It is not surprising that first-time leaders will often experience feelings of nervousness and fear when stepping up to lead a group. Even when you feel like you have some tools to navigate this new role, understanding the next steps for your group can be challenging and feel like a journey into the unknown. In…
When it comes to Christianity, there have been various issues that have sparked debate and disagreement throughout history. At Real Life Ministries, we divide these issues into three categories: salvation, unity and peace essentials, and preferences. The first category focuses on the core beliefs necessary for salvation. These are the beliefs that someone must…
What is a Disciple? When it comes to Discipleship – we try to empower our leaders with tools that they can utilize as they are both living out and teaching others along their journey. One of these tools is our powerful Head, Heart, and Hands analogy. Here is where that comes from: At Real Life…
I am excited to share with you a new workbook put together by myself and our Real Life Ministries Team. For many years leaders who have gone through our Real Life Discipleship Manual have asked us if we had something with a similar format that was for everyone, not just leaders. This is that…
We often read the gospels to study the person of Jesus, and the teachings of Jesus, but we miss that within the story there is a method and model to follow. As we read, we should be looking at how Jesus SHARED, when Jesus SHARED, and who He SHARED with. We should look at where…
“Wisdom is the quality of discerning what is true, what is ethically right, and what should be done in different situations.” That is hard enough to do under normal circumstances – but how do we strive for wisdom in our decisions and choices when we are under fire from an unstable world around us? That…
Every January 1st people tend to take time to look back at the year they have just finished, and look ahead to the one that is coming. It is a time to set personal goals for the future – things they want to achieve or change in the upcoming 12 months. Initially, the local gym…
Bill Hull, host of The Bonhoeffer Show Podcast, interviews Jim Putman about his story – and how a National championship wrestler who had turned his back on God, became a world wide disciple making leader- “The Bonhoeffer Show is a no holds barred interaction around religion, culture and politics. The shows purpose is to call…
I am often asked about the tools I use for discipleship, and our church has been working on putting together a library of some free downloadable discipleship resources on our website. As many of you know, my Dad was my main disciple maker and extremely instrumental in bringing me from atheism to belief in God. My…
If you are a disciple of Jesus, you have two families. The first one, the family of origin, is the one you were born into. You had no control or choice in this matter. Your family of origin may have been very nurturing, or it may have had disfunction. Either way – your family of…