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TrnscendBeyond the Limits of Discipleship

MaTT SMay


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Transcend: Beyond the Limits o Discipleship.

Copyright 2013 by Matt Smay.

Published by Missio Publishing in Littleton, CO. Visit us at

missiopublishing.com. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-0-9830864-7-5

Published in association with Samizdat Creative, a division o

Samizdat Publishing Group (samizdatcreative.com).

Distributed via Exponential Resources

Exponential is a growing movement o leaders committed to the

multiplication o healthy new churches. Exponential Resources

spotlights and spreads actionable principles, ideas and solutions

or the accelerated multiplication o healthy, reproducing aith

communities. For more inormation, visit exponential.org

Cover design: Kevin Tracy (kevintracydesign.com)

Scriptures taken rom the Holy Bible, New International

Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by

Biblica, Inc. Used by permission o Zondervan. All rights

reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The NIV and New

International Version are trademarks registered in the United

States Patent and Trademark Oce by Biblica, Inc. Also,

Scripture taken rom the New King James Version. Copyright

1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rightsreserved.

All denitions inspired rom www.merriam-webster.com.

At M Plhg MgaphA monograph is a specialized work o writing on a single subjector one aspect o a broader subject, usually by a single author.

The Monograph series will consist o short books by a wide

range o thought leaders ocused on subjects at the heart o the

missional movement.


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Contents

IntroThe Morning Run 9

Chapter 1Fishing Trip Fail 19

Chapter 2Expose 33

Chapter 3Embrace 47

Chapter 4Engage 59

Chapter 5Equip 78

Chapter 6Extend 91

Chapter 7Where Do You Start? 101

Chapter 8Conclusion 109


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I am the vine, you are the branches. He whoabides in Me, and I in him, bears much

ruit; or without Me you can do nothing. I

anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out

as a branch and is withered; and they gather

them and throw them into the fre, and they

are burned. I you abide in Me, and Mywords abide in you, you will ask what you

desire, and it shall be done or you. By this

My Father is glorifed, that you bear much

ruit; so you will be My disciples.

As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you;

abide in My love. I you keep My command-

ments, you will abide in My love, just as I

have kept My Fathers commandments and

abide in His love.

These things I have spoken to you, that My

joy may remain in you, and that your joy

may be ull (Jn 15:5-11, NKJV).


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Intro

The Morning Run

The buzz o the alarm pulls me rom my dream.

Part o my brain desperately tries to hold on to

sleep while the other hal urges me to turn o the

obnoxious noise beore it wakes my wie. Moving in

slow motion, arms leaden, brain muddled, I umble

with the supposedly intuitive touch screen, cursing

Steve Jobs under my breath, until the noise stops.

I lay in bed, thinking o all the reasons I

shouldnt get up. I am pretty sure I am coming

down with a little cold; I should get my rest. Ater

all, what kind o ather would I be i I got my girls


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sick? The oldest might even end up missing schooland dont we place a high value on education? I I

am sick I cant work, cant provide or my amily

and I have a to-do list as long as my arm.

Excuses ailing, my eet hit the foor. I sit on the

edge o the bed, searching internally or . . . drive?

Desire? Will power? Inspiration? As quietly as I amable in a mostly dark room and hal-asleep body, I

don the appropriate attire and tie up my shoes.

Walking down the stairs I can spot the coee

pot calling to me rom the counter. The chair in

the corner begs or me to sit and read the paper

with a hot mug o caeine. I know i I stop or a

cup o coee I wont make itI wont run today. In

a hal hour my girls will wake up ready to hang

out with daddy, eat a bowl o cereal and watch

some cartoons. Ater that my wie will take over

kid duty, and well talk over our plans or the day

while I nish my second mug o coee. Then it

will be work, responding to emails and returning

phone calls, meeting with people and putting out

last minute res. Home or dinner with my amily,

listening to the oldest tell me about her day at

school and the littlest chat about whatever crosses

her mind. The girls will go to bed and Ill turn on a

show, using the last part o the day to lounge with

my wie on the couch. I will go to bed without ever


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putting my sneakers to use. I will have spent myday, my time, doing good things, worthwhile things,

but not the thing I had hoped to do: run.

So, while not on the rst attempt, I do nally

make it out the door into the cool Colorado

morning. The sun almost over the mountains, the

birds chirping, and the dew on the fowers shouldall inspire me to the task at hand, but my attitude

is entirely too black to notice. I stretch my arms,

shake out my shoulders, and turn my iPod to a tune

that should get me moving, but my shoes eel lled

with concrete. My brain is still objecting, reusing

to move my body.

My legs are sti, my toes still beyond the reach

o my ngers as I try to stretch my legs. I am not

a runner. I am not one o those long, lean men

who look built or speed. It isnt that I am in bad

shape or a man days away rom his 40th year. Its

just that running doesnt come naturally to me like

it does to others. My body is strong and healthy,

just not a runners body, and I will never be able to

wear those little running shorts. Those who cant

wait to start their day by hitting the pavement, who

eel rereshed ater several miles? I am not one o

those. But what I lack in inspiration, I make up or

in knowledge.

Knowledge that I am not as young as I used to


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be. Knowledge that entropy will eventually get thebetter o me and I want to be able to play with my

grandkids someday. Knowledge that the Alzheimers

disease attacking my athers brain is genetic and I

may be able to keep it at bay by being healthy. And

to be healthy one must exercise. Knowledge that I

need time away rom the phone, computer, TV, andeverything else that vies or my attention.

Knowledge drives me orward when lack o

inspiration would have me drinking coee. Knowl-

edge drives me when ear o looking oolish would

keep me reading the paper. Knowledge laces up my

sneakers even though change is hard.

Ater the rst ew blocks my body objects loudly.

As I continue on, the sunlight burns the cobwebs

out o my brain, the black attitude gives way under

the beauty o a Colorado sunrise. My music choice

starts to inspire. My head clears, my ears open, and

God speaks.

Yes, I run as i trying to fee all the distractions

that keep me rom hearing my God. It isnt that he

doesnt speak to me otherwise, it just gets nearly

impossible to raise my head above the chaos and

noise that lie can become and really listen to him.

Running is as good or my soul as it is or my body.

I round the last corner o my route. Home is in

sight. My body is tired but ready or the day ahead.


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My soul is rereshed. Within moments o openingthe ront door to my house, my girls will be ready

to start their next adventure. I will be ready to walk

alongside them, shoes already tied.

A e callg

I grew up in the church, sitting in the back with

elders Jack and Larry while they taught me new

paper airplane designs with the bulletins. I have

heard all kinds o preaching, in all dierent parts o

the country, in all dierent denominations. I have

a heart or pastors trying to do the right thing. I

have a heart or people struggling to nd aith. I

have a heart or the next generation that will grow

up with ewer church options and ewer riends that

know God. The churchwe the people o Godis in

a special place in its lie right now, acing a similar

change or pay ultimatum as I am with my health.

I youre like me, you might have countless goals

and dreams. Surrounding those dreams are obsta-

cles and barriers that hinder your advance. You

likely even have some spiritual aspirations and

probably some thoughts on whats wrong with the

church. Or you may be ortunate to be in a great

church environment. Either way, I run into people

all the time who are discouraged that they havent


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ound or lived up to their true sense o identity andcalling. Id like to share a bit o my journey and see

i it helps you in yours. Ater all, the hardest part is

deciding to set the alarm, giving yoursel a chance

to get out o bed and lace up your shoes.

Maybe you have startedyou put on your shoes

and made it to the kitchen only to see the coeepot, and now you cant nd your way beyond break-

ast. On more than one occasion youve ound your-

sel stuck. Simply investing more o your time and

energy into your church or your community may

not have made the dierence or you. You have a

eeling theres more potential and a greater oppor-

tunity, but youre tired o ailed attempts. Adding

another New Years resolution wont compel you

beyond the comort o your kitchen.

