Writing to Help You Find and Share the Hope of Jesus
Posts related to sharing, teaching, and communicating the truth of the gospel to others.
I’ve talked to many people who are intimidated by the name “mentoring.” They don’t feel like they’re knowledgeable enough, experienced enough, or mature enough, to be a mentor. So instead of seeing that as a reason to step out of their comfort zone and grow, they instead use it as an excuse to remain where … Continue reading Mentoring. Discipling. Don’t Let The Name Scare You
He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.Psalm 25:9 When Christians think of the Great Commission, hopefully the phrase “make disciples” comes to mind. (Matt 28:19-20) We obey the Great Commission when we make disciples - baptizing people in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and … Continue reading Want To Make Disciples? Consider First How To Be Discipled
But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him?1 John 3:17 Prior to joining the staff at ATLAS of West Central Minnesota, I worked for another nonprofit managing homeless assistance programs. When trying to help an individual or … Continue reading The Gap Between Your Church And Your Community And The Only Way To Overcome It
[E]quip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.”Ephesians 4:12 If you ask my two pre-teen daughters what my most frequent “Dadism” is, they’d probably tell you it’s, “You need to learn to cut your own pancakes.” This is my go-to line whenever they expect mom or dad to … Continue reading “Learn To Cut Your Own Pancakes”: The Forgotten Priority of Equipping
As the school year ends, my daughter Kayla is finishing up her first year of playing clarinet in her school band. Playing clarinet quickly became one of her favorite things this year. She learned and improved so fast over the year, which we were very thankful for given some of those first practices at home … Continue reading Learning in Layers: What School Band Teaches Us About Growing As Disciples
“Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”Matthew 7:14 (KJV) My family and I recently returned from a vacation to visit family in western North Carolina. Coming from west central Minnesota where our roads are wide and straight, the narrow, winding mountain … Continue reading Straight Methods, Narrow Message
And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows.1 Thessalonians 3:12 At our ATLAS Mentor Workshops, we spend a fair amount of time talking about what motivates us to make disciples through mentoring relationships. If we’re firmly rooted in the … Continue reading Mentoring: Harnessing God’s Overflowing Love
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”Acts 1:8 Pastor Jason Meyer, pastor at Bethlehem Baptist Church in downtown Minneapolis, said recently in talking about the church’s identity as … Continue reading A Divided Witness is No Witness
"As you sent me into the world, So I have sent them into the world."John 17:18 John 13-17 provides us with an intimate look at Jesus’ final meeting with his disciples before his crucifixion. It’s telling that as Jesus prepared the disciples for his departure, he made one thing very clear to them: trials, tribulation, … Continue reading Mission Readiness for Woefully Weak Witnesses: How Jesus Prepares Us To Be Sent
The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.Matthew 9:37 There are many more people wanting to be discipled than there are Christians willing to disciple them. That’s the difficult truth I’ve learned working with ATLAS of West Central Minnesota, a mentor-based disciple-making ministry in Willmar, MN. There are more people wanting to grow in … Continue reading The Supply and Demand of Making Disciples
A Thrill of Hope 