Everyday Disciple

A disciple-maker once said, “Justin, you must learn to enjoy the journey as much as the destination.” When I first heard those words, I was conflicted. On one hand, I wouldn’t say I liked the statement because I wanted results. I enjoyed the results of all the hard work I did for Jesus. Results that looked good on the surface, but deep down, they were motivated by selfishness and a drive to feed my false identity. I was consuming the lies of being affirmed as a winner instead of being a child of God. Who cares about the journey?

“You!” The shift in tone cracked through the dusty lecture hall, abruptly interrupting the monotonous drone of the lesson. All eyes turned away from their studious notes or distracted doodles to focus on the weathered professor. “Hey, you!” the professor repeated, capturing the attention of every freshman in my Intro to Old Testament class. We all began scanning the room, trying to match Professor Harju’s gaze. And I thought he was looking at me. It made sense. I was the one

What is that annoying sound? Why won’t it stop? I look at the clock, it’s 2 am. My phone is ringing and it’s an unknown number. My thoughts are racing, and my heart is pounding. I frantically grab my phone and sit up in bed…hello…hello…silence. Hello? Mom…I am going to kill myself…click. The phone disconnects. My head is spinning, and my mind cannot comprehend what is happening…

According to any personality test I have ever taken; I always scored in the 98th percentile of extroverts. Even before my relationship with Christ, being around others left me energized and felt life giving.

In my walk with Christ over the years I am learning the value of relationships; especially within the context of disciple making. Some of the most impactful and profound are those that proved to challenge and grow my ability to make disciples. Let me explain and start off with the obvious. My relationship with Christ is paramount. As I abide in Him, He abides in me.

Of all the adventures my son has taken us on over the years, “The Window Incident” will be one of our staple family testimonies. It’s Monday morning, and I’m working through my to-do list to prepare our home for the week. I step away from my son to locate my wandering one year old and return to find a glaring crack in our living room window, courtesy of a rogue toddler and a Paw Patrol phone. Immediately, I experience frustration, and panic. When will we be able to repair this? How much will this cost?

There is a cost to being a parent. I’m not talking about diapers and college funds (kids are expensive). Instead, I am talking about the time, effort, and intentionality that kids require that parents must pay. And every parent has the choice. You can pay now or pay later. The reality is that intentionally, or unwittingly, parents are discipling their kids. I’m not asking if you are discipling, I’m telling you. You are. The real question is, as you disciple your family, whose image are you leading them to become?

Our invitation in John 15 to abide in Jesus and bear much fruit must be foundational in a disciple’s walk. Recent RDN blogs have been rich in guidance on how to abide in Jesus.

One crucial aspect of abiding is having a healthy Bible study. The overall purpose of studying the Bible is to get to know the author more intimately. In that intimacy, we will be more tuned into the voice of the Good Shepherd, Jesus.

Tick…Tick…Tick…I sat in the hospital watching the clock. Just hours before that I was standing in front of a trauma doctor while he explained to Amber and I the seriousness of the car accident. Olivia was given almost a zero percent chance to survive and Emma’s status was still unknown. My heart and mind raced to even comprehend what I was hearing but what I did grab hold of was that it would literally be a minute-by-minute process.

My family has called Newport, Washington home for nearly 18 years. Every July, this small town in northeastern Washington is the home to a professionally sanctioned rodeo called the Newport Bull-A-Rama. Thousands of people come to watch young men attempt to remain on the back of a bull for 8 seconds as it bucks and kicks. The bull rider prepares himself in the chute by positioning himself on the back of the bull and adjusting his grip on the bull rope.

When I think on the life of Jesus and areas I would like to be more like Him, yet still have tremendous room for growth, it’s in the area of prayer. Prayer was vitally important to Jesus in making disciples. In fact, the night before Jesus selected the twelve men whom He would disciple, Luke tells us He went up on a mountainside and spent the night in prayer (Luke 6:12-13). This was not a decision Jesus made lightly; the call to be His disciple was bathed in prayer.

Discipleship is a delicate dance, as we help people follow Jesus in real-time. Often, the real-time work is to be done between the ears. Not just theology, but often it’s a Spirit-led exploration of our inner world. Jesus clearly and bluntly lays out His premise as recorded in the latter part of John 8, that He is a truth-teller and the enemy is a liar.

Have you ever heard yourself say that 4-letter WORD?  Maybe you said it with disgust, frustration, or disappointment. I find however that we often say it with a sense of pride. Someone asks, “How are you?, and we quickly reply: “busy”.I’ve noticed that in recent years, the pat reply of “fine” has been replaced.