Ever have one of those moments? You know, the kind where you are hit right between the eyes with something you just can’t ignore.
One of my first memories of church took place outside with a pile of dirt. I was in 1st grade and the service had finished. A group of us met out at a dirt pile by the construction site of the pastor’s house. When you put k-3rd graders by a dirt pile after sitting through church, there is a 99.9% chance dirt will take flight. Yep, within minutes a dirt clod fight broke out.
“Buddy Smith,” not his real name to protect the guilty, was a year older and destined to be a major league baseball pitcher, picked up a dirt clod and let it fly...at me.
After I came too, I had a golf ball sized lump right between my eyes. The last thing I remembered was a meteor coming my way. Needless to say, the war ended with wails of pain coming from yours truly.
The lump finally disappeared but 50 some years later, I still remember it.
I’ve had other “right between the eyes” hit. The last one happened just Wednesday as I took some time to read and pray.
“Marty, who are you discipling?” SMACK…ouch, what?
So now, I’m on a quest I can’t ignore! This quest is to get clarity on this for myself and a whole church?
What is a disciple?
What does it mean to make disciples?
Why do followers of Jesus struggle with this?
Any ideas?
I would love to hear your thoughts!
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get some ice for my head!
Marty
Discipleship is hard because it's a long, slow process that requires discipline (ah discipleship) deferred reward, clear long-term focus, sacrifice of distractions that we typically enjoy (and ensnare us), and often means following Christ through the darkness without benefit of any safety net. It is "a long-obedience in the same direction (Eugene Peterson)."
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