The Discipleship Dare Day #31 - Share the Last 10%

Accountability is sharing the necessary information before its necessary. It’s easy to share the unnecessary information. The unnecessary information is the first 90% like the weather, sports, dogs, and kids. The necessary information is the last 10%.

Few things have changed my life like sharing the last 10% with my peers. It keeps me honest. Who is keeping you honest? Don't live another day without sharing the last 10% with people you trust.

The Discipleship Dare Day #30 - Words Matter

How many words do you speak a day? Add that up and that's how many opportunities you have to build someone up or tear someone down. It's amazing how powerful the tongue. It's the ruder of life.

I have been given a great responsibility to steward words. It's not something to take lightly. I want to be remembered as someone that spoke more words of encouragement than discouragement, more words of love than hate, more words of life than death.

I don't get it right all the time. It's obvious. Just ask my wife. But I do try to raise the bar by speaking as many words of life as I can. It's one of my life goals to speak as much as I can to help as many I as can be encouraged.

I hate going to bed without encouraging someone with words to live beyond themselves. How about you?

Remember, always speak life not death and the world will be a better place.

Check out The Discipelship Dare website @ http://www.thediscipleshipdare.com/










Check out The Discipleship Dare website @ http://thediscipleshipdare.com/

The Discipleship Dare Day #29 - Full Time Living

The fishing metaphor hits me right between the eyes every time I think about it. When Jesus dared these fishermen to follow him, he was not looking for part time help, but full time devotion. It's all or nothing with Jesus.

I am all in. Are you?

I know I don't get it right all the time. Who does? But I am completely embedded into Jesus' discipleship making process. It has changed my life and continues to shape me as I invest myself into the work of the ministry--into the lives of people, the community and the world.

Most of the greatest joy I experience in life is pointing people to God with my attitude, my actions, my character, my words and my work. How about you?

The Discipleship Dare Day #28 - It's Up to God!

I am not sure exactly how wavering unbelievers turn into committed followers of Christ. All I know is that God is the main ingredient in the process. We are like the unnecessary additive. He's the one that leads unrepentant sinners to relationships with followers of Christ. He is the one that changes untrained pagans to fully devoted followers of Christ. It amazes me when I think through the process and its stresses me when I try to force it. But it blesses me when I allow God to work his magic.

The process itself has taught me how much more of God I need. It's his presence that He promises that makes all the difference as I walk with others into a relationship with God. I need his presence to show me what to say, when to say and how to say it as much as the person on the other end needs his presence to receive what I am saying, and live it out. It's up to God and God alone to turn a sinner into a saint. I am hope my life helps others fit the pieces of the puzzle together in such a way when they see it all together. It's God they see, not me.

The Discipleship Dare Day #27 - Next Generation

Teaching is not easy. If it was, everyone would do it. But if teachers of the faith don't rise to the occasion in order to pass on the precepts of Christianity to the next generation, we are only one generation away from extinction.

That thought scares me. I am committed to teaching the next generation the faith regardless how messy some one's life might be. It's the messy lives that clean up the best and end up shining the brightest.

My life was the messiest any one's can be and someone invested in me when most counted me a lost cause. For that I am friendly to the messiest situations. I want to teach people that most have counted out the teachings of Jesus.

Today I met with someone that fits the bill. His life is a mess, but I am hopeful that he will clean up and become one of the brightest lights in his sphere of influence. I will never forget the hope in his parents eyes when I volunteered to help clean up this mess.

Who have you showed hope to?

"Lord help your people see the potential in people that have messed up and need someone to instruct them based on your precepts how to climb the mountain or dig themselves out of a hole. God use me if no one else will do it."

The Discipleship Dare Day #26 - Love Until It Hurts

What a great picture of love--the relationship between God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. This relationship is a model for relationship with people. At the center of God's relationship with each other is life-giving love. Each person in the Godhead feeds off the other. They make each other better as a result of their relationship to one another.

Am I making the people around me better? Am I making a sacrifice that costs me something for the people I am in community with? How about you?

