Tag Archives: discipleship
Theology of a Teenager, Part 2
Yesterday, I talked about the beginning of my theology adventure with Michelle. Here’s the rest of the story. Michelle read Theology and Galatians, learned more about Jacob Arminius than she ever thought she wanted to know (and heard me talk … Continue reading
Theology of a Teenager, Part 1
Last summer, my friend Michelle asked me if I would teach her theology. Here’s a little background on Michelle. She’s 15 years old, in high school, navigating tricky relationships with friends, and wrestling through her convictions on any given day … Continue reading
Go In Twos
We are discipled by people, not by programs. Discipleship happens when we invite people into our lives as we are living it. Sometimes that happens in my home. Sometimes it happens around food. More often, it’s happening on the road. … Continue reading
Leaders Must…Leave a Legacy
For the past 8 years, I have spoken at every Leadership Summit we’ve hosted at National Community Church. This year, I’ve changed the game. At our last Leadership Summit, we did a series of TED Conference styled talks. Six Leaders. … Continue reading
Questions I Am Asking
I’m asking some new questions these days. I’m asking them of myself and also of the young leaders I meet with: Where have you led recently where you felt like you were firing on all cylinders? Where have you led … Continue reading
A Big Game of Telephone
In 2 Timothy 2:2, Paul outlined a strategy for growing the church: “And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.” These were … Continue reading
Responding to Failure/Responding to Success
I think that the greatest test of leadership later in life is how we respond to our success. Do we let it go to our head or do we give God glory? Do we use it to build an army … Continue reading
Never Travel Alone
This weekend proved to be another adventure. In general, I try to never travel alone. The main reason is that joint experiences seem to create the best environments for discipleship. And let’s just face it; I just have a lot … Continue reading
Face-to-Face and Shoulder-to-Shoulder
I’ve talked a lot recently about making disciples. I’m struck by the fact that Jesus told his followers to go “make” disciples, not “find” disciples. Once upon a time someone stumbled upon my blog because they did a Google search … Continue reading
Tour Guides vs. Travel Agents
Some of the best discipleship advice I ever learned was from a book on evangelism. It’s more important to be a tour guide than a travel agent. Thank you, Rick Richardson. There is a big difference between being a travel … Continue reading
Value People Over Programs
Leaders who leave a legacy see the value in people. They realize that ministry is not a program but people who are moving out of the overflow of their gifts. Disciples will not emerge from a program; they will emerge … Continue reading
X-Ray Vision
Leaders need X-Ray Vision. They need the ability to see gifts, abilities, and passions in people that they don’t see themselves. The theological term for this would be discernment. When Samuel looked at David, he didn’t see a shepherd boy … Continue reading
Kaleidoscopic Calling
The calling of God is kaleidoscopic. This morning, I had a great conversation with one of our young leaders at NCC. She’s in her mid-twenties and sorting out what God’s call on her life looks like. I asked her the … Continue reading
Tooting Their Horn- Julius Hunter
LSU Campus. 1998. Destiny Campus Ministries. Julius Hunter was one of the first people crazy enough to come to one of my small groups. While I recognized leadership potential in him pretty quickly, he told me very quickly that he … Continue reading
Leadership Lessons From Steve Corn
Tonight, the Mathews family and Plash family found their way to the Sawyer abode for the annual gathering of friends, fun, and laughter. I pulled Steve Corn out of the madness for a couple minutes to talk about leadership. Despite … Continue reading
Leadership Lessons From Chris Douglas
I met Chris Douglas in Free Speech Alley on the campus of Louisiana State University in 1990-something. He was crazy enough to be in the first small group I ever led and went on to serve as a youth pastor, … Continue reading
This Ain’t FedEx
Team D– the NCC Discipleship Team– is writing a series of blogs about things that no one ever told us about small group leadership. Today, I challenge you to be committed for the long haul. Once upon a time, someone … Continue reading
Don’t Answer That Question
Team D– the NCC Discipleship Team– is writing a series of blogs about things that no one ever told us about small group leadership. Today, let’s focus on asking great questions. I used to think that my role as the … Continue reading
