a decision which results in action. It is nurtured and, by the grace of God, it grows. Deep, lasting, genuine love does not just happen. We must be careful to love.

Mark and I are privileged to have families who are careful to love. My parents, for example, are quite different from each other. They have different personalities, different perspectives, different styles. But each chooses to honor the other, to respect those differences and see them as completing rather than competing within their marriage. They are committed to each other. They are careful to love.

As love for each other is nurtured by commitment and action, so is love for God. When we choose to engage in actions which strengthen such love, Christianity calls it "spiritual disciplines." We are careful to love God when we choose to celebrate His goodness, rely on Him in prayer, engage in service for His kingdom, read His story and share His character with the people around us.

Joshua was an experienced and influential leader. He couldn't know all the details of what they would encounter in coming years, but he'd seen enough to realize the temptations involved. He recognized that God had chosen them for relationship, not just religion.

We don't know what we'll encounter in the coming year, or even in the next twenty minutes, but we do know our human tendency to wander. I want to be careful to love, knowing that my commitment to God can stand strong, and God's commitment to me will never fail.

Communion With God, Communion With Each Other

"They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."

-- Acts 2:42-47

Imagine that.

Imagine a diverse group of people with different perceptions but in agreement about what matters most. Consider the unique strengths and weaknesses, advantages and barriers, of each person. This was the start of the Christian Church. Through this community He would -- and will -- reach out to the whole world.

When asked the greatest commandment, Jesus had replied, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments" (Matthew 22:37-40). That instruction is central for God's people. The details are different in each church or community or culture, but the description of Acts 2:42-47 beautifully outlines what it means to be disciples of Christ. Following Jesus happens in relationship.

As disciples, we pursue relationship as Jesus did.

The theme for the 2008 District Assembly Luncheon was "Partners in Discipleship: Communion with God, Communion with Each Other." That is God's plan for the Church and, ultimately, for the world. The Discipleship Summit will be another opportunity to explore the call of God's people to move beyond programs to relationships, beyond membership to discipleship, beyond self to Christlikeness, beyond knowledge to obedience, beyond Sunday to every day. Another excellent resource is the book Beyond Sunday, compiled by Dr. Woodie Stevens, who was also the special speaker at this year's Sunday School luncheon.

Ready? A strong foundation has been laid. Let's build!