Maybe you got as ar as the ront porch, noticed

the weather wasnt what you thought and, lacking

inspiration, you decided that youd wait or a better

opportunity. Maybe youre sitting back, hoping a

riend would take the lead, setting a time and date

with them so you cant back out. Only they havent

showed up yet so you venture back inside. No harm,

no oul. No damage done, but no one seems to

notice that your goals, dreams, aspirations, and a

deep sense o purpose and meaning have been let

at the door.


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This is a call to the body o Christ to standup and pay attention. While it is always nicer to

journey with those who share your vision, share

your passion, and eel your rustrations, it isnt

always possible. Sometimes you must become the

model or change you wish to see in those around

you.I am calling you out to lace up your running

shoes, wherever youre starting rom. I know you

may not be a leader, but I am here to tell you

what you already know deep in your heart, or you

wouldnt have picked up this book.

We the churchthe people o God, you and

meare being prodded to embrace a deeper sense

o calling, to discover our identity as disciples, as

ollowers o Jesus.

In the bookThe Tangible Kingdom, Hugh Halter

and I talk about a paradigm shit that needs to

happen. We discuss starting a new community o

believers in an organic, love-lled, Jesus-centered

reality. We talk about why change is needed and

how we have ound that we can no longer draw

hard and ast lines between us and them i we

are truly driven to go and make disciples. We look

at the nitty gritty numbers and draw some conclu-

sions about why we cant keep doing the same

things while expecting dierent results. We talk


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about what exactly has to be dierent and how weneed to rethink our worldview o the good news

o the Gospel. We describe the three components

o Kingdom DNA that we must integrate into our

livescommunion with God, incarnational commu-

nity, and mission. I any o these ideas resonate

with you, then I encourage you to check outTheTangible Kingdom.

Since writing that book, I rarely nd people who

still need to be convinced that the way we view

discipleship, community, and the purpose o the

church needs to change.Mostly, what I fnd is that

people are stuck! Stuck in their development as disci-

ples, and also rustated by the inability to make

disciples.

I cant promise that this book is the silver

bulletthe complete answer. What I believe youll

nd in this book, though, is a new ramework to

help you better understand where and how you got

stuck, and in that process youll discover a pathway

orward.

I want to help you see that you can embark with

a community o believers on the greatest adventure

o your lives. I will give you a new ramework to

use to lead yoursel, your amily, riends, commu-

nity, and church on the best run ever.

You can see this book as something o a eld


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guide, a template, a starting point in a discipleshipjourney. When aced with a way thats amiliar but

ineective, its easy to eel paralyzed. Hopeully this

book can help you get through that.

The rst thing well cover is the relational envi-

ronment in which we present the good news o the

Gospelwe call this EXPOSE.Well talk about taking truth rom head knowl-

edge to heart desirewe call this EMBRACE.

Knowing truth is dierent than living truth; at

some point you must make a sacrice to live a new

storywe call this ENGAGE.

It isnt enough to start the journey; we must

have a skillset to work romwe call this EQUIP.

Most o all, we must remain light on our eet,

able to pass love on rom generation to genera-

tion, repeating the process as we gowe call this

EXTEND.

Remember that change is never easy. Just as

your muscles will object when you rst take up

running, you might also eel oolish trying out the

new vocabulary Ill give you. You will denitely eel

vulnerable. But you are not alone. I may never be

a long-distance runner. I may never look great in

those tiny little running shorts. But I believe that,

like running, overcoming the obstacles to our aith

and calling is worth doing even though it is hard.


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So push through. Push past the ear, the sorenessthat comes with muscle growth. Doing whats right

matters more than being comortable, so lace up

and lets do this.


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Chpter 1

Fishing Trip Fil

Fish dont talk, and that may be one o my avorite

things about them.

On the social continuum, I land somewhere

between an introvert and extrovert. I love being

with people, being in relationship, and living in

community. It is my calling, and at the risk o

sounding dramatic and sel-important, it is what

God has tasked me with. I nd joy in developing

people. Until I dont.

And then I max out, going down in fames like

the Hindenburg. Gone is my easy-going nature,


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replaced by a surly, impatient, snappy counterpart.It is at this point my wie kicks me out o the

house, and I go commune with the sh.

That was the plan when I let the house early

one morning. A day spent relaxing on one o the

best fy-shing rivers around. Just me, the Colo-

rado sunshine, running water, and some sh. Itpromised to be a perect day.

I had decided to drit the river that morning in

my small pontoon boat. This complicated the trip a

bit, but I was pretty sure I could solve the problem

by dropping my bike o where I hoped to nish

my foat. At the end o the day, Id stash the boat,

ride my bike back to the truck, and grab my boat

on the way out. No problem.

I stopped the truck at a place by the river that

I knew well. I hauled the bike out o the truck

and ound a good tree near some bushes where

I could secure it. As I chained up my bike, the

key broke in the lock. Despite my best McGyver-

ing, I couldnt seem to make it work. I was about

to give up when I was distracted by a bug on my

leg. I looked down to brush it o and noticed it

wasnt a bug, but a whole lotta bugs. In my haste,

I had kneeled down on a red ant hill. I imme-

diately jumped up and started beating my pant

legs, trying to get the nasty little buggers o as


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they worked their way into my socks. I am sure ianyone was watching me, their rst thought would

not have been, Look at that guy out or a relaxing

day shing, but, Who let crazy out? And why is

he dancing and screaming like a girl by the river?

Deciding that most people who like rivers

are naturally honest and I wouldnt need a lockanyway, I hid the bike and headed back to the

truck. As I pulled up to the spot where I would

drop the boat, I overheard one o the other fy

shermen talking about a guy who would shuttle

your truck down the river or you, park it, and

leave the keys under the mat, all or a low ee o

ten dollars. That would have been nice to know

one ant hill ago.

I quickly jumped in on the conversation, and

in no time passed the guy my truck keys. Happy

to have such an easy solution present itsel, I was

ready to start my day o rejuvenation. Standing by

the river with my boat, patting mysel on the back

or my creative problem-solving, my truck drove

o . . . with all my shing gear still in the back.

Hat in hand, all back-patting orgotten, I

explained my plight to another sherman who

graciously agreed to drive me to my truck to

retrieve the shing gear. I pretended to not notice

his smirk. This day was not going as plannedthis


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was not relaxing and certainly was not improvingmy mood.

Fishing gear retrieved, I was nally ready to

start my day on the river when I noticed two men.

One was getting his boat prepared to launch like

me, setting up rods and lines, and tying on the rst

fy o the day. The other was standing on the shore,watching.

The one watching asked, So, what is that yellow

line?

Without hesitating, the rst man replied with

innite patience, That would be your fy line.

It was obviously a guide with a newbie out or a

day on the river. The guide knew just what needed

to be done. He took care o preparations, made sure

all supplies were gathered, and was happy to pass

out tips along the way.

And thats when it hit me. Even though I have

a ton o shing experience, enough to be a guide

in another lie, what I needed that morning was a

guide o my own. Someone who took care o all the

details, not because I was incompetent, but because

no matter the level o experience and the hours

spent with fy rod in hand, at some point we all run

into new and unique situations, and like me that

morning, we nd ourselves in need o a guide.


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A ge

As I look back over my lie, specically my Chris-

tian lie, I nd this isnt the rst time Ive needed

a guide. Every time I start to lose my way, God

sends someone along to show me the path again.

Thats sort o Gods way. He has a long historyo providing guides to those who are struggling.

From Mosesthe guide who led the Israelites out

o the desert to the promised landto the Prophets

and Judgesinstruments o Gods correction and

rescueto Jesus himselwho taught people a new

way to live and see the worldproviding guides

seems to be Gods m.o.

To understand what we need to change, we need

to be clear on what isnt working. Opinions about

whats wrong with Christianity and the church are

like mosquitoes on a humid, summer dayplentiul,

oten obnoxious, and likely to leave everyone irri-

tated and itchy. So I will try to keep this brie and

to the point.