A sacrifice is not a sacrifice unless it costs you something. I want to live a life of making great sacrifice for the people around me to help them be better. I want to help singers sing, parents parent, employees work, counselors counsel and on. I want to meet people where they are at in life and help them do their best. I am paying for opportunities to make the world around me better. How about you?

The world will not change for the better unless we make sacrifices for the right reasons. What can you sacrifice for someone to help make their life better, help make them succeed and prosper? Figure that out and do it a 100 times and watch the world change around you. I am going to try.

The Discipleship Dare Day #25 - Reckless Abandonment

Baptism was dangerous in the first century. It marked the abandonment from everything that was ungodly and sinful. All baggage must be checked at the door when one professes Christ. It's obedience now not later.

When we publicly profess we are a Christian, God's reputation is on the line. His reputation is only as strong as your walk with God. If you have not checked your bags at the door and continue to live in sin and in ungodly ways, others will not see the power of God. There's no reason for the world to follow Christ, if they cannot see Christ in you.

Christ did not hold onto anything that would hinder Him from completing God's mission on earth, so why are you?

To live a baptized life is to recklessness abandon anything that would compromise Gods mission--sinful behaviors, ungodly lifestyle choices, and anything else contrary to God's standards.

The Discipleship Dare Day #24 - One

There's really only one thing for us to do. It's to make disciples. That's it. But I know for me personally I am not doing it to the best of my ability. I do it, but I am also busy doing other things.

I want to make the best disciples in the world. That's a huge goal. But when eternity is at stake I think its a realistic goal.

I don't know of any other process that helps people live the best life possible while on earth. We are the link that connects people to this life. If we don't do it, who will? I think I need to re-prioritize my schedule and make more and better disciples. How about you?

I want to do the ONE thing Jesus commanded--to make disciples--better than I do anything else in life.

Lord, help me stay laser focused on your mission in the middle of the hustle and bustle of life. Lead me into relationships and situations where discipleship is the answer. Help me to capitalize on the opportunity. To you be all the glory."

The Discipleship Dare Day #23 - Executive Rights

The greatest power is made available to followers of Christ that reproduce the life of Jesus in others. There is no power more permanent, consistent and able to change the world than the power God imparted to Jesus. Because Jesus has executive rights, he lent this power to the disciple making community.

I am not sure I get this. I understand it, but I don't maximize and leverage it in the relationships I am investing my life in most of the time. I like to hope I am more but the reality is I am not as much as I should be.

This power allows us to have faith not fear when we invite others into disciple making relationships. This includes inviting our friends and family to church. Church is an important part of a discipling relationship. It's not the only part.

"Lord, I pray for grace to overshadow me as I leverage your executive rights and invite someone into a disciple making relationship. If that's inviting them to church, keeping them accountable or whatever else. I pray for you to guide me into a relationship."

The Discipleship Dare Day #22 - Give It Your Best

Worship is giving God your best in all times not only on Sunday morning. Worship is more than a song but a lifestyle That's actually a scary thought. God is not just watching us on Sunday sing, but all week play music with out lives.

I want to be the best lifestyle worshiper of God I can be. Because the Lord knows I can't sing! Every action, every thought, every spoken word, everything read, everything watched and everything else plays a song to God.

I have to confess some days I sound better than others. Some days I probably song like a broken record as I fumble through life making mistakes, but then their are days when I am firing on all cylinders. Those are the days I make sweet music.

Lord, may I have more days where I make sweet music than days I sound like a broken record. My desire is to worship you every fiber of my being everyone nano second of my life. I want to give you my best not my junk."

Guest Blogger: Jess Bousa "The Discipleship Dare"

I appeared as a guest blogger on my friend, Jerry Ireland's blog. He is a missionary to Africa. Check out what he said:

My friend Jess Bousa (he and I, were in Teen Challenge together, and were room mates at Valley Forge Christian College) has written a book called the Discipleship Dare. Like Jess, I am convinced that discipleship––genuine discipleship, is perhaps the greatest need in the Church today. Many thousands of college students, in American and around the world leave the Christian faith every year, not because the arguments against Christianity are better than those for it, but because Christianity has never really become their faith. We hope to one day use this book as a resource in Zambia for youth discipleship. Check out the link for the The Discipleship Dare below, and consider if this might be helpful to you, your church, or someone you know. God bless you as you follow Christ.

