People talk of the sacrifice I have made in spending so much of my life in Africa. Can that be called a sacrifice which is simply acknowledging a great debt we owe to our God, which we can never repay? Is that a sacrifice which brings its own reward in healthful activity, the consciousness of doing good, peace of mind, and a bright hope of a glorious destiny?
It is emphatically no sacrifice. Rather it is a privilege. Anxiety, sickness, suffering, danger, foregoing the common conveniences of this life–these may make us pause, and cause the spirit to waver, and the soul to sink; but let this only be for a moment. All these are nothing compared with the glory which shall later be revealed in and through us. I never made a sacrifice.
Of this we ought not to talk, when we remember the great sacrifice which He made who left His Father’s throne on high to give Himself for us.
David Livingstone.
We just got some sad news that a friend of ours ended her battle with breast cancer this week. She helped us out at some events and worked at the same company as Janell. Makes me think about the hope we have in Jesus.
Today, in my class, we’ll be talking about the characteristics of good answers in counseling. We’ve pretty much been talking about questions up until now because I’ve seen a huge tendency (in myself and others) to want to “fix” a problem before we know much about it. I’ve been hammering them with good counseling starts with asking the right questions. Today, we focus on good answers.
Good answers do the following seven things: confront the pain; accept the unknown; give time to process; minister with presence; share Biblical principles; show that they are not alone in their struggles; remind how God has worked in the past. I know there are other things, but for me, these characteristics are the things that make an answer a good answer.
Below is the mind map of my notes. Click the image to see it bigger (it’s in Spanish).
Every other week, we have small groups instead of chapel at the seminary. I’m not usually a fan of the studies for the week. Not that they’re bad; they’re just not my thing. This week’s study seems pretty useful, though. It’s title is: Daily things in the life of every Christian. Here’s the list:
Just thought it would be good to share.
Here’s a definition of discipleship I came up with one day as I was thinking about the subject.
The (intentional) influence on the life of another person that helps them grow spiritually, becoming more like Christ in their character, with the purpose of reproducing themselves in the life of others.
There are a few assumptions made by this definition:
- This influence is intentional? Although not necessarily true, it will be true for those who willingly enter into a discipleship relationship. There’s a lot of influence that takes place unintentionally.
- Our life and influence is the kind that helps them grow spiritually. This implies an imitable life. A life that helps people grow. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who have influence who are not worthy of imitation.
- The person on the receiving end has the desire to be more like Christ (i.e. make the necessary changes). You can be influenced without your desire, but you will not be changed to be like Christ without this desire personally.
- The person’s change will reproduce itself in others. The change in me will affect those I influence. Will I reproduce myself? That is the goal, allowing the discipleship process to be repeated in others.
Here are a few observations:
- Every one of us leave a part of who we are in the life of the people with whom we spend time.
- The more time you spend with other people, the more like you they will be.
- Disciples learn through both seeing and listening.
Technorati Tags: discipleship youth+ministry church
Here are a few of my heroes from history:
Rich Mullins: His life, music, and example have all inspired me to truly be an arrow pointing to heaven.
Jim Elliot: His sacrifice and devotion to reach the Auca indians have inspired me to give all I can to the cause of Christ.
C.S. Lewis: His book Mere Christianity is one of the foundational works in my life.
Jonathan Edwards: One of the greatest theologians and revival preachers in history. His life is an inspiration to study and live out what you believe.
D.L. Moody: His example of devotion to Christ and his ministry and preaching are an inspiration.
Mike Yaconelli: One of the fathers of youth ministry. Yac always challenged us to rethink what we were doing both in youth ministry and in our personal spiritual lives.
It will be awesome to get to see all of these guys someday. They are some ordinary people who discovered an extraordinary God and inspired people with their extraordinary abilities.
Who are your heroes?
