The Daily Growth Discipleship Podcast: Recent Episodes
Daily Growth Discipleship
Discipleship is a lifestyle. Whether you're at work, school, or driving, every moment is an opportunity to grow.
The Bible is filled with things that are sometimes hard to understand. The earliest portions of the Bible were written over three thousand years ago, and the latest portions were written almost two thousand years ago. There's a lot that's changed in the world since then, and that leads to a lot of difficult questions at times, even for experienced Christians. So today Chris and Josh are joined by Chris' brother Joe who asks some of those difficult questions.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Get your copy of the Daily Growth Journal and start creating a lifestyle of discipleship with the simple practice of journaling.
We each have an inner story about who we think we are. This self-narrative guides our lives and the decisions we make. Are we the kind of person who goes skydiving? Or are we the kind of person who buys a boat, or goes camping, or lives in an apartment and not a house? The answers to these questions really have to do with our identity; who we are. As Seth Godin describes, “People like us do things like this." But what happens when the narrative we’ve created for ourselves can no longer support us? What happens when our life falls apart and we are forced to re-evaluate who we are. This experience can shake us to our core and send us spiraling into the depths of depression. This is the experience Juanita describes in her book, Learning to Be, as the identity she has built for herself had to be torn down so that God could reveal to her who He had created her to be.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Get your copy of the Daily Growth Journal and start creating a lifestyle of discipleship with the simple practice of journaling.
Even though 2020 is over, 2021 doesn’t promise to be any better. We can hope, of course. But we must be ready for the challenges that will come our way this year. And that means our work to create a lifestyle of discipleship is more important than ever. So this year, we are excited to continue our work of bringing you incredible guests on the podcast. We are also looking forward to expanding our YouTube channel as a place where we can share our journeys with you as we work to create a lifestyle of discipleship. So this week on the podcast, Josh and Chris discuss their hopes and plans for the Daily Growth Discipleship in 2021.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Get your copy of the Daily Growth Journal and start creating a lifestyle of discipleship with the simple practice of journaling.
Advent is here! Whether you observe it or not, 2020 has probably left you hoping for something better than what you've experienced so far this year. The good news is that God is with you, just as he was with his people throughout all of history and will continue to be with his people forever. Advent is a chance to set aside time to remember this truth. In this episode Josh and Chris unpack the value of celebrating Advent and setting aside time to remember God is with us and the hope we have as we look forward to his final coming.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Get your copy of the Daily Growth Journal and start creating a lifestyle of discipleship with the simple practice of journaling.
Every decision we make is motivated by some desire we have. And for most of us in the US, that means a desire for more. We want more money, a larger house, more safety, more happiness, and... well, just more. But when we look at Scripture, this pursuit of more may not be the way Jesus intended us to live a lifestyle of discipleship. It's difficult to read Philippians 4 where Paul tells about his secret of contentment and at the same time think American capitalism and consumerism are what Paul's lifestyle would look like. In this episode, Chris Nye talks about what he's finding to be valuable for living a lifestyle of discipleship while at the same time living in a culture where there's always a pressure to consume more. It could be that Less of More is a better way to be more like Jesus.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Get your copy of the Daily Growth Journal and start creating a lifestyle of discipleship with the simple practice of journaling.
As followers of Christ, one of our primary tools for knowing Him and His will is the Bible. In fact, we often proclaim that it is THE primary way for us to know who God is. But have you ever asked yourself "why"? Why do Christians believe in the Bible is authoritative in our lives?
Asking this question isn't a sign that you have weak faith. On the contrary! It shows that you are maturing. Mature disciples ask these kinds of questions because we have a desire to go deeper in our relationship with God. We don't want to rest on the legacy or word of our parents. We want to grow our faith so that it is able to stand on its own two feet. We believe that if God is really behind Scripture and is working in our lives to reveal Himself to us, then there are no questions we could ask that could ever dismiss the truth of who He is or what He's done.
So in this episode, Josh and Chris explore why the Bible is one of Christianity's most valuable tools for seeking to know God.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Get your copy of the Daily Growth Journal and start creating a lifestyle of discipleship with the simple practice of journaling.
The United States has a very important election coming up in less than a week. The nation is more polarized than ever before, and this polarization is even reflected in the Church. But this is unfortunate considering where our allegiance as Christians should lie: with Christ and His Kingdom. So the question we wanted to talk with Dr. Snavely about is how should we as Christians understand our role in politics, and especially how should we respond on November 4th when the election is over. Ultimately, our hope isn't in who wins or who loses the election. Our hope and trust is in God who sits on the thrown.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Get your copy of the Daily Growth Journal and start creating a lifestyle of discipleship with the simple practice of journaling.
Life is a journey. It sounds cliche, but there's a truth in that statement, especially for Christians as they strive to live a lifestyle of discipleship. When it comes to spiritual formation, we often think that process is meant to form only one part of our journey, the spiritual part. But this misses out on the beautiful whole of our life God wants to shape and form. He doesn't just want to shape our spirit, but our heart, mind, behaviors, and relationships as well. He wants to shape everything in us to be like him. But this process is a journey that takes time. It takes time because we don't naturally want to let him make these changes. In this episode, Gary Moon, unpacks a few of the ways God wants to shape us. His experience in psychology and spiritual formation, along with his wit and humor are a refreshing perspective on what it means to live a lifestyle of discipleship.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Get your copy of the Daily Growth Journal and start creating a lifestyle of discipleship with the simple practice of journaling.
The enneagram has become a popular tool and topic of discussion over the last few years. Everyone seems to be taking online tests to discover their type and comparing their results with friends, family, and co-workers. But the enneagram is more than just a personality test that shows us our quirks and preferences. It is a tool that can help us, as disciples, draw closer to God. As AJ Sherrill talks about in this episode, the enneagram isn’t a Christian tool. But it is a human tool that can be used to help us discover our true identities by revealing to us the masks we’ve used to hide from the world. It can also help us create practices that help us grow more deeply in our walk with Christ. The enneagram is not a mystical or all-powerful tool. But it can, if we use it well, help us gain a deeper awareness of our motivations and insecurities that keep us from seeing who God is calling us to be. In the end, the enneagram is a tool that can help us create a lifestyle of discipleship.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Get your copy of the Daily Growth Journal and start creating a lifestyle of discipleship with the simple practice of journaling.
In John 17, Jesus prayed that we, his people, would be one as he and the father are one. If we've learned anything from the year 2020, it's that we still have a long way to go before we see Jesus' prayer become a full reality in the American church. Whether it's factions within a church fighting over carpet colors, or people fighting over wearing masks or not wearing masks, or working out how to respond to issues of racism, we are far from united. In this episode, Irwyn joins us to talk about the beautiful community of God's people and the reasons unity is a struggle for so many of us. Learning to walk with others in unity as Irwyn describes is a big part of what it takes to create a lifestyle of discipleship.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Get your copy of the Daily Growth Journal and start creating a lifestyle of discipleship with the simple practice of journaling.
Jesus calls us to love our neighbors as ourselves. But what if we don’t act lovingly towards ourselves? We are all guilty of negative self-talk. We say things to ourselves that we would never say to another human being. But we feel justified because no one else knows about it. But if we can’t love and take care of ourselves, we won’t do the same for others. If God’s love is to truly be the driving force in our lives, then we must and stop tearing ourselves down with negative self-talk and destructive habits. As Cindy teaches us in this episode, we need to learn to be kind to ourselves so that God's love can fill our lives and bring us joy. If we are not able to love ourselves, then we won’t be able to effectively love those around us.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Get your copy of the Daily Growth Journal and start creating a lifestyle of discipleship with the simple practice of journaling.
God is present with you in every moment of your life. Think about the reality of that statement. Whether it's the most mundane tasks you do or the once-in-a-lifetime experiences, God, your father, is with you wanting to enjoy life with you. And he does this with both his grace and his truth. Learning to live the Jesus Way in grace and truth is challenging at times, but as we practice the way of Jesus with the truth of Jesus, we find we're living the Jesus life. In this episode, Alan Fadling joins us again and helps us understand the value of Jesus as the Way, the Truth, and the Life in a way that will help anyone striving to live a lifestyle of discipleship.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Get your copy of the Daily Growth Journal and start creating a lifestyle of discipleship with the simple practice of journaling.
"To be human is to be lonely.” Jason Gaboury begins his new book on loneliness with this quote from Friar Ugo. And it says something profound about what it means to be human. We all experience loneliness. We feel left out, like we don’t measure up, or like the odd man out of the group. But this isn’t the way it’s supposed to be. We were created for community, to reflect the relational nature of God Himself. Sin and the loss of relationship has opened a chasm between us and God as well as between us and our friends, spouses, co-workers, and family. We seek deep relationships, like a starving man seeks food. But unless we understand loneliness, we will seek relationships in the wrong way. We will try to numb the pain or to distract ourselves from reality with fake relationships or cheap imitations. And so, loneliness persists. That’s why in this conversation with Jason, we talk about the causes of loneliness and how it can actually lead us to pay closer attention to the most important relationships in our lives.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Get your copy of the Daily Growth Journal and start creating a lifestyle of discipleship with the simple practice of journaling.
Most of us probably think the gospel is something that unbelievers need to hear, those who haven't committed themselves to follow Jesus. But if the good news is good news, shouldn't it always be good news, especially if we're making discipleship a lifestyle? In this episode, Chris gives a great demonstration of why the gospel isn't just for unbelievers. The good news is something that transforms us as we follow Jesus in a lifestyle of discipleship.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Get your copy of the Daily Growth Journal and start creating a lifestyle of discipleship with the simple practice of journaling.
Theology! Many Christians flinch a little when they hear that word. We live in an era where theology has become a dirty word, associated with stiff academics and argumentative dogmatists. But theology is at the core of who we are as disciples. If we are genuine in our faith, theology is unavoidable because we naturally ask questions about who God is and how we should follow Him. So we must work to make sure our theology is done well, rooted in the history of the Church that seeks to worship God. And that’s the approach Dennis Okholm takes in his book Learning Theology through the Church’s Worship. The way we live our life in Christ displays our theology just as our theological beliefs influence the way we worship God in our everyday life. And so theology forms a core discipline that we as disciples cannot ignore.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Get your copy of the Daily Growth Journal and start creating a lifestyle of discipleship with the simple practice of journaling.
In John 17, Jesus prayed, "Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one." You don't have to look far among Christians these days to realize we are terrible at this thing Jesus prayed for in John 17. Legitimate issues of racism and how we can best love our neighbor become an arena in which we attempt to prove our point no matter the cost. In this episode, David offers a solution that we believe hits the nail on the head. Instead of choosing one side or the other, he calls us back to the Christ who saved us and to our calling as Christ's presence in the world.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Get your copy of the Daily Growth Journal and start creating a lifestyle of discipleship with the simple practice of journaling.
God loves you… It’s almost cliche when you hear it, but think about each one of those three words… God… Loves… You… You might be thinking, “Yeah he does, but that’s just who he is, right?” Or maybe, “Yeah, but he doesn’t like me. There’s a lot of me that’s still broken… I don’t even like me.” Or maybe you just don’t believe it at all. In this episode, Josh Havens unpacks how you can find God's grace and purpose in the middle of your brokenness.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Get your copy of the Daily Growth Journal and start creating a lifestyle of discipleship with the simple practice of journaling.
Making disciples is one of the crucial components of a lifestyle of discipleship. We are called to reproduce disciples. It's normal for Christians to think of spiritual disciplines and other practices as part of our own discipleship, but we rarely think of making other disciples as part of that process. This is why Paul's latest book is so valuable. John 3:16 is one of those verses many of us could probably quote. We've heard it so many times it's almost cliche. And the depth of the meaning Jesus was communicating to Nicodemus in that chapter is sometimes lost on us. Really, it's an invitation to something more than just getting saved. It's an invitation to God's redemptive work in all of history.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Get your copy of the Daily Growth Journal and start creating a lifestyle of discipleship with the simple practice of journaling.
As we once again talk about Race and Racism on the podcast, we wanted to address this issue from a different perspective. Racism, being rejected and persecuted because of the color of your skin, traumatizes its victims. So how should we as disciples respond? As we learn from Shelia in this episode, people of color need to develop resilience through their relationship with Christ and His community that gives them the strength to withstand the racial injustice they experience. And for white people and others of privileged status, we have an opportunity to listen and learn from our marginalized brothers and sisters. In the fight to see God’s Kingdom come to earth and his will done in our midst, may we mourn with our brothers and sister who mourn and show them love that affirms who they are as Image bears of God.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Get your copy of the Daily Growth Journal and start creating a lifestyle of discipleship with the simple practice of journaling.
If you want to create a lifestyle built around following Jesus, you need to also have a willingness to learn. In this episode, Kevin challenges us with his contagious passion for learning and spiritual development. If you've ever felt like you aren't good at learning new things, Kevin's down-to-earth approach will inspire you and, hopefully, relieve some of the pressure as you learn to be a student of Jesus.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Get your copy of the Daily Growth Journal and start creating a lifestyle of discipleship with the simple practice of journaling.
As disciples, worship is an essential part of our life in Christ. It’s more than singing songs or going to church. Worship is meant to be part of a lifestyle of discipleship as we follow Jesus in the everyday moments of life. And this is what we talked about in our first conversation with Dr. De Garmo. But in this 2nd episode, we explore how we can maintain that lifestyle even in the midst of a global pandemic that changes the way the church meets together.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Get your copy of the Daily Growth Journal and start creating a lifestyle of discipleship with the simple practice of journaling
The way we respond to an issue says a lot about who we are. And as the Church, we have to make sure that our desire to tell the truth doesn't push us to respond in a way that sours people to the truth we have to communicate. In these tense times, we live in, this conversation with Dr. Snavely is exactly what we need to be thoughtful about what we're saying as the Church.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Get your copy of the Daily Growth Journal and start creating a lifestyle of discipleship with the simple practice of journaling.
The conversation on racism isn't one that we wanted to jump into hastily. It deserves patience, grace, and love. In this episode, David Swanson, author of Rediscipling the White Church, walks us through how we can begin to solve the issues of racism by first changing how we understand what it means to be followers of Jesus.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Get your copy of the Daily Growth Journal and start creating a lifestyle of discipleship with the simple practice of journaling.
Step one in creating a lifestyle of discipleship is knowing your identity as a beloved child of God. We say this over and over again, but it's the most basic problem any of us face when trying to follow Jesus. He's called us to die to ourselves. Our nature is to preserve ourselves becuase we believe we have the sole responsibility for making sure the world around us exists. This is why so many of us also struggle with narcissistic tendencies. We believe we have to rule our own existences, but we inherently feel unable to do so. Becuase of this we feel shame and insecurity. Narcissism then becomes a way to heal these wounds. In this chapter, Josh and Chris talk about the value of knowing our identity as a way to combat narcissistic tendencies and how our identity is really about our entire lifestyle.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Get your copy of the Daily Growth Journal and start creating a lifestyle of discipleship with the simple practice of journaling.
Narcissistic tendencies aren't unique to charismatic personalities or those who might be a certain type on the Enneagram. In this chapter, Chuck unpacks the way each of us are susceptible to narcissism in our own way. And the Enneagram serves as a guide to understanding how our own sinful tendencies lead us to try to cover our insecurities or shortcomings. While it's important for us to understand how to work with narcissists around us, it's also important for us to do this work of self-evaluation.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Get your copy of the Daily Growth Journal and start creating a lifestyle of discipleship with the simple practice of journaling.
