Knowledge is great, but it is no replacement for skill. If a man said, “I know every play in the playbook,” we wouldn’t automatically assume he is an NFL quarterback. If a woman said, “I can name every bone in the human body,” we wouldn’t necessarily call her “doctor.” And if someone said, “I know …
Category Archives: Discipleship
Google This!
Information is everywhere. In fact, I have read that one weekday edition of today’s New York Times contains more information than the average person in seventeenth-century England was likely to come across in an entire lifetime. That’s not to mention what is available through one single Google search. Can you say “information overload?” I’m sure …
The Cost of Disciple-Making
Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s book, The Cost of Discipleship is a classic. It powerfully describes Christ’s call for men to “come and die” in order to be His disciple. In as many times as I have discussed that book with friends, I’ve never thought about an equally important concept –until now. Since a true disciple of Christ …
Teach to Learn
In the mid-1960’s a research team worked with New York City schools to study improved methods for teaching children to read. During one part of their study, the researchers matched low-proficiency readers with older students in the school district. The older students were asked to tutor the younger students in reading for five-months. All of …
Fluency in the Christian Life
“No comprende.” My friend tried again, but was met by the same response. “No comprende.” I looked at my friend’s face. He has taken three years of high school Spanish and one year of college Spanish. Yet, nobody in Nicaragua could understand him. I think what frustrated my friend most was when the Nicaraguans understood …
She Lives Beyond the Grave
Soon it will be Bryce’s birthday. That means I’m in party-planning mode. I imagine what it would be like if my wife, Jill, was planning his party. (Jill passed away three months after Bryce was born.) I can see her organizational skills going to work –the “invite list” would have been a mile long and …
How to Avoid the Worst Parenting Regret
Everyone has roles and responsibilities in life. Yet, they aren’t all created equal. Consider the proverbial man on his deathbed who laments spending too much time in the office and not enough time with his family. The moral of the story is not to quit your job and stay home. God created work as a …
Building Spiritual Muscles in the Mundane
In the 1984 film “The Karate Kid,” an enthusiastic karate student is disappointed when his first lesson involves cleaning and waxing his master’s car. Day after day, Daniel questions the point of laborious tasks such as sanding a wood floor, refinishing a fence and painting Mr. Miyagi’s house. But when Mr. Miyagi finally begins to …
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Rewards of Repetition
Bryce has been playing in a fall baseball league recently. Initially he was having trouble hitting the ball, so I scheduled a few batting lessons with a local coach. During each lesson, the coach would explain ways I could practice with Bryce each day between lessons. Almost every day after school, Bryce and have been …
Batting Practice and Spiritual Growth
Bryce took a batting lesson last week. I listened carefully so that I could work with him in the days following. The coach was very clear in his instruction and patient in his approach. I knew that one lesson wouldn’t suddenly turn my seven-year-old into a major league slugger. Everyone knows that even the most …