Jerry

By Jess Bousa (Guest Blogger), author of The Discipleship Dare: Living Dangerously for God

The American Church is in the middle of a discipleship crisis. In Dallas Willard’s book, The Great Omission, he concludes that the Church is full of undiscipled disciples. Instead of making disciples, we have made converts and instead of baptizing them into the Trinitarian community, we have baptized them into church membership. When the discipleship process is reduced down to converts and church membership, it often takes the real challenge out of following Jesus through our everyday lives. Without the challenge to be pushed to the Biblical standard of discipleship, the world will be full of unChristian Christians, which is the general consensus of outsiders to the Christian faith the Barna Group discovered in their extensive research project reported in the book,UnChristian.

Marines are challenged to thrive not only survive at all times no matter the costs. Every year approximately 38,000 Marines receive their basic training, which is far more challenging than any other branch of the military. Most Marines testify that going through the twelve weeks of boot camp to gain entrance into the Marines is the most challenging thing they ever had to do in their lives. There is no such thing as an unMarine Marine. If the Marines were filled with such a person, they would not be known as being the most elite armed forces in the Military. Their reputation is the result of their training process. Without a training process that challenges every area of life, they would not perform the tasks necessary.

The process determines the product. What if the process of training disciples in the local church has been sidetracked as a result of mass producing discipleship for the crowds? What if discipleship starts and ends with the personal development of a few? Without a tool that builds a bridge from the preaching and teaching in the local church to the real life of a disciple through the week, “real disciples” will continue to be sidelined.

To combat the discipleship crisis in the American Church, I created an experience called: The Discipleship Dare. It is a journey that lasts for 40 days. It can be used alone or in the context of a group. I designed it to jumpstart the lifestyle of a new disciple or revive the lifestyle of a veteran disciple. It can be used as a companion guide for a sermons series, small groups or Sunday School classes. What if the biggest risk in life is not taking any risks for discipleship? I dare you to experience the 40 day Discipleship Dare challenge and dare others to do the same!

For Free Resources & To Purchase, The Discipleship Dare,

www.thediscipleshipdare.com

The Discipleship Dare Day #21 - Manure of the Earth

Did you know that you are like the manure of the earth? It's true. In the ancient world, the agricultural purpose of salt was to make the manure piles better. They were able to flourish as a result of salt. Manure without salt would smell up something fierce. It's the salt that causes it to decompose. Salt is able to make bad things good. Salt is used to turn something ineffective effective. Am I effecting change in the world I live? Are people better because you are with them? As followers of Christ, our assignment is to infiltrate the culture with change and penetrate it with goodness. Are you an agent of change? Are you an example of human goodness? When people think about change agents and genuine goodness, does your face pop up?

The Discipleship Dare Day #20 - Invisible Trophy Shelf

Every follower of Christ has an invisible trophy shelf. It's a reality of living out the plans and purposes of God on earth. Some people have shelves that are full and others that are empty. These shelves will be visible when we arrive in Heaven.

I have a hard time earning trophies for my invisible shelf in Heaven and an easier time filling up my visible shelf on earth. Working for tangible awards is addictive whereas working for crowns of righteousness that are not on the shelf in my apartment are less habit forming.

I tend to work hard to impress people. God's not pleased by the amount of people that I impress but by the impression I leave on people for the Gospel. It's times to flip the switch and work to please God and fill my invisible trophy case in Heaven.

Don't live another day without filling your invisible trophy case in Heaven.

The Discipleship Dare Day #19 - Increase Visibility

I don't think I was ever persecuted for my faith. I failed this test. I have lots of questions but no doubts as a result of that reality. Am I living my faith publicly enough for people to persecute me once in a while? Do people know that I am even a Christian? Do they know you are a follower of Christ? Either our lives will lead them to Christ and they will follow, or they will deny and/or persecute us. When was the last time anyone was effected by our lives for the gospel? My goal this year is to increase my visibility as a follower of Christ. Whats your goal?

