Discipleship Goal Team
The Discipleship goal team is working on ways to nurture a deeper level of spiritual growth within the congregation. What does this goal mean for the church? For yourself?
Read comments about this goal written by Discipleship Goal Team members, and add your own comments.
“But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.” (Hebrews 5:16)
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October 21st, 2009 at 2:39 pm
This is going to be a wonderful place for Joy! to communicate their dreams about the church!
November 7th, 2009 at 12:08 pm
I’m excited to see the spark of light ignite at Joy!
<breaks into song
This little light of mine Im gonna let it shine.
November 9th, 2009 at 9:53 pm
As a member of the Spiritual Formation Team I’d like to share some thoughts on the vision for discipleship at Joy! as we move forward. Many members/ attenders of Joy! are desiring to grow in their faith and develop a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ. This team is working on the goal of “nurturing a deeper level of spiritual growth” and making it real for all of us at Joy!
The ultimate outcome for Joy’s spiritual formation is … “Changed people, change people” Briefly said, the goal is whole life transformation. We believe the goal of discipleship and spiritual formation is whole life transformation into Christ-likeness. God wants to transform our relationships and transform us through them.
We believe God uses transformed people to transform the world. Our focus is on relationships – up, in, and out. UP is the relationship between you and God. IN is the relationship between an individual and the people in his or her life. OUT is the relationship between an individual and the world around him or her. Relationships are the focus and are everything. In today’s world we find ourselves in very complicated and intricate relationships. Our connection to God is directly related to our connections to our families, neighbors, friends, and strangers. Our relationships need to start with our relationship with God and then move to our relationships with the people we know, then the people we don’t know – but need to know God! If we focus on Up, In, and Out we can help achieve the objective of “changed people, change lives!”
November 10th, 2009 at 3:30 pm
Last night I had a moving experience of God at work. Monday nights are a time for me to reach out into the community and extend God’s love through PADS. PADS is a wonderful ministry in which we serve the homeless of the Lake County community. My weekly “gig” is to arrive at 11 p.m. and pack sack lunches that the PADS guests will take as they leave Shepherd of the Lakes after breakfast on Tuesday morning. This second shift of volunteers usually completes that task by midnight. From then until 3 a.m.–when the breakfast crew arrives–we read, eat, watch movies and, of course, provide for any needs that a PADS’ guest might require.
This year I decided to increase my productivity quotient by working on prayer quilts during this three-hour down time. As I cut fabric, design a quilt pattern or pin and sew together the pieces, I have discovered that this often provides an opportunity to begin a conversation with a guest who might be having trouble sleeping. As the guests learn about the Joy! Prayers and Squares ministry they may share personal concerns. For example, two weeks ago a middle-aged woman told me that a dear friend of hers had died that morning. She shared her heartbreak at this unexpected loss.
Last night turned out differently than planned. My goal was to finish piecing a quilt for tonight’s Prayers & Squares work session. God had different plans for my next few hours. The quilt would have to wait! The previous Monday a guest had asked us to quiet “Annie*,” a talkative woman who was keeping others awake. I knew that the troubled young woman was mentally ill, probably schizophrenic–she hears voices, and I felt unsure of what to do. Earlier in the shift I had asked Ardy Lange, one of the site coordinators, to explain the proper procedure for handling such a delicate situation in case it arose again. God soon gave me an opportunity to interact with Annie. Around 1 a.m. Ardy noticed that Annie was restless and asked me to calm her and keep her out of the sleeping area so others would not be disturbed.
Annie was dressed in a lightweight, short nightgown and was shivering. She indicated that she needed something to stay warm. Ardy and I went to her pad and retrieved the soft, orange blanket. As I wrapped it around Annie, I gave her a hug then headed back to the kitchen to get the juice that she requested. In front of me sat an older guest with tears in her eyes. She remarked that she had seen God at work in the compassionate way we responded to Annie’s needs.
For the next two hours, I sat beside Annie with my arm wrapped around her shoulder. First she leaned her head on my shoulder and rambled on with an exposition of what the voices in her head were saying. Then as she relaxed and calmed, Annie began to snuggle closer and closer like a little child. For the next two hours we were physically one–children of God watching “Sister Act” followed by “Sister Act II.”
God calls us to be His hands and feet, an arm wrapped around a shoulder and so much more. His plans may change our immediate agenda or even be inconvenient. We may need to reach outside our comfort zone…I don’t usually cuddle up with strangers! But when we pay attention to God’s touch on our hearts, it is such a blessing to us and others. You may even see God smile.
* “Annie” is not her real name.
** Yes, I saw that my name is “required” but I really want this to experience to show God at work and not to bring attention to myself.
November 10th, 2009 at 5:12 pm
The Discipleship goal team is working on ways to nurture a deeper level of spiritual growth within the congregation. What does this goal mean for the church? For yourself?
……Ways to nurture (teach, show, support) a deeper ( intense, richer) level of spiritual (godly, relgious) growth within the congregation.
Some times I have to substute words to help me make sense of a statement. I have shown a few here. And it has sparked a few ideas.
