Get yourself mentored, even peer mentored (e.g. in an LTG, discipling triad, or DNA group, get an Anum Cara, or Alongsider, or Spiritual Director etc)!
Ask your (peer) mentor to help you live out the following points in practice, in the way that you think, speak, and act.
- Ask them to ask you pointedly how you are going in your life in these areas (acting, speaking, and thinking, motivation).
- Ask your Mentor/ Spiritual Director/ Alongsider/ Anum Cara/ Peer-mentor what things have helped them come alive in Christ, or awake to the spirit of Christ, or to turn towards God & learn to pray throughout a normal day?
- Ask them what helps them to remain a follower of Jesus, and to make sense of his world view?
NOTES ALONG THE WAY
Wed 2023.05.31 (-Wed 2023.05.07)
We 3 met at a local pub tonight and took on the challenge of learning what we could in 20min of Proverbs ch 2 GNBUK ("Learn what I teach you, my child, and never forget what I tell you to do. Listen to what is wise and try to understand it. Yes, beg for knowledge; plead for insight. Look for it as hard as you would for silver or some hidden treasure. If you do, you will know what it means to fear the LORD and you will succeed in learning about God."
...). One person memorized 2 verses, one person 5 verses, and the other person had already learned the first 8 and would refresh it.
This was in order to meditate, during the coming week on the mindset it was trying to infect God's children with. Some weeks you can take extra time to do this, often it feels like you can't. My advice is to use the wisdom he gives, roll with the punches, and work on developing your loving response to love he shows you.
(See this Bema intro to one of their sessions, (my daughter sent it to me yesterday) I thought they put it well: "Success is developing intimacy with God and community with each other, through a living relationship with Jesus. We believe that an individual, who is developing intimacy with God, in the context of Christian community, will make an impact for the Kingdom of God.
A team of individuals, who make an impact for the Kingdom of God, will have a fruitful ministry. Though we do not aim for “making an impact,” and we do not aim for “fruitful ministries,” we recognize that these two situations will supernaturally occur when individuals develop intimacy with God in Christian community.
Ministry is the product of our love for God, and an expression of a heart devoted to God. We must not allow “ministry for God” to crowd “intimacy with God” out of our lives. We cannot control “making an impact,” and we cannot control “fruitful ministries,” but we have absolute control over developing intimacy with God and being devoted to one another.)
Please help us God, this week to take on the mindset of a disciple, instead of a know it all.
Here's that first help for me (from a few months ago) to attempt to put Prov 2:1-8 to music, & part of my meditating on it this week..