The Discipleship Dare Day #18 - Everyone's Watching

It's hard to comprehend sometimes, but everyone is watching. The way we walk, the way we talk and the way we do just about everything is under the microscope for the world to see. What do people see when they see you? Do they see a real, live, child of God? Or do they see an artificially manufactured counterfeit child of God? If people look at your life, are you selling the real thing--authentic faith in God? I hope when people watch me live life, it's reflecting God's original plan for creation.

The Discipleship Dare Day #17 - Fight For Peace

Relationships can get messy. Have you messed up a relationship or been in a relationship someone else messed up? It's easy often to just sweep issues under the rug and then jump ship. I am extremely challenged by God's expectation to fight for peace at all costs. I am not sure how to maintain relational harmony with everyone I rub shoulders with in life, but I know its the right thing to do.

I find it hard to clean up a messy relationship when the other party does not want to make peace. It takes some relationships longer than others to get back on track. It's the test of time that wins the day. Is there a relationship that only you can make right? Don't live another day without fighting for peace in all directions: God, self, others, and world.

The Discipleship Dare Day #16 - By the Rules

Integrity of heart is one of my life goals. If I fail at something, I prefer to fail in my career as a writer or speaker first then in my integrity as a follower of Christ and faithful husband.

I believe that God has designed His people to be "Integrity Evangelists" for his way of life. The problem is that His people have failed to live up to high moral standards. This has led to the distribution of a brand of Christianity that does not line up with Jesus' life. His way of life is the abuntant life. No one has really lived until they experience God's way of life. But how come many people are not interested in a lifestyle he died for?

One of the reasons is a lack of integrity in culture by people that call themselves Christians. Integrity is the bi-product of following God's rule for life. I prefer to live by the rules then to play the fence. When living by the rules, the gray areas are minimum. Life by the rules will prevent failures. I am commited to finishing the race without failure. I am committed to living the life of integrity, regardless how counter-cultural it might be.

The stakes are too high to lose the integrity battle. Would you partner with me as I wage war on a culture that lacks integrity? Make it your life goal as it is mine.

The Discipleship Dare Day #15 - Entering into Pain

Is my life consumed with helping others or is it consumed with helping myself? That is the dilemma I face each day. It's easier for it to be consumed with myself, then to enter into the pain of others. Entering into the pain of others takes time. It can get messy. And its hard to see success right away.

I have learned a great lesson by studying the life of Jesus. He was not consumed with himself, but with relieving the pain of others. He was famous for showing mercy. What am I famous for? What are you famous for? Few things amount to the greatness of living like Jesus in this particular area. Jesus changed the world on act of mercy at a time.

If I were to die today, I hope I would be remembered for going the extra mile for people. What do you want to be remembered for? Whatever it is don't live another day without doing it.

The Discipleship Dare Day #14 - Only God

When we are satisfied by God first and foremost, then to find satisfaction in others things is in kosher. Pursuing satisfaction in other things before God and his righteousness is dangerous. Satisfaction is others things creates an allusion. It never is the real thing.

Only God satisfies the hunger for more. The human heart is designed to hunger and thirst for more, but its what we hunger and thirst for that defines who we are. I am hungry for more of God today. I am a little more hungrier for God today than I was yesterday, but not as hungry as I will be tomorrow.

"Lord, satisfy the hunger for more in my soul today like never before. Let it set me on fire so that others would come from miles around to see me burn for you."

The Discipleship Dare Day #13 - Set Things Right

I am most mature when I seek the righteousness of God in any circumstance. This means the opposite is true as well. I am the most immature when I seek those things that oppose righteousness. Are you mature or immature?

I tend to find satisfaction in other things like self. I can be self absorbed at times. The call of a disciple is to be selfless and to seek God. He is the only self to be absorbed by. When we seek God, we seek his righteousness.

