Praying the Psalms

Two weeks ago Donald Whitney was speaking here in Auburn. Jonathan was sick, so I volunteered to stay home and watch the kids while Tricia went to hear Whitney speak. He shared a pattern of praying through the Psalms that has inspired me to be more diligent and creative in my prayers. The Psalms are a unique part of scripture in that they are songs, prayers, and reflections that were inspired by God with the specific purpose of being given back to him. In the Psalms we learn how God expects us to communicate to him in all of life's circumstances.

If you are like me, it is easy for prayer to become dry and boring. The problem is that we get into ruts of praying for the same old things in the same old ways. Praying the Psalms gives us fresh ways to communicate these same old things to God (and just maybe we'll learn some new things to pray about along the way too).

Here is a practical way that Whitney shared to pray through the entire book of Psalms in one month:

- Each day pray through five Psalms, this takes about 15 minutes. But how do you know which ones to read? When studying the Psalms you will discover that similar psalms are grouped together. So reading at various locations helps give us some variety. Here is the pattern:

1st Day of the month: Psalm 1, 31, 61, 91, and 121

2nd Day of the month: Psalm 2, 32, 62, 92, and 122

See the pattern? Take the day of the month, add 30 four times. Easy!!

As you read, allow the words to become your expression of your heart to God. For example, Psalm 1:1 says, "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers." You might build off of this by praying: "Lord, as I start my day help me to be discerning of the wicked ways that will be a temptation to me and fight against them with all my might depending on your power." Or, "Lord, protect my wife today and help me to lead her toward righteousness and not sin." Or, "Lord, as I head out to work in a few minutes, give me wisdom to discern right counsel from wrong from my co-workers."

Praying with you . . .

Thomas

When Is Someone Ready to Lead?

If our goal is to produce reproducing disciples, how do we know when someone we are discipling is ready to lead their own group? Below are some of the thoughts I discussed with the out discipleship leaders this past Friday night. Just because a person has completed the Design For Discipleship books does not automatically mean they are ready to start their own group. In no particular order, here are some questions that will guide us the right direction:

- Does this person have a desire to disciple others?

- Does this person have one or more people in their circle of influence whom they have lead to Christ or who is ready to be discipled?

- Does this person understand what a pattern of discipleship is and do they understand the purpose of discipleship?

- Is this person self-feeding, self-clothing, self-disciplining?

- Is this person consistent in their walk with Christ? Do they have a lifestyle of spiritual discipline?

- Is this person adequately trained?

- Does this person show evidence of keeping in step with the Spirit (recurring evidence of conviction, leading to action, worship, prayer, service, ministry, and humility)?

- Does this person display a delight in God and a hunger and thirst for him?

- Is this person able to lead others beyond the curriculum?

- Is there evidence of spiritual fruit (faith, love, and hope) growing from this person’s life?

Diagnosing Spiritual Health

Inspired by Donald Whitney's book 10 Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health, here are some questions that I have been pondering for my own spiritual health:
1. Do I hunger and thirst for God?
2. Am I governed increasingly by God’s Word?
3. Do I depend on God for daily spiritual nourishment through Bible study, prayer, reflection, and other spiritual disciplines?
4. Am I growing in my love for others?
5. Do I have a growing concern for the spiritual and temporal needs of others?
6. Do I allow myself to regularly stretch and experience new things from God? When is the last time I learned something new about Him?
7. What ways am I walking by faith today? What am I depending upon God to provide for me?
8. Is there a real dependence in my life for the Holy Spirit to work?
9. Is prayer a priority?
10. Am I more sensitive to God’s presence now compared to my past?
11. Am I growing in the ability to discern central issues in Christian belief and practice?
12. Do I still grieve over sin?
13. Am I a quick forgiver?
14. Do I love the church?
15. Is my love for Christ contagious to non-believers in my sphere of influence?
16. Do I yearn for heaven and to be with Jesus? Is Christ's return a source of hope for me?

Time Correction -- 7:00 PM Start

The Core Leader's Training will start at 7:00 Friday night, rather than 6:30. Sorry for any confusion.

Thomas

Core Discipleship Leader's Training - 6:30 PM Friday, August 17

Core Discipleship Leaders,
Friday, August 17 from 6:30 until 8:00 will be out next training meeting. As usual, coffee and dessert will be served. We'll be meeting at my home. Please come and plan to share updates on how your groups are doing. How is God working? What are your challenges?

During the training meeting I'm planning to discuss how to identify when someone is ready to branch out and start a new discipleship group. This is something that we are beginning to face as our first groups that started last year are completing the DFD books. This is also a crucial question that is at the heart of being and building disciples of Jesus Christ.

In February I handed out copies of Don Whitney's book Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. Has this been a helpful book? What have you learned? How are you growing in your own practices of spiritual disciplines?

I am in the process of posting my notes to the Core Discipleship Ministry Blog from the discipleship seminar that I conducted in April. If they are not up on the blog in the next few days -- feel free to bug the daylights out of me.

For His Glory!

Thomas

Welcome to the Core Discipleship Ministry Blog

Welcome NRCC discipleship leaders! It is my hope that this blog will be a resource to help equip and encourage you in your desire to see our congregation growing toward spiritual maturity. The DNA pattern that Jesus bred into the church was not a pattern of making converts, but rather that of building life-long disciples who are passionate, maturing followers of Christ. Paul reminded Timothy (his disciple) of this pattern when he wrote, "You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus, and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men who will be able to teach others also." (2 Timothy 2:1-2). Every believer is to grow and be strengthened in Christ and to pass along the message to others who will, in turn, pass it along to others. There are to be generations of reproducing followers of Christ. In the words of one of my mentors, Clete Sipes, we are to be "making disciplemakers."

This is at the heart of what it means for NRCC to be and build disciples of Jesus. Save this blog to your favorites and come back often. I've started adding links to books and websites that you will find helpful (you'll note the link to the DFD books on the Navpress site, folks have had a hard time finding these). Over time this blog will begin to fill with valuable content and links to help us all in our discipleship efforts. Feel free to post comments and questions along the way and we'll see how God uses us to help one another. It is a joy to be on this Journey with you!

For His Glory. . .

Thomas