I dont believe the heart o the church is the

problem. I rmly believe that todays church leaders

have a heart or the lost, the needy, the struggling,

and everyone in between. I the churchs growth

was based solely on the love church leaders have or

people, it would be unstoppable. Unortunately, the


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churchs growth is not even on the up-tick, whichmeans we have a problem on our hands.

Chch te

Back in the early 1900s, church was oten the

cultural and social heart o a community. It seemedlike everyone went, even i they didnt want to,

because it would be hard to explain over and over

again to all your amily and riends why you didnt

go. My grandpa came to aith in this era and started

a amily legacy. Its a simple storya member o a

small church happened to invite my grandpa to a

service during a ve-minute conversation as they

were pumping gas. I only things were that easy now.

The industrial revolution really shook things up in

America. The rapid expansion o trains, automobiles,

and actories created a new world, and those tight-

knit communities spread out. Suburban sprawl took

fight. Churches could no longer be the pulse o the

town.

And then there were the 60sa time when kids

threw away the belies and traditions their parents

held dear, including organized religion. Another

strike against the churchs cultural signicance.

Christians have a beat-up reputation. Not all

undeserved. We the church are supposed to be the


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ones extending love and blessing to all people. Wecan spend time arguing the whys and pointing

ngers, but thats been done and has led nowhere.

Those outside the church dont get it and those inside

the church cant seem to x it. There is no shortage

o books that have been written on the topic. The

best number crunchers have given us some helpul, iconficting, data. However, they all point to a steady

and gradual decline in church attendance.

A well-researched article on church attendance

called 7 Startling Facts: An Up Close Look at

Church Attendance in America by Rebecca Barnes

and Lindy Lowry, states,

I present trends continue, the percentage

o the population that attends church in

2050 is estimated to be at almost hal o

1990s attendancea drop rom 20.4% to

11.7%.

Reading this can be pretty discouraging, but you

likely are beyond talking about it. I you are like

most people, you have invested countless hours in

your church, in your own spiritual development, and

youd like to side step the debates and start doing

something about it.


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* * *

The v

Fatherhood is lie changing in ways I never could

have predicted. I mean, I assumed I would get less

sleep. That I would love my kids in a crazy way.

That real ree time might be a thing o the past.

What I wasnt expecting was all the ways that Goduses my girls over and over in my lie to give me a

glimpse o himsel and his plans or the uture.

I remember watching my oldest daughter in the

bath. She was all o three months old and we were

so sleep deprived yet ascinated by this new little

person who monopolized every moment. I watched

as she failed and fopped her arms and legs. She

had no idea that they were even hers, let alone that

they could work fuidly together. She would catch

one st with the opposing hand and concentrate

until she brought it to her mouth only to have it

fy out o her grasp and have to start the process

all over again. She kicked her eet in rustration,

splashing water in her ace, and bath time ended in

screams and tears.

I think o that as I watch her swimming now,

using arms and legs to propel hersel through the

water, blowing bubbles, laughing and clapping.

What a dierence ve years can make. But it was

a process to get to this point. There was a ear


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o water or a while, understanding how her bodymoved under it, coordinating the breathing, keeping

it out o her nose.

We as Christ-ollowers go through an entire

journey o development. Even though we desire

to run, swim, and claim to be Christ-centered, we

all start like a three-month-old baby. All o thedierent limbs akimbo, dierent ideas and expecta-

tions failing around, with lots o energy and very

little impact. We hopeully go through all the stages

to nally reach a place o ulllment and purpose,

having developed as a ully-ormed ollower o

Christ. It takes lots and lots o time, though. There

are no short-cuts in our spiritual journey.

I am sure God, as our ather, looks down on

us and has moments like I did with my girls

watching, waiting, wondering how they will grow,

what they will excel at, and what our relationship

will be like once they learned to talk.

Identiying a proper and healthy Kingdom

perspective is the rst challenge. We need to set

our eyes individually and collectively on one grand

and common vision or our lives. I am thankul

God already has addressed this problem. He knew

i we were let to our own devices we would fail

about, splashing water until we were so worked up

and soggy that we couldnt accomplish anything. So


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God, in his innite wisdom, provided us perspectiveand a vision or his ollowers.

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee,

to the mountain where Jesus had told

them to go. When they saw him, they

worshiped him; but some doubted.Then Jesus came to them and said, All

authority in heaven and on earth has

been given to me. Thereore go and

make disciples o all nations, baptizing

them in the name o the Father and

o the Son and o the Holy Spirit, and

teaching them to obey everything I have

commanded you. And surely I am with

you always, to the very end o the age.

(Mat 28:16-20, NIV).

I am sure you are amiliar with this passage. It is

oten called the Great Commission and is one o the

oundational passages o the missional movement.

This is where Jesus lays it all on the line, making it

clear what we as the church are supposed to do

grow and go. Simple. A nice, clean vision statement.

Love Jesus, love others.

First theres the GROW. This is disciple-making

a process whereby we help each other to become


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more like Jesus, to love more ully, to trust Godwith everything. This is the growing that the

passage calls or. The bride o Christ. The true body.

Love in motion. Choosing to deal with the ugly sin

and choices that keep us rom living a ull lie in a

proactive way. And through that constant process

o development well see amilies changed, relation-ships restored, lives transormed, and a church on

the move. Ultimately, we would leave no part o our

world untouched by this beautiul, unolding story.

Then there is the GO.

He isnt talking to a select group o top-notch

believers. This isnt or those who have all the

answers. This is a mission or every believer, anyone

who says Jesus matters to them, anyone who wants

to share his heart. Mission is a posture you take

toward the world, a way o seeing lie.

As I sat through church sermons as a kid, I was

always a bit petried that God would someday want

me to do something I didnt want to do. Pastor

Paul would tell stories o how he was called into

ministry. A tragic accident let him paralyzed below

the waist and since he just graduated rom high

school, he was angry and upset at God. Strangely,

in the sincerity o his rustration, God was there in

his lie, okay with the honest eelings o pain and

sorrow. Sometimes we nd God when and where


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we least expect. We seem to place God in a nice,neat box most o the time, araid to deal with him

toe-to-toe, as i well somehow oend him or not

live up to His expectations. I you nd yoursel

eeling that way, you should spend some time in

the Psalms. Im always intrigued by the authentic

relationship David develops with God, and theresnothing neat and tidy about it.

I eventually experienced my own seasons o

going toe-to-toe with God. I tend to wrestle with

God when I dont see things rom a proper perspec-

tive. Perhaps I was right to ear Gods call because it

eventually changed my dreams and aspirations, but

it turns out His purposes are way more ullling,

much more rewarding, and entirely more enjoyable

than I expected!

There is one word that too oten creates a unda-

mental problem with our perspective on what it

means to be a Christianministry. This word has

become synonymous with those brave souls who

choose to go to seminary, get a Bible education,

and take up a church-related occupation. Thereore,

ministry and disciple-making are perceived to be

the role o proessionals, those who get paid to do

the work.

So rst things rst, we need to redene what

ministry is. Checking back with our good riend,


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the Bible dictionary, we nd this denition:

One who serves another. Gods call to

Abram (Gen. 12) contains the ounda-

tions o ministry. Gods promise was

to begin with Abram and Sarai and

rom them make a nation God wouldbless, which would be a blessing to all

nations. The English words minister or

ministry appear as translation o the

Hebrew wordsharatthat literally means

to wait on or serve as Joseph did

or Potiphar (Gen. 39:4; Exod. 24:13; 1

Sam. 2:11).1

Ministry describes our roles as the people o God,

living a lie o service to God as we have been sent

by him. This is what it means to be missional. It

is the choice we make to put service to others at the

very core o who we are.

That is also the center o this booktaking your

call more seriously, starting wherever you are and

bringing ocus and vision back to the core o your

1 Bond, S. (2003). Minister, Ministry. In C. Brand, C.

Draper, A. England, E. R. Clendenen & T. C. Butler (Eds.),Holman Illu strated Bible Dictionar y (C. Brand, C. Draper,A. England, E. R. Clendenen & T. C. Butler, Ed.) (1134).Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.


