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 …
Tag 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 …
Where is Your Church’s Allegiance?
In his book, Mere Discipleship, author Lee Camp recounts the Rwandan civil war from the mid 1990’s. At the time, Camp was located in Kenya as a missionary. In the book, he explains how Rwanda had been considered a textbook case of successful Christian Missions. Churches were being planted and were multiplying rapidly. Then came …
Recruiting Seekers: The Mission of God and the Role of the Church
Recruiting in college athletics is a 24/7, 365-day-a-year task that involves seeking out talent, assessing skills, and evaluating character. Athletic programs live or die by it. The church has been given a task similar to recruiting. We are called to evangelize, sharing the gospel with the lost in hopes they will come to Christ. Evangelism …
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Master Recruiter: What is God Doing in the World?
In my previous post, I suggested that church leaders need to clarify the idea of a “seeker.” Then, I proposed three questions to help define the issue. What is God doing in the world (i.e. the mission of God)? What is the church’s role in God’s mission? How should the church perform its role? This post tackles the …
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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 …
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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