Few people are committed to setting things right in sync with God's plans and purposes on this earth. Are you? Are you living to set things right in your family, neighborhood, and community? I have learned that the only person that can come before you setting things right in your world is you. God is on our side, cheering us on. He designed us to set things right in our worlds. Would you consider today setting things right? I have.

The Discipleship Dare Day #12 - Keep Your Cool

Of all of the characteristics of a followers of Christ, I have to admit I struggle with this one of the most--meekness. I am not naturally gentle. It takes a lot of work for me to demonstrate gentleness when I feel like exerting power. It is hard for me to give up my right to be right. I am not sure how Jesus kept his mouth shut all of those times he was getting the full court press from the religious leaders of those days. But he kept his cool.

Keeping your cool often wins the argument. I prefer to lose a disagreement but not lose my cool than to win the argument but lose my cool. I do not want to force anything that God has not ordained for me to possess. I want him to pay out my inheritance not me take it by force. If I have to take it, then it most likely will not have the blessing and favor of God.

The inheritance I tend to force is God's future plans for my life and family. I know what he wants me to do yet the timing is always not clear. My prayer is that I exercise control with others and wait on the Lord's timing as I pursue his plans for my life.

Have you given up the right to be right? Are you waiting for God to give you your inheritance or are you taking it by force?

Keep your cool.

The Discipleship Dare Day #11 - Fall Forward

To have hope in painful and difficult situations is a trademark of Jesus' followers. It sets the Christian apart from the Atheist. It is one of those things Jesus' followers can demonstrate in the world that points to the existence of God without saying a word. It takes something larger than yourself to have hope when something larger than yourself brings us to our knees.

Am I showing genuine hope to the world from a dependence on something larger than myself--God? Or am I showing an artificial hope to the world from a dependence on myself?

My life goal is to be a person that falls forward, not falls away from difficult situations. There is also a hurting person at the end of a difficult situation. What if every Christ follower was there to be hopeful when others were morning loss? I am in, are you?

The Discipleship Dare Day #10 - Kingdom Now

I have to confess. I have not lived out the values of the Kingdom of God as they should. The reason I say that is because not as many people are interested in God's Kingdom around me as they are interested in the kingdom of this world. Not sure why that is, but I know that the Kingdom of God is in opposition in a lot of ways with the kingdom of this world.

It takes a person of godly character to usher in God's Kingdom. Is the way I am living ushering in the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of this world? A person of worldly character advances the worldly kingdom which is diabolically opposed to God's Kingdom, but a person of godly character pushes back the darkness and advances God's kingdom prerogatives in this world.

Are the people at my workplace influenced by the values of the Kingdom of God or the kingdom of this world? I am not going to waste another day living out the values of the worldly kingdom. The Kingdom of God is now. It is not only later. It is a present reality. I want to spend all my days promoting God's Kingdom values wherever I am, would you join me?

The Discipleship Dare Day #9 - Bigger Is Not Better

There are many times when I live like Israel before the exile. I depend on things I accomplish not on God alone. I act like I am "rich in spirit" when God prefers me to be "poor in spirit." I have come to realize, there is nothing inherently in me that impresses God or attracts God to me, but my brokenness. It is a life of brokenness that I want more than anything else. I want to live spiritually bankrupt like Israel after the exile. They were not able to depend on anything to please God but God Himself. They did not have a temple or the sacrificial system to fall back on.

What is your temple? What is your sacrificial system? What do you rely on other than God? Is it your spiritual disciplines? Is it the ministry you lead? There is nothing inherently wrong with spiritual disciplines or leading a ministry. Problems arise when those things become the end. They are a means to an end. The end we seek is God, the God of the spiritual disciplines, the God of the ministry. Bigger is not better in God's economy. The more spiritual accomplishments will not make you more important to God. Better is better in God's economy. He is looking for quality, not quantity. To be "poor in spirit" is to live the blessed life, a life broken before God and others. It takes humility to live the blessed life. Humility is the door. Come on in.

