Cedarville Magazine Fall 2019

curriculum on Desiring God by John Piper. It’s the idea that God is most glorified when I’m most satisfied in Him. That was paradigm shifting for me. I figure if I can press them spiritually, that will overflow into the lives of others. I put a huge emphasis on helping them to grow in their spiritual disciplines, and our discussions are facilitated largely out of those disciplines. And, of course, to be a discipler, our own spiritual vitality must be strong. It’s not dependent on us, but God works through us, so there’s a great need for us to abide in Christ. I do some training with the D-Group leaders at the beginning of the year. We take time away over Labor Day weekend — all D-Group leaders, Discipleship Council, the class chaplains, and SGA chaplain — as a whole group of 150 to cast vision for the academic year. After that, we probably meet as a whole group for fellowship, encouragement, and ongoing training at least twice a semester. Q What happens during that Labor Day retreat? A We go down to Scioto Hills and sleep out under the stars in hammocks. We cook breakfast over the fire, and then we do some training. Jeremy Kimble (Director of the Center for Biblical Integration and Associate Professor of Theology) comes with me, and usually some past Discipleship Council members help out. But the weekend is not only for the discipleship leaders to be led, it’s a real training opportunity for me with the DC members on how to lead other leaders. At the end of the weekend they’re able to see how relationships were transformed in just a couple of days, and that is what we want to reproduce in our D-Groups. So, it’s not just instruction on how to do it, but they get to experience it happening. It’s 2 Timothy 2:2 : “And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.” Q How do you approach spiritual growth? A I’ve really found if I can help students regularly engage in God’s Word in an increasingly rich way, they will grow for a lifetime. That’s the single most important discipline that I can help them develop. Time and time again when I’m interviewing students, and I interview more than 100 for discipleship leader positions, their spiritual lives exploded when they developed a regular time of reading and meditating on God’s Word. Q What Scriptures inform the way you disciple? A Psalm 37:4 : “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” My greatest mission in life is to make Christ my greatest delight, and everything else is going to flow from that. John 15:5 : “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” l feel like my main objective is to teach students to abide in Christ and how beholding Christ in His Word, which is the primary way He has revealed Himself to us, is the method and the means of transformation. 2 Corinthians 3:18 : “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.” Q What is your goal with each person touched by Discipleship Ministries? A There are different books that we choose for D-Groups to go through, and there are different books of the Bible that we study, but all of that is a means to develop Psalm 1 individuals. We want to develop joyful meditation on God’s Word that If I can help students regularly engage in God’s Word in an increasingly rich way, they will grow for a lifetime. 8 | Cedarville Magazine