Helping Fruit Grow on Other People's Trees

Hi GCN Family,

Who are those important people in your life who have left a lasting impact? Who was instrumental in pointing you to Jesus, who believed in you when you didn’t believe in yourself, and who showed you grace when you messed up? Go ahead and shoot me an email (pastorbrian@gburgnaz.org) and let me know! I’d love to hear it! We all need someone to come alongside us, pray with us, cast God-given vision over our lives, and to continually point us to Jesus.

There’s a word for this. It’s called discipleship. I love the way Dr. David Devries says it: “Discipleship is helping fruit grow on other people’s trees.” No weight of guilt in this question, just an invitation: Who are you discipling? And who is discipling you?

Really looking forward to our time of worship together tomorrow @ 10:30am. In fact, worship is a part of our discipleship. Here are some ways to prepare for that time:

• Read and reflect on 1 Kings 19 and 2 Kings 2 (or, if you’ve got the time, check out 1 Kings 17 through 2 Kings 2) to re-introduce yourself to Elijah and Elisha. Their story is going to help us out tomorrow. What does Elijah do when he goes to Elisha? And how does Elisha respond to the call from Elijah? What sticks out to you in this story?
• Prayerfully consider who you can invite to join you tomorrow. Tip: the person who comes to mind when you read this might just be the person you should be texting or calling, inviting them to join you.
• Pray for your church family, especially those who are struggling physically and mentally right now.
• Pray for God’s Kingdom to come right here where we’re located (and in our hearts, and in our homes, and in our own particular neighborhoods) as it is in heaven. “God, where are people hurting? And how can you use me?”

Much love,

Pastor Brian