The Discipleship Dare Day #8 - Character Evangelism

A "Bucket List" is the things "to do" before you kick the bucket--die. On my list are not only things to do, but things to be. I want to be a person of godly character before I kick the bucket: a person that takes the high road, a person that lives above board, a person that lives above reproach in all areas of my life. If I die without accomplishing that in some way, shape or form, I have failed. It is my life pursuit to be like Jesus-- a person of impeccable character.

Character might not take you to the top, but it will sure keep you there. It is one of those things far and few between in today's culture. It is often not fashionable or in style in today's culture, but necessary in God's economy. It is my life work to stand before God one day as a person that lived my days on the earth with godly character.

Character is a community issues. It is formed in community and reinforced by the community you associate with. Your community is like an elevator. It will either bring you up or down. Embrace the Christian community as a means to an end. The end is to influence the ungodly community with godly character. Some of the most powerful evangelism is done by modeling godly character. Be a character evangelist not only a verbal evangelist.

"Lord, I pray for the grace to embody the character traits of Jesus and the courage to live them out in today's culture."

The Discipleship Dare Day #7 – Everything Teaches

Am I fit for service? Do I look back and take my hand off the plow? These are questions I have to give an account not only to God for, but to my peers. The way I serve God is teaching others how to serve God. Modeling is one of the most powerful teaching tools.

The reality is that everything teaches not only our words, but our ways. If Jesus did not put his foot down and rebuke anyone who takes their hands off the plow and looks back, then Christianity would not be taken serious. Jesus took Christianity so serious that he died for it, how about you?

Am I living the life of a follower of Christ that people take serious? Do they act like me? Or do they disregard the Gospel because of the way I live out my faith? Do other believers waver in their faith as a result of my wavering? If you want to be taken serious, then do not waver in your faith. Do not take your hand off the plow or look backward. There is no excuse. Just because everyone else is doing it does not cut it.

We never know when someone is going to model the behavior they observes us participate in.

The Discipleship Dare Day #6 – Care First

It's not rocket science. Following God is not about earning credentials but caring for people. It's my greatest joy to care for people. If caring for people were first on to do list each day, the world would not be as hurt and broken.

I find it easier to care for myself then others. Society is often care free. Everyone relies on the system or insurance companies or whatever to care for their needs, not people. If I can do one thing before I die, its to raise the caring bar in the world.

Even though caring for people can get messy or costly, it's the responsibility of every follower of Christ. My prayer is that I can care for as many people as possible before I die.

"Lord, help me make a dent in someones eternity on earth as I care for them. Lead me not only into easy situations but hard ones. And give me the grace to be like you."

The Discipleship Dare Day #5 – Love is a Discipline

This is one of the hardest sayings of Jesus for me. It’s not natural to love God first. It’s easy for me to pledge my allegiance to everything and anything else other than God.

Putting God first is a discipline. It takes practice, practice, and more practice. I fail at times and other times I succeed. But failure is a friend. Someone said, “The fastest way to success is to fail forward fast.” Isn’t that true? I often learn the most life changing lessons from failure.

I love God more today because of the mistakes I made loving others and other things. Loving God first is part of my daily schedule. It’s not my last thing to do in a day, but the first. One time I was praying and I felt God said, “You have not done anything until you have loved me in any given day.” Make it a practice to love God first and let the chips fall where they do. It’s my life aim to love God. One theologian said it well, “Love God and do as you please.”

Knockout Entrepreneur by George Foreman (Book Review)

George Foreman delivers a knockout punch with his book, Knockout Entrepreneur. From boxing to business, he share’s the lessons he learned the hard way and the Foreman way. He has rose above the masses not only as a powerhouse boxer but also as a successful entrepreneur by living his life in the framework of The Good Book (or the Bible).

Foreman uses his boxing analogies to spice up the book. One of the most memorable is found in the chapter titled, Listen to Your Corner. A lot of people think boxing is a solo act, not a team sport. “The most important individuals on a boxer’s team,” George Foreman states, “ are the cornermen.” Every great boxer has three people in his corner: his trainer, his technician and his cutman. A boxer is only as good as a cornermen in the same way an entrepreneur is only as strong as his team. The lingering question that has caused me to reevaluate what I do and how I do it is: who is in your corner? Do I have competent people in my corner? Is it filled with people of integrity? And most importantly, do they have the courage to tell you the truth?

