The Master's Plan of Discipleship

Discipleship Model A
A charismatic pastor is able to inspire 100 people to join him in his church planting vision in the first year. This group of people is able to continue to reach others at the rate of 20% per year for 10 years. This growth rate is considered exceptionally good. The church hires staff, builds buildings and has a significant budget. The founding pastor is busy, busy, busy and is being asked by everyone to tell them his secret for such phenomenal success.

Discipleship Model B
Another lover of God decides to pour his life into 2 people for a year. He disciples them in such a way that they do the same thing in the next year. He continues to work with them but they are the ones actually doing the discipling. He stays in their lives into the third year and is well respected and loved. He steps away from the group when the want to organize. He continues to work at his “secular” job, take care of his family and whatever else he enjoys doing. He never purposely disciples anyone again and has time for anyone that wants to talk to him.

In 10 years which model would have produced more people being discipled?

Discipleship Model A
(20% growth per year)
100
120
144
173
208
250
300
360
432
520

Discipleship Model B
(discipling just 2)
2 + 1 = 3
4 + 3 = 7
8 + 7 = 15
16 + 15 = 31
32 + 31 = 63
64 + 63 = 127
128 + 127 = 255
256 + 255 = 511
512 + 511 = 1023
1024 + 1023 = 2047

How many people could actually disciple someone in Model A?
How many people could actually disciple someone in Model B?

At the end of the 10 year period the pastor from Plan A is well known. Nobody has heard of the guy that started Plan B.

After 20 years of unprecedented 20% growth, 2,600 people are in the Model A church.

Model B would have reached 2,097,151 in the same 20 years.

In 32 years 8.5 billion people would have been reached through Model B.

How many people did each person have to reach in model B? Just 2.

Fearless

I just got off the phone with about 30 people who are organizing themselves around a plan a number of friends and I suggested of using a business model to send children's vitamins to the desperate situations that are part of our global village. Instead of using the traditional model of donations, we are using a sustainable giving model that grows locally, even in the midst of our economic crisis and cares globally for those who literally can't help themselves.

I first naively wrote about this a year ago, Dare to Dream - Let's Save the World. I actually believed at that time that everyone would immediately jump on board. Hmm, "new idea?" "We've never done it that way before." How could I have forgotten such life changing words? Oops, I digress, I was just reminiscing from days gone by.

Thankfully since then, the plan has actually gotten better and much simpler. I've even become more sophisticated with a website showing how the money works. www.davidgrant.mtexpro.com

I've been mocked and ridiculed by family and friends. I've been called greedy, pushy, manipulative and the scum of the earth for daring to use children for personal gain. (actually this rarely happens, but it does exist) The reason: I am using a network marketing model that has the potential of making me and those that join me, very well off.

On a very different note, tonight, I was called fearless for continuing to hammer away at this idea and some are beginning to see the true potential. I'm actually very uncomfortable with any of these labels. I would prefer to simply be part of a huge number of beggars telling other beggars where to find bread.

I literally gasped when I heard the label fearless put on me. Just this week, in the comfort of my lovely home, great family, great jobs, amazing opportunities, I was confronted with what fearless really looks like.

I was watching a documentary about Africa and the impossible plight that literally plagues millions of people. The news woman was interviewing a woman who had 7 children. They were living in something I would be ashamed to put a dog in. The mother's only source of income was from prostitution. She was fearlessly fighting for her children with the only means that she knew.

As more people catch this opportunity and vision, they will be able to stand in the gap for those in desperation. They can build a business in Canada and then send the proceeds to provide for a mother of 7 in Africa. It does take some effort to get 2 people to join this business. You may even get mocked, misunderstood and called any manner of nefarious names. (boo hoo!)

BTW: I made it sound much worse than it is. What typically happens is people say yes or no. Hopefully your ego can handle a no. It's really exciting when you get a yes. The chain of events from those yes's can really make a difference both locally and globally.

Just imagine, YOU can be the catalyst to bring transformation into somone's life. Because your actions matter someone else's life matters as well.

Money Matters

Religion and politics are not the only taboo topics. Talking about money is now considered off limits. It’s the white elephant in the living room that we’re supposed to ignore. We can still ask, “What do you do?” in order to size someone up. But in our economy that might lead to a rather awkward silence. What do you say to someone when they have lost their job and have no prospects for another one? “Aren't you glad you have Jesus? Go home and be blessed."

There are some groups like the aboriginal people of Australia where talking about money is a non issue. The have managed to live for thousands of years off of the land. Their lifestyle is that of hunters and gatherers. They have none of our lifestyle diseases like cancer or heart problems. Ironically, they tend to live well into their nineties and then simply die. No lingering sickness, no medical bills, no nursing homes. Unless we want to change our lifestyle to be like them our reality is that money matters.

I failed my children in the area of understanding money from God’s perspective. I didn’t do this on purpose, it was just that I didn’t know much about it. I only knew a few principles like work hard, pay your bills and don’t talk about money. I even taught them one principle that was actually in contradiction to God’s word. I taught them tithing. A common enough mistake amongst Christians that pits one idea against another one.

"Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."
2 Corinthians 9:7

Those that teach tithing and I was one of them, ignored the above passage and said the minimum is 10% and if you don’t you are under a curse. For Christians to teach a principle that includes a curse is a violation of our freedom from the Law.

Enough of my little rant. Let’s get on with what I think will simply be some primer thoughts on money.

I think the issue of money is sadly more neglected than people think. Some people think that a person’s economic situation determines why we should treat them with love and respect. James cautions us against elevating someone because they have fine clothes and lots of money.

"My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don't show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, "Here's a good seat for you," but say to the poor man, "You stand there" or "Sit on the floor by my feet," have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?"
James 2:1-4

Others say it’s only the poor that we are to go out of our way for since the rich can take care of themselves. Gag me on both accounts. A person’s economic position should in no way control my love or respect for anyone. To do so elevates money above the person. I know that’s how our world often operates but for Christians that should be taboo.

So how should we talk about this white elephant of ours? It seems we have missed some important kindergarten classes about money. Jesus said our use and understanding of money is one of the first baby steps of maturing as a Christian.

"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?"
Luke 16:10-11

I remember having this thought when I was quitting my job as a toolmaker at General Motors. “If I lose all of my finances in order to serve God as a pastor I am willing.” That sounds noble and certainly demonstrates a certain measure of naive freedom but it also created in me a lack of due diligence regarding the care of my family. I remember thinking for many years as a Christian and as a pastor that money was a closed topic for me when studying the Bible.

I had enough understanding just to make me miserable ie. tithing. I remember going to family gatherings at Christmas and being very cheap about the gifts we brought. We didn’t have extra money was my excuse. Meanwhile, I was giving thousands to church to pay for salaries and buildings. I remember countless times leaving those gatherings feeling ashamed and yet didn’t know what I could do differently. I didn’t know I was to use worldy wealth to gain friends and that this is a kingdom principle.

"I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings."
Luke 16:9

It wasn’t that I hadn’t read this passage, I simply didn’t apply it. Why I chose tithing over this is a bit of a mystery to me. It likely has to do with my fear of being cursed and wanting to please my pastor.

I read stories about the ten minas, Luke 19:11-27, and the doubling of money (talents) in Matthew 25, but I couldn’t understand that God was in favour of me working diligently to increase my personal wealth. I was even guilty of distorting God’s word in Matthew 25, teaching that talents can be our gifts and abilities. When Jesus used the word talent it only had one meaning at that time, money.

A good friend of mine says it this way about money. “Money will make a good man better and a bad man worse.” It doesn’t define us but it does reveal us.

I’m actually quite surprised by some discussions I’m having these days regarding the care of the poor, the widow, and the orphan. This isn’t just one person saying this to me. “I have no strong feelings about their care. When you tell me that 17,280 children will die needlessly today because of lack of hunger and malnutrition that doesn’t move me.” When I ask them if they know the scriptures about caring for them, they are well aware.

How can something that is so near to God’s heart not impact Christians? I was there for many years myself. Ironically, that was during my tithing days. Malachi 3 has been used over and over to teach tithing, while the principle of this passage is really about the care of the widow and the orphan.

The kingdom of God is about everyone having enough. It's about fairness and equality. In the Old Testament we can't miss the teaching that came from the provision of manna.

"The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. And when they measured it by the omer, he who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little. Each one gathered as much as he needed."
Exodus 16:17-18

Paul petitioned the Corinthians to follow through on what they began in regards to giving. It's strange that this passage is now used as a proof text for giving to the local church.

"Now about the collection for God's people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. Then, when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve and send them with your gift to Jerusalem."
1 Corinthians 16:1-3

It seems the Corinthians started well but had not finished with the plan of equality within God's kingdom so Paul, very passionately reminded them of this. This is a great little passage where Paul uses what some might even call manipulation to get the Corinthians in alignment with God's heart.

"I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

And here is my advice about what is best for you in this matter: Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.

Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality, as it is written: "He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little."
2 Corinthians 8:8-13

Capitalism nor socialism truly reflect the kingdom of God and reveal to us a right approach towards equality. Capitalism can lead to greed and socialism can create unhealthy dependence. Both can lead to apathy towards others. In no way can we make a law that will guarantee a healthy caring for others. It's up to us, period.

Most North Americans are in the top 10% of the wealth in the world with many in the top 1% and yet the fear and anxiety over money issues permeates throughout our society. This simply proves that money doesn't solve the big issue of why we trust God. However, in the kingdom of God we are to go out of our way to work towards an equality that neither makes beggars nor promotes selfishness.

That said, if it is in our power to make more in order to put our money