I Get by… Other Voices, Part 1

Posted on April 21, 2011 by Carl Simmons

This first entry of Other Voices (explained here) is simple:

Take a look to your lower right. Scroll down a little. See all those people? They represent friends and influences, of all kinds.

We’ve got men’s ministries, women’s ministries, small-group ministries, spiritual-formation people, worship leaders, Reformed writers, Baptist writers,  Alliance peeps, people working with the poorest of the poor, others ministering to other margins of society (including the GLBT community). We even have a lapsed-Christian music writer who nonetheless still loves him some music from “the Christian ghetto,” among lots of other good stuff.

In short, if you put all these people into a room you’d probably have some pretty interesting discussions. Some of those discussions might not even be friendly . But guess what? What we have, here in this virtual room, would nonetheless fit into the definition of the Body of Christ. And we’ve got lots of different parts here.

So, as we remember the time our Saviour’s physical body was broken then resurrected, we could do a lot of worse than to spend some time reconciling Christ’s Body online as well.

So have fun poking around. Be affirmed. Be challenged. And of course, be here tomorrow. 🙂

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How Did We Get Here, and Where Are We Going?

Posted on April 19, 2011 by Carl Simmons

Every Christian has a testimony, a faith story — an account of how he or she first encountered Jesus, how that encounter changed everything, and how each new encounter with Jesus keeps changing everything.

So take some time to reflect on that. Read Acts 26:1-29, and then think through the following questions:

• How would you describe Paul before he met Jesus?
• How was Paul changed by his encounter with Jesus?
• How did Paul’s transformation affect others?

Not everyone’s story is as dramatic as Paul’s, but all the elements of a good faith story are here. So let’s use Paul’s model to better understand how our own relationships with Jesus have shaped and changed our  lives:

• What was your life like before you knew Jesus? (Or, if you were raised to be a Christian, before your faith became personal to you?) What were you like?
• How did God finally get your attention? How did you respond?
• How has your life been different because you know Jesus? What spiritual landmarks in your life can you point to—where you can confidently say, “I know Jesus was in that”?

Voila! You now have a testimony! You may not have realized it before, but just by answering those three questions you’ve created a faith story more real than any canned presentation. So look for opportunities to share it — not to check it off your list, not because you feel guilty, but because someone in your life needs to hear it. And because God gave you this story — your story — so you could share it.

Jesus has revealed himself to each of us and wants to use us to share his love with others. We can share it verbally…we can model Jesus’ love in practical ways…we can be so overwhelmed by Jesus that we simply radiate His joy…but it’s a critical part of our own faith to allow what Jesus has done in our lives to be visible to others.

So, two more questions to think about — and then do something about:

• What parts of your faith do you allow to show, and what pieces do you keep hidden? Why?
• What could you do to give others a more complete picture of what Jesus has done in your life?

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Let’s Begin

Posted on April 18, 2011 by Carl Simmons

Just what the world needs — another blogging, tweeting, Facebooking, socially networking self-promoter. And believe me, just reading that sentence would be enough to paralyze anyone with a degree of common sense.

So why am I here writing to you anyway?

One word: Discipleship.

And by definition, discipleship requires that none of us stay quiet, but to lay ourselves out there as God moves us, so that God can change all of us. Thus, it also requires that I approach this with enough humility that my words might actually have some value.

So let’s do this.

Here’s how I see the framework of this site and its entries working as of right now (Palm Sunday 2011):

Monday: D2D Today — D2D stands for “From Disciples to Disciplers.” There’s a small-group series with that subtitle you ought to check out. So, I’ll start each week with a general entry about the importance of not only being a disciple but of being a discipler. To be very blunt, this is where I feel the American church has failed miserably. It’s why my series, Growing Out: From Disciples to Disciplers, had to be written. And that brings us to….

Wednesday: Growing Out — This day’s entry is meant to serve as a challenge to you. It might be an experience or movie clip  you can try with your small group, or an opportunity to dig into your Bibles, or a challenge to stop learning and start doing. Where’s God trying to grow you out right now? It’s my hope to give you something significant to chew on — then do on.

Thursday: Other Voices — This day belongs to you, whoever “you” happen to be that week. I want to use this day for reviews, highlights of other blogs, etc. We’re all in this together, so let’s take advantage of that. Let’s become a Discipleship Nation instead of a Discipleship Archipelago. Enough said.

Friday: Lay It Down — These entries will feature pieces from the early drafts of a work in progress with the working title… you guessed it… Lay It Down. Jesus told us in John 15:13-14, “No one has greater love than this — that one lays down his life for his friends. You are my friends  if you do what I command you.” That’s really the heart of discipleship. But it often comes in pieces. How do we lay down our past — our old life, sins, compulsions, shame? How do we lay down our present — our burdens, weaknesses, strengths, possessions, reputation? And how do we lay down our future — our fears, goals, expectations, even the good things God’s already given us?

We’re going to have to learn a lot together, I think. So help me out:

• Send me your stories of transformation.
• Send me your books.
• Send me your feedback.
• Send me your questions.
• Send me your prayers.

I look forward to seeing where this journey takes all of us.

— Carl Simmons

P.S. In case you’re wondering, the photo that graces this page and header comes from a stained-glass piece by the late artist/sculptor Frederick Franck, at his private-but-still-open-to-the-public sculpture garden Pacem in Terris in Warwick, New York. It’s from his Stations of the Cross series, and depicts Simon of Cyrene carrying the cross for Jesus. Now that’s a discipleship image.

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