My son has recently taken an interest in spending money from his piggy bank. In an effort to teach him about the responsible use of money, I have started allowing him to withdraw a small amount of money from his piggy bank each month in order to purchase a toy. Not long ago, we made …
Tag Archives: discipleship
Is Your Discipleship Whole?
Discipleship has been used and misused to the point that the word itself has become almost meaningless. It begs for clarification. Everyone would agree that discipleship should be transformational (Check out Transformational Discipleship by Geiger, Kelley, and Nation). But what exactly is being transformed? At this point I see three popular, yet incomplete, views: 1) …
Road (Air) Trip: Nicaragua
The ministry of discipleship and church planting in Nicaragua under the direction of Oscar Gaitan has been a major influence in my life for many years. Shortly after graduating from college I took my first trip to visit the Central American country where I met Oscar and his wife Tami. Over the years, I have …
Sowing and Growing
I never liked to eat corn until one year at Thanksgiving, I tried my grandmother’s cream-style corn. Wow! One bite and I was hooked. In fact, I probably ate three helpings that day. The next time my mother made corn at home, I put an extra large helping on my plate. After one bite, I …
Stop Raising Mules
I’m not a country boy. There, I admitted it. However, I do live in Arkansas, which means I get a few “country boy points” by default. For instance, I know that horses reproduce horses. I also know that donkeys reproduce donkeys. And, for bonus points, I know that a horse and a donkey together produce …
Balancing Great Commission Work
The Great Commission has at least three key points of emphasis: 1) A Discipleship emphasis (…make disciples…) 2) A Global emphasis (…of all nations…) 3) A Local Congregation emphasis (…baptizing them…) These three points of emphasis are not a checklist of tasks to be performed in order. It is not as if we are to …
I’m Happy He’s Growing Up
Over the past couple of days, I was able to spend some time alone with my son on a short “get-away” trip. As we were having a major water-gun war, I realized something: My son is growing up. Don’t get my wrong, he’s not going to college next year –he’s only four. Okay, four-and-a-half (the …
Uniforms Don’t Make the Player
Recently I’ve been interviewing people about their experiences (or lack thereof) with discipleship. However, I haven’t used the word “disciple” or “discipleship” in my discussions. Why? Discipleship may be the most understood word in the church today. For some it means classes, for others it means preaching. Others equate it with special programs or extracurricular …
Road Trip: Puerto Rico
The only thing more beautiful than the landscape of Puerto Rico is the people of Puerto Rico. Their unique culture is a rich blend of native Indian, African, Spanish, and French influences. As a commonwealth of the United States, they are US citizens, and at the same time, they enjoy their own identity. It was …
I Kill Flowers
Early in the Spring, I decided to plant some flowers to give my yard some color. I spent an afternoon working in the flowerbeds to get everything “just right.” In the weeks and months afterward I faithfully watered my plants. Fast-forward three months: Last week, I pulled up half of the plants –they were dead …