When you think of a narcissist, you probably picture a person who is self-obsessed and always looking at themselves. But the irony is that narcissist aren’t actually looking at themselves, at least not at their true selves. Narcissist are afraid to be vulnerable and to do the deep work that is required of disciples. Accepting the call to follow Christ means that we will have to do deep soul searching as God shows us sinful parts of ourselves we didn’t know we had. And this work is painful at times. But it’s necessary in order to throw off the chains of sin and to accept the easy yoke of Jesus. But as Chuck explains in this chapter, a narcissist is unwilling to look at themselves to do this sort of work. There are deep wounds they are trying to hide. So instead of being honest with themselves or with others about the struggles they face, they cover them up with a false vulnerability that only fuels their narcissism.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Get your copy of the Daily Growth Journal and start creating a lifestyle of discipleship with the simple practice of journaling.
Whether you're in church leadership or not, you will at some point come face to face with a narcissist in the Church. So the question then becomes, "How can you know when you're working with a narcissist, and what can you do about it?" With all the stories of spiritual leaders taking advantage of people and even abusing them, it's important to understand what to do when you discover you're being led by a narcissist. They may be talking about doing great things for the kingdom of God, and they may have a very attractive personality. It's also important to remember that not all who struggle with narcissistic tendencies will be full-blown narcissists. So in this chapter, Chuck unpacks the ways you can tell when you're working with a narcissist and how to know what you can do to help or if you just get out of the way.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Get your copy of the Daily Growth Journal and start creating a lifestyle of discipleship with the simple practice of journaling.
Have you ever accused someone of being a narcissist? You’ve probably done so because someone was acting like the entire world revolved around them. Our typical picture of a narcissist is the larger than life, grandiose figure who seeks fame, power, and attention at all costs. We see these characteristics most often in politicians and charlatans. In fact, we’ve come to expect it from them. But did you know churches are one of the largest breading grounds for narcissism? It seems impossible at first glance since the Church is supposed to be all about humility and letting others go first. But pastors and laypeople alike can easily be pulled into narcissistic tendencies under the guise of serving God and leading people. We put ministry leaders on some pretty high pedestals. But it’s not just limited to the top leaders. Narcissism can creep into our own hearts if we aren’t prepared for what causes it. As Chuck explains in this first chapter, while narcissism appears to the outside world like there’s an excess of self love, the reality is that the narcissist has put on a false identity because they are unable to love themselves.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Get your copy of the Daily Growth Journal and start creating a lifestyle of discipleship with the simple practice of journaling.
In this chapter, Chris and Josh wrap up the week by reflecting on the valueable lessons they've pulled from their conversation with Justin Zoradi.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Get your copy of the Daily Growth Journal and start creating a lifestyle of discipleship with the simple practice of journaling.
When it comes to our callings, we often feel pressured to accomplish all that God has called us to as soon as possible. But this is what leads us to pursue the resume virtues and abandon the eulogy virtues of who we are. We feel that because we have been called, we must also be responsible for the results of our callings. But nowhere does God call us to produce a certain result. He calls us to obedience. And so in this chapter, Justin reminds us that often the best approach is one that emphasizes our relationships with people over trying to achieve results. And it’s in these seemingly small actions we take in the everyday moments of life where the Kingdom of God is able to break through into this world and bring us God’s will.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Get your copy of the Daily Growth Journal and start creating a lifestyle of discipleship with the simple practice of journaling.
The Teacher in Ecclesiastes wrote, "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven." While it's important to work, it's also important to rest and recognize your dependence on God. As we do this, we find God works in seasons in our lives. At times we're moving quickly and our schedules are full. But other times he calls us back to rest and dependence on him. In this chapter, Justin tells his story of stepping away from the company he founded and what it was like to face an identity crisis. What he found in the aftermath of that decision was a call to rest and a call to remember who he was in Christ. And from that place, God moved him again into another season of fulfilling work.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Get your copy of the Daily Growth Journal and start creating a lifestyle of discipleship with the simple practice of journaling.
When it comes to following God’s call on our lives, it’s easy to get so wrapped up in serving God that we forget to be with Him. We get so concerned with doing the next thing, and the next thing that we begin to define ourselves by what we do, not who we are in Christ. Justin calls this, the pursuit of the “Resume Virtues.” But we need to stop and ask, “What will they say about us at our funerals?" Will they be talking about the items on our resumes, or will they be talking about the kind of person we were. How we were kind, loving, and patient. Or how treated the people around us. That’s why we need to pursue God’s calling on our lives with these "Eulogy Virtues" in mind. As Justin talks about in this chapter, it’s good that we should pursue our callings, but we must not seek achievements and accomplishments if we lose sight of who we are.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Get your copy of the Daily Growth Journal and start creating a lifestyle of discipleship with the simple practice of journaling.
God has a calling on your life. And part of a discipleship lifestyle is serving with purpose in that calling. When you do this well, you feel great about yourself and who you are. It's like everything is right in the world. To say it another way, you feel fulfilled. But what happens when your calling and the work you find so fulfilling faces obstacles and setbacks? What do you do when the people you love most tell you your dreams and your work aren't worth pursuing? In this first chapter of our conversation with Justin, he tells his own story of following God's call on his life as he started an organization to fund the education of African young people. But it wasn't an easy journey. And along the way he encountered multiple obstacles. But he also found help as he continued to pursue God's call on his life in service to others.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Get your copy of the Daily Growth Journal and start creating a lifestyle of discipleship with the simple practice of journaling.
When we're in the middle of recovering from a crisis or trauma, sometimes the last thing we want to hear is that the spiritual disciplines can help. But the truth is these practices can help develop our relationship with our creator and other people around us. And it's these relationships, especially our relationship with our Father that brings healing. In this chapter, Josh and Chris reflect on their conversation with Paul Smith and how spiritual disciplines play an integral part of the recovery process.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Get your copy of the Daily Growth Journal and start creating a lifestyle of discipleship with the simple practice of journaling.
When God does a work in our lives, we have an expectation, or perhaps a hope, that God will instantly take away our struggle completely. But as we observe devout Christians of the past and present, it seems that God rarely removes all our struggles from us instantly. God does an initial work in our lives that restores hope to us or provides an initial healing, but then we still have to wrestle with continued cravings or sever weaknesses. And we ask God “why?" We want to be free of our burdens all at once. And although we can’t know the answers for sure, we can see in stories like Paul’s how God is faithful to continue the healing process in us, even if it lasts for years.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Get your copy of the Daily Growth Journal and start creating a lifestyle of discipleship with the simple practice of journaling.
The everyday moments of life are filled with disappointments, regrets, pain, and sadness. It's an inescapable part of our lives under the influence of sin. And when we give our lives over to Jesus, we expect these problems to disappear. We believe if we serve him faithfully that our problems will never return or that somehow our lives will be free from injustice. In this second part of Paul's testimony, we get a glimpse at God's work in a life, even when that life was filled with depression and hopelessness for years. But the good news is God's work in us is never done. And he often brings people around us who can help us find healing. This gift of the body of Christ is exactly what Paul found in a ministry called Celebrate Recovery.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Get your copy of the Daily Growth Journal and start creating a lifestyle of discipleship with the simple practice of journaling.
A Christian’s testimony is a powerful thing. Much like the Bible, it’s a record of the great work that God has done in our lives to seek and save us from the power of sin and death. When we hear another’s testimony, we are encouraged because we see how God has faithfully acted in their life, and we are reminded that God has promised to work just as faithfully in our lives as well. But testimonies aren’t just stories of conversions. They are stories of salvation, of how God over a lifetime redeems those whom He loves. Coming to faith in Jesus Christ is just the beginning of the work He ultimately wants to do in each of our lives. So today and this week as you hear from Paul, I hope you see that no matter what we face, we have a faithful Father who walks with us through the everyday moments of life, longing to be with us, and to make us more like Him.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Get your copy of the Daily Growth Journal and start creating a lifestyle of discipleship with the simple practice of journaling.
We love to ask the question, "Why?" Why do we do the things we do in the Christian life? Things like knowing our identity, practicing the basics, and walking with someone are great, by why do these things? It's about understanding the practical application of the things we know or hold to be true. In short, it's doing theology! In this special, one-chapter episode, Chis and Josh talk about a few of the reasons behind the steps in creating a lifestyle of discipleship. They also discuss a few questions from a listener about the authority of Scripture. Be sure to let us know what you think of this longer format if you want to see more of it!
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Get your copy of the Daily Growth Journal and start creating a lifestyle of discipleship with the simple practice of journaling.
Dallas Willard described Jesus with one word: Relaxed. That may cause you to pause, but the more we explore this idea, the more we find it's absolutely true! If we've learned one thing from our conversation with Alan, it's that rest demonstrates our identity is in Christ as children of God. And this, more than anything else, describes who Jesus is: God's son, who relied fully on his father for everything. And from that place of rest in his father's care, he lived the way he did. The question today is simple, do we have the ability to rest completely in our identity as children of God and from that place of rest live out our calling?
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Get your copy of the Daily Growth Journal and start creating a lifestyle of discipleship with the simple practice of journaling.
We're all familiar with the story of the talents Jesus told where a master entrusts his servants with a sum of money and returns later to see how they handled his money. In our American culture, we typically look at this story and walk away with an understanding that we are now called to do something with our lives and to produce fruit while we can. Almost as if the end of our lifetime is the cutoff date, the time when our master will come back to check on how well we handled the things he gave us. The problem we inherently sense in living an unhurried life is that it clashes with this perspective on Jesus' story. But what if the unhurried life Jesus demonstrated and that Alan is helping us discover means something more than fruitfulness while we're alive? In this chapter, Alan unpacks what it means to live an unhurried life with an eternal perspective. And it may just be the good news of the Gospel we've been neglecting in our culture of hurry.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Get your copy of the Daily Growth Journal and start creating a lifestyle of discipleship with the simple practice of journaling.
What happens at the end of a long day at work? All you want to do is go home, sit on the couch and turn off your brain. You just want to rest. But what if I told you that many of our common leisurely activities like watching tv or scrolling through social media aren’t actually restful. Doing them doesn’t take much effort, but they give us small, consistent hits of dopamine that makes them feel restful. But these activities only numb us. They don’t actually recharge us. As Alan talks about in this chapter, it takes effort to rest properly. And if we want to live an unhurried life, we must learn how to rest in a way that breathes life back into us, not numbs us to it.
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How do you know if you're living a hurried life? If your goal as someone who lives a lifestyle of discipleship is to live a life of rest, how do you begin the change from stressed and hurried to rested and relaxed? In a famous sketch, Bob Newhart played a psychologist who gave his client probably the most important advice you could ever get for a hurried life: "Stop it!" Now this doesn't necessarily mean that you need to just stop being in a hurry. Instead, as Alan talks about in this chapter, it may just mean practicing disciplines of disengagement, disciplines that mean, well, stopping. You won't want to miss Alan's wisdom in this chapter that comes from his own experience over the last 30 years in ministry.
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It seems that no matter what your culture is or where you’re at in the world, hurry has infected our way life. We all feel hurried. We seem to be perpetually busy, and yet, behind on our work. Whether it’s in ministry or some other vocation, we all feel pressured to produce at the highest level. We desire to be excellent in everything we do. And we should strive for excellence. But excellence doesn’t mean we should be hurried. As Alan Fadling points out, Jesus is proof that you can serve others with excellence and still live an unhurried, relaxed life. And as followers of Jesus, we must learn to make this unhurried life part of our lifestyle of discipleship.
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You know the feeling. It's that constant, day-in day-out, never-ending sense that the next thing is waiting for you, ready to add one more thing to your list. You know this kind of life can't be what God intended, but you just don't see any way to live life differently. Kids need to be taken places, work needs to be done, groceries need to be bought, and bills need to be paid. And it seems like the faster you move in getting things done, the more things get added to your plate. We've got great news for you! A lifestyle of discipleship doesn't and shouldn't look like this. In fact, as Alan points out in this chapter, one of the most important things we can do as we follow Jesus is to ruthlessly eliminate hurry from our lives.
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Ministers and leaders are often ambitious people by nature. They have a desire or drive to do something and accomplish something big. In this chapter, Chris and Josh take a look inward at their own ambitions and reflect on how God may be wanting to shape them as they pursue a lifestyle of discipleship.
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As we grow, it's tempting to compare our progress to those around us. We even have a list of beatitudes in Jesus' sermon on the mount where he lists qualities that we've adopted as a standard we should emulate. And as we compare ourselves, we can tend toward making perfection the goal. This is especially true for ambitious people. But as we seek to grow and to live a lifestyle of discipleship, there are some key dispositions we should look at that will help keep our unhealthy ambitions in check. In this final portion of our conversation with Emma, she unpacks these dispositions by looking at the beatitudes and the ways we can be inspired by others around us.
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What are you doing on a daily basis to cultivate your desires and make sure they are motivated by the kingdom of God? Whether we know it or not, our desires are what really drive our daily lives. And the scary thing is, most of us are completely unaware of the desires that are driving us. We think we are making decisions and taking actions based on pure logic. But our habits speak louder than words. We may profess to wanting to see more people in our churches, but the actions we take tell a different story about what we truly want. The good news is that knowing our desires, and recognizing the habits that form them, gives us tools for changing what drives us. Because if we are not living the lives we say we want, we may have unknown desires that outweigh the known. That’s why in this chapter, Bishop Emma helps us understand how our desires drive our actions, and why counting stuff isn’t a terrible idea.
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Few would argue that excellence is a bad thing. We may call different things excellent, but excellence is always seen as good. And this desire for excellence is typically what drives ambitious people. We want to be the best or produce the best because we want excellence. But as our ambitions and desire for success move us forward, how can we know that the excellence we desire is truly excellent? And how can we know that we want excellence for the right reasons? As we try to live a lifestyle of discipleship, one of our tasks is to work to understand our identity. We're called to understand the way our actions are motivated by the person we believe ourselves to be. In this chapter, Emma unpacks the ways we can begin the inward journey of evaluating our motives and our heart. And, in the end, this work is one of the most important things an ambitious person can do.
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Many Christian leaders have an internal drive that pushes them to be successful in life and ministry. They naturally want to seek greatness in everything they do. So they are drawn towards books and ideas on leadership and strategic planning. But they also struggle with this drive because as Christians they don’t want to seek their own glory. They recognize their purpose as a Christian is to glorify Christ. And so many Christian leaders struggle with the ambition that drives them. Can ambition be a good thing or is it something that Christians need to die too? This is why Bishop Emma's book, Ambition, is such a blessing. She helps Christian leaders understand what ambition and success should look like and how those of us who are ambitious can go about working to grow the Kingdom of God and not our own egos.
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Taking time to pause and reflect on the values we have as a family is an important part of creating a spiritually vibrant home. It gives us a chance to understand why we do what we do and how we can be intentional about making our homes a place of growth. After this week's conversation with Don, Chris and Josh take some time to reflect on what was most impactful to their discipleship lifestyles from this week.
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The research shows that men are failing to be the spiritual leaders of the household. Women are far more likely to be the primary spiritual influence in the family. So we wanted to know why and explore what men could do to help reverse this trend. But what we found is that this is an issue that the entire household can get involved with. So whether you’re a man struggling to be a spiritual leader or a family member who wants to see their husband or father take a stand, Don Evert’s insights in this chapter will encourage you to find new ways to be support your family and help create a spiritually vibrant home.
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There are three habits Don found that correlate to having a spiritually vibrant home. In other words, spiritually vibrant homes often practiced three things. The good news is that creating a spiritually vibrant home doesn't mean being perfect. Instead, it often comes from messy prayers together, loud tables during meal times, and open doors of hospitality. In this chapter, Don unpacks a few tips on how you can begin to create a spiritually vibrant home with these three practices.
