The life that we are offered in Jesus is a transformed life. Sometimes this transformation looks like moving from darkness to light, at other times it looks like moving from glory to glory, but continual growth, progress, and increase is the constant dynamic of the Christian life. And the greatest transformation doesn't come about through an analysis of our shortcomings, but through a vision of the nature and character of God.
Read More"Unless we are making disciples, we are not really evangelizing." This poignant statement was made in a pastoral letter on evangelization recently issued by Bishope Paul Loverde in the Arlington Diocese where I live. It effectively cuts right to the heart of the matter - the goal of evangelization is to make disciples. If we want to learn how to evangelize, we need to learn how to make disciples. And for that to happen, we need to answer the question: what is a disciple?
Read MoreImagine you asked me what you need to do to be an elite weightlifter and I responded just by saying, "You need to bench press over 300 pounds." If you were to go out and try bench pressing 300 pounds you would literally get crushed. Getting to that point requires a process, a training regiment where you build up to the desired weight. The answer of "bench press 300 pounds" might give you a target to aim for, but what you really need is a personal trainer to guide you through the process.
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