Throw Away the Workbook
Team D– the NCC Discipleship Team– is writing a series of blogs about things that no one ever told us about small group leadership. Today, I challenge you to throw away the workbook. The best conversations are not found in … Continue reading
Normality is Not Normal
Team D– the NCC Discipleship Team– is writing a series of blogs about things that no one ever told us about small group leadership. Today, I share one of my favorite lines from John Ortberg: Everyone is normal until you … Continue reading
Community is Messy, Part 2: Sweat
Team D– the NCC Discipleship Team– is writing a series of blogs about things that no one ever told us about small group leadership. Today, I talk about the idea that community is messy. It requires our blood, sweat, and … Continue reading
Community is Messy, Part 1: Blood
Team D– the NCC Discipleship Team– is writing a series of blogs about things that no one ever told us about small group leadership. Today, I talk about the idea that community is messy. It requires our blood, sweat, and … Continue reading
What No One Told Me
Team D (that’s Josh, Maegan, Will, and me) are working on a little project: What No One Ever Told Me About Leading a Small Group. We are in “training mode” of Operation Kaboom, where we are trying to think about … Continue reading
When the Mess is Of Your Own Creation
I’ve been talking for a while now on the topic Community is Messy. Usually, I share examples from the vantage point of a third-party observer of a mess, a consultant in the navigation of a mess, or the victim of … Continue reading
Teach What You Know
At the last Protege Huddle of the 2009-2010 class, I shared some final thoughts on leadership. I encouraged them to always pass something on to others. In 2 Timothy 2:2, Paul instructed Timothy, “You have heard me teach things that … Continue reading
Making Disciples vs. Finding Disciples
At the last Protege Huddle of the 2009-2010 class, I shared some final thoughts on leadership. One of the things I talked about was the difference between finding disciples and making disciples. The last command Jesus gave his disciples was … Continue reading
Never Stop Learning
At the last Protege Huddle of the 2009-2010 class, I shared some final thoughts on leadership. And as I told them at the very first huddle we shared together: Never Stop Learning. Leaders are learners. Once you have stopped learning, … Continue reading
The Porch and the Platform
I’m learning that there is a critical connection between my porch and my platform. My porch is not a metaphor. It’s quite literally my front porch, which I never imagined I would have in DC. While I technically have an … Continue reading
Leadership Can Be Lonely
At the last Protege Huddle of the 2009-2010 class, I shared some final thoughts on leadership. One thing I warned them is that leadership can sometimes be lonely. I try to always lead in teams. But sometimes, leadership can just … Continue reading
Follow Well
At the last Protege Huddle of the 2009-2010 class, I shared some final thoughts on leadership. One thing I encouraged them to do was to develop the skill of following well. If we want to lead, we must first learn … Continue reading
Book List- Discipleship and Small Groups
A few folks requested that I post book lists from previous focus years. In 2005, I focused on learning all I could about discipleship and small groups. This is not a comprehensive list (and some of them were read before/after … Continue reading
Jesus Spit
Jesus was willing to get down into the mess of life. He touched lepers, befriended despised people, and hung out with notorious sinners. One of my favorite stories about Jesus entering into the mess is found in John 9. Jesus … Continue reading
Make Disciples
For the past few weeks, we’ve been exploring this idea that community is messy– and that it’s in the midst of the mess that God brings change to our lives. Some of you are reading this today and you are … Continue reading
Wesley’s Discipleship
John Wesley had a pretty hard-hitting approach to discipleship. In many small groups today, structuring the meeting time around the following questions would be frightening to many members. But if you want to challenge your people to deeper community and … Continue reading
Small Groups are Great…?
Small groups are great…and then the people show up. Once upon a time we heard a pastor give a stirring message on the theological, ecclesiological, and practical importance of life in community and we left with a newfound conviction that … Continue reading
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