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Have you ever stopped to think about what the decisions you make in your house say about the person you are? Why do you want the lawn to be perfectly manicured? Do you like the aesthetic because it makes you feel good and creates a comfortable place for you and your family? Or do you spend hours each week working on your yard because you don’t want your neighbors to judge you? A mundane decision like mowing a lawn can say something profound about who we are, but we have to be willing to look deeper at the motives that drive us. Because as Don Everts points out in this chapter, once we learn to evaluate the motives behind our home lives, our home lives become an integral part of our discipleship.
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We want our kids and our homes to be places of safety and well-being. In addition, most of us want our homes to be a place of growth and vibrancy. But when we wake up in the morning and life is there to greet us with all of its chaos, spiritual growth and vibrancy in our homes seems like something we'll never reach. So how is it that we can bring spiritual growth and vibrancy to our homes when it feels like all we can do to keep our family alive from one day to the next? What is it that makes some homes spiritually vibrant while others seem to never quite move past the chaos? This question is one that we wanted to find an answer to and, as it turns out, so did Don Everts. In this chapter Don gives us an overview of his latest research in partnership with Barna on what makes a home spiritually vibrant. And what they found is good news!
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Our 5 steps in creating a lifestyle of discipleship are meant to help us assess every area of our lives. Whether it's practicing the basics or serving with purpose, each of these steps is also valuable in preventing burnout because they offer us a chance to create a healthy lifestyle. In this chapter, Josh and Chris walk through each of the 5 steps and apply what they've learned from our conversation with John this week.
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You will never be the person God has created you to be all on your own. And this is especially important for leaders to remember. The temptation is to think the more responsibility we have as leaders the fewer close friendships we should have and the less we need to pay attention to our inner worlds. We think we have to avoid showing favoritism or that we need to keep our distance in order to be more effective. But as so many who've gone through burnout know, loneliness is one of the most common feelings we experience when our internal lives are unhealthy. Steps 2 and 3 in creating a lifestyle of discipleship are practicing the basics and walking with others. Another way to look at these two steps are spiritual practices we do with God and spiritual practices we do with those around us. These two steps are really two sides of the same coin. And when it comes to creating a healthy lifestyle that will protect us from burnout, we need private time with God as well as close relationships with other people. In this chapter, John gives us some practical tips on how to put steps 2 and 3 into practice. These practices aren't only for those who are in burnout. Instead, they are practices each of us can do every day to create a healthy lifestyle of discipleship.
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How we deal with burnout depends on the severity of the person’s situation. This is why it’s so important to avoid burnout in the first place. Recovery can take several years in some cases. But recovery from burnout is possible! If you are experiencing burnout right now or are exhibiting early warning signs, there is hope for you. One of the most discouraging aspects of burnout is that you feel there is no hope for rest. You feel trapped in a perpetual cycle of striving for something you can’t see because you’ve forgotten the reason you started on this path in the first place. But in this chapter, John Opalewski gives us hope as he discusses how he walks with leaders through the recovery process. You don’t have to feel like you’re stuck on life’s hamster wheel, giving it 100% but not going anywhere. But you must be ready to learn a new way to live.
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Our public, external life does not necessarily reflect the state of our internal lives. Gordon MacDonald writes, "We are naively inclined to believe that the most publicly active person is the most privately spiritual. We assume that the larger the church, the greater its heavenly blessing. The more information about the Bible a person possesses, we think, the closer he or she must be to God." We can even make these false assumptions about our own lives. And these false assumptions may lead us to ignore the signs of burnout as leaders. We can be lulled into thinking the good things happening around us are signs we're on the right path in our journeys of discipleship. But it's in these moments, if we aren't paying attention, that our brokenness that we've ignored or covered up will eventually break through. And when that happens we find ourselves face to face with burnout. In this chapter, John pulls back the curtain on his own story of being a pastor and struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts. It's an honest look at what can happen when we don't take the time to evaluate our private, inner worlds. But there is hope if we find ourselves going down that path. And John's story is proof that God is always there to walk with us, and that he wants us not only to recover from burnout but to thrive in whatever position he calls us to fill in life.
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If you are listening to this podcast, you are a leader. You may or may not hold a leadership position like a pastor or a business owner. But you are listening to this podcast because you’re committed to growing as a disciple of Christ, and that means other people will take notice. If you’re a stay at home mom, your children follow your lead. If you work in an office or are a tradesmen, people will look at you to see how they should act and respond to challenges that come up throughout the day. If you are a pastor, you have the responsibility to lead others spiritually and teach them what Scripture says. Leadership requires us to give our lives to others. But as John Opalewski says in this chapter, leaders can’t give what they don’t have. That’s why it’s so important for leaders to take burnout seriously. As leaders, we must learn to pay attention to these signs so we can act quickly and avoid the devastating consequences of burnout in life and leadership.
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The author of Hebrews noted that Jesus learned obedience through the things he suffered. If even Jesus wasn't above being shaped by suffering, we won't be either. But we don't have to suffer alone. When we suffer as a Christian, we can be sure God will use whatever we're going through to shape us into his image. In this chapter, Chris and Josh wrap up this week's conversation with Jenny and discuss why suffering is an important part of what it means to live a lifestyle of discipleship.
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When the Christians living in Thessalonica experienced the loss of their friends and family members, the apostle Paul reminded them that their grief was not like the grief of the rest of the world who have no hope. For the Christian, hope changes everything. It gives us an eternal perspective. It lets us find meaning and transformation in the midst of suffering and great pain. And it joins us with our savior who suffered a death far worse than many of us will ever taste. Hope is a powerful part of a lifestyle of discipleship in this way because it gives meaning to the everyday moments of life when everything appears to be falling apart. In this chapter, Jenny unpacks the way hope changes us and that, because of hope, we no longer need to live as victims of suffering. Instead, we can learn to live a life of transformation and discipleship no matter what comes up against us.
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We will all experience suffering. It seems to be one of the great constants in life. So as Christians the question we must ask is "how will we respond when suffering comes?" The problem is that suffering comes to each of us in unique ways. There isn’t a one size fits all approach to suffering. What may cause deep suffering for one may not wound another as much. What we can count on is that Jesus will faithfully walk with us through our trials to show us who is. And as we walk with Him through the storms of life, we will learn to submit ourselves evermore to His Lordship and be transformed into His likeness. In this chapter, Jenny tells the story of how God used her suffering to teach her contentment and submission as he transformed her more into the image of Christ. Her story represents just one form that suffering may take, but shows the faithfulness of Jesus to walk with us through every trial and circumstance.
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Our perspective is usually limited to our immediate environment. We know and feel only what we experience. And when it comes to suffering, our perspective is clouded and limited even more. It's incredibly difficult to feel and know anything beyond the pain we feel at the moment whether it's the loss of a friend, the pain of betrayal, or the ache of an unfulfilled desire to have children. But could it be that God is working on us in the middle of our suffering, even when we can't feel or sense it? In this first part of our conversation with Jenny, she unpacks the importance of finding eternal perspective in the middle of our suffering. Whether you're suffering or helping someone who is suffering, Jenny introduces a few things to keep in mind as you walk through painful and difficult seasons.
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Suffering is all around us. And most people will experience major suffering at some point in their lives themselves. This means the lifestyle of discipleship will at some point deal with suffering. Which means we need to talk about it. In this chapter, Chris and Josh tell their stories and talk about why it's so important for the Church to talk about suffering.
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Your identity is, in a way, in two parts. There's who you are and who you think you are. The most important thing you can do in creating a lifestyle of discipleship is to keep your eyes on Jesus. Because it's when we're looking at him that we begin to see ourselves for who we are. And the result of that is life-changing!
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When it comes to our spiritual lives, most of what we talk about is the work we can see God doing. It feels good to see God pouring out His blessings in our lives. It’s fun to celebrate the victories and feel that God is actively involved in our day to day activities. Dave and Beth call this work "Day Work.” It’s God’s work in us that is easy to see. But what happens when the Night comes and it feels as if God has withdrawn His presence from our lives. Do we have the faith to believe that God is still working in us even when we do not feel Him? All of us, if we are serious about following Christ, will experience a dark night of the soul. But as Dave and Beth explain, this isn’t an experience from which we should run. Because this is just one more season of life that God wants to use to make us more like Him.
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How you view God affects the way your relationship with God develops. This is one of the components of step 1 in creating a lifestyle of discipleship, which is knowing your identity as a beloved child of God. If you are a beloved child, it means God loves you and that you hold value to him. But we often struggle to grasp this reality. We look at ourselves and see the brokenness and ugliness inside our own natures and assume no one, including God, would ever love us. And when we do that, we deny the reality God demonstrated to us in Jesus' life. In this chapter, Dave and Beth give us a bit of a spiritual direction session as we process our own views of God and how that has affected our lives as disciples of Christ.
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It’s often hard for us to live as if God is actively involved in our lives. But have you ever paused to ask yourself “why”? Why don’t you live as if God is an active participant in your daily life? I think it’s because we don’t think He’s really there. We don’t see Him. So we don’t pay much attention to Him. Sure, we give mental assertion to theological statements like “God is omnipresent.” We know in our minds that He is everywhere. But because we don’t see Him everywhere, we don’t live as if it’s true. In fact, we may even begin to unconsciously believe that God isn’t involved in our daily lives. But in this chapter, Dave and Beth help us to see the ways in which is God actively working in our everyday moments of life.
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The prophet Elijah ran away from Ahab and Jezebel and hid in the mountains to the south of Israel. And it was in that place he complained about his situation, unable to see what God was doing. It was there Elijah looked for God's presence in an earthquake and a fire, only to find it afterward in a still, small voice. We do much the same in our own lives. As we try to live a lifestyle of discipleship, we look for these great moments where the heavens open up and God's audible voice tells us what to do. But the reality is often much more subtle; it's the still small voice in the everyday moments of life. So then, how can we learn to recognize those moments? How can we learn to listen to the present moment and respond to what God is doing? In this chapter, Dave and Beth unpack the heart behind their new book, When Faith Becomes Sight, and help us learn to recognize, reflect, and respond to God's work in the everyday moments of life.
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We need analog relationships. One of the first things God observed about Adam after creation was that it wasn't good for him to be alone. In this chapter, Josh and Chris reflect on what they've taken from the conversation with Jay Kim and the need for these embodied, tactile relationships that Jay describes. In the end though, it's one thing to know we need these relationships; it's another to put them into practice.
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Step 2 in creating a lifestyle of discipleship involves practicing the basics, like reading the Bible. Throughout Church history, this meant listening to a person in front of us read or recite Scripture or reading a physical printed copy of the text ourselves. The digital age has changed that though. It's given us the opportunity to consume more information at a faster rate than ever before. So it's worth taking the time to evaluate how our reading of Scripture has been affected by these changes in technology. If we're called to have analog relationships in community and to worship in an analog way, how can we read Scripture in a way that fosters those analog relationships and produces transformation rather than just a transfer of information? In this chapter, Jay unpacks the value of a slower and more intentional approach to our reading of Scripture. In an age of twitter-sized bites of information, it's important to take time to read a longer work like the Bible not just for information but for transformation.
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Why do you go to church? Are looking for something specific like a deeper life in Christ or a good environment for your kids? As difficult as it might be to hear, both of these reasons are rooted in a consumeristic mindset. The focus is on what the church can do for you. Or maybe you haven’t given it much thought at all. Perhaps going to church is simply engrained into your cultural identity and it has become part of your normal rhythm of life. Both of these approaches miss out on the purpose of gathering together as the Body of Christ. That’s why Jay Kim explains in this chapter, why we need to be intentional about creating analog community. This approach to church challenges us to be active participants in the community rather than passive partakers.
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Worship is a response to the goodness of God in our lives. We can express that response in times when we're alone. But there's something about the gathering together of people that can't be replaced with a digital experience. The problem comes from our tendency to treat worship as something meant to make us feel good. If we view worship as something for us, listening to or watching a worship service digitally becomes just as good as worshiping together. But could it be that true worship is something each of us are called to create and participate in rather than something we consume? In this chapter, Jay gets to the heart of what worship is and the reason we were made to be disciples worshiping together side by side.
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We live in a culture that is largely driven by technological development. The digital age is here, and it has brought us unprecedented access to information and to people. The values that drive this culture are speed, choices, and individualism. We want what we want now and in our own way. And for the most part, many of the technological breakthroughs we enjoy are great. Social media allows us to connect with friends and families across the world. The internet and podcasting platforms have allowed us to bring education and opportunities to learn to those who otherwise wouldn’t have the chance. But have we stoped to ask if all this technology is benefiting the church? Have we let the values of the digital age erode the Mission and values of the Church? Is our technology keeping us from connecting with others and doing the deep work that is required for discipleship? This is why we wanted to Jay Kim about his new book, Analog Church.
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In this special bonus episode, you get a sneak peak at our conversation with Jay Kim, author of the book Analog Church and a pastor in Silicon Valley. In the middle of a culture filled with technology, Jay writes about the need for close relationships in the body of Christ. But in light of the coronavirus pandemic, how can the Church be maintain analog relationships when digital is the only option?
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Coaching relationships or, more generally, walking with someone is a vital part of a discipleship lifestyle. While Journey Pastoral Coaching is for ministers, the need for someone else to walk beside us in the Christian life is nonetheless real. We won't function at our best without these relationships. In this chapter, Josh and Chris talk about the way coaching and their relationship with each other has saved their lives and put them on a path to a lifestyle of discipleship.
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Following Jesus is a way of life. It’s not something we take break from. Whether you are busy at work trying to make a deadline, going to a sporting event with your family, or taking a break by going on vacation. These aren’t events that happen in addition to our walk with Christ. They happen in the midst of our life in Christ, and often they happen because of it. So we must always be ready to listen to the voice of the Spirit when He presents an opportunity to serve. In this chapter, Pastor Baker shows us what this mindset looks like through a willingness to be have a simple conversation. Because when you cultivate a mindset and a lifestyle that flows from the person God has called you to be, walking with Him becomes part of who you are. And that’s when Being leads to Doing.
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Journey Pastoral Coaching's horizontal beam in the cross approach to coaching represents a relationship with a peer. It's an intentional coaching relationship with someone who's walking alongside you, often at the same stage of life you are. A good coach doesn't need to know all the answers, they only need to be willing to walk beside you and ask the right questions. This means your peers can make great coaches. And they have a different perspective than someone in a vertical coaching relationship would have. Both of these provide valuable help as you pursue a lifestyle of discipleship. In this chapter, Alan Baker walks us through the value of the peer coaching relationship and some of the ways Journey Pastoral Coaching has implemented this vital coaching relationship.
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When it comes to Journey Pastoral Coaching there are two beams that signify the different types of coaching relationships. There is the vertical beam that signifies the relationship we have with the a coach who is more experienced than us and who has already done what we are now trying to do. Then there is the horizontal beam that signifies the relationship that we have with others who are at the same level as us. They are struggling to learn and accomplish the same things we are. And these two types of relationships each offer unique value. One is not more important than the other. We need both to help us fully develop as followers of Christ. But in this chapter, we discuss the value of the vertical beam and explore how these relationships provide a unique perspective that can only be gained through years of experience.
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One of the greatest temptations we face is the desire to be more than we were created to be. It's the desire to be as great as God. And for many of us, that even happens in the way we try to live as followers of Jesus. It could be that we think we have to grow and develop our way, under our own power, and by our own abilities. It's an isolating experience. But thinking we're alone or that we have to somehow figure out how to live as disciples by ourselves misses the very thing God created us for in the first place. He made us for relationships. In short, if we're going to be serious about creating a lifestyle of discipleship, we have to be serious about walking with others in that lifestyle. In this chapter, our personal friend and pastoral coach, Alan Baker, talks with us about value of relationships and why we often miss or ignore this important part of our discipleship.
