Discipleship
What does it mean to be a disciple – a follower – of Jesus Christ? Blog posts in this section tend to be practical, as you can see by the list of highlighted titles. Below that, posts appear chronologically with the most recent first. Look for more such reflections in the future that reflect on Scriptural examples of discipleship and the Lord’s instructions to those who followed his Way while he was on earth.
- The Disciples at the Well: a Fresh Reading of John 4
- How to Grow as a Disciple with Scripture
- Stop Keeping Score! True Love is Not 50-50
- When You’re Anxious and Troubled: Where are Your Eyes?
- 5 Steps to Finding God’s Will for Your Life
My great-grandma Jennie’s life is packed inside a single word: “Hallelujah!” She typed that on a thousand tiny strips of paper and tucked them into cracks and books and under dishes as she prayed. She died many years years ago—but even now, finding one of those Hallelujahs brings her back in an instant. Who was Jennie, you ask? Look at this ...
Nobody ever talks about the disciples at the well in Samaria. Everyone zeroes in on the woman, and understandably so: with her many past husbands and her daily slog for water, she represents that “God-shaped vacuum” in all of us that can’t be filled by anything (or anyone!) but God. We all want what she gets: living water that radically ...
I always want to jump to Martha’s defense, when I read Jesus’ response to her complaint. Her sister has left her to do all the work, and the Lord seems to dismiss her worry. “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried,” he says. “There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be ...
Our 18-month-old granddaughter stands ready to run, grinning over her shoulder as if to say, “you can’t get me, Grandma ... but please try!” When I start toward her she squeals and runs laughing into my arms. Bliss! Children are such a gift. When our kids were her age, though, I never imagined the deep joy it would bring one day ...
We all watched, excited, as the sunfish splashed up from the lake and landed with a thud on the dock. My husband reached out to remove the hook but the fish slipped from his grasp. “Look Mommy, he’s dancing!” And sure enough, the fish did look to be dancing as it dangled and flopped at our feet. I can relate ...
This weekend at the National Catholic Bible Conference in Houston, I spoke on "The Word of God in the Life of the Disciple." Scripture plays an important role in helping us ENCOUNTER Jesus and grow in RELATIONSHIP with him, and it fosters the TRANSFORMATION that is the hallmark of true disciples. As Catholics, we have a powerful encounter with the ...
"Queen Esther, seized with mortal anguish, had recourse to the Lord." (Esther C:12*) Have you ever felt like that? "Seized with mortal anguish"? I've never faced genocide the way Queen Esther did, but I have felt the "mortal anguish" of despair when we faced deep financial trouble ... when our baby's life hung by a thread ... when our son ...
When I was a kid, we had no problem making choices. We went with our gut, and if someone disagreed, we “shot it out” with Rock, Paper, Scissors or we tossed a coin, then threw ourselves into whatever it was. Somewhere along the line, things got complicated. We read “Two Roads Diverged in a Yellow Wood” and learned that a ...
The man behind the counter wore long sleeves, but they weren’t long enough to hide his tattoos. Enough of the elaborate script showed at one wrist to make me curious. “What does it say?” I asked. He pushed his right sleeve up to his elbow, and read out loud from the gothic script on his forearm: “Wow,” I said. “Do ...