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lie: Go and Make, Love Jesus and Love Others.This is a simple call that we are each given. No

more waiting around or someone to do the work

or you or to x all the issues with the church.

It seems so simple. However, I do understand

the dilemmaweve gotten so accustomed to letting

the pros do the work that we lack the skills. Oten,even with the best intentions, we just cant seem to

nail the how.

How do we help people shake o the cultural

values o independence and consumerism and

replace them with an insatiable need to love and

serve others while growing each day to be more like

Jesus?

This is where I want to help you, I want to step

in as a guide, not the guy who has it all gured out

and is presenting the right way to develop disci-

ples. I want to take what Jesus did and said and

lay it out, neat and clean, as a pathway or personal

development.

What we are called to is the simplest message

o love that has more lie changing power than any

other adventure you might ever embark upon. And

it all starts with making riends.


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Chpter 2

Expose

World of Glitter

I live in a house ull o womenone ull grown

whom I convinced to be my wie many years ago,

and two who have a air amount o growing let

to do. This means I live in a house ull o shoes,

dresses, and things that sparkle with lots o pink.

Then there is the glitter.

I have come to believe that glitter is the parasite

o the crating world. My youngest daughter has a

love o all that sparkles and no picture is complete

without a splash o glitter. With the dexterity o a


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three-year-old, she gets glitter in all sorts o places.Do you know how hard it is to act manly when

your hunting rife sparkles and your fy rod shim-

mers in the sun?

I cant help but think o the impact the church

could have i we all acted like glitter. What i we

let the shine o Christs love everywhere we went?What i I was intentional about spreading the

Kingdom, like glitter, everywhere I went? Would

I leave a sparkling trail when I volunteered as

a classroom parent or when I cheered with the

other parents at my kids soccer game? Would

the barista who makes my coee shimmer a little

more brightly because I remembered her name and

asked how her kid was doing? What i I just let

my glitter, the love o Christ, at home in a drawer?

I am sure I might accidentally leave a sparkle here

and there, but my world would lack an intentional

shimmer, and the people around me would not

experience the good news o the Kingdom.

I want to spread the love o God in my world

like my daughter spreads glitter on every art

project that crosses her path. She uses it with

vigor, excitement, love, and a ull conviction that it

really does make everything better. In this way, I

want to intentionally make riends and enter into

relationship with those in my sphere o infuence,


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and spread a little glitter and a lot o good newsalong the way.

Friends. The people you call when you have

an extra ticket to a game or need a buddy to go

golng with. Those who play at your poker table.

The amily you go camping with. The one who

brings over a meal when you have a new baby.The person who cries with you over the death o

a amily member, who laments a bad day at work

with a lousy boss with you, who understands your

sense o humor, and even laughs at your jokes.

Real relationship. This is the meat and potatoes o

lie.

We were created or relationship. First, with

our creator and God. Second, with others. So why

can it be so hard? Our culture has taught us that

we should be independent, that i we work hard

enough we can do it ourselves. I needing other

people seems weak, needing an unseen God to

save us seems especially crazy. But our culture

is propping up a myth. Without the strength to

be vulnerable we ail to develop real relationships

with those around us. In the end, we become

lonelya rising epidemic in our culture today.

Lives change in relationship. When we enter

into relationship with God, we suddenly have our

worldview radically shi ted. Our lives go rom


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being all about us to serving a hurting world withlove in the name o Jesus. I the world doesnt

know o our love then it will not be willing to

listen to our words, or his.

I you dont know your neighbors names, I bet

they are not that interested in hearing about your

loving God. I you havent had your coworkersto your home or dinner, they might not really

want to come with you to your Bible study. When

we show people we are willing to love them in

THEIR environment they are much more willing

to consider being part o ours.

A new commandment I give to you,

that you love one another; as I have

loved you, that you also love one

another. By this all will know that you

are My disciples, i you have love or

one another (Jn 13:24-25, NKJV).

This scripture is a key to discipleship: living

into this lie o love we have received and now

share with others. It states that our act o love will

identiy us to the world. That love is what we are

to expose to others.


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ExPosE

What does it mean, this word expose? The

dictionary denes it:

epe

to lay open to something specied. to pres-

ent to view; exhibit; display. to make known,

disclose, or reveal.

While it might seem obvious, there are many things

a person can be exposed to: a new type o ood, a

new piece o technology, or an entirely new para-

digm or lie. In this book I am attempting to expose

you to a subtle paradigm shit in the way we view

the Christian discipleship process. This paradigm is

ounded on the premise that we serve a truly loving

God that has conquered the penalties o sin through

his Son. The truly good news o the Kingdom is that

we can now have an eternal relationship with God.

For God so loved the world that he gave

his one and only Son, that whoever

believes in him shall not perish but have

eternal lie. For God did not send his Son

into the world to condemn the world, but

to save the world through him.


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Jesus traveled about rom one town andvillage to another, proclaiming the good

news o the kingdom o God (Jn 3:16-17,

NIV).

In the scriptures above, we can see that Jesus is the

one doing the exposing or the purpose o revealingthe new truth meant to move us toward a relation-

ship with him. I was rst exposed to this knowl-

edge o the Gospel as a young child, and that truth

continues to transorm my lie.

Unortunately, we most oten think o disciple-

making as simply exposing people to inormation

about God, rather than the ull narrative o the

Gospel that has been shaped by countless stories

across thousands o years, including your story.

While knowing God certainly requires knowl-

edge, this is just the beginning o a dynamic rela-

tionship between God and us.

Like any love relationship, the nuances that

shape a discipleship environment vary, but it oten

involves signicant time to develop. I you think

back to how you came to know Christ, what did

that process look like? Did a parent or riend expose

you to Gods love? Did your circumstances drive

you to a point o desperationa place where God

exposed his love in some unique and tangible way?


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Did you stumble into an environment where Godwas the center o the conversation? All o these

questions are meant to get you thinking about your

own journey and how you were initially exposed to

the love o God.

Understanding your journey and relationship

with God can help shape how you communicate itto others. For example, i you were going to expose

someone to the thing you most enjoy, how would

you do it? Would you make them read a book about

it, take a class on the subject, go hear someone

speak about it, or would you take them with you

to do it? The context o relationships might be the

most essential aspect o the expose process.

It is very comortable to simply attend a good

church service. It eels like an easy place to hear

Gods voice. Everyone is there or the same reason,

to love on the same God. It can be a great place

to get exposed to God, and in times past it might

have been the best place. The problem that we now

ace is that its not the best environment to demon-

strate Gods love to others who may not already be

searching or him.

The problem with relying so heavily on church

services and leaders to do the exposing is that

it is inecient. Much o what holds back the

church is its inability to mobilize its most valuable


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resourcethe people o God. Im not talking aboutmaking everyone something theyre not. Im talking

about helping every ollower o Jesus discover their

identity and calling as people entrusted with the

good news o the Gospel, living a liestyle o love in

relationship with those inside and outside the aith.

Evmet f elathp

The other day I read a Facebook post o a riend

o a riend. She is married with children and she

and her husband thought they might want to take

their kids to church or the rst time. But she was

wondering how to go about it. She posted some

interesting questions: What was the etiquette?

Could they show up to a church unannounced

or did they need to wait or an invitation? What

church should she go to? Was it okay to bring the

kids?

I was impressed and appalled at the same time.

I was so impressed by this womans bravery to talk

about this on Facebook. How many others have

wanted to add a level o spiritual awareness to their

amily lie but didnt know how to start? How many

ended up doing nothing? But I was also ashamed.

How did we get to this point? How did Gods people

become so dicult to connect with?


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It simply demonstrates that this is a new day.No longer do many people eel that church is a

comortable and neutral environment. People need

an invitation. Lives are changed through relation-

ship and you cannot infuence people you are not

invested in.

