Margin

Yesterday I had to make a tough decision about doing too much...or, rather, not doing too much. That's difficult for me. I'm a person who likes control. Other people might say "control freak" but I don't have to because I'm typing...I'm in control...and I can call it whatever I want.

I'm realizing more and more that I need margin in my life. I don't always allow for it. In fact, in the few posts I've put on here this year you can probably see that as a theme if you look hard enough. But it isn't about my time management. It's about my relationship with God.

As a Christ-follower I talk about Jesus being lord of my life, the one who is in control. But while I acknowledge that in my cranium I'm pretty sure it isn't in my character and actions. Margin is less about my time management and more about Who I allow to manage my time. And contrary to popular business books, the correct answer shouldn't be "me".

So I made a tough choice yesterday to not do something. It was hard. But it was growth. If nothing else, it was growth in my image-consciousness (another achilles heel) by having to acknowledge that what "they" think or say isn't the issue. Obedience and margin...now those are issues.

Disciples Who Make Disciples

If there is one thing that is different so far this year within our ministry staff at Parkside, it is our focus and intensity in discussing how we make disciples who make disciples. We've long recognized (or, at least, questioned) how well we've truly been engaged in making disciples. But lately we've been challenged with an addendum to the question: how do we make disciples who make disciples.

I am convinced by looking at Jesus' model that making a disciple wasn't His ultimate objective. The role of Jesus' disciples was to go and make other disciples...not simply to become a disciple of Jesus unto themselves. It's a small shift in language but a huge shift in impact.

Jesus made disciples who made disciples and so on through one simple method embodied in lots of different ways: relationships. Jesus said that the most important commandment had two parts: love God and love others (in Matthew 22). We must be in a relationship with God and we must be in relationship with others. Not just any relationship, mind you. An intentional relationship with others that helps us grow in our life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ.

Our Reset Group has been an amazing experience so far. We collect as a group of people who are broad in age, life experiences, and places on our Journey. We range from not having a relationship with Jesus at all to having walked with Him for years. But it is awesome to continue to be on the Journey together.

In relationship.

Intentional relationships that are helping us become disciples...who make disciples.