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Disciplemaking is like ballroom dancing. There’s an elegance and structure to this beautiful dance of growth. In traditional ballroom dancing, there’s an established leader and a follower. In traditional disciplemaking, the “disciplemaker” typically takes the lead while the one being “discipled” follows.  Just as ballroom dancing differs from couple to couple so no disciplemaking ministry is exactly alike. Like the dancers we have varying styles. One disciplemaking style follows a structured, logical approach to helping someone grow. There’s almost a prescribed choreography to this dance….

A Gray Hair Manifesto Movie westerns traditionally have this iconic scene — the hero slowly rides off into the sunset never to be seen again. As we age, it’s easy to think that’s how our lives will be — we retire and slowly ride off into the sunset never to be seen again. Instead of embracing our age we depart from life, looking for the sunset to retire to. There’s no sunsets in the future for this gray-haired alongsider! We will all face a sunset….

“Trump!” you yell as you triumphantly lay down your hand of cards. You win the hand  and the game is over. Our Lord has a trump card to play when it comes to leadership. Winning at His leadership “game” requires a different “hand” than is typically played. What’s the trump card that wins His leadership game? The card may surprise you. If leadership is defined by whether one has a following then this leader was head and shoulders above everyone else. He took a group…

Finding a radio station in my new car shouldn’t be hard. The car is great but the salesperson didn’t tell me how to tune to a radio station. I discovered that listening to the radio required an owner’s manual. In my 2014 car, you push a button for AM or FM and find the channel by turning a dial. In my new one, you first go to the home screen, pull down the menu, select AM or FM, and scroll down all the available channels…

I’m going to let you in on a little secret. You know those missionary letters and updates you receive from people like me? We follow a simple formula describing a dramatic ministry success story that encourages you to keep praying and giving.  While it’s important to celebrate God’s successes we seldom talk about our missteps or failures, our OOPS. After all, who wants to give to a ministry that broadcasts failures. Fifty years of experience has taught me that failures lead to wisdom. In fact,…

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 its rain. Rain isn’t so bad, it’s the mould that moisture produces and Peggy has a severe mold allergy. By the third day of our visit, she was in bed…

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 the respect of outsiders” (NIV). What was God’s lesson for me? My parents “lived in the quiet” literally “working with their hands.” My dad was a butcher and my mom…

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 his policies and political assumptions, he was operating from a patriotic desire. I concluded that he was neither the savior that the liberals hoped for nor the devil-in-disguise of conservatives….

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! Grandchildren and disciplemaking are naturally linked. I love how the Bible conveys spiritual truths in physical realities. Jesus compared the providence of God to flowers and birds. The Kingdom is…

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 as well. Everyday places are important to our Lord. In fact, these common places are “blessing locations” – those spaces where God’s favor resides. It’s in these places that disciples…