My dad came to aith as a teenager ater twosisters had invited him and his brother to their

youth group. My dad would have been considered

one o those troubled teens, having grown up in a

very dicult home ater losing his mom when he

was young. My dad had stumbled into this youth

group chasing a girl that would later become his

wie (my mom). It was in this environment that he

was exposed to the love o Jesus or the rst time

through a relationship with a man named Jack,

the same man that had invited my grandather to

church more than ten years earlier, the same man

who demonstrated love to me as a young boy in the

back o the church.

When we talk about exposing people to a new

way o thinking, environment matters. Relationships

matter. You can only develop meaningul relation-

ship when people are in an environment where they

eel sae enough to be themselves. Which means

you need to be yoursel, in all o your joy and pain

and wisdom and dysunction. Its easy to get caught


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putting on our happy church people mask to hideour brokenness rom others. But without authen-

ticity, real relationships cant be ormed. Without

authentic relationships people cant be exposed to

the lie-changing love o Christ.

Epe t a ew tth

I remember the conversation clearly. It was one

o those lie-changing moments that gets seared

into your brain. I was young and in college. I had

recently gone through a very ugly break up with

my anc. I was spending weekends at home,

showing up at my parents church, building relation-

ships with some teenagers that needed a big brother

gure.

One day a riend pulled me aside and said,

Maybe you should go into ministry.

I was stunned. I thought, What?! Are you kidding

me?! I am going to college to get a business degree and

am already making plans to expand the third generation

amily business. I am not exactly an extrovert or pastor

type. Im pretty sure I wouldnt be any good at it.

I said, Seriously, I think you MUST be thinking

o someone else.

But the idea stuck.

Here was a man who knew me. He had been


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there during a tough season in my lie. He knewwhere I was and what I was going through. He saw

my hurt rom the engagement that had dramatically

ended, leaving me reeling and wondering what to

do with all my plans and dreams.

He was the man who watched me stumble into

starting a junior high youth ministry at my parentschurch. He understood my rustration at the poorly

run program, the act there were more kids hanging

out at the park across the street than attending the

church, and he listened to me gure out my vision

or what it could become i I just gave it some time

and energy. He watched it succeed and he watched

me learn to trust mysel again, to dream, laugh,

and develop new relationships.

And now he thought I should consider doing it

or lie. As a calling. As a career.

I it were anyone else, I would have laughed the

idea away. I even told him so, God would have

to strike me with lightning beore I would go into

ministry. But I had a relationship with this man,

and I knew he only wanted good things in my lie.

Here he was, exposing me to an idea I never would

have otherwise considered.

God uses all kinds o things to expose us to a

new truth. He oten uses amily, riends, and even

acquaintances to challenge us to think in a new


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way. Sometimes a new idea is exposed in a still,small voicea nagging idea that wont get out o

our head. God will use the Bible again and again

to bring things to mind that we need to deal with.

Sometimes its a book we have read, a song on the

radio, or a conversation weve had. I know that I

can be a little thick and God has to use all o theabove.

Sometimes its a crisis. We humans have a git

or busily strolling through lie, happily accepting

the status quo until we run smack into a wall. We

lose our job, a relationship ends, a health issue

emerges, or someone passes away. Or he uses the

less dramatic but wearying bumps in lie such as

tension at home, struggles with a rebellious child,

or the stress o balancing lie and career. Sometimes

we have to slow down enough to even notice that

God is trying to help us grow.

Even though you have already made the choice

to love and ollow Jesus, you are not o the hook

or exposure. You could be on the rst step o a

new journey! Choosing to be a Christ-ollower

or ministry leader is just one o many continual

choices you will be aced with. I continue to cycle in

and out o vocational ministry, and sometimes Im

late to catch the next season o change.

God is a good God who moves people through


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relationship. At the same time you are using yourlie and service to expose others to Christs love, you

will be exposed to ideas, truths, and opportunities

to deepen your walk with Christ. God loves you too

much to allow you to remain stagnant.

This is a call to listen. Let yoursel be exposed

to new ideas and truths. Let God show you how hewants you to grow.

Epe t chage

You have elt it in your soul or some time. Others

have talked about it. Now is the time or inten-

tional movement. You know, deep down, that your

pathway o discipleship could be dierent. It could

be better. It could be more impactul. And it starts

with you!

We are designed or a journey o imagination,

creativity, and inspiration. We need to help each

other understand that God is always in the midst

o change. Whether change comes rom good or

bad circumstances, we have a God who delights in

turning all things into good or those that love him

(Romans 8:28).

It might be that change in our lives hasnt

happened in years because we lack aith that change

can be good or us, required o us, and the biggest


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step toward aithulness. Its time to challenge theway things are doneso go buck the status quo and

nd someone willing to go on the adventure with

you!


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Chpter 3

Embrce

Lightnings Call

I listened to my sister, who is a doctor, inter-

pret the medical jargon as my mom did her best

to ll us in on what dads doctors had told her. I

sat there nodding, not sure what to think or eel.

When a loved one is diagnosed with something like

Alzheimers disease, so many things go through

your head. What will the next couple o years be

like? How ast am I going to lose my relationship

with my dad? What do I tell my kids? How can I

help? Shock. Dismay. And then a bit o an, Oh,


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so thats why . . . And, then all the thoughts spinround again.

When I heard that there is a risk o the disease

being passed down genetically, I thought, Is this

my uture too?

Ater we had time to process my athers diag-

nosis, my wonderul wie sat me down. Sheexplained, lovingly but with no room or argument,

that some changes needed to be made. I there was

anything we could do to reduce the risks or me, we

were going to pursue them. She wasnt going to lose

me this way, not i she could help it.

It isnt that my health is bad. Sure, I have some

allergies. And I suppose i I was born in an age

beore modern medicine I wouldnt have made it

this ar, but I dont exactly eel like I live in the

shadow o the grim reaper or anything.

A little bit o research shows that we have some

control over Alzheimers disease. I could change

my diet, manage my stress levels, keep my brain

healthy, stay activeall things that can help ght

against this traitorous genetic code.

When my wie gets an idea in her head, its

best to just go along. It isnt that she is conronta-

tional, because she doesnt have an aggressive bone

in her body. Its just that when she has made a

choice about something this important, shes going


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to stick to it. She had quickly and decisively becomeproactive, and our amily was no longer taking our

health or granted.

I like to think that I live the way most do. Occa-

sional ast ood junk. A ridge containing some ruit

and veggies, but also some things that would be less

likely to all into the category o health conscious.The ull-sized reezer in the garage ull o red meat

doesnt help my cause. Plus, I dont always manage

stress well or eat a balanced dietI really do preer

a big ol chunk o red meat and something with

protein, but I was ar rom unhealthy. Maybe a

little soter than in my 20s, but I still workout and

stay active.

My wie said being ne or good enough

wasnt good enough. This is my health. This was

whether or not I would have the chance to watch

my grandkids get married someday. This was her

not wanting to grow old by hersel. Good wasnt

enough when you could have better. I was exposed

to a new world o ruits and vegetables, behavior

modiication and exercise, stress management

and goal setting. I was exposed to a new way o

thinking about my choices in lie.

The contents o my rerigerator began to change.

Veggies have never really been my thing, but they

started showing up on my plate and I ound they


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werent as bad as I thought. The brown bread wasedible too. I suppose grilled chicken breasts never

hurt anyone. All o a sudden I was eating whole

grain noodles mixed into the normal nutritionally

devoid white ones. Then there were the contents o

the kitchen. A lot more colorul things that grow,

and a lot less items that come in a box.At this point I could have dug in my heals. I

could have thrown a t and made a stink about

how grumpy I was about the loss o my bee jerky.

I was aced with a choiceembrace the new way o

living or revert back into old habits and behaviors.

And then there was my dad. I needed to stop

and understand what I would be dealing with. Not

just understand the inormation, but really let it

sink into my heart. Dealing with emotions is not

something Im good at. I needed to get my head

around what the immediate uture looked like, to

see the long-term allout o a disease or which

there is no cure. I started by doing what Im good

at, serving my dad in every way possible. Fixing

up his house and helping him move so he could be

closer to amily was the rst big hurdle, but there

was a lot o work let i I wanted to come to terms

with the reality o things.