I would highly recommend reading George Foreman’s book, Knock Entrepreneur. The book does not only focus on the fundamentals of entrepreneurship but takes the beginner to the next level. If you want to deliver a knock out punch in life and business, read and live the principles Foreman often took a beaten to learn yet came up on top!

- Jess Bousa, the author of The Discipleship Dare @ http://www.thediscipleshipdare.com/

The Discipleship Dare Day #4 - Less is More

Jesus lived with next to nothing to his name yet gave the world something of eternal value. What he gave the world will never rust or rot. It's literally fireproof! He lived a life modeling the principle: less is more. Am I like Jesus in this area of my life? Are you like Jesus in this area of your life? It's easy for me to live with more and give less instead of living with less so that I can give more. How about you?

There is joy from living with "less" that's impossible to achieve when living with "lots." The dare to sell your possessions has challenged me to the core. I know Jesus did not mean literally unless you literally own possessions that hinder your progress as a follower of Christ.

Jesus is calling us to live like a salesman who would sell the shirt off his back if it meant getting the sale. Obviously I am not taking about making money but making meaning in this life. Imagine if we had the mentality like the salesman I mentioned above with the things we owned. Imagine if we held our possessions with respect yet not with a tight first? How tight are you holding your possessions? You can check how tight your grip by posing those things that are hindering you from God on craigslist for sale? Try it. Let me know what happens.

The Discipleship Dare Day #3 - Sacrificial Evangelism

Sacrificing for the benefit of someone else is hard work. I tend to make sacrifices for myself more than for others. I am getting better, but I am a long way from perfect. Jesus' life speaks volumes to me on how to live for the benefit of others, not myself. How about you?

I have to confess sacrifice hurts sometimes. It hurts my wallet, it hurts my schedule, it hurts my time with my wife, its touches everything in some way, share and form, but isn't that the point. For a sacrifice to mean something, it must cost you something. I am learning to sacrifice for the right reasons in the right ways.

I am committed to letting my sacrifice witness to the communities I am part of. The more I learn to sacrifice, the greater my testimony as a follower of Christ becomes. Some of the best evangelism (sharing your faith) is connected with sacrifice. The greater the sacrifice the louder the story of Jesus sounds to the culture.

"Lord, scream as loud as you can through my life."

Check out the "The Discipleship Dare" @ http://www.thediscipleshipdare.com/

The Discipleship Dare Day #2 - Selflessness Wins the Day!

I am reminded daily of my selfishness. I want it my way not anyone else's. It's harder for me to see my selflessness. I am not sure why that is. God is daily calling me to deny myself me, not to deny others me. He wants me to crucify myself so that I can share myself with others. That's not as easy as it sounds. It's not selfishness that wins the day, but selflessness.

Jesus conquered death as an expression of his selfless love for the world. There was not a bit of selflessness in him when he was hanging on that cross. The world is our cross and we must hand their with selflessness. It's the best way to win the day with our friends, family and even foes!!!

The Discipleship Dare Day #1 - Be Ordinary Not a Superhero

God did not choose "Super Heroes" to change the world, but fishermen. He could have choose a Batman or Superman type, but He choose the union carpenters of the ancient world to lead an international movement that still influences the world today.

I am an ordinary fisherman like Jesus' first disciples. There is nothing special about me apart from God's calling on my life to dare others to follow him with reckless abandonment. That's it.

Like the first disciples, I did not make the cut. I lived a life of the second string. I was the plan B. I was addicted to drugs, alcohol, stealing, among others things yet God hand selected me to be on his team for life. The Bible teaches that God chooses the foolishness to dumbfound the wise. He chooses the weak to challenge the strong. This I am thankful for.

I am committed to living an ordinary life like the first disciples. What I have discovered is God does his best work through ordinary people, not super heroes. God does extraordinary things through ordinary people. That's my saving grace Is it yours?

Jess Bousa, author of The Discipleship Dare