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Get your copy of the Daily Growth Journal and start creating a lifestyle of discipleship with the simple practice of journaling.
We are never passive participants in a discipleship relationship. It's something that takes intentionality. But how is it that we go about developing relationships intentionally? In this chapter, Chris and Josh discuss a few of the lessons they learned from talking with Josiah Smith and the ways they've found to be intentional about walking with others.
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1 John 4:19 says we love because God first loved us. In other words, if we have seen and tasted God's goodness, his grace, and his love, it gives us a desire to begin the journey of becoming like him. So really, the discipleship lifestyle isn't started by us. God's grace and love give us a taste for it that calls us further along the path to becoming like him. And it's this lesson that Josiah unpacks for us in this chapter.
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We often think about discipleship in terms of our own journey. We tend to focus only on ourselves. But as we’ve talked about this week with Josiah, discipleship is a journey we must take with others.That’s why Step 3 in how to create a lifestyle of discipleship is to walk with others. Because we aren’t meant to walk alone. But as in every lifestyle, one habit or activity doesn’t make a lifestyle. A Lifestyle is made up of many habits and routines that once combined, encompass our entire lives and direct the way we live. That’s why Step 3, Walk with Others, goes so well with Step 5, Make other Disciples. Because you can’t disciple others unless you are walking with them. And the best way to make these steps part of your everyday life is to be intentional.
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Get your copy of the Daily Growth Journal and start creating a lifestyle of discipleship with the simple practice of journaling.
Discipleship is a lifelong process. It's tough to remember this at times because we want to have arrived at the destination. We want the journey to be done and to have received our reward. But there are certain lessons that can only be learned during the journey. It's a transformational journey that we take with Jesus and with the people alongside us. In this chapter, Josiah lays out some of the basic principles he's learned for walking this journey with Jesus and others. It's a lifelong journey built on those relationships. And as we travel, Jesus begins to transform us, teaching us the good news of the Gospel and teaching us to let go of things like unforgiveness and our own self-centered desires.
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Are you tired of going to church each week simply looking for what you can get out of it? What if we stoped looking at church with such a consumeristic mindset? What if we became eager participants in the discipleship journey? How would it change your life? The church isn’t meant to be an organization that puts on an event once a week. It is meant to be a community of people seeking to worship God and grow in our relationship with Christ. But transitioning from a consumer of church to a participant in the life of the church can be challenging if we’re not ready for it. Josiah Smith’s book, Along the Way, came about because of his desire to see his church make such a transformation. In this chapter we talk to him about some of the challenges and victories his church has faced along the way.
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In this chapter, Josh and Chris discuss how this conversation with Geoff and Cyd have impacted their life. The idea that God not only loves us but likes us provides a perspective to see how God is constantly seeking ways to be with us. The story of Scripture becomes about God wanting to be with us and work through us. This profoundly changes the way we approach discipleship. Our walk with Jesus becomes about learning from Him how to be in a relationship with the Father. And it’s through this relationship that God transforms our lives and changes the world.
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Earlier this week, Cyd and Geoff reminded us that God is always pursuing us. In fact, he's always making the first move to find us where we are and bring us back into relationship with him. But sometimes he uses the distance that exists between us and him to do a work in our lives. This is exactly what the people of Israel experienced during the Exile. It's a reminder for us that God's work is always redemptive. It's always meant to bring us back to him. And he will use whatever situation we find ourselves in to accomplish that goal of redeeming us. In this chapter, Cyd and Geoff walk us through the ways God's taught them about his redemptive work. And it may just be the best news you've heard today!
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Do you feel secure in your identity in Christ? We all want to feel the warmth of the Father’s love for us and buy into the idea that God really does love us, but it always seems like there is something in the way. We have a hard to believing that we are worthy of love. We fear that if others really knew us, that they wouldn’t accept us. Our shame of who we are keeps us from truly believing what God has said about us: that we are his beloved sons and daughters. Shame keeps us from the Father, and so we must deal with it. That’s why in this chapter Geoff and Cyd explain how shame is actually the problem behind sin.
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Why is it that we struggle to find joy? If joy comes from relationships (either with God or other people), the loss of joy then comes from the loss of those relationships. In this chapter, Geoff and Cyd unpack a bit of a big picture look at the story the Bible tells of the way our joy died. We now know what it's like to feel the loss of joy. We know what it's like to feel shame. And a lot of our actions are motivated from a desire to hide from shame or to get back our joy. The problem is we are terrible at doing this. And our attempts usually create more of a mess than when we started, leading to a never-ending cycle. The good news is we have a way to get our joy back. The main story of Scripture is that God is the God who wants to be with us and the God who wants to work through us. It means he wants to restore his relationship with us to give us back our joy. In short, he wants to restore our identity as his beloved children. He wants us to know that he delights in us!
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Get your copy of the Daily Growth Journal and start creating a lifestyle of discipleship with the simple practice of journaling.
Most of us have some vague sense that God loves us. We hear that idea thrown around a lot in our churches. After all, God is love and it’s because of His love for us that He sent His son to die on the cross for our sins. But for a lot of us, this idea that God loves us remains an idea. It’s in our heads. We have a hard time getting that idea from heads down into our hearts so that we feel connected to God and His love. And that's why it's important to grasp the idea that Geoff and Cyd Holsclaw are putting forth in their book, Does God Really Like Me? Because it’s one thing to hear someone tell you that God loves you. It’s another to hear that God actually likes you and wants to connect with you. For those of us who have a hard time walking in God’s love, this realization can open doors to experiencing joy in God’s presence as he shows us who we are as His beloved sons and daughters.
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Get your copy of the Daily Growth Journal and start creating a lifestyle of discipleship with the simple practice of journaling.
Prayer doesn't always consist of quiet times alone with God for hours on end. It may not even necessarily be speaking. Our conversation with John this week has driven home the point that prayer is more about developing a relationship with God than anything else. And that can happen in short, everyday moments as well as in intentional quiet times alone with him. The key is staying close enough to hear God say, "I love you!" And the season of Lent is a great time to put this into practice!
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When it comes to prayer, we aren’t doing just one thing. Prayer is multi-dimensional. It has many depths to it, and can involve different practices that enrich our time with God and allow us to go deeper into His presence. In Chapter 2 we talked about how in prayer we are trying to enhance our relationship with Christ, so in this chapter we wanted to dive into some of the specific practices that help us create space in our lives to go deeper with Him. And it starts with two sets of rhythms that work together to help us create a vibrant lifestyle of prayer.
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When you go without one of your senses, it's well known that your other senses heighten. Those who don't have eyesight often have more acute hearing and smell. This is really what fasting does for us. When we take time to separate ourselves from some experience for the sake of being transformed by God, it heightens our awareness of him in the everyday moments of life. In the first two chapters of our conversation with John this week, we've talked about what prayer is and how it transforms us. In this chapter, we get to talk about the opportunity to practice prayer in the season of Lent. When we practice prayer during Lent, it creates a powerful combination that brings us into the presence of God and heightens our awareness of his presence and work in our lives.
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Get your copy of the Daily Growth Journal and start creating a lifestyle of discipleship with the simple practice of journaling.
Good communication is key for any relationship to grow and flourish. Today in our modern world, we have tools and technology that connect us with others more than any other time in human history, and yet people feel more alone and more isolated than ever. This is because connection doesn’t equal communication. So connection, although critical for relationships, is not enough. As Christians, we are connected to God through His Spirit. We are connected to God because God is faithful to remain by our side. But if we want to go deeper in our relationship with Him then we need to have open and clear communication with Him. Prayer is how we communicate with God. And as with any relationship, it helps to know what we are sitting down to do when we talk to our loving Father. So that’s why we start off this chapter talking to John about what prayer is and why we are doing it.
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We have an unconscious desire for something to be happening. In other words, we hate boredom. In fact, a 2014 study found that almost 50% of people would rather give themselves an electric shock than to be alone with their own thoughts for even 15 minutes. We want to be doing something to keep ourselves busy, even if that something is bad for us. In this first chapter of our conversation with John, he unpacks the ways prayer, silence, and solitude work together as an antidote to our busy lives. It's in stillness and prayer that our real selves and our problems rise to the surface, giving us the opportunity to let God transform us.
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Endurance isn't always fun. Cruising through life sounds so much better. But in reality, we find our lives come with seasons and rhythms. Sometimes we rest and sometimes we endure. It's important to take time when we can to rest. And those times we don't feel like we need to endure are just as much a part of training for endurance as any other part of a lifestyle of discipleship.
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In this chapter, we had the opportunity to ask Trillia some of our favorite questions about writing, how she approaches discipleship, and some of her favorite books. What we love about Trillia is that you can really tell her life's passion is all about discipleship and helping others run this race with endurance to the end.
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Hebrews 12:1 says, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." When you practice a lifestyle of discipleship, at some point you will fail. In chapter 1 of this conversation, Trillia told a story about running a 400 meter relay and almost losing complete control of her legs. In those moments when enduring becomes seemingly impossible, the habits, routines, and community around you will help you get through the race. The habits you build now define your response when struggles come up either good or bad. And the people you surround yourself with will be the ones who either support you or abandon you. In this chapter, Trillia unpacks a few of the habits and routines she's practiced in learning to endure as well as the value of being part of a healthy community of believers.
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Have you ever thought about walking away from Christ? Why have you continued to follow him? What motivated you to endure in this race we call the Christian life? We may not always be aware of them, but motives play a crucial role in every decision we make. Outwardly, we may be serving God faithfully, but inwardly we are seeking praise and admiration from others in the church. The worst thing about this is that we can slip into it accidentally. We begin serving with proper motives, but the pressures of life and the allures of success can slowly taint our motives. When this happens, our ability to endure is diminished, and our actual effectiveness suffers. In this chapter Trillia helps us understand why our motives matter as we run this race with endurance in the everyday moments of life.
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It's hard to imagine what endurance really feels like unless you've been through some struggle. In the Christian life, that struggle can come from your own sin, your own situation in life, or it can be the result of something done to you by someone else. One thing Jesus did promise us though was that we would have troubles, that the life of being his disciple would also be a life familiar with struggle. But at times we underestimate what it really means to endure those struggles. C. S. Lewis wrote, "Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is... You find out the strength of a wind by trying to walk against it, not by lying down. A man who gives in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later." While some of our struggles in a lifestyle of discipleship may come from sin, this principle still applies to the other struggles as well when it comes to endurance.
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Get your copy of the Daily Growth Journal and start creating a lifestyle of discipleship with the simple practice of journaling.
At the end of it all, there's really only one thing that matters: Are you a child of God? If this is true, and you really grab hold of this, everything else in the lifestyle of discipleship will flow from this. Understanding your identity is vital, but it also allows you to plumb the depths of your soul to find out what you really love, to find what motivates you. This can be a daunting task and painful at times, but it's worth every moment. This week's conversation with Gem and Alan Fadling has been incredibly rich. So in this final chapter, Chris and Josh unpack some of the highlights for them.
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This week we’ve taken a deep dive into exploring our identities in Christ, our desires, and our deepest loves. But most of our conversation has focused on the individual journey. So in this chapter Josh and I wanted to ask how this journey of transformation has affected Gem and Alan’s marriage. Because living a lifestyle of discipleship is never lived in isolation. We were created to walk with others. For those who are married, our spouse becomes our primary partner in this journey. But if searching the depths of our souls is difficult for an individual, exploring with another person can complicate this process even more. There are miscommunications and misunderstandings. We often talk past each other and can become frustrated with the process. However, the reward for a shared journey far exceeds the struggle. Our partners become an invaluable source of encouragement and support as we face the trials of life together and endeavor to lift each other up as we pursue Christ.
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What's the lifestyle of discipleship really about? Is it something we have to do? Something we have to learn? Or is it simply something we get to participate in as we stay close to God in the everyday moments of life? We can get so caught up in trying to transform ourselves that we often forget Jesus is the one who began the work in our lives and will also be the one to transform us. If this is true, the lifestyle of discipleship really becomes a life of staying beside Jesus, especially when we mess up. This isn't a passive role though. It simply recognizes that we are not the ones with the power to transform. In this chapter, Gem and Alan unpack the secret to living a life of transformation. It's not about doing something. Instead, it's all about letting go of your attempts to fix things on your own and allowing God to be the one who does the transformation.
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Get your copy of the Daily Growth Journal and start creating a lifestyle of discipleship with the simple practice of journaling.
As we talked about yesterday with Gem and Alan Fadling, knowing who we are in Christ is crucial for us if we are to genuinely grow in our relationship with Him. But what happens if you realize your motives are wrong? If you are honest with yourself, you will recognize that your desire to grow is at least in part motivated by a desire to measure up to the expectations of God and others so you can earn their approval. So that’s why in this chapter we talk to Gem and Alan about the 8 questions from their book, What Does Your Soul Love? These 8 questions become a guide to help you evaluate your motives and a tool for realigning your heart to the heart of God.
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Get your copy of the Daily Growth Journal and start creating a lifestyle of discipleship with the simple practice of journaling.
You are a beloved child of God. We talk about that a lot, but it's not truly understood by the majority of Christians. One of the biggest challenges facing every Christian is the struggle to grasp our identity as valued and loved children of God. But this is really the starting point of all discipleship. We put the cart in front of the horse though and believe our transformation is the starting point of the Christian life. We may not always claim it's a pre-condition to getting into heaven. But we do think and act in ways that show we want to prove we are worth something so that God will continue to accept us. The irony is that we miss God's open arms as we run around trying to prove he should open them to us. Brennan Manning said, To live by grace means to acknowledge my whole life story, the light side and the dark. In admitting my shadow side I learn who I am and what God's grace means." When we put up our facades and attempts to prove our own worth, we often end up hiding our flaws and our messiness in the process. But when we truly see God's love for us that doesn't begin when we get our lives cleaned up, we begin to see ourselves in a different light. We begin to see ourselves as masterpieces. In this chapter, Gem and Alan unpack what it means to live a lifestyle of discipleship from a place of love. And it's from that place that transformation begins to occur.
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As followers of Jesus, our greatest joy comes when we share our identity with another so that they may grow in their walk with him. This happens when you're sharing your faith with an unbeliever or helping a fellow brother or sister faithfully follow Christ.
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You were created for a purpose. As a beloved child of God, you have a vocational calling that is to be used for the sake of others. The Christian life is lived through service to that calling. Keep service at the front of your mind by recognizing that your purpose in life lies outside yourself.
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You were created for community. You weren't meant to walk alone. You need someone who sees you at your best and worst, who's walking toward Jesus like you, and who can keep you accountable to your commitment to grow.
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It takes 10,000 hours to become a master at any given skill. When you set aside time each day to practice prayer, study, and meditation, you start the process that will lay the foundation for meaningful growth in the future.
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Get your copy of the Daily Growth Journal and start creating a lifestyle of discipleship with the simple practice of journaling.
You are a beloved child of God. He loves you and wants the best for you, no matter how you feel about him. You can do nothing to make him love you less.
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Get your copy of the Daily Growth Journal and start creating a lifestyle of discipleship with the simple practice of journaling.
In the 1950s, Americans had a belief that a rise in technological development would lead to their lives becoming less about work and more about leisure. And although our lives have become much more comfortable as a result of technology, our lives continue to be filled with more things to do, more distractions, and more demands on our time. Instead of working less hours and playing more, we work longer hours. In fact, many American workers are afraid to take the vacation time given to them for fear they will lose control of their work environment, be passed over for promotions, or be so far behind on their tasks after they return, the prefer to simply stay at work. But this sentiment demonstrates an unbalance in the way we approach our work. And we must deal with it in order to create a healthy, work-life synergy.
