The Desperate Need for Discipleship
Students involved in Cru and in our churches are wrestling with surrender. As Holly talked to students last month about surrender, here is their list of things that they wrote down that they knew they needed to surrender. Remember, these are the students leading Bible studies, sharing their faith on campus, and discipling others. Each sentence is a different student. May this ignite your heart to pray for this next generation.
I surrender….my past, which holds me back every day of my life. My anxiety to help others. The sexual aspects of my relationship with my girlfriend. My stupid porn addiction. The control over my life. The comfortable bitterness left in my heart. Love of money. Lust and porn. Selfishness. My life, my fears, my thoughts. My addictions to nicotine, porn, loneliness, and depression. Sin within my relationship, selfishness, pride, worry, hard-heartedness. My broken heart and knowing that God does not take away what is meant for me. My status, my bitterness, my pleasure. My addiction and shame for self-pleasure. My need for others’ approval. My sinful heart. My bitterness and disappointment. My guilt, regret, and self-hatred. Resentment with my family. Bitterness and depression. My prejudice and annoyance toward people. My fears. My nervousness and stress so I can live my life for Him. Willing to step out in faith and surrender my fear and anxiety. Depression. Approval of my mother over obeying commands from God. Lust and masturbation, any push to drink and party. I surrender my friends and how they might influence me. The consuming thoughts about what others think of me. I surrender my dating relationship and the desire to change his heart. I am surrendering my judgments of others. I am surrendering my life plan. I am surrendering my sins and my forgiveness of myself.
May this open your eyes to the critical need for students to be discipled and that you would consider discipling a young adult in your church. We need people like you to take a prepared curriculum like “Disciple to Disciplemaker” and invest in young people one-on-one so that they can truly live surrendered lives. Matt has worked tirelessly to create a nineteen-week video series that you can download for free to train you on how to use our curriculum to disciple others. Please consider joining us, not just in praying for the next generation or supporting us financially while we disciple the next generation, but joining us with your church to disciple the young people around you. We have made this curriculum free so that churches can be trained and people can be discipled. Please check it out and consider sharing it with others, or maybe even start your own training group so that more young people can grow and live their lives for Jesus!
PERSONAL UPDATE
Briella lost her front tooth! (After an hour of her and Matt pulling it!) We are heading to CA this weekend for Matt’s brother, Mark’s wedding. Please pray for safe travels. When we return, Holly has three finals for seminary and then will get to speak at church for Mother’s Day! Then Holly starts her summer sessions of seminary one week later. Thank you for your prayers for our family and our ministry!