There are a three things that get me excited.  One, is spending time with my family, the second is eating BBQ brisket and the third is seeing people grow in their relationship with Christ.  I recently read a book titled 4 Chair Discipling.  If you have not read this book yet, I highly recommend that you do.  Dann Spader does an incredible job of demonstrating that no matter where you are in the discipleship process, you can always live your life intentionally as to bring others along with you.  As believers, our journey with Christ does not end when we come to the point of surrender and belief in Jesus.  This is just the beginning.  So what do we do after we have said ‘yes’ to Jesus?  There are countless resources out there that are available to help us grow in Christ likeness.  One of my favorite things to do is to look at God’s word and see how it applies to my life.

We can actually get a real clear picture of discipleship by looking at the life of Jesus.  As an overview, Jesus spent time preparing for His earthly ministry through prayer.  He spent time doing the Fathers will.  He brought others along side of Him.  He chose 12 of them and poured everything He had into them.  The result was leadership multiplication.  Everything Jesus did was in preparation for preparing leaders to take the banner and run.  The focus was on discipleship so that the opportunity for salvation could reach the ends of the earth.  This opportunity is now ours!

When I think of the possibilities of what God can do through Awaken City Church I get EXCITED!  Our vision is to Follow Jesus and to Cultivate People. The church was called to be a beacon of hope in a fallen world.  The church was also called to make disciples who in turn make disciples.  Small intentional steps in your spiritual growth pay HUGE ETERNAL dividends.  Never underestimate the time you spend in God’s word, in prayer, in corporate worship, or with others who are chasing after Jesus.  I think so many believers get stuck in their journey saying ‘this is too hard‘, or ‘I don’t know what to do next‘.   What if we looked at our journey and brought others along with us?  Others who were not as far as we are?  When you are pouring into others there is always more to do.

What I have learned as we step out to plant a church is that this is a step closer to where God wants us to be.  The thing I always have to remember is that my life is a constant testimony to my kids and to others of how God can use a broken, sinful, and submitted person to accomplish His will.  It starts with my heart though.  My first step towards God was saying ‘yes’ to Jesus.  It continues today with saying ‘yes’ to moving to St. Augustine.  The opportunity for us to pick up the banner and run is NOW!   Every single step counts, the first is ALWAYS the hardest.