Search Results for: church

Among the Maasai People in East Africa, older men (those over 50) live outside, tending their cattle. They rarely enter buildings and would never consider entering a church building. For years, missionaries visited the Maasai to preach to them. The men were skeptical and felt foreigners had an agenda to convert them from their way…

A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away . . . I was an art student. In fact, I was once certified to teach art in grades K-12. Why didn’t I pursue this career? A deciding factor was a grade on a watercolor painting. The painting was a collection of nondescript bottles gathered…

Farrah,* a woman deeply rooted in her Islamic faith, stood strongly against other religions. One day, our team conducted a Discovery Bible Study (DBS) in her village, and her children attended. When she discovered they were there, she called them home and beat them badly.  Despite that, her children continued to come back to gatherings,…

“It’s not what we do but who we are”. This phrase has become a common cry by many of us in the Relational Discipleship Network. Wow! The last year challenged this statement in my life. Relationships and areas of my life that once were simple are now complicated. It seems with every 30 days we…

How do you define love? In the old movie Love Story, love means never having to say you are sorry, but I have never found that to work. The word love brings many thoughts and feelings to our hearts and minds. Many poets have expounded on it’s virtues, describing it romantically. Old rock and rollers…

Just about every news cycle shows people on a college campus, city hall, and even at the U.S. Capitol yelling at each other. There is no curiosity to investigate the real facts; it is usually driven by emotion and a sense of self-righteousness. There is no relationship or willingness to listen to another viewpoint. Many…

IDENTITY “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone: a new life has begun.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 Richard Dietrich, a youth pastor friend, was leading a student mission trip to Poland years ago. Knowing that his wife had Polish ancestry, he decided to find the…

I remember the day my wife and I met with the pastor of the church we were attending. I asked for an appointment to speak with him, knowing I had this longing in my heart for “more”. More of “what” I didn’t really know. I just knew at that time, discipleship in my life was…

I love March Madness – the time of year when 64 college basketball teams get the opportunity to make a run at the NCAA title. The stories, players, and coaches that emerge are incredible. I can remember watching many of the famous matchups and incredible buzzer beaters that have occurred over my 30 years of following…

Using Scripture in Discipling Relationships That’s the theme of this years’ National Disciple Making Forum, and I am so excited about it, because I’m convinced there’s nothing more simple and more powerful than using Scripture as our discipleship curriculum. When I first started discipling people, I followed the examples and advice I had received. That…