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EMbrACE

The word embrace, by its very nature, is a eeling

word. It brings to mind a hug, being wrapped up.

We are talking about eelings, about the heart, and

getting wrapped up in an idea.

emace

to take or receive gladly or eagerly; accept

willingly: to embrace an idea.

to avail onesel o: to embrace an opportunity.

to adopt (a proession, a religion, etc).

to take in with the eye or the mind.

In the Expose chapter, we talked about the eects

o being exposed to the love o God and the good

news o the Kingdom that comes through Christ-

centered relationships. Once exposed to this love, it

may trigger some emotional reactions, because that

is what real relationships do. When we are loved

without condition, with Christs love, people notice.

We can all think o a moment in our lives when

something got our attention. When an idea we had

been ddling with in the back o our minds started

to demand our undivided attention. A moment

when we were aced with a choice, a ork in the

road. A time when our hearts stirred us and we

chose a path.


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* * *

Hw e th happe?

When you have been exposed to an idea in an envi-

ronment o love and you recognize that its time to

take the next step to own the idea, a ew things

must happen. First o all, you must eel discontent

with where you are, that what you are currentlydoing is lacking. I had to take a look at my liestyle

with the lens o my uture and my athers illness

beore deciding I wanted something dierent.

Being discontent with where we are does nothing

but make us grumpy i we dont understand where

we are trying to go. So, you must also have a vision.

I had to have a vision o mysel in twenty years,

enjoying my grandkids and being healthy enough to

run and play with them. I had to understand what

I truly desired, what was my hope.

The last bit o embracing involves gaining

enough knowledge and understanding to make

an inormed decision about the uture. For me, it

was pasta and running shoesI knew I needed to

start with small diet changes and nd a way to be

more active. Sitting on the couch cheering or the

Broncos while eating hot wings was not going to

get me where I wanted to be. But I needed a ew

steps to get there.


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53

Feelg ctet

The current American culture tells us, You are

most important. The message is that all choices

should be made according to what makes me most

comortable, what gets me the most money, and

what makes me look and eel the best. A job that

requires everything rom me and leaves nothingor my amily is worth it i it makes me rich. We

have embraced an idea o entitlement that implies

we should never have to deal with discomort o

any type. We attempt to sel-medicate it away with

busyness, comort, entertainment, drugs, alcohol, or

money. All o the big promises leave us eeling so

empty.

God calls us into a dierent story. A story where

He loves us more than words. A story in which he

calls us into a Kingdom reality that has signicance,

meaning, and purpose beyond our own ambitions.

When we choose to live Gods story and not our

own, people notice. When we choose to love in a

sacricing and radical way, heads turn, and people

are aced with the choice to embrace a bigger story

o God in their liea choice to join a loving rela-

tionship with the Creator o the Universe.

For us to eel discontent enough in our own lie

to make this choice, we must rst see and experi-

ence the Kingdom liestyle lived out.


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* * *

Emacg a callg

I remember going home that night I was exposed

to the idea o going into vocational ministry. It was

such a ridiculous idea, but it bounced around my

head like a superball. I could think o a million

reasons why the ministry was a terrible t or me.But the idea rubbed, and despite my very best eort

to go to bed and get some sleep, I was wide awake

and questioning.

That night there was a huge thunderstorm. The

kind I couldnt have slept through had I been able to

all asleep. It was the kind o storm that draws you

to a window to bear witness. The kind o lightning

that looks and eels like the world is bursting at the

seams. The kind o power that reminds you how

big God is and how little you are. It reminded me

o another time I had stood at that same window

as a small child, watching a similar storma bolt

o lightning struck a small pole in our backyard,

blowing out our kitchen window one room over.

That memory brought to mind my statement, God

would have to strike me with lightning beore I

would become a pastor.

By mornings rst light, I had decided my calling

was to embrace a lie o ministry.

And I vowed to never use that phrase again,


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because he just might take me up on it.When we talk about embrace in regards to

someone who is searching, we are talking about an

I get it moment. Some call it an altar call, the

moment when all this God talk nally resonates

and a choice is made to ollow a Savior. Sometimes

this moment is like an electrical storm and it getseveryones attention with a bang. Other times the

embracing is a slow and gentle, but no less holy,

experience. There comes a moment in everyones lie

when they will make a choice to live or God or

not. Our God is a God o grace and so oten he will

repeatedly extend his hand or relationship.

As a Christ-ollower, it is our role to love on

those we are in relationship with and to pray or

God to lead their hearts to him. Our goal is to

embrace our role as disciples and disciple-makers,

exposing others to his love so that he can whisper

to their hearts.

As Christians we will again and again nd

ourselves exposed to ideas, to our ailings and our

callings. Oten, it seems like God chooses one area

o our lives at a time to really work on. As we live

in community with others who are loving God, we

too nd ourselves with a choice.

With each exposure, we must decide to embrace

or walk away. Our God oten gives us many


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opportunities to embrace a truth, but it still comesdown to God and us. Will our heart own the truth

God is trying to teach?

Emacg cmmty

As we walk with others in our community toembrace a new truth and walk away rom a

comortable and amiliar way o living, we must be

willing to get our hands dirty. It hurts to change

and when people hurt they are not always at their

best. That is okay. We need to shed the idea that

the Christian community is a place where you come

once you have it all gured out, and rather embrace

a come as you are environment.

Its time to be real. Its time to be vulnerable.

Its time to admit that we are all just pilgrims on a

journey. God is working in everyones lie. No one

has all the answers. Failings can be conessed with

humility and a deep, soul-longing desire to change.

We bear each others burdens in Christ, knowing we

are all broken and deeply woundedbut this is what

brings us together, not pushes us apart.

The joy we have in Christ is that while we were

yet sinners, God loved us enough to give every-

thing. He said we are worthy o his all, so we must

embrace that. We must embrace each other with


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the ull Gospel message that we are all injured andneed a Savior. I we embrace this truth, God will

meet us there.

We engage each other with grace and under-

standing. We know patience and perseverance. We

willingly mourn with the hurt and broken, serve

those who are unable to help themselves, and liveully the love o Christ in each others lives. We

choose to live the lie o the blessed and embrace

each season or what it is.

The G-gve tak

What prot has the worker rom that in

which he labors? I have seen the God-

given task with which the sons o men

are to be occupied. He has made every-

thing beautiul in its time. Also He has

put eternity in their hearts, except that

no one can nd out the work that God

does rom beginning to end.

I know that nothing is better or them

than to rejoice, and to do good in their

lives, and also that every man should eat

and drink and enjoy the good o all his


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laborit is the git o God (Ecl 3:1-13,NKJV).

Seasons change. Lives are lived in fux. Plans

are interrupted, callings are adjusted and yet truth

remains. For the third time in my adult lie, I am

technically not in vocational ministry. I am noton the payroll o any church. The truth in my lie

hasnt changed just because my career has been

tweaked. I am still called to embrace others, ollow

ater deeper truths God is leading me to, and, above

all, to seek him. Even though I am not a vocational

minister, I am servingmy ministry as a missionary

is ripe. Even though I dont have pastor on my

business card, I am called to shepherd those who

God has placed in my lie. Even though many o my

daytime hours are lled with business, I am called

to embrace deep and meaningul relationships.

I have ound the passage above rom Ecclesi-

astes to be calming throughout my lie o ministry.

My calling has not changed, but oten the seasons,

vocations, and relationships ebb and fow. The call

is to embrace the season youre in. Find others to

walk through it with you, and realize the truth that

youre never alone.


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Chpter 4

Engge

A New Leaf

I didnt realize that there are two types o 5 a.m.

