As I sit in my office today thinking about which discipleship topic to address, my mind keeps returning to what I’ve been reading in my quiet time—Paul’s letter to the Romans. Written by arguably one of the greatest disciple-makers after Christ, Romans opens with Paul’s deep conviction about the gospel and its transforming power. That feels like the place I should have started this series as well.
I want you to understand my deep conviction for discipleship. We live in a time when discipleship has quietly slipped into the background behind programs and charitable efforts. Let me be clear: programs and charity are good things. God uses them. But by themselves, they cannot produce faithful, growing followers of Christ.
My own discipleship journey truly began when an older man in my life noticed that—even though I was deeply involved in church—none of those programs or activities were actually helping me take the next step in my faith. I had grown up in church. I knew the big Bible stories. I could name the books of the Bible (on my best days), and I could list most of the disciples—although Thaddaeus always tripped me up. I attended every Sunday and Wednesday service. I went to every camp and conference. I had roles in all the Christmas and Easter plays. I even volunteered every year at the OCC sorting facility. From the outside, it looked like I had everything I needed for spiritual growth.
But the truth was that although all of those things were good, none of them really challenged me to grow.
That changed when a man named Katlin Kimsey (grandson of Libby Kimsey—small world!) recognized that I needed something deeper. He took a one-on-one approach and poured into my life. He showed me that all the activities I was doing were meant to be expressions of a heart transformed by the Spirit, not replacements for true spiritual formation. He walked through Scripture with me—not just so I could understand it intellectually, but so I could learn how to live it out practically. He offered wisdom from his own life and from those who had discipled him. He took me under his wing and taught me what it means not only to know what I believe, but to live it out as a faithful follower of Jesus.
I am here today—not because of great church programming—but because someone took the time to invest personally in my life.
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