Many of us instinctively want a faith that’s more integrated in our lives, that is deeply rooted, and shared with others. The growth of our faith, and its tangible application to our lives, is discipleship — following Jesus as his disciple.
How do YOU think about discipleship?
If you’re a parent, how are you modeling faith at home?
If you’re a leader, how does discipleship shape how you walk with students?
And for all of us, what does a long journey of discipleship look like as an adult?
How you talk about discipleship may say a lot about how you live out discipleship. What illustrations come to your mind? What do you say when you explain the concept to others?
Maybe you learned discipleship as information to absorb or behavior to manage. You knew the right answers but felt something was missing. Maybe faith still feels compartmentalized rather than integrated.
Over the last 2,000 years there have been many definitions, examples, and philosophies on the meaning of discipleship. What if there was an easy way to distill this critical Christian process into a helpful, memorable description?
We believe there is, if we simply look at our heads, our hearts, and our hands.
In Mark 12:30, Jesus boiled discipleship down to what he called the greatest commandment: “Love the LORD your God with your whole heart, soul, mind, and strength.”
From this command, the Young Life Discipleship team has created The Head-Heart-Hands Series. It’s designed to help us become holistically more like Jesus in, yes, our head, heart, and hands. More specifically, through our thoughts, attitudes, and actions.
Within this helpful resource we find three sections:
- Foundation lessons introducing the basics of discipleship. This is “head” work that helps you think about the story of the Bible and what it means.
- Formation lessons introducing basic habits and practices to help us know Jesus and become more like him. This is “heart” work meant to cultivate a life of intimacy, repentance, honesty, and joy.
- Fruition lessons introducing seven attitudes and actions of a growing disciple. This is “hands” work to practice service, generosity, and witness.
Review the series and check out the invitation to go deeper, by yourself or with others, on the Head-Heart-Hands page on the Young Life Discipleship website.