There is the shing 5 a.m. where you roll out o

bed with a smile on your ace and try to keep rom

whistling while you brew your coee so you dont

wake the wie and kids. You sneak out o the house

with time to spare and a sunny outlook on the day

despite the un-risen sun.

And then there is the other kind. The running 5

a.m. Rumor has it some people love this 5 a.m.I

am not one o them. I dislike having to roll out


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rom under my nice warm covers, tie on my runningshoes, and abuse my body by beating my eet repeat-

edly against the pavement.

But I do it anyway.

That rst days run was hard, and though I would

like to say it got easier, it wasnt the truth. That rst

day I went running wasnt pretty. I had no orm.My muscles objected to the rough treatment. Fishing

doesnt leave me eeling like this. Fishing is worth

rolling out o bed or.

When I stumbled back home, I wanted nothing

more than a hot shower, a cup o coee the size o

my head, and bacon. Or sausage. Or biscuits and

gravy. I settled or a shower, a reasonably sized mug,

and a bowl o crunchy, brown, healthy fakes o

something topped with blueberries and low-at milk.

Change is hard. It hurts. At times I wonder

i it is worth it. I look at my girls and my wie,

remember my promise to mysel that I will enter

this next generation o lie in the best health I am

able, and I press on. One painul run by one bowl o

salad by one day at a time.

EnGAGE

The word engage brings to mind pictures o a happy

couple, madly in love, grasping hands with sparkling


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diamonds proudly displayed. A couple who is readyto meet head-on the new world o married couple-

dom. A bachelor ready to start putting the seat

down and hanging up his towel, all or the love o

a good woman. A couple who, with hindsight, real-

izes they really had no idea what it meant or two to

become one.This image isnt ar o the mark. When we use

the word engage, we are talking about the mindul,

intentional, and purposeul leaving behind o one

way o lie to embrace a new way.

egage

To pledge or promise, especially to marry.

To attract and hold the attention o; engross.

To draw into; involve. To enter or bring into

conict with. To involve onesel or become

occupied; participate. To assume an obliga-

tion; agree. To enter into conict or battle: To

become meshed or interlocked:

There are some things to take note in the denition

o engage. Most importantly, perhaps, engage is a

verb, an action word. When we talked about expose

we meant an environment. When we discussed

embrace we reerred to a change o heart and

mindset. And now we must act, we must change, we

must move.


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Notice the words pledge and promise used inthis denition. The idea is a mindul, intentional

choice. Making a promise isnt something you acci-

dentally doits thought out and sworn upon, as

it is when we use the word engagement. Its the

promise o movement in a specic direction. Its a

commitment through action.You can also see words like engross and

involve. To engage in something should occupy

your thoughts as you assimilate your lie into the

new reality. It isnt a one-time, passing notion but

an on-going quest. When an idea engages you, you

become enmeshed with the conceptit becomes

part o who you are.

Lastly, we would be remiss i we chose to over-

look the words confict or battle. Oten times,

ideas that we engage are ones we must wrestle with.

Change is hard and to engage an idea oten requires

a struggle. You might be asked to rethink what you

thought you knew. You might be required to change

liestyles or habits that have become comortable.

When you are called to engage, you are called to

pay a price.

Egagg cmft

New things can be scary. There is a reason or the


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saying, Better the devil you know than the devilyou dont. Even i something seems to be a good

idea, or maybe even a better way, the very act that

it challenges what we are currently doing can be

unsettling. Going into the unknown takes courage.

This is the discomort o ear.

Sometimes it eels like God springs these ideason us with no warning. We think we have it all

together until tragedy strikes and our aith is tested.

It can eel like the rug is being ripped out rom

beneath our eet. Suddenly, the once amiliar land-

scape seems new and overwhelming. We want to

engage, but it all seems too big. This is the discom-

ort o insecurity.

Then there is humility. It isnt un to be humbled,

but when we are called to engage a new idea, we

are orced to ace the act that what we were doing

was wrong. Or i not wrong, at least not best. No

one likes to say they are wrong, and the more public

the change the more public the humbling. This is

the discomort o humility.

We then ace uncertainty. Did I really under-

stand God right? Maybe I made the whole thing

up in my head and I am not really called to do

this ater all. Or maybe I am not strong enough.

Moses was given very clear directions about what

he was called to do, but that didnt make him eel


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any better about being able to carry it out. This isthe discomort o uncertainty.

Change is a lot o work. Sometimes the work

is internal, orgiving past hurts, understanding

a new way o thinking and making things right.

Sometimes the work is physically moving a amily,

nding a job, caring or and serving others. No newidea is engaged without work o some kind. This is

the discomort o hard work.

Rarely is change in one area o our lie isolated.

Just like an alcoholic giving up his drink who real-

izes he also lost all his drinking buddies, we are

also aced with the ripple eect o change. Choosing

to tithe means less money or eating out and

someone in the house needs to learn to cook. Its

hard to oresee the allout. This is the discomort o

assimilation.

When we call someone to engage an idea, or

when we ourselves are called, we must be honest

about what that means to ully engage new truth.

We must give ourselves time to mourn what we

believe we are losing, to eel scared and uncer-

tain with the change, to eel the pain o engaging.

Having aith in a big God who is telling a big story

doesnt mean we wont ever eel uncertainty or pain.

It just means we are willing to hold hands and do

it anyway.


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Mvg

My bags were packed. This was it. There was no

turning back. Ater all the convincing I had done

with my parents and all the leg work to nd a

college where I could double major in business and

ministry, there was no way to go but orward.A new school. A new state. A new career path

and calling. When I decided to engage the calling

God had placed on my lie, Im not sure I was ully

aware o the cost. I knew it would require some

change, but I elt like my world was completely

turned on its head.

I arrived at my school, my new home, and

started the journey o my new lie.

I hated it!

I was entering the school mid-way through my

junior year and, o course, at a school this small,

everyone already knew each other. There was no

new student orientation or me; I was just the new

guy taking the bunk o someone who had dropped

out ater the rst term. I didnt know how much Id

miss leaving sunny Caliornia or a considerably less

sunny Oregon, and not seeing amily and riends

on weekends made the move chae even more. In

my most honest moments, I was still mourning and

hurt over my engagement that had been abruptly


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called o, and I disliked the eeling that I wassomehow escaping rom my past.

I must have heard God wrong. This was too

hard. This couldnt be what he wanted me to do!

Why was I here? I was discouraged.

To add insult to injury, I was behind on my

Christian service hours required or graduationand needed to choose something rom the approved

ministry list to get caught up. There were ew

options that would get me the hours that I needed

in the time rame in which I needed them. I ound

mysel stumbling into Street Evangelism Ministry.

My nights and weekends became consumed with

dark alleyways, conversations under overpasses, and

spending time among the least o these. I made

riends with kids who society had let down and

orgotten. I got to know their stories. I tried to

understand their world, their worries, their hopes

and dreams. I loved on them, protected them, and

tried to help them make good choices or their

uture.

This is how I met Duki, a teenage girl who had

watched me intervene in a ght between a home-

less man and one o her riends. Ater the cops

had taken the man to jail and everyone had been

interviewed, she walked over and introduced hersel.

Her initial question was straightorward and to the


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point, So, are you a nark or a drug dealer? Inher world, adults only interacted with her i they

were on one side o trouble or the other. When I

explained that I oten hung out in the area because

I was involved in a college ministry, she was

intrigued. What had her stumped was that I had

actually engaged in a practical way. She knew thatChristians were supposed to love others, but she

hadnt seen it.

Like any kid who had spent too much time on

the street, she had a troubled background. She was

a little dierent thoughshe had become a ring-

leader o sorts, the one others looked to or help.

So, in the street community she knew everyone,

and everyone knew her. For the next six years, I

would get to know the real Rebecca (Duki) and

walk alongside her as she battled her past and the

ramications o a drug addiction. As my commu-

nity engaged her, we were drawn deeper into rela-

tionship, loving her and her many riends. We had

countless conversations with her about God and his

love. She got it and oten helped us in our ministry

eorts. Ill never orget one such conversation

she overheard a ministry student trying to piece

together an explanation o the Trinity to one o the

street kids. With a hu, she interrupted the conver-

sation. Ater taking a long draw on her cigarette,


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she said, The Trinity is like this cigarette, the paperis God, holding the universe together. The tobacco

is Jesus, a necessary sacrice or the sake o love.

