I am a Disciple

I went to basic training in the Air Force in January 1989. When I arrived at Lackland AFB, I was green and not worth much to the military. But after weeks of training, the drill instructor had stripped away the “old Tim” and a new person graduated.

I many ways, that’s what Jesus does for us. Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “…This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” When we follow Jesus, we are new disciples.

Now a disciple is a little different than a “Christian”. In our current culture, so many people call themselves Christians but have no fruit to show they are. When you are a disciple, well that goes a little stronger and deeper. Take when Jesus calls Matthew to follow him in Matthew 9:9-13. Jesus doesn’t say, “Come be a Christian.” Jesus says, “Come be my disciple.” The word Jesus uses is “Mathetes” in the original language. That word means pupil, student, follower, disciple. So Jesus is saying, “Come learn from me and do what I do.” It’s more than just a name, it’s a lifestyle change.

So when we hear the call of Jesus and begin following him, we are more than just Christians, we are disciples. When you know who you are, you will know what to do and how to live. You’ll be a person who lives like Jesus, talks like Jesus, treats others like Jesus did, and loves people like Jesus did.

As a disciple, you will find a need and meet it. It’s what Jesus did in his every day life on earth. In Matthew 19, he’s teaching in the town square when some parents approach with their kids. The disciples try to keep them away but Jesus stops teaching and calls the kids to him so he can bless them.

In the upper room during the last supper in John 13, after everyone has arrived for the festivities, Jesus notices no one remembered to get a servant there to wash people’s feet before dinner. So, despite his position, Jesus got down on his knees and washed the dirty feet of those who followed him.

After his resurrection, Jesus in seen on the beach of the Sea of Galilee. The disciples thought he was dead so they had gone back to doing what they knew to do: fish. They had been at it all night and dawn was breaking. Peter looks and notices Jesus standing beside a fire on the beach, jumps out of the boat and swims to Jesus. Jesus had done some so simple for his boys: built a warm fire and cooked breakfast for them.

If you are a follower, a disciple of Jesus then your life is no longer about you but about being like Jesus and serving those around you. At that last supper in John 13, Jesus reveals how the world will know you follow him. Jesus says, “By the way you love each other is how the world will know you are my disciples.”

There are some reading this that just need to keep doing what you are doing. You are living into the call to look like Jesus. Some of us have a foot in the water checking to see if you want to go in. It’s time right now to jump in with both feet. Some of us need to get off the sidelines. Your family needs you to participate in the call of God.

Together through the Spirit’s power, we can unite to be Jesus in our community, schools, workplaces, and neighborhoods. As Jesus’ disciples, we are called to look and act Jesus everyday. This year, right now, it’s time to wear the title “disciple” and be Jesus to those around you. Blessings on the journey.

Feeding your Soul

Peace. Easy feeling. Energized. Whole. These are the ways you feel when things are as they should be. As a follower of Jesus, we can look at his life to discover how we might attain to and get that peaceful, easy feeling. Jesus himself was at one with God. He had moments of alone time, talking with God. Moments when he was in the Hebrew Bible and debating those who had different ideas of what it meant to be a peace with God. He served those everyday with whom he interacted. He had close friends who believed in him, shared meals with him, and interacted with him on a daily basis. He worshiped every weekend at the synagogue or the Temple. He was a man at peace with God.

Jesus tells us how to be at peace as well in Mark 12:30-31. He says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength….love your fellow human the same way.” If you are going to allow Jesus to beautifully interfere with us, in what ways do you fulfill Jesus’ calling? I wanted to take a minute to pull back the curtain on my life. While I don’t profess to have all the answers and I am still discovering how to be better transformed into the image of Jesus, here are a few things I do to lean in personally to the calling and I’ve found it to bring me peace and a centeredness that nothing else has done.

In John Ortberg’s Soul Keeping book, he talks about a discussion he had with Dallas Willard. Dallas explains our life has concentric circles. He explains it as follows and I’ll add what I do to discipline these areas of my life.

Dallas says the inner most circle is your WILL. Based on Mark 12, I call it heart. I love to sing. I do a lot of singing in my car while driving. People may look at me funny at any given red light but I just smile because it centers me. Every day, I’m also in the Word of God, becoming intentional about the person Jesus has called me to be. This summer I spent a lot of time in Ephesians. In Ephesians, Paul reminds us of what God has done for us which should lead us to a life transformed. I also love to hang out with friends who encourage and live in uplifting ways. My goal is to surround myself with positive Godly influence. If you are a negative person or always talking poorly about people, you don’t get any time with me. I love creating with my hands. I am made in the image of the Creator so I believe we are called to create. I have a company called Weathered Canvas. You can find it on FaceBook.

The next circle is your MIND. I train my mind by reading both spiritual books and God’s Word. I’ve got written goals published on my desk so anyone on staff can hold me accountable. One of my goals is to read 20 books this year. I also write a blog once a week (which you are reading) and I’m writing my next book. I also teach a parenting class and a marriage class during the course of the week.

The next is your BODY. I committed to working out each week although I’m not doing it as often as I hoped. I have a membership at the local YMCA with my wife. We also walk a three mile stretch around our neighborhood when weather permits. I have committed to getting better sleep so I try to go to bed about 10:30pm every evening. I also try to not eat everything I see, especially after 8pm.

And finally, the last one represents your SOUL. I have a realization that my soul is connected to God so it’s at the center of who I am. It pulls together every other piece of me to fall in step with the story God has set out for me to live. Deep down, my soul longs to be connected to Jesus and people who are also moving in that direction. By doing all three of the things above, I better reconcile myself to become more like Jesus day by day.

Each of these pieces of me, heart, soul, mind and body, come together to make the whole me. It was all created to give God glory and fall in love with Jesus. When you commit to giving God glory in every aspect of your life, it’s only then that you’ll discover peace. My hope is you’ll commit to transformation. It doesn’t have to be over night but one move in a positive direction one day is the step needed to create change in you. Blessings on your journey.

A Lifestyle of Worship

Worship has been around for ages. We all worship something. It may not be God but each of us have a god to which we give our time, talent and resources. But there is only one God that is truly worth all that we have to offer. He is the creator of the universe and the creator of you and me. He’s the one that gave up his Son in order to save us from ourselves.

For many of us, we grew up thinking that worship was a Sunday morning event. The “holy hour” on any given Sunday morning was the time we could truly worship the King of kings and Lord of lords. But we are reminded that is not the true.

Our call is to worship our God every day of our life. Paul says in Colossians 3, “Let the message of Christ…fill your lives…Whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus. “ Paul also reminds us in Romans 12 after going to great lengths to explain our lostness and what Jesus did to save us why we should live a life of gratefulness and worship toward him, “Offer yourselves to be a living and holy sacrifice…this is truly the way to worship him.”

Everything we do is worship to God. How we treat people; how we speak; how we live with our families; what our work ethic is like; how we glorify Jesus in the way we live among our co-workers and neighbors. We are called to Love God and love people (Mark 12:30-31). Worship is so much more than a Sunday morning. It’s an everyday event that reflects back how we are so grateful for what Jesus has done for us.

So, may your worship be more than one song on a Sunday morning. May it be every song, every day. Blessings on your journey.