I Want To Follow Christ !

CLEAN “But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” 1 John 1:9 Did you ever watch the Discovery Channel TV show, Dirty Jobs, with host Mike Rowe? In episode after episode, Rowe was shown performing difficult, strange, disgusting …

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I Want To Follow Christ!

FEED “When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, O Lord God of the Heaven’s Armies.” Jeremiah 15:16 What is your favorite food? A few of mine are steak, tacos, enchiladas, fettuccine alfredo, lasagna, chicken parmesan, pepperoni pizza, orange chicken, Swedish meatballs, …

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I Want To Follow Christ!

Talk “Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As He finished, one of His disciples came to Him and said, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”” Luke 11:1 I grew up in a Christian home. We went to church religiously. My grandfather was a pastor. My mother was the …

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I Want To Follow Christ!

WALK So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves… Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.” Galatians 5:16,25 Have you ever taken the time to observe how others walk? What can …

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I Want To Follow Christ

IDENTITY “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone: a new life has begun.” 2 Corinthians 5:17 Richard Dietrich, a youth pastor friend, was leading a student mission trip to Poland years ago. Knowing that his wife had Polish ancestry, he decided to find the …

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Investing In Your Youth Ministry

“It’s free?!” “Really? That’s awesome!!!” Twenty four years ago this month, we moved from New Jersey to Orlando, Florida to join the staff of Student Venture, the High School Ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ. The Student Venture team here in Orlando was a fun bunch who had developed strong partnerships with the local church …

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The Forgotten Disciple-Making Ally

At a recent Youth Pastor Summit, pastor, speaker and illusionist Drew Worsham shared the story of a Chinese pastor who had visited the US for the first time. At the conclusion of his visit, he was asked for his impressions on the American church. His response reflected amazement, but it was also a subtle rebuke. …

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A Hidden Key for Creating a Disciple-Making Culture

Years ago, I heard Pastor Juan Carlos Ortiz tell this story. He was preparing to preach on Love. He had studied all week, examining various passages. He had looked at the words for love in Greek and Hebrew. He, of course, had taught on love many times before. He wanted this message to be impactful. …

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An Avoidable Leadership Crisis

I’ll soon be in Turkiye with 270 disciple-making leaders from approximately 120 nations for Concentric’s Global Disciple-Making Leadership Summit. Eight years ago in Israel, while at Concentric’s last Global Summit in 2015, Sonlife’s disciple-making leadership pathway was born. It was then that our leadership team wrestled through a simple, clear paradigm shift. Our pathway with …

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Discipleship Is Not Enough

Over the weekend, Jennifer and I went to see Jesus Revolution, a new movie based on Greg Laurie’s personal journey with the birth of the Calvary Chapel movement of the late 60’s and early 70’s. As we sat in our seats at the movie’s conclusion, Jennifer and I both found ourselves saying the same thing. …

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