The smoke is the Holy Spirit, while you cant really

catch the smoke, its ever-present, moving things

toward God like the wind.

Despite the pain o choosing to engage, Iwouldnt trade that time in my lie or anything.

I got a ront row seat to see God doing amazing

things in kids lives, sometimes through me, and

sometimes in spite o me. Engaging was the hardest

and best thing God could call me to do.

Why the?

I engaging is painul, why bother doing it? Is good

enough really such a bad place to be? Cant I just

make a little more progress by adding the new

inormation into my existing lie?

In a word? No. That isnt how this works. God

never called us to be comortable or complacent.

When we look at the lie and ministry o Jesus, he

again and again called people out.

Give up what you think is good and let me show

you more!

Follow Me, and I will make you shers o men

(Mt 4:1920, NKJV).


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God calls us to be part o a bigger story thanour own. We are called into a relationship with

the Creator o the Universe and that is going to

leave a mark. When you are walking through lie,

holding the hand that created the Milky Way, the

pace might be a little aster or a little slower than

you eel comortable with.Change happens through relationship. We are in

relationship with the King. We can only be changed

on his terms.

God doesnt call us to engage in his mission

because he is some type o masochist who wants

us to suer. God calls us to engage so he can bless

us more prooundly than we can imagine. We dont

always see the whys right away. When we choose

to give things up or Christ, he doesnt take our

sacrice lightly. He only asks us to give up our

dreams so he can replace them with his.

There is a great story about a little boy who is

playing in a puddle on the side o the road. A rich

man stops and invites him to the shore to see the

ocean, to play in the sand, and hear the waves. The

little boy, who has never been to the shore, politely

declines. He has no ability to picture a world

beyond his mud puddle. So oten this is us when

God calls us to live a truth that seems so radical we

cant picture how it could be. So, we choose to play


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in our mud puddles instead o the vast ocean o hisgoodness.

Egagg wth the

We are now on the third step o a disciple-making

ramework.Lets do a quick review: First, God always starts

by changing up our environment. The very essence

o growing as a disciple requires us to go where he

sends us. Christians are a sent people, whether its

out o the church building to talk with our neigh-

bors or getting involved in serving the community

and developing a relationship with someone. We are

prompted to expose the world to Gods love. We

stop expecting others to take the lead in our spiri-

tual development. We stop waiting or someone to

wander into our lives by some happenstance and

tell us what to do. We take initiative; we begin to

move orward, one step and one day at time.

Second, we are asked to embrace in riendships.

Not everyone we come into contact with will be

our new best riend. We wont enter into mean-

ingul relationships with everyone. At some point,

God will make it clear who it is we click with.

Sometimes thats someone with whom we share

a lot in common, other times its someone who is


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rom another cultural context, age group, or socialclass. It is through meaningul relationships that

God moves, where we see his hand in those around

us. We love on people, and are loved on. God works

in hearts, one small miracle at a time, and lives are

changedours as well as those around us.

Now, this is where it gets real. Our conversa-tions go rom weather and sports, to marriages

and child rearing, to living a lie radically dierent

than what we see the world doing. We will nd

ourselves spending time, doing lie, and having real

conversations with those we expose ourselves to. We

engage the change that is happening. We subtract

the things God calls us to cut rom our lie and are

ready to grow.

Egagg a ew pepectve

For someone who has just been exposed to the idea

o a relationship with Christ, who has embraced it

and chosen to make his desire theirs, the engage-

ment process is a thrill ride. All o a sudden they

are viewing everything dierently and it can be

unsettling.

A new Christian needs a Jesus with skin on. A

new disciple needs someone who has walked this

road beore to guide them on this new journey.


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They need to know salvation is grace-based andnot works-based, that they are orgiven rom past

mistakes even i they are still dealing with the

consequences o those choices.

It oten eels like i we are a new creation in

Christ, we shouldnt have to ght all the old battles.

Unortunately, it just isnt the case. Old trouble canbe seen through a lens o grace, but still must be

dealt with. A new believer beginning to engage a

new lie will need support, encouragement, and,

most importantly, meaningul relationship with

other believers.

Some o the more traditional practices related

to discipleship land in this stage, learning to pray,

worship, study scripture, etc. Im sure youve noticed

that these practices oten get prioritized as the

primary way to make disciples. But in the rame-

work or discipleship Im suggesting, they are just

one aspect o a much uller picture.

becmg pactte

It has been said that God loves us just the way we

are, and too much to let us stay that way. Growing

up, or maturing in Christ, is an ongoing process.

You will never arrive until you arrive in heaven,

but God loves us too much to leave us where we


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are, wallowing in our sel-involvement. He continuesto draw us closer and deeper into relationship with

himsel. This means change. This means being

called out to not settle or what is good in our lie,

but striving everyday to be made more and more

into his image. We are called to have our hearts

break over what breaks Christs heart. We are calledto grow in love.

Oten God uses times o great outward change

in our lives to inspire great inward change. The loss

o a job makes us reconsider what material items

have stolen our attention. Health issues challenge

our ideas o how and with whom we spend our

time.

As we embrace these new ideas, we must

remember to give ourselves a little bit o grace. We

will eel scared. We will eel overwhelmed. We will

mourn what we used to know and the comort it

brought. But by engaging in the new truth God has

set beore us, we allow ourselves to embark on a

new adventure that will deepen our love and depen-

dence on him.

Fve ae t athetc cplehp

Lets look at Moses. He was given a very clear

message: So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh


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to bring my people the Israelites out o Egypt (Ex3:10, NIV). Nothing like a talking bush on re to

expose a man to the truth o Gods call on his lie!

However, Moses wasnt sure how well it was going

to work out, so he asks ve clariying questions,

what Ill reer to as the ve barriers to authentic

discipleship:1. Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh

and bring the Israelites out o Egypt? (Ex

3:11, NIV). In this section Moses doubts

his calling as a minister, something a good

majority o us will experience as we engage

the discipleship process.

2. Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to

them, The God o your athers has sent

me to you, and they ask me, What is his

name? Then what shall I tell them? (Ex

3:13, NIV). Next, Moses doubts his relation-

ship with God. Hes not sure he has this God

thing down yet, and doesnt even seem to

know how to reer to him. Have you ever elt

tongue tied when someone asks you about

God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit? It can be

intimidating to be a minister o God when

we dont have it all gured out.

3. What i they do not believe me or listen

to me and say, The Lord did not appear to


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you? (Ex 4:1,NIV

). Next, Moses doubtshis credibility to speak about what he has

witnessed.

4. O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither

in the past nor since you have spoken to your

servant. I am slow o speech and tongue (Ex

4:10,NIV

). Next, Moses doubts his abilityto communicate. Even i he had enough

knowledge, he realizes he may not have the

speaking skills to accomplish the task beore

him.

5. O Lord, please send someone else to do it

(Ex 4:13, NIV). Last, we all have elt the

temptation to opt-out. Even i we get all the

knowledge down, at the end o the day theres

a cost. Its a cost o time and energy, o pride,

putting Gods desires above our own. O all

the questions Moses asked, this is the only

one that received a harsh rebuke, Then the

Lords anger burned against Moses.

God is more than willing to help us through all

o our doubts and ears during our development

process, but whenever we make a choice to stop

ollowing, we have ceased to respect Gods wisdom,

love, and truth in our lives. As Paul states in

Romans, They exchanged the truth o God or a

lie, and worshiped and served created things rather


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than the Creatorwho is orever praised. Amen(Rom 1:25, NIV).

Moses was initially scared and unsure, but none-

theless he chose to embrace his calling. He wasnt

let with a lot o room or argument, though he did

his best.

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