Hollywood churns out a lot of trash, but movie producers occasionally get it right. That was the case with Pay it Forward, a story portraying what can happen when we do good for others. The plot features an 11-year-old student named Trevor who is given a class project by his teacher. Trevor’s task is to [...]
What's required for authentic spiritual development and the reproductive work of making disciples of others? Author Greg Ogden addresses this question in his book Transforming Discipleship. He uses the analogy of how hothouses are used to grow plants. Ogden writes, Hothouses maximize environmental conditions so that living things can grow at a rate greater than [...]
"Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up, 'Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?'" (John 6:8) The gospels record the story of Jesus feeding thousands of people by using a little boy's sack lunch. He took the meager but willing offering [...]
Jesus practiced a very relational way of discipling people that followed his Hebrew upbringing. Western culture has been very influenced by Greek notions of teaching, however. There's an important reason for drawing this distinction. The difference has direct implications for the effectiveness of how people are discipled. In an article addressing this distinction, Paul Schutte [...]
The following excerpt has been copied by the permission of the author, Phil Downer. From his book, Eternal Impact, Investing in the Lives of Other. Eternal Impact Publishing, Signal Moutain, TN, 2005. "God has taken a risk and called us to work with Him. He wants us to take people who are far away from [...]
The following excerpt was copied from www.BibleHelp.org "Growth by multiplication is much more effective than growth by addition. Consider these two savings plans. In plan A, you add $100 to your savings every day for a month. In plan B, you put a penny into your savings on the first day, double your input the [...]
I was present for the birth of all three of our children. It was an overwhelming experience each time. Not much else compares to seeing a tiny new person born into the world. It's an awe-inspiring event that fills you with a deep sense of the reality of God and the magnificence of His creation. [...]
A friend challenged a group of believers to use care in answering the question, "Are you a Christian?" He almost always responds with another question, "What do you mean by 'Christian'?" Frequently when the inquisitor defines the term, my friend says, "No, I am not a 'Christian' as you've used the word." (For example, if [...]
Life was easier before the vending machine came to work. It's usually around 10 a.m. when the hunger pangs kick in. I used to have to suffer through them, patiently biding my time until lunch a couple of hours later. It was the better solution. Waiting to eat tests my patience and teaches perseverance, builds [...]