This goal for the church means that it wants to grow deeper in the relationship with God, to get to know God better-deeper, intimately.
As a child we are introduced to God, we grow in our relationship with him as we learn the bible stories. As a teen we are shown more examples of his love and the miracles ….as adults we can continue—or check out–or leave it for later—or grow deeper in our relationship with him.
I want to grow deeper in my spritiual relationship with God. I want to trust HIM with everything. Trust building comes with a deeper more intimate relationship-there- that’s IT!! Thats what I want- A deeper more intimate relationship with GOD.
OK team how do we get there?
November 11th, 2009 at 1:02 pm
Joy Servant, what a wonderful story of showing God’s love. This is a true testimony to the work God wants us to do in the world.
November 21st, 2009 at 8:57 pm
I can’t wait to see adult Sunday School at Joy!
Amy Luetke
November 22nd, 2009 at 5:12 pm
Me too! What would you like to study?
December 17th, 2009 at 11:22 am
“We live in the best of times” for Discipleship
As a Christian today I can access the Bible on-line. I can read books and hear sermons on Christian radio and pod casts from gifted authors on any topic from raising kids to the will of God. But even with this abundance, the world is the same today as it was 5000 years ago and will be until the end – there is suffering, injustice, hopelessness, mistrust, selfishness… and so on! So everyone, including me, seeks someone who is worthy to follow as their disciple – some modern examples are Oprah or L. Ron Hubbard, or sports heroes or the rich and famous.
From the first chapter in the gospel of John (vs. 43-50) we see Philip called to be a disciple of Jesus and the first thing he does is tell his skeptical brother…
“The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida.
Philip found Nathanael and told him, ‘We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.’
‘Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?’ Nathanael asked.
“Come and see,” said Philip.
When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, ‘Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false.’
‘How do you know me?’ Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, ‘I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.’
Then Nathanael declared, ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.’
Jesus said, ‘You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that.’
Nancy Marian was “Philip” for me when she invited me and my wife, Jan to Kingdom Weekend in 2001. I was skeptical, but she did not defend it or try to “sell” me on some big experience. My Lord Jesus, the Son of God took care of that, and I became His disciple. Just as He promised Nathanael, I have seen greater things than the fact that Jesus knows all about me…
I am excited about this goal at Joy! and would say we all need be “Philip” and bring “Nathanaels” to come and meet Jesus. He will do the rest. I have served in many ways at Joy! and over the years my revealed passion is to share the Word of God. Unlike Oprah or Tiger Woods or other exceptional people, God’s word is reliable forever. All of us in this community called Joy! deserve to experience our most exceptional God and let Him prepare us in a season to serve Him for a lifetime.
God has a plan for you and your service passion may be hospitality, bringing comfort to the suffering, or seeking justice, or building a new place, or teaching, or leading worship or some other way.
But begin by meeting the God who knows you perfectly and let Him make you a disciple living in Christ — so the world will see the great glory of God as it shines through you.
January 19th, 2010 at 2:29 pm
I love this discipleship answer that says, “God and See.” Discipleship is about “seeing if it fits”; “trying it on”. Remember when David was going up against Goliath, and Saul insisted that David wear his armour. David tried it on; it did not fit; so David took a sling and some stones. David stood strong; Goliath did not! But David did try the armour on. Discipleship is about trying something on. If it (whatever “it” may be) does not fit, God will provide another way to be a disciple. At Joy, our hope to let folks try on several ways of being a Disciple. So come, try JOY on. Al Caldwell
January 19th, 2010 at 2:30 pm
Sorry , i did not Proof my last entry. First line should read, “COme and See.” Although, having God in a sentence is alright too.
al
January 31st, 2010 at 2:24 pm
I know that our winters are no where near as harse as winters in Gurnee. But a very cold, wet rainy day spent in San Francisco in Dec and a month of being without a car and having to relay on this town’s mass tranportation system opened my eyes to a rewarding opportunity to share God’s love with people.
First our town has very few places of shelter for those waiting for buses that run, at most, every half hour. Most run on an hourly schedule.
Second, Cold and rain can ruin even the best of days and can make a person quite miserable.
So, as I left work one very rainy and cold evening in mid-Dec – I was glad to have my car and as I was driving by the bus-stop I used to have to wait at – I noticed a young couple standing out in the pouring rain without even the shelter of a warm, waterproof coat or umbrella. So, knowing I had an extra umbrella in my glove-compartment, I decided God would want me to share. I pulled up next to this couple – not realizing in our gang infested area that my actions would scare the pour man as he nearly fell in the mud trying to get away from the car that rolled down a winter and began to extend out a dark slender item. But, as he heard “Merry Christmas” it peeked his interest and surprise as he reached out and grabbed that umbrella. It was such a wonderful experience that I want to buy hundreds of umbrellas so I can hand them out to people in need. I always wondered why I was wanting to get umbrellas all the time – I did have 4 but now I’m down to 2 but I’m gonna go shopping. With all the rain we are getting out here – there are bound to be more needing some temporary shelter.
Bless You People of Joy!
Love and Miss you all.