This was my dream job. I was invited to join a city-reaching team and teach at a Bible college. It would require a move from the midwest to the northwest. Peggy and I flew out to meet the staff and experience the setting. There was just one small problem. This particular city was notorious for…
Death can be God’s classroom for learning. When my mother passed away a decade ago, one verse lingered in my mind. It’s a little obscure passage in 1 Thessalonians 4:11: “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life and to work with your hands . . . so that your daily life may win…
My son gave me President Obama’s recent book The Promised Land for Christmas. I asked for the book out of curiosity. I wanted to know, “What’s the story behind the man?” I was pleasantly surprised. I discovered a leader who was honest, principled, and a good father and husband. While I disagreed with some of…
Hunting for discipleship in the Old Testament – Part Three Peggy and I love being grandparents. Unfortunately, our grandparenting these days is limited by distance and a pandemic. As relatively new grandparents, the best advice we’ve received is that grandparents are expected to spoil their grandchildren. We’re looking forward to enjoying the ministry of spoiling!…
Hunting for discipleship in the Old Testament – part two God is often present in the common place. Unfortunately, I don’t always look for Him in common places. It’s easier to spot God’s presence in a packed worship service, the extraordinary healing of people, or dynamic Bible teaching. I’m learning that He inhabits everyday places…
What am I reading? Are you ready for a surprise? I’m reading poetry! I’m always on the lookout for new and fresh ways to reflect on the Easter season. One way I’m seeking the Lord this Easter is through reading poetry. May I recommend Malcolm Guite’s book The Word in the Wilderness: A Poem a…
Hunting for discipleship in the Old Testament – part one Have you heard the story about the boy in the Sunday School kindergarten class? When the teacher held up a picture of a squirrel and asked the class what it was, the boy answered, “I think it’s a squirrel but I’m going to say Jesus!”…
It was like a scene from a Stephen King movie. Twelve men huddled together on a dark beach behind a leader. A few torches shed light onto a horrific scene. Running toward them was a howling, bleeding, naked man. “What do you want from me?” the man screamed at the leader. The leader, Jesus, calmly…
Disciplemaking is as simple as a walk I quickly saw the clutter of books and videos when I walked into Justin’s office. His office was taken over by this stack of resources. What was the subject matter? The piles of books and videos were about discipleship. Justin was searching for the holy grail of disciplemaking…
It’s not about exercise. It’s about disciplemaking. Christians in North America are discovering the beautiful simplicity of Jesus’ method of disciplemaking. We’re longing for something simple because we’re growing tired of over-stated promises of curriculums and programs. We want a disciplemaking process that is relational, simple, and do-able — something that everyday Christians can do…