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We live in a fallen, sinful world. And we have to work with fallen, sinful people. And some days work just isn't fun or fulfilling. So if there's joy and fulfillment to be found in our work, how can we find it when our jobs continue to beat us down? In this chapter, Shundrawn walks us through a few practical steps we can take to find true fulfillment in our work, even when our jobs and the people we work with become difficult.
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God has gifted each us with a call to serve the world with our work. Our work is meant to give us purpose and be a source of joy. For many of us, however, our work, and more particularly our workplaces, are not. Because of the fallen sinful nature, our work is tainted. We no longer receive the satisfaction from work that God intended. But because God's kingdom brings renewal to all aspects of creation, there is hope for us even in the work we do. Joy and satisfaction are attainable when we align our hearts and motives with God’s. So in this chapter, Shundrawn talks about why he wrote the book, Discover Joy in Work, and he demonstrates how God can use us to bring redemption to our work and our workplaces by following Him in the everyday moments of our work life.
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Studies show that the average person will spend more than 90,000 hours at work in their lifetime. It's a significant aspect of life and one that God actually designed and built into who we are as human beings. He created us to work and to be productive. What's more, he actually created work to be something we enjoy. But according to a Gallup poll, 85% of us hate our jobs. So what's the deal? Daily Growth Discipleship's fourth step in creating a lifestyle of disciple is to serve with purpose. We believe God created each person with a vocational call. It's a call to do productive work, not just for the sake of putting food on our table, but also for the sake of carrying out his command to be caretakers and stewards of the earth. When we do this well, we serve with purpose and find joy in doing what God created us to do. When we do this, our work brings glory to God. In this chapter, Shundrawn talks a bit about his own journey and how God has helped him bring glory to God in the world of finance.
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Have you ever wondered why you struggle with certain sinful desires? What if I told you that the sinful, or even just the destructive impulses, you have as an adult come from wounds that happened in your childhood? Father Albert calls them the crack in our souls. And by understand why these cracks exist, we can become mindful of our weaknesses the enemy uses to tempt us into sin. But by paying attention to these cracks, we can resist the enemy and instead put on the mind of Christ so that we are transformed evermore into his likeness.
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Imagine never knowing how well or how poorly you were doing at your job. Nobody telling you if you did things correctly, and nobody telling you if you didn't. If you're honest with yourself, you would probably feel no desire to get better. In fact, you probably wouldn't even know what "better" looked like. You would also probably make the same mistakes over and over again, not knowing that what you were doing was actually a mistake. Walking alone in the spiritual life is a lot like this. You don't have anyone telling you whether you're pointed in a good direction or not. In this chapter, Father Albert reminds us if we are to become aware of God's presence and work in our lives in the present moment, we need someone to walk alongside us.
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In today’s tech filled, media driven culture, our lives are filled with noise. We are constantly bombarded with information and news about our Facebook friend’s latest trip to Australia, the latest movies coming out, celebrity gossip, the newest tech gadget, politicians most recent lies or scandals, growing tension between various countries, and the list goes on. It’s hard to know how to absorb all of this information let alone process and do something with it. Our friend’s post makes us want to travel more. The latest iPhone release causes us to see our current phone as outdated. The news of the latest tragedy around the world makes us want to take action. And all the while, we still need to go to work, maintain good relationships with our friends and co-workers, pick up the kids from school, make dinner and spend time with our spouse. It doesn’t seem possible to do everything. We want to live in the moment. We want to live each day surrounded by the awareness of God’s presence in our lives. But with so much noise, it seems impossible to keep up with everything the next moment brings. But Father Albert has a remedy for this way of thinking. And he helps us see that living in the present moment is not only possible, but also a sacred calling.
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We love to talk about the everyday moments of life here at Daily Growth Discipleship. It's in these everyday moments, when you're driving to work, getting coffee, sitting in parent-teacher meetings, or trying to put your kids to bed that God desires to shape you and transform you. It's tough though because we are naturally terrible at listening to God's voice in those moments because so many other things demand our attention. When we do finally come around to time for God, we feel like we should always be further along in our journey. It's like picking up a book you haven't read in a while and having to go back and read a few pages just to remember what's actually happened to lead you to this point in the story. In this chapter, Father Albert offers a solution for these feelings. It's not about keeping your ears tuned to what God's doing in Heaven, but rather keeping your ears to the ground, listening to what he's doing in the everyday moments of your life.
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In the movie, The Karate Kid, Daniel wants so badly to jump straight to learning Karate from Mr. Miyagi, but when he shows up to the lesson he ends up waxing the car, painting fences, and sanding floors. Spiritual growth can feel a lot like this. You want so badly to get to the end where you look exactly like Christ and are completely perfect. But when you show up to the lesson, God takes you down this crooked path through the deserts of life. It's filled with pain and repeated lessons that seem to have nothing to do with what you think spiritual growth should be. And you may even feel like you have to keep learning lessons you thought you had already learned. Rather than taking a direct path to transformation you end up walking down winding paths that seem to go in circles. In this chapter, Jeff gets to the heart of his book, The Winding Path of Transformation, and helps us understand what's really going on when it feels like growth can never come fast enough.
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When we talk about growth, we often forget there is a price associate with it. If we want to lose weight, we must give up eating certain foods. We must commit our time to going to the gym. And choosing to grow in our relationship with Christ is the same. As we follow Him, we give up more and more of our old lives so that we might have more of his new life. And although we shouldn’t focus on what we are losing but focus on what we are gaining, it’s important to understand the exchange that happens. In Matthew 13:44 Jesus illustrates this concept by comparing the Kingdom of God to a treasure hidden in a field. This treasure is worth far more than everything we have. And so upon discovering it, we willingly sell everything we have in order to buy the field so we can obtain the treasure.
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In Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis wrote, "Every father is pleased at the baby's first attempt to walk: no father would be satisfied with anything less than a firm, free, manly walk in a grown-up son. In the same way, God is easy to please, but hard to satisfy." It would be comfortable to continue crawling around on the floor as Christians. Life is simple there, and we don't have to do much. But we never grow when we're comfortable. And, like a good father, God desires our transformation as his sons and daughters more than he desires our comfort in staying in the same place. In this chapter, Jeff unpacks the ways God unsettles us and leads us through discomfort. It's not an easy path, but it is a path of transformation.
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As disciples we each have a desire to grow in our relationship with God. We want to know our loving Father more. And like any relationship, this requires communication. We must spend time talking and listening to God. But for most Christians, listening is a struggle. We worry that we might mistake our own voice for God’s. We wish he would just speak to us audibly so we would know, without a doubt, what He was saying. But God often speaks through ordinary moments and events. And Jeff Tacklind illustrates this so well with how he opens his book, The Winding Path of Transformation. Jeff found himself at the bottom of a creek bed looking at a lonely alder tree. The creek ran between a great oak forest to the South and a great evergreen forest to North. But the alder tree couldn’t grow in either one of those forests. It had to remain in that creek bed, and lay down deep roots, if it were to grow and survive. And God used this image of a lonely alder tree to speak to Jeff and confirm his own calling.
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If you’re listening to this podcast right now, then it’s likely that you have a deep desire to grow in your relationship with Christ and to make other disciples. But if you’re like most Christians today, you struggle with talking to non-Christians about your faith. Well that’s okay, because our guest Don Everts used to feel this way as well. He was, what he calls, a reluctant witness. But he’s here to share with us how we can become eager conversationalists. How we can become disciples who are ready and willing to take advantage of the opportunities for spiritual conversations. And it starts with the right preparation.
Check out the full notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
There are always reasons we don’t share our faith with someone. These reasons may or may not be true, but we can usually justify them in some way. When it comes down to it, spiritual conversations can be scary. You may be an introvert who doesn’t like talking to people. You may be afraid of rejection and public shame. Or maybe you just don’t know what to say. In this chapter, Don summarizes and debunks 5 myths he’s found people believe about spiritual conversations. So whether you’re afraid of talking to someone or you just don’t know what to say, Don has some good news for you. And sharing your faith may not be as difficult as you think.
Check out the full notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Step 5 in creating lifestyle of discipleship is to make other disciples. But this is often the step that causes us the most fear. We’re afraid of talking to a stranger about our faith. We don’t want to say the wrong thing, or be asked a question we don’t know how to answer, or be the one responsible for turning someone off to the gospel all together. And so we avoid spiritual conversations of any kind. But in this chapter Don Everts helps us gain some peace of mind by giving us a better way to think about sharing our faith and making disciples.
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You’ve probably felt it before. It’s that guilty feeling that you haven’t been sharing your faith with others like you should. We’re all called to evangelize, right? So then why don’t we witness more? Why is it so hard to have spiritual conversations? In this chapter, Don opens up with us about his latest work in studying why Christians aren’t having as many spiritual conversations any more. We may come up with excuses or justifications for why we don’t talk about our faith with others. But could it be that there’s something deeper happening in our culture?
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Throughout this week’s episode with Tricia Rhodes, our conversation has focused on how we can integrate the Spiritual Disciplines into our lives, even when our lives are filled with chaos. There is something incredibly refreshing to hear that the Spiritual Disciplines can be practiced in a variety of ways. We don’t have to feel bound to spending a solid hour each morning in isolated prayer. For some of us, because of the season of life we’re in, we are doing good just to get in 15 minutes alone with Jesus. Don’t feel bad about that! Be grateful for the time you have and make the most of it. The Spiritual Disciplines aren’t meant to establish a new standard or law we must live up too. They are meant to be practices that help us create space to be with and hear from God. To grow in our relationship with him. We often miss this point when we talk about the disciplines because that word holds such negative connotations. But I hope our conversation with Tricia this week has shown you that the Spiritual Disciplines can be a means to walk with God in freedom and grow in His grace. And this comes through so prominently in Tricia’s life and work. And so it isn’t surprising that freedom and grace have been a highlight to how God has worked in her life.
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Have you ever tried to practice a new spiritual discipline like journaling or fasting and thought you had to understand how to do it perfectly? Maybe you had to have the right journal and write about the right events. Or maybe you found yourself in an argument over what you should fast and whether or not it’s proper to drink juices during a fast. At times it’s good to be precise with what we do. At other times though it’s better to experiment a bit. We were all created with our own personalities, and the way each of us grow is often just a little different. Experimenting with spiritual disciplines isn’t about finding your own personal path to growth though. We all need to pray and communicate with God. But the way we communicate with God may come in different forms and in different places. In this chapter, Tricia talks about the value she’s found in experimenting with the spiritual disciplines and how it helped her find growth in the chaos of life.
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Have you ever had a friend that was so spiritual that it made you sick? You know, the type that would pray about everything! Even what they were supposed to eat for lunch! Well while that might seem extreme to many of us, it demonstrates a desire that we all have. We want to develop such a close, intimate relationship with God that we would trust him with even our mundane choices. We want to see the world through his eyes, and so be led by his Spirit throughout our day. Well Tricia tells us a story of a woman she knew who had this sort of relationship with God who taught her an important lesson about we can develop this sort of spiritual sight in our own lives.
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Habits can be powerful tools for growth. We all have those menial tasks at work that we have to do. It’s that task that requires doing the same thing over and over again. As we do that task, our brain and our body get so used to doing it that we get faster at doing it. We know exactly which key to press on the keyboard and when, we know exactly where to move to pick up the next item. We develop habits. And when we develop these habits, our job becomes a little easier. In this chapter, Tricia unpacks the way habits can actually benefit our spiritual growth as well. Because the more we practice a habit, the more natural it becomes to keep doing it.
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Life can be chaotic. Sometimes it feels as if there are constant demands on our time that pull in multiple directions at once. We can get overwhelmed just by the simple, everyday activities that need our attention day in and day out. We struggle to keep pace and fulfill all of our obligations. The constant barrage of expectations and the onslaught of major and minor catastrophes leaves us feeling like failures. Rather than retreating into God to find peace, we find the chaos pushing us out of God’s center. We begin to feel guilt and shame because we haven’t set aside time just to be with God. We feel like we are failing at being a Christian on top of failing at being a parent or our job, or fill in the blank. But Tricia Rhodes offers us a way forward in the midst of this chaos. Instead of allowing the chaos to overwhelm us, we should embrace it as God’s plan and purpose for our lives. For God is with us in the midst of the chaos and wants to use it to work in us.
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We each have a vision for how we think our lives should play out. We have ideas about how quickly we should progress in our careers, when we should get married, and what size house we should own. So when those visions don’t come to fruition, we feel dissatisfied or unsuccessful in life. But following Jesus flips this dissatisfaction. As we grow in him, we slowly learn to be content with what we have and where God has us serving. But at the same time, as Dr. Snavely elaborates in this chapter, a new dissatisfaction takes its place. We begin to yearn for more of God’s presence in our lives. And the more of him we find, the deeper we want to go.
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Do you really understand what it means to say, “I want to be more like Jesus?” When you look at Jesus’ life, it involved a lot of difficult things that made even Jesus plead with God not to let it happen. If you want to be more like Jesus, it might mean following the Spirit’s leading into places you would rather avoid. In this chapter, Andréa unpacks what it really means to pray, “Jesus, make me more like you,” as well as the things God’s done in his own life as a result of praying that prayer.
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Have you ever thought about why God gave us marriage? In Scripture, it’s one of the most used analogies for his love and relationship with the Church. But perhaps it’s more than an analogy? Maybe our marriages should actually be a reflection of God’s own trinitarian nature. So we wanted to ask Dr. Snavely how a Spirit-Christology affects our marriages. And although there is still a lot of work to do on how we flesh this out in our lives, Spirit-Christology becomes very practical as it gives us a clear demonstration of what submission and love for one another looks like.
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If you read the title of this chapter, you should be asking, “Why Shouldn’t I follow Jesus’ example?” Jesus lived a perfect life without sin, and the Bible is full of statements calling us to be like Jesus. But there’s a valuable distinction between trying to be like Jesus and allowing the Holy Spirit to make us like Jesus. And in this chapter, Andréa explains the value of looking at the Spirit’s work in bringing daily growth to our lives as something that can only be done by him. In the end, your daily growth as you become more like Jesus isn’t your responsibility. it’s something only God can do, and he invites you to join him in the process.
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In this episode of the podcast, we are going to be talking about some fairly deep theological issues. But don’t let that turn you off, because this conversation is worth it! While the topic of Spirit-Christology may sound intimidating, it has proven to be one of the most practical disciplines for exploring for how to become more like Christ. And it starts by understanding who Christ was and how he was able to live the sort of life he lived.
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Every good parent wants to protect their kids from harm, whether it’s physical, mental, or emotional harm. And our lives are so complex, it’s often hard to fully understand why kids respond in certain ways to certain events. So when we consider what our kids can watch or should watch, it’s tough to work through all the variables and decide should I let my kids watch this or not? In this chapter, Josh unpacks his approach to helping parents make this decision. It’s not always straightforward, but there are a few guidelines we can use to help us keep our kids safe.
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Movies and TV shows play a central role in our culture today. Where this sort of entertainment was once demonized for being a waste of time, we now celebrate the time we spend “bingeing” Netflix. How many of us successfully watched all of Season 3 of Stranger Things in one day? Our lives and culture are consumed with media. So we wanted to talk with Josh Larsen about how movies fit into our spiritual lives. Are there limits to how we should use media, and should pastors use movies in their Sunday sermons?
