In our fast-paced, individualistic world, it’s easy to lose sight of the importance of genuine connection within our faith communities. Yet, the heart of Christianity beats strongest when believers are truly connected – to God, to each other, and to their purpose. This interconnectedness is not just a nice-to-have; it’s essential for spiritual growth and…
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…
The bottom line for spiritual maturity is love, according to 1 Corinthians 13. But what is real love? Have you noticed that many of the songs we listen to are about love? Most movies on the big screen offers some kind of primary or secondary romantic plotline. Most TV shows portray a love interest. Most…
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…
How do you measure the impact your Church’s discipleship culture having in the homes of your people? Church leaders usually have ways to discover if the discipleship culture they’re trying to promote is actually happening throughout the church. But how can we know the impact of church discipleship in the home? For instance, how can…
Ten years ago I partnered with Bobby Harrington to write the book DiscipleShift, where we talked about the the need we were seeing for relational disciple making in churches around the country. Since that time we have actually seen many churches and church leaders make a shift towards disciple making, at least in their language…
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…
In the beginning, God created a world where God and man walked together – they were in relationship with each other, and man’s identity was defined by his creator. There were no barriers between them. But God also gave man the ability to choose, to decide for himself if he wanted to remain in that…
The work of studying Scripture and really looking at what God’s word has to say about discipleship has been the journey of my life. It’s what I care most about – it also leads into everything that Real Life Ministries is as a church, from our programs and leaders to our staff and our…