In my years of study I have found a truth about process.
If you really want to make it to the other side of an issue, to understand a particular theme, you need to persevere.
I remember the first papers I wrote in college. In three pages and with a few references I had figured out life changing issues. Then, a few years later, I would encounter the same question. This time I had more references and more pages. And now, I try to be practical. If I were to write all that informs my thoughts I would have to open a library. Thankfully I have a computer so I don’t have to take up pages of paper. No wonder a 90 year old can be enticed to speak for hours on a topic (although many say very little because they know how little they know even though they know more that I know!).
But, whether a few pages or a stream that doesn’t want to stop, I still find the process requires me to live in the fog for a while. There is still the clear line that defines the path but often the incoming mist is distracting. And then, one day it seems like the cloud lifts and things are clear.
Right now I have been working through a discipleship path for our church. The more I read, the more I talk to people, the more I am bombarded with a myriad of words in a cloud of knowing.
I’ve tried putting the words over top of each other. A few get away and stand on their own. But mostly they fall into four or five categories. I’m starting to see the light.
So, here is a start – discipleship for a Christian is what happens to get you to your goal of being like your master, Jesus – to be Godly. This involves a starting point, and a gradual lift towards a perfection achieved only after our death or when Jesus returns. In some historical times this meant living life modeled after a rabbi, other times whole systems were provided by like minded Christians.
Which is most applicable in North America today? Let’s be even more specific. What is most applicable for yourself? What is most applicable for the person next to you? What can be achieved best by a group and what requires individual discipline? How do you determine this?
All good questions that I’m working on right now. Maybe a little foggy but there is a definite line that I’m following. From experience I know I’ll get through the fog.
I’ll keep your posted as I go.