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If you’ve read the Psalms, you’ve probably noticed the wide range of topics and emotions that spill out from these Hebrew poems and verses. David writes Psalm 51 and pours out his confession of sin to God. He writes Psalm 8 and describes God’s glory and majesty. And he also writes Psalm 35, where he calls on God to destroy his enemies. These Psalms are really prayers that give voice to what the writer was experiencing at the time. In the same way, movies give voice to what the screenwriters and directors are experiencing, what they find to be true in life. When they paint a grim picture of the future of humanity, they give voice to a feeling of hopelessness about the human condition. When they tell stories of humanity rising out of the ashes to enter a better future, they give voice to the desire we have as human beings to make a better world in which we can conquer evil and live in peace. In this chapter, Josh talks with us about a few of the categories he’s found in the prayers, the longings and desires, we see in front of us on the screen. And interestingly enough, these prayers are often quite similar to the prayers prayed by David and the other psalmists.
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If movies are prayers, as the title of Josh Larsen’s book suggests, then it’s important for us to understand the role movies play in our lives and in the larger culture. If you think about what makes your favorite movie resonate with you so much, it’s probably because the prayer of that movie resonates with you. Your soul has identified with it and you've now latched on to it as an expression of the unspoken desire of your heart. And if this is true, then movies have the potential to affect our lives in some profound ways. And that’s why we wanted to go a little deeper with Josh in this chapter, and discover just how movies become prayers.
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In his book, Movies are Prayers, Josh Larsen takes a look at the value of movies for understanding who we are as human beings. These stories on the screen give a voice to our deepest longings and desires. We watch movies like Citizen Kane as a man on his deathbed says, ‘Rosebud’, and are instantly reminded of the desire we all have for the safety and security we used to have when we were kids, when the chaos, filth, and sin of our adult lives leaves us feeling unfulfilled and meaningless. Or we watch movies like Inside Out and find ourselves appreciating the complexity and wide range of emotions we feel but sometimes struggle to understand. As disciples of Christ and people called to make disciples of all nations, understanding those deepest longings and desires can be a valuable tool for spiritual growth and helping others grow as well. And movies can help us understand them in ways we never have before.
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You feel the call of God to participate in missions, maybe not as a missionary, but definitely to do something. So now what? How do we find a place to get involved? And are there any mistakes we can avoid as we do? In this chapter, Stephen answers these questions and provides some great tips on how we can develop a missional mindset.
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For the past century, the church has has put a lot of emphasis on going to new places to preach the gospel. And it’s easy to see why. Jesus, after all, told his disciples to “go into all nations and make disciples.” And that’s part of Daily Growth Discipleship’s missions. We want to help you grow in your own discipleship journey so that your life would be a means of making other disciples. But in this chapter, Stephen Kuert talks to us about another passage of Scripture that we don’t usually look at for the purpose of missions. It’s the call the stay. And once we started down this road, we opened up a whole host of questions that showed us just how helpful developing a mindset for missions can be for creating a lifestyle of discipleship.
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We’re often scared to tell others about our relationship with Jesus because we’re afraid they’ll reject us or hate us for it. But that doesn’t always have to be the case. Could it be that we think we have to get them saved first before we can be good friends with them? We may not say that, but our lives may say that for us without words in the way we prefer to stay inside the walls of our churches or to spend all our spare time with our Christian friends. In this chapter, Stephen lays out a few practical tips for building relationships with other people. And it doesn’t have to be any more complicated than saying, “Hello, my name is Stephen. What’s your name?”
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Most of us realize that when it comes to sharing our faith, we could probably do more. We have a desire to tell our friends, family members, and neighbors about the good news that Christ came to save them. So why is it that we have such a hard time opening up about our faith when we know it’s an essential part of our discipleship? Jesus calls us to make other disciples. But it seems like every time we set our minds to sharing our faith with someone, fear wells up in our hearts, and we find a million excuses to keep us from reaching out. And that’s why we're so excited to be talking to Stephen Kuert this week. Raised as a missionary kid and now a missionary himself, Stephen helps us see discipleship, and our call to make disciples, through the unique lens of missions. And we believe you will come away from this conversation with a fresh perspective on how your lifestyle of discipleship can lead to making other disciples.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Much of Church history is filled with art. If you visit old churches or cathedrals, there’s an abundance of artwork depicting events in the past, people from history, and images that are meant to produce feelings in us that bring us to God. Art does something that words cannot in that way. And we can take advantage of that for our daily growth as disciples of Jesus. When we combine liturgical practices and the art produced by the body of Christ, we have a powerful tool for daily growth. In this chapter, Winfield discusses a few of the ways the church has lost the value of art and how we can bring it back and integrate it into our daily lives.
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Why are young people across the United States suddenly turning to liturgical worship? What is it about liturgy that appeals to them so much? What unspoken need is being met? In today’s chapter, Winfield discusses who liturgy is for and how those of us from non-liturgical traditions can explore this style of worship for the first time.
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You have a tradition that you practice every day. You brush your teeth. You may not always like doing it, but the results are great. Cleaning our teeth is a tradition that’s been around for thousands of years. Many cultures practiced it quite differently and with various tools for cleaning the teeth, but it has been around for a long time. Ancient Egyptians are said to have made crude toothbrushes from frayed twigs. Thankfully, you don’t brush your teeth with a stick today. You have the benefit of thousands of years of learning to now brush your teeth as efficiently as it’s ever been done in human history. We in North America also tend to look at our growth as disciples of Christ very individualistically, thinking we have to figure out how to grow and that our growth is just so we can become more like Christ. But this misses the connection we have to the body of Christ both with us today and that came before us for the last 2000 years. You don’t have to figure out how to grow from square one, just like you don’t have to learn the best way to clean your teeth all over again. Millions of believers have gone before you, figuring out how to grow. And the practices that have worked stuck around in the form of liturgies. Your growth today can find life and structure in those practices. That’s not to say you have to practice everything exactly as it’s been done for centuries on end. It simply means you have the benefit of knowing what works and what doesn’t because someone has already figured it out. You now have the privilege of growing in richer soil than Christians 500 years ago. And your daily growth today will provide the soil for disciples in the next generation. In this chapter, Winfield unpacks some of the ways liturgies can bring life to our growth as well as some of the bad liturgies that we should probably avoid.
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Have you heard that we are in the midst of a movement of spiritual renewal happening in the United States? For the last 40 years young people have been turning to liturgical worship in order to find a deeper relationship with Jesus. Although some may think liturgical worship is outdated and repetitive, many are finding a new depth in their discipleship, one that is rooted in the history and community of the church. So this week as we talk with Winfield Bevins, we want to explore why this movement has gained so much momentum and how liturgy can help us become more like Christ in our daily walk.
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How does our discipleship, our following Jesus, affect our society? I hope from our conversation this week with Dr. Self, you have seen that discipleship isn’t something that stays in the church. We follow Jesus in the everyday moments of our life, whether that be in our jobs, during our commutes, at the park, or while we’re buying groceries. So how does this sort of discipleship serve the flourishing of our communities?
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You’re scrolling through your facebook feed, and there it is. Your friend is on another political rant. You see a few problems with what they’re saying, and you want to keep scrolling, but you just can’t let it go. What do you do? A lot of us probably take the bait, thinking, “I can change their mind.” But somehow what we though was going to be a civil discussion on an issue turns into a heated argument and half of the responses get deleted altogether. When we talk about human flourishing and helping people reach their God-given capacity, how do we actually do that when it seems most of the conversations cause more damage than anything else? In this chapter, Charlie walks us through some of the ways he engages with issues in the world around him. Chris and I can honestly point to Charlie as a great example of how we can engage others on social media and the world around us, even with our opponents, in a way that builds people up rather than tearing them down.
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Is there a connection between our Sunday worship and the work we do throughout the rest of the week? While we may say “yes” to this question, most of our lives aren’t lived this way. We simply don’t see how the two are related. We’ve broken our lives into two categories. We put the sacred God stuff in one category, and the secular work stuff in the other. But this is a problem for the church, because God wants all of our lives. When we choose to make him Lord, the categories disappear and everything gets absorbed into the sacred space, especially our vocations and occupations. That’s why Step 4 to creating a lifestyle of discipleship is Serve with Purpose. And in today’s chapter Charlie helps us break down this sacred/secular divide and help us understand how we can serve others through the work God has called us to.
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God has gifted you and me with a capacity, a capacity to bear fruit, to be productive. It’s actually the first command God gave humanity: be fruitful. So then what do we do with this first command to be productive, to flourish in the calling God has placed on our lives? How do we actually produce fruit? And is it really that important? This week, we’re talking with Dr. Charlie Self, whose own calling is to help equip others as they awaken to the purpose of God in their lives. And in this first chapter, he unpacks the value of human flourishing and why it’s so important for each of us to be fruitful.
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There is so much suffering in the world at large and even in our own lives, it causes us to question whether or not it’s possible to delight in God. How can joy exists in the midst of suffering? And why should we take the time to enjoy God when so many others don’t have that luxury? Christine’s story speaks to these questions in a very real way because it was in the midst of suffering when she realized just how important delighting in God really is.
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Do you remember waking up as a kid to get ready for school? You probably don’t describe those mornings and getting ready for school as something you were excited for. Practices like that aren’t typically fun, especially when you’ve done them over and over again for 12 years. Now think of what it was like waking up on a weekend. The whole world was ahead of you, and you had the freedom to enjoy cartoons, riding your bike with friends, or trips to a friend’s house for a weekend-long session on your Super Nintendo. Those things were fun. You couldn’t wait to get out of bed to go do those things on a weekend. Spiritual disciplines over time can start to feel like waking up for school on a weekday. But in this chapter, Christine talks about some of the ways spiritual disciplines are meant to restore and transform us. They can be life-giving practices. And God gives us the creative freedom to have fun with them as we work to grow daily to become more like him.
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For those of us who’ve been in the church a long time, we have a tendency to get complacent with the presence of God. The sermons, the prayers, and the routine becomes too familiar. The “real” problems of our adult lives tend to crowd out the childlike joy and fun we used to experience in life as well as the church. We loose the awe and wonder we once had of who God is. But in this chapter, Christine helps us recapture that sense of childlike awe and wonder, and she shows us that our God wants us to delight in him through childlike play.
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The Westminster Catechism says the primary purpose of humanity is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever. A lot has been said about glorifying God. It’s often why we emphasize behaving in certain ways as Christians. We want to glorify God by our behavior, so that we don’t dishonor his reputation. But not as much has been said about enjoying God and delighting in him. John Piper modifies the Westminster Catechism slightly and says, “God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.” There’s a lot of truth in this. There’s a strong connection between God’s glory and the sheer delight of enjoying who he is and what he’s done. In this chapter, Christine gives us her take on what it means to delight in God. It may feel a little awkward at first, but delighting in God can become a way of life. And it’s a way of life that can lead to growth through those everyday moments when we take time to delight in just being with God no matter what we’re doing.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
God calls you and me to trust him. It’s the basic premise behind what we call salvation. Our basic, sinful desire is to take control and rule our own existences. But God calls us to give that up and trust him instead of our own ability to take control. This is exactly what Jesus responded to Nicodemus’ questions in John 3. In this chapter, Jeff talks about some of the valuable things he’s learned from John 3 as well as the value of asking questions as a spiritual discipline. Wrestling with questions like this is a way of moving toward trust in God. It demonstrates we don’t know the answer. It demonstrates we’re looking for an answer from someone beyond ourselves. This is exactly the kind of person God is looking for.
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Our conversation this week with Jeff Keuss has demonstrated that the Bible really is a book of questions. The characters whom we read about, and sometimes idolize, dealt with very real questions revolving around fear and shame and identity. They were searching for how their everyday lives were affected by the larger questions of life. And that’s what today’s chapter with Jeff Keuss illustrates as we dive into some of the difficult questions he wrestled with at a crucial moment in his life.
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The room you’re in right now is shaping you. It’s forming you into a different kind of person, whether you’re aware of it or not. The lighting in the room, the people around you, and a lot of other variables all play a part in forming who you are as a person and how you’re going to interact with the world around you. God actually designed us to work this way. One of the tendencies every human being has is to be the ruler of our own existences. It drives us away from community and others around us and pushes us into isolation. But this is the opposite of God’s design for our lives. He created us with an intrinsic connection to the people around us. We need each other to survive and thrive in the world, especially as Christians. In this chapter, Jeff explains just how important this connection is, and he finds an important clue in Genesis 4, not too long after God first asks Adam and Eve, “Where are you?”
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Questions have a remarkable way of getting us to respond. It’s easy to ignore statements or even the commands someone is giving. But when we are asked a question, our brains can’t help but jump into action working to provide an answer. We have to spend time and energy working the problem from multiple angles. We invest part of ourselves in coming up with an answer. And this process changes us. We grow because of it. And so when God asks us questions, he knows they will change us if we are willing to wrestle with them. And that’s why Jeff Keuss begins his book, Live the Questions, with the first question God asks humanity.
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There’s a common fear every human being faces. It’s a fear of being alone, and not just being physically isolated from others, but a fear of not belonging or fitting in with the group. So many times as you follow Jesus you have questions you want to ask. But you may feel like you just can’t. Maybe someone made fun of you for asking a serious question once, or maybe the answers you get from other Christians miss what you were really asking. Eventually, you stop asking questions because it’s easier to pretend you have the answers so you can fit in and belong. If you’ve been here or felt like this before, this is episode is for you. We’re excited about this chapter with Jeff Keuss, because he talks about the value things like doubt and questions have for our growth every day. These things aren’t the opposite of what it means to have faith. Instead, as he argues, absolute certainty is the opposite of faith.
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When Jesus died on the cross, he invited us to live a new life in a new kingdom. It’s a life lived differently than we’ve ever lived before. This invitation makes the cross a place of hospitality where we join together in a new community to tell a new story. This new story affects every area of your life, especially the everyday, ordinary moments you often think nothing about. But it’s in these ordinary moments where God’s new story plays itself out in some of the most powerful ways imaginable. In this chapter, Ashley talks about her journey of learning to see the cross in this way and how this new story has changed the way she lives life in the suburbs.
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As we continue our conversation with Ashley, we explore two more idols that are hidden in the suburbs: business and safety or security. But the real question we need to answer is “How can we abolish these suburban idols in our lives?" The first step is to acknowledge our idolatry through repentance, and the second is to accept our identities as beloved children of God. For God’s love has the power to reach into our hearts and draw us back to him as our gracious and loving Father.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
One of the first things God said after creating Adam was, “It’s not good that Adam’s alone.” We all want to belong. It’s a desire God hardwired into our very existence. But our sinful natures often twist and distort those desires and the places we live often end up shaping who we are. This happens when you face the need for your yard to be the best on the block, to have the nicest car, and to know everything happening on social media all the time. Nice yards, cars, and social media aren’t evil things, but the way we interact with those things can be motivated by a desire to find security and belonging outside of God. In short, they can become idols. But don’t worry. If you find yourself falling into these traps and patterns, there’s hope. In this chapter, Ashley talks about some of these idols we face the antidotes to these desires. When we begin to notice the patterns and think about our lives in the suburbs a little differently, allowing Christ to shape us and form us, we begin to find holy where we’re at and God begins to use us to influence the neighbors around us.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
When it comes to building a lifestyle of discipleship, we tend to focus on the spiritual disciplines, reaching out to others to share the gospel, and understanding our the calling that God has placed on our lives. It’s easy to overlook the geography of where all this takes place. And yet, when it comes creating a certain kind of lifestyle, the environment we’re in plays a significant role in how we live. Our homes and our cities shape our lives as we build daily habits and routines around them so we might live more comfortably and be more effective in our work. And that’s why we are talking to Ashley Hales today, who has written a book about Finding Holy in the Suburbs when the suburbs are often seen as places of escape for rich white people who measure their worth by how much stuff they have. Her story shows us there is so much more to the suburbs than the perfectly manicured lawns we see on the surface.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Living a lifestyle of discipleship is a long journey. On lifelong journeys like this, God teaches us lessons that leave us changed forever. In this chapter, Chris and Josh talk about the most valuable lessons they've learned on their journeys so far.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Chris and Josh love books! These bound pieces of paper (or digital pages) are the thoughts and lessons of people throughout history, and Christians who write create a record of God's work in them in one way or another. In this chapter, Chris and Josh take a look at the books that they come back to over and over again, and those books that have been the most helpful in living a lifestyle of discipleship.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
We've published conversations with 16 guests so far, and each of them has brought something valuable to our lives in teaching us to create lifestyles of discipleship. In this chapter, Chris and Josh review some of the favorite moments of the podcast so far and talk about how the conversations have impacted their own lives.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
We've talked with several guests about spiritual disciplines and the conversations have been great! But what does it look like when those spiritual disciplines are practiced in our lives for real? In this chapter, Chris and Josh discuss some of the spiritual disciplines they struggle with and some of those that come easily. In the end, it's not about doing well at practicing the disciplines. It's about the work of God as we follow him in creating a lifestyle where he produces the growth.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
In the life of a Steward Leader, what we do flows from who we are. That’s why it’s so important to start with our personal development as disciples, stewards of God’s Kingdom. But the job of a Steward Leader doesn’t end there. Our development spills over into the lives of those we lead. As Steward Leaders, these "trajectories” flow naturally from who we are and enables those we lead to develop as Stewards as well.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
A lot has been written about leadership in the last few years. There’s always a new technique or method to being a great leader, and the focus is always on how to do the things that make you a good leader. In this chapter, Scott breaks down the way some of the leadership techniques and methods today miss the heart of being a leader in the kingdom of God. It’s not so much about doing the right things as it is being the right person. And in the kingdom of God, being the right person means focusing on your relationship with God. It means being his child before it means doing his work.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
If you’re listening to this podcast right now, it means you are a leader. You might now hold a leadership title, you might not be in charge of people, but your desire to grow and walk with Christ each day means God will use you to lead others to him. You have been called with a purpose to be a leader, even if you never hold a title or a position. But what kind of leader will you be? Will you let God’s call to lead hold you in bondage because you feel pressured to own the results? Or will you find freedom in simply Stewarding the people and things with which He has entrusted you?
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
The lifestyle of a disciple can seem like it means “doing” a lot of the right things. But a big part of it, actually the main part, is learning to rest in your identity as a child of God. When you start your day resting in his presence and allowing your identity as a steward to guide you the rest of the day, you’re well on your way to being a faithful steward. In this chapter, Scott opens up just how important it is for us to be stewards who rely completely on God’s presence and direction in our lives, even in the midst of busy and chaotic schedules.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Dr. Scott Rodin has written a book about becoming a steward leader, and yet he never mentions the word stewardship once. Well that’s because stewardship is about learning to faithfully care for things that we do not own. Stewardship is all about the things we must learn to do. But what about becoming a Steward? When we focus all of our attention on what a steward does, we miss the need to develop our being. By focusing all of our efforts on Stewardship we are sure to get really good at doing all of the wrong things in the very best way possible. And that is why Dr. Rodin’s focus in the book, The Steward Leader, is about growing the person as a Steward first. We cannot hope to become effective Stewards of God’s Kingdom unless we first become the kinds of people who have been transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit. Only then will our motives and desires be properly aligned with God’s, who is the true owner.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
You probably don’t think of sleep and rest as a spiritual discipline. But when you look at the life of Christ as a model for the way you live today, you have to take into account the times he got away from the crowds, rested, and slept. He even took a nap on a boat ride one night in the middle of a storm. Rest like this is a way of learning to trust God. It means giving up your control over your time and letting go of the never-ending list of things to do. In this final chapter of our conversation with Leo, he explores the devotional model of sanctification and how valuable it is for us to rest and celebrate as we become more like Jesus.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Do you have a tendency to think about your walk with Christ in individual terms? I know I do! It’s easy to become too focused on our own growth, our own behavior, and our own sin that we forget about those around us. It’s even possible to get so focused on our service for Christ, that we overlook those whom we are called to serve: our neighbors. But Leo’s Sacrificial and Hospitality Models challenge us to recognize our callings to lay down our lives in order to serve others as Jesus did.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
In Galatians 5, Paul talks about the struggle Christians face when our sinful natures want what’s opposite to the desires of God for our lives. In a way, our lives and the struggle between these two wills is a great drama that plays itself out over the course of our entire lives. In this chapter, Leo unpacks his second model of sanctification that sees this dramatic struggle played out in our everyday lives.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Do you think it’s actually possible to live your life the way Jesus did? He calls us to follow Him, but is it really possible to follow Him faithfully? We often think the only reason Jesus was able to do the will of His Father and live a sinless life was because He was God. But if that's true, then what chance do we have of ever faithfully living up to the calling that he has set before us. How can we walk as his disciples and become more like Him? Leo’s 5 models of sanctification derived from a Spirit Christology deals with these questions. These models not only provide us with images of what a life in Christ looks like, but they give us a clear map forward so we can begin walking in the power of the Holy Spirit so our lives are transformed into the likeness of Jesus'.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
If you’re following Jesus, you’re probably trying to become like him. It’s really one of the main things we do as Christians. Sometimes it’s tough though because our sinful natures get in the way. Thankfully, theology can help us out here as we study the life of Jesus. Spirit-Christology is the study of the Holy Spirit’s work in the life of Jesus. In this chapter, Leo explains a little bit more about what that means and how doing a little more theology can have a profound impact on the way we live our lives in the real world, just like Jesus did.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
This week Russell has explained to us why relationships are so important, what it means to be a conversationalist, and the 5 levels of the conversation. And so I hope that as you’ve listened this week you’ve seen the need in your own life to become a better conversationalist. Well we recognized it, and so we couldn’t wait to ask him how. How do we get better at having conversations with others? And so if you’ve enjoyed the other 3 parts of our conversation so far, then you’re going to love this chapter as Russell dives even deeper and brings out some of the most practical tips, yet, for becoming a better conversationalist.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
It's challenging to start a conversation with someone as a conversationalist. If you're like me, you probably get caught up thinking about what you're going to say next while the other person bares their soul out to you. It's also tempting to think you have to turn every conversation into something life-changing. In this chapter, Russell breaks down his five levels of significant conversations. Each level, from the casual to the catalytic, can be life-changing if you know how to make the most of it.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
The key to having a great conversation is learning to serve the other person. When you're on the receiving end of a conversation like this, you walk away from it feeling valued and truly heard. In this chapter, Russell unpacks what it means to be a conversationalist, someone who intentionally finds ways to serve others in the everyday conversations of life. It may be daunting to think about serving others in every conversation, but it can be simpler than you think. Sometimes all it takes is a friendly ear to listen and someone who truly values what the other person is saying.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Here at Daily Growth Discipleship, we believe there are 5 steps to creating a lifestyle of discipleship. And step 3 is walking with others. We weren’t meant to walk along. We were created for community. And because of that we have a deep need to build relationships with others. Relationships are part of what give our lives meaning because they are the context in which we live and the reason we serve others. But probably more than any other reason, we crave relationships with others because we serve a relational God. He saw that it wasn’t good for man to be alone in the garden of eden, and so he created the woman from his flesh so that he would have a relationship with another. God, who is triune and relational by his very nature, created us so that we could know him and be known by him. And so how we relate to one another is greatly influenced by our relationship with him and vice versa. Learning how to grow in our relationships with others becomes a critical part of our discipleship process. Christ may call us individually to follow Him, but He calls many to this journey. And so we must learn to walk with and serve one another as brothers and sisters in Christ.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
If I told you that your memories didn’t belong to you, would you believe me? Probably not, right? And that’s because unless we share our memories with another person, no one else will know about them. But there has been two recurring themes have come up throughout our conversation this week with Casey. The first one is that we need give our memories over to God so he can redeem them through his love and grace. And the second is that we be walking with someone else in order to process these memories and make space for the Holy Spirit to do this work in us. And today’s chapter is about we can combine both of these practices into one. Because Casey serves as a Spiritual Director I wanted to ask him how walking with a Spiritual director could help us find Jesus in our own lives.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
The way God created us never ceases to amaze me. It seems as though every part of our being has some sort of connection to every other part. And even though we don’t always recognize connections, they are at work in our lives shaping us into the people we are. For instance, it's amazing that small, consistent actions each day can end up defining your entire life. Our habits, like our memories define who we are. And there is a powerful interplay between the two. One forms the other, which forms the other, and so on. And because of our conversation with Casey, I’m more convinced than ever that God created it this way. Our memories are the record of the past. Our habits are the projection of the future. It would seem like they would be at odds with one another as each attempts to pull us in opposite directions. But in fact the opposite is true. When we allow our habits and memories to work together, we find God’s grace working in our lives to redeem our memories so that we may create new habits of walking with Him.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
In 2 Corinthians 1, Paul said, "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God." You probably have a painful memory. It's hard to make it much past early childhood without some sort of painful experience that shapes who you are for the rest of your life. There's good news though. These painful memories can find healing as you begin to work through them with the Holy Spirit and with another person. In this chapter, Casey talks about a few of the tools he's found and developed for healing memories and allowing God to redeem the painful experiences of our lives. It's not an easy journey to take, but it's well worth it because redeemed memories always become tools that God can use to help others find healing as well.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Who you are right now, comes from who you were yesterday and the day before that and the day before that. Who you are right now comes from your experiences and your memories. This is especially true of the way you view God and your identity in Christ. The experiences you had growing up affect the way you see God now. In this chapter, Casey unpacks how important it is to surround ourselves with the true story of the Gospel. And it's in remembering the Gospel that we form new memories that will in turn shape who we are in the future.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
It's one thing to know what the basic practices and habits of the Christian life are. It's another thing sometimes to put them into practice effectively. In this chapter, Darryl walks through some of the best tips he's found for making habits stick and learning to cultivate a lifestyle of discipleship.
We're also giving away FIVE copies of Darryl's book, How to Grow! Find out how you can get one of them HERE!
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com
Little kids often want to do things they aren't old enough to do yet. 5-year-olds may want to drive a real race car, but they just aren't developed enough physically to do that. And when they're told they can't, they often get upset or sad. We often do the same thing in our own spiritual development. We get frustrated, sad, or upset that we aren't more developed than we are. In this chapter, Darryl lays out what he's found to be 6 stages of growth that all Christians experience. It's tempting to get frustrated when we aren't at a stage we think we should be. But, as Darryl notes, one of the most important things we can learn is that there's grace for us no matter where we're at in our development.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com
Sometimes you may think of saints or holy people as very somber and boring. That's what they look like in the paintings after all. But Darryl has found that some of the most mature Christians are often the most joyful. They're also the ones who have experienced a lot of suffering. In this chapter, Darryl discusses how growth requires an understanding of how Christians can be called to suffer and yet be full of joy.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com
Following Jesus takes all of your life. Not only does it take a lifetime commitment, but it also requires every area of your life each day. We're all guilty of, at times, compartmentalizing our relationship with God. But following Christ means following him in the way we parent, in the way we work, in the way buy groceries, and everything in between. In this chapter, Darryl unpacks the value of the Gospel story for our everyday moments in our lives. It's this understanding that serves as the foundation for how we grow and create a lifestyle of discipleship.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com
Why did you choose to get up this morning? Was it because the alarm clock went off? How many times did you hit the snooze button? Why are you wearing the outfit you're wearing right now? Are you trying to impress someone? Are you trying to be comfortable? Are you dressing for the job because that's what's expected of you? These seem like very simple questions. But evaluating our motives becomes a very powerful tool that we can use to evaluate why we do what we do. When we evaluate our motives, we find there's much more beneath the surface than we realized. When we ask these kinds of questions, we uncover the heart of what truly motivates us. And when we see that, can end up at the end of ourselves.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com
Have you ever seen someone do something really stupid and think, "Wow. I'm glad that's not me?" This feeling can be simple and innocuous on the surface. But sometimes these feelings can reveal a prideful and sinister motive. In this chapter, Josh unpacks the story of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector in Luke 18 to look at how our feelings can lead us to the end of ourselves.
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What does it mean to live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ? In today’s chapter Chris finishes his message from Philippians 1. Paul’s relationship with the Philippians was special to him. And his concern for them comes out in the way Chris describes what Paul is calling them to do. In the same way, Jesus calls you to live your life today in a way that is worthy of the gift he’s given you.
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Why does God tell us to live the Christian life a certain way, according to a certain standard? Your answer to that question says a lot about your view of God. It’s worth the time to think through what it means to live the Christian life. But sometimes that can be tough and seem complicated. Chris recently had a chance to preach from Philippians chapter 1. This part of Paul’s letter to the Philippians begins to answer this very question.
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Having a conversation with a friend, curating your media intake, fasting something for 24 hours, and taking a sabbath. These four weekly habits can change the way you think about life and can transform your daily habits as well. In this chapter, Justin talks about the value of having a conversation with a friend as well as the value he's found in curating the media he allows in his life.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Kneeling in prayer, sharing a meal, shutting off your phone, and starting the day with Scripture. These four simple, daily habits have the potential to change your life. In this chapter, Justin talks about prayer specifically and how powerful it is to kneel in prayer as a habit for daily growth.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
The gym is always full on January 3. But about a month later it starts to empty out again. Why? Because habits are tough to create. In this chapter, Justin talks about how he developed the habits for his Common Rule, noting there are two things that every successful habit must have!
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
You've probably felt it at some point in your life. Monday comes around and you think, "I just need to make it through the week." There's so much more you were created to do than just work a 9 to 5 job. But fulfilling the calling God has on your life doesn't always seem straightforward. Justin's book, The Common Rule, came about through failure and his own struggle to figure out what it means to follow the call of God as a lawyer.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Adults learn by doing. It may be inspiring to sit and listen to someone talk about sharing the gospel, but until we begin to practice what we know, our knowledge will do us (and the lost) no good. We must put our knowledge to good use by acting upon it so as to truly learn what it means to follow Christ.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
It's easy to get caught up in thinking about the end results of our growth. After all the end of the journey is what usually leads us to begin it in the first place. But thinking about the goal can actually become a hindrance to our growth if we aren't also thinking about the inputs that will get us there. Daniel refers to these areas as input goals and output goals. Both are necessary if we are to become spiritually mature.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
The mental models we use when approaching discipleship have a huge impact on the way in which we walk with Christ. Shifting our perspective from one that sees discipleship as a destination to one that see it as a direction is the first micro shift we must make if we hope to grow in Christian maturity. Being close to God like a Pharisee or far from Him like the woman at the well doesn't matter if we aren't looking at Him as we walk.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Daniel Im's book, No Silver Bullets, was born out of years of work in the church struggling to help Christians become more mature disciples. He learned that there isn't just one thing that will magically make us more mature. But when he starting looking at the research, he did find that there are 5 micro shifts we can make that lead to profound change in our churches and in our lives.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
How early should you have "The Talk" with your kids? In case you haven't noticed, it doesn't take long for kids to find out they have parts down there and that those parts are often different than someone of the other gender. Creating a healthy environment for spiritual growth means creating a healthy environment in all areas of life, especially in the area of sex. In this chapter, Brian unpacks some of the methods he's found useful for teaching your kids about sex and about who God created them to be as sexual beings.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
If you have kids, you remember what it was like when they took their first step, said their first words, and all the other "firsts" in their life. These milestones usually represent joyful memories and signs that your child is actually growing up. In this chapter, Brian talks about Milestones, the curriculum he's developed to work with families as they provide a place for their children grow spiritually.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Think about the environment where you work. Is it a place you feel safe and fulfilled? You may be acutely aware of the health of your workplace environment and the tone or atmosphere there. But how aware are you of the tone in your own home? In this chapter, Brian talks about the value of having a good home tone. This healthy home tone doesn't come by accident. It takes strategic planning. And one of the best places to strategize is date night.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
It's too easy to be caught up in the family rhythms and the chaos of everyday life. At the end of the day, you just want a few minutes to sit down and rest. This chaos can often leave you feeling empty and like a failure as a parent and a spouse. In this chapter, Brian talks about a few practical things we can do that create intentional spiritual formation in our families.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
When you think about discipleship, you may often think about your own spiritual journey. But your call as a disciple is to in turn disciple others. The best place to practice this is with the next generation, your own kids. It's tough to think about this though when it takes all you have just to make it out the door 15 minutes late in the morning. So what does a healthy family look like when this chaos becomes all-consuming. In this chapter, Brian talks about the value of creating intentional moments for spiritual formation and the value of community in creating a healthy family.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Tools were meant to be used in certain ways. You can use a saw to try to hammer in a nail, but it probably won't work correctly. Like all tools, the Enneagram has its limits, and you can use it in ways it was never meant to be used. In this chapter, Chris talks about the most important things to remember when using the Enneagram when it comes to your own spiritual growth and formation.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
Chris Heuertz's approach to the Enneagram looks at childhood wounds as a way of understanding the way your type experiences the world. These childhood wounds are often tell-tale signs that you have been disconnected from your essence, the person God created you to be. The good news is that these wounds are not fatal. Once you know your childhood wound, you can begin the journey of finding wholeness and healing in the person God created you to be.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
In case you haven't heard, there's a way of understanding who we are as people that's really starting to gain traction. The Enneagram consists of nine different types that describe the way we interact with the world around us. And, most importantly for Daily Growth Discipleship, it gives us another tool to use as we pursue daily transformation into the image of Jesus Christ. Chris' book, The Sacred Enneagram, he describes much more than just a personality profile. Understanding your type can open ways to understand who you are and what God is doing in your life. In today's chapter, Chris gives us a brief introduction to each of the nine types. But before you get wrapped up in trying to identify your type, take Chris' advice from the last episode to heart and spend some time exploring this with another person.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
The Enneagram has really become popular over the last few years. And a lot of Christians want to know, "Can I use this for spiritual growth, or is it something to be avoided?" Today we're talking with Chris Heuertz, author of The Sacred Enneagram. His story of finding the Enneagram and discovering his type says a lot about what this tool is and how it can be used for discovering who you are in Christ.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com.
You were created to worship. Everything about you and everything you do was created to bring glory to God. It's tough to remember that though when bills pile up and the kids get sick. In this chapter, David talks about how can you cultivate a lifestyle of worship that continues to worship God even in the middle of life's crazy mess.
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Habits of reading the Bible and Prayer don't happen overnight. They take time to develop. And it's tempting to think about those habits as something that only helps you grow as an individual. But because you belong to the body of Christ, they're so much more than that. In this chapter, David tells about his own journey of developing those habits, both by himself and with his family.
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Have you ever left a worship service at church saying, "I really didn't get much out of that worship service. It wasn't really good?" Have you ever stopped to consider what you mean by "a good service?" If, like Dr. DeGarmo says, worship is the primary formational activity of the Church, what does it mean to do that successfully? In this chapter, David unpacks what it means to have a successful, a "good" worship service. His answer might make it a little easier for you to say, "That was a good worship service!"
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Paul said, "I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." Worship isn't the song portion of a church service; it's much much more. David DeGarmo's experience as a worship leader, pastor, and educator gives him a valuable perspective that can help you learn more about developing a lifestyle of worship.
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Life can be painful. But Jesus didn't promise a world without pain. He said, "In this world you will have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world." In other words, there will be pain, but I have been there and I've experienced all the pains this world has to offer. Adele's life of following Jesus has led her down paths of pain. But looking back over it all, the most valuable lesson has been solidarity with Jesus.
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You've probably taken one of those personality quizzes on Facebook that tell you which Marvel character you're most like or which country best fits you. When it comes to spiritual growth, you may be tempted to look for a simple personality quiz that tells you exactly who you are and lays out an unmistakable path in front of you. Adele notes the Enneagram doesn't quite function like these Facebook quizzes though. Instead, it's a tool for transformation that creates space for God to do a work in your life with the help of the body of Christ around you.
Check out the full show notes and resources for this episode at dailygrowthdiscipleship.com
What does your heart truly desire? You may want to answer, "Jesus!" but dig a little deeper. Is he truly the desire of your heart that motivates every decision you make? Today we continue our conversation with Adele and talk about how we can cultivate good and healthy desires when our hearts long for things other than Jesus.
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Practicing the spiritual disciplines gets tough. You wake up at 6:00, roll out of bed, and, a little begrudgingly, open your Bible to spend time with Jesus. Sure, you want to do it with joy like all the other saints on Instagram, but how do you get from a desire to go back to bed all the way to having a desire to spend time with Jesus? Adele's tips for cultivating a desire to keep company with Jesus are simple and yet profound: Ask him to grow your desire, and then put yourself in places that encourage that desire.
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There are a lot of self-help practices filling the shelves of pretty much every book store you can find. And it doesn't take too long to see a Christian inspirational video on Facebook meant to help you live a better life. Some of these practices are great, and you can actually become more like Christ by adding them to your life. But some aren't so great. How can you know the difference? Adele's 30 years of experience in ministry and helping others use spiritual disciplines to grow gives her unique insight into what makes a spiritual discipline a spiritual discipline. The answer is more simple than you might think.
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How do some Christians manage to find the motivation to keep growing even when they go through tough times? If someone so much as cuts you off in traffic, it can be tough to remember to be like Christ. A lifestyle of discipleship requires one key element to help you keep growing in tough times. It requires a desperation for God. In this episode, David Trementozzi tells his story of losing three children and the desperation for God he learned to cultivate in the middle of those difficult times.
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In this last chapter of our conversation with Evan, we get to ask our favorite questions. The most valuable lesson Evan has learned in the Christian life sums up the entire conversation so well. We can talk about rules and formulas for spiritual growth or even about how well we bring glory to God in what we do. But really, at the end of the day, it's all about learning to respond to the beloved.
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When we look at living out the Christian life with others, things get messy. Why? Because we're all different. We have different cultural backgrounds. We have different presuppositions. And so, when it comes to walking with others, sometimes there's going to be friction. In this chapter, Evan talks about understanding the way each of us are wired differently when it comes to how we grow best. Some are more relational, and others desire strict rules. No one way is the "right" way. Instead, it's all about using wisdom to discern how the Spirit is leading you.
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The Teacher in Ecclesiastes wrote, "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven... He has made everything beautiful in its time." God created you to live your life in rhythms. Sometimes that may mean focusing on parenting for a few months, sometimes it may mean taking a break from everything to focus on your relationship with God. The key is to follow the leading of the Spirit as he guides you in those rhythms. In this chapter, Evan talks about his own rhythms and the process he went through to develop those rhythms with the help of his wife and a close friend.
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Every Christian who follows Jesus is a minister. It may not be the way you make a living, but it is your full-time job. The Westminster Catechism says humanity's "chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever." Your entire life is about bringing glory to God, 24 hrs a day. This affects the way you wake up, eat breakfast, drive to work, come home, go to sleep, and everything in between. In this chapter, Evan tells his own story of meeting Jesus and his own journey toward understanding his entire life as ministry to God.
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Isn't it enough that God saves me and that I'm free from sin? Yes... and no. You were saved for a purpose. You were saved to bring glory to God, your creator and heavenly father. Sadly, you can't do this on your own. It takes following the leading of the Spirit as he transforms your life day by day, bringing it into conformity with the image of Jesus Christ. In this chapter, Evan discusses a bit of his book, A Guide to Spiritual Formation, and why he's found spiritual formation in the Christian life to be, not just a part of the Christian life, but the whole of the Christian life.
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Journaling, prayer, and Bible study. For Chris, these three disciplines are really powerful when used together. Check out some of the tips he's learned by using these to help him rest in his identity in Christ.
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Silence is one of those spiritual disciplines you may not often practice that can become more valuable than you could ever imagine. Perfectionism consists of trying to always do the next thing better in order to gain God's approval. Thankfully, he gave us the solution to that in Jesus Christ. Now he calls us to rest in his grace and walk as his child. Practicing silence, doing nothing at all, is the cure to the never-ending struggle to always "do" the right thing. Check out some of the tips Josh has learned as he's practiced silence as a cure for his own perfectionism.
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What defines your identity? You answer this question all the time whether you know it or not. It can come from your parents, your spouse, your children, your career, or just about anything in your life. God created you to be his child, and everything else should flow from that. But it's difficult to allow that reality to define our identity. Chris' story is his journey from finding identity in what others expected of him to finding his identity in Christ alone.
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There's a struggle at the core of your being: Are you going to rule your own life? It may sound like a good idea, but in reality human beings are terrible at ruling their own lives. God didn't create you to fill that role. Perfectionism is an attempt to reclaim the rule of your own life, believing you can do it better than God. Josh's story is a story of this exact struggle. But through that struggle, he's learning it's best if he doesn't rule his own life and to leave that position to the one it was created for, God himself.
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A good story involves risk. It involves the heroes and villains battling it out until one emerges victorious. In the grand story of God's work throughout history to redeem his people, what role do you play? Are you the hero fighting to save the day? Are you the villain standing in the way of the hero? Or are you some side character who can do nothing but watch the story unfold?
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What is it that would so compel the apostle Paul to continue on to Jerusalem, when everyone around him urged and pleaded with him to stay away? Why would he be willing to say, “I’m ready to be imprisoned and die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus?” And why do we secretly think to ourselves, "I hope God never calls me to do that?" Following God into dangerous places isn't something only the most noble saints in Church history do. The very thing that motivates them to follow God into dangerous places can motivate us to follow him in that way. All it takes is a desire to know God and the willingness to cultivate that relationship every day.
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Ask almost anyone, "How's it going?" and you'll get one of two answers. Either they'll say, "I'm good!" or they'll probably (and more honestly) say, "I'm tired!" Why is it that we're always so tired? Isn't the Christian life, the yoke of Jesus, supposed to be light and easy? The answer to these problems is rest. In this chapter, Chase talks about the value of rest as a spiritual discipline and its effect on his busy life.
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We often look for mountain top experiences where we can erect a monument and declare, "I grew more today than I ever have before!" This rarely happens in the Christian life. In fact, we most often grow in small, imperceptible ways, and we do so in seasons. And when it comes to spiritual disciplines like writing, journaling, prayer, or Bible reading, little decisions that move us in the right direction over time often produce the most growth. They're what Eugene Peterson called a long obedience in the same direction. In this chapter, Chase tells about his experience cultivating his practice of writing in seasons as a way to become better at his craft.
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If you wrote down a list of spiritual disciplines, writing probably doesn't make the list. But this practice is beneficial for spiritual growth because it allows you to reflect on your thoughts, experiences, and interactions with other people. It's really just another word for journaling. In this chapter, Chase talks about the impact the discipline of writing has had on his own life and spiritual growth as he wrote the Samson story.
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"The grass is always greener on the other side." The cliche is definitely overused. At the same time, it's proven true over and over again in the Christian life. You think, "If I could only get the better job, then I could really serve Jesus." What if it were possible to find meaning and fulfillment right now, right where you are? In this chapter, Chase tells a bit of his own story and a few of the lessons he learned from studying Samson's desires to find fulfillment in the greener grass in Philistia.
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The book of Ecclesiastes opens with David's son, Solomon, declaring, "Meaningless! Meaningless! Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless." You've probably felt like saying the same thing about your own life on occasion. Don't worry. We all have. But Christians have a unique advantage in the search for meaning. We know it's not found in us. It's easy to say we need to find meaning in Jesus, but what does that mean practically for how we live our lives today?
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Follow hard after God! In this final chapter of our conversation with Gretchen, she sums up the Christian life in this one statement. No matter what life throws at you, no matter how deep the darkness gets or how imperfect you feel you are, follow hard after God! Keep pursuing him and all that he has for you. And when you do, you'll find you're on a thrilling journey that's more fulfilling and exciting than you could have ever imagined.
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Gratitude changes your perspective on life. It puts God in his place as creator and provider, and you in your proper place as created and receiver. Learning to live a life of gratitude can be a powerful spiritual discipline in your journey to grow daily. Gretchen talks about the power of gratitude in her journey to escape perfectionism.
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Perfectionism. It's tough to admit you aren't perfect. Internally, though, there's always a tendency to measure yourself in some way. You may think about how your friend reads the Bible and prays so much more than you do. You may think about how all your friends are better parents than you because every time you visit their house it's always clean and their kids form a single file line as they march to their beds every night. In this chapter, Gretchen describes what happens when we measure ourselves and how we can stop this bad habit.
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As you drive through a long mountain tunnel, there's a moment when the light from the outside world begins to slowly brighten the walls of the tunnel around you. Sometimes coming out of a dark night of the soul can feel the same way. You fight to see the light and get back to a time when all you knew was bright daylight. But the darkness doesn't always lift immediately. In this chapter, Gretchen tells about her experience coming out of the dark night of the soul and the growth she experienced as a result of it.
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St. John of the Cross wrote, "In the happy night, In secret, when none saw me, Nor I beheld aught, Without light or guide, save that which burned in my heart. This light guided me More surely than the light of noonday To the place where he (well I knew who!) was awaiting me–A place where none appeared." The dark night of the soul is a bitter-sweet place where pain and growth meet. It's a place where you feel completely alone, as though God will never be near again. In this chapter, Gretchen tells her story of the dark night of the soul and what it was like when she felt God wasn't listening.
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Have you ever struggled with reading the Bible? Sometimes it can seem boring or irrelevant, even for Christians today. It's anything but boring or irrelevant though. And it's something you can grow to love and treasure as you grow daily. Gretchen tells the story of her own journey of developing a passion for the Bible and the thrilling journey of knowing God through reading his word.
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The discipleship lifestyle is never impractical or abstract. In reality, the everyday moments of life are full of things we do that can make us more like Jesus. Chris talks about his experience in teaching his youth group that our heads, habits, and hearts are at the core of our journeys to become more like Jesus.
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Physical exercise isn't always what comes to mind when someone mentions spiritual growth or discipleship. But it's a valuable discipline that keeps our physical bodies in shape as well as conditions our minds for further spiritual growth. Chris talks about his journey in physical fitness and the growth he's experienced as a result.
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Have you ever felt alone in trying to figure out how to pray or how to understand the Bible? There's good news! You were created to live the discipleship lifestyle in a community of other disciples. No one can live it alone and do it well. Today, Chris unpacks his experience learning to grow by asking others for help. It's the mark of even the holiest saints. We were made to walk with someone else.
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Your view of God is affected by your view of your own father. Do you view God as cold and distant, warm and caring, or harsh and vindictive? It could be that your own father treated you this way. Whatever your view now, begin to trust that God is a good father. Chris Davis tells the story of his own relationship with his father and the God became more of a father to him than he ever imagined possible.
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What happened when you met Jesus? It's a deeper question than it seems, and we may never fully understand the answer with our merely human perspective. One thing is certain though, following Jesus after you meet him will change you. For some that change is drastic. For others it happens gradually over time. God works in each to grow them and make them more like Jesus. In this chapter, Chris unpacks his story of meeting Jesus and the slow, gradual pull he had until the day he finally decided to follow him.
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Daily Growth Discipleship is the result of our hunger to make discipleship a lifestyle, not just a list of things to know or to do. We want to grow in our relationship with Jesus, and explore how this relationship changes the way we approach work, parenting, physical fitness, marriage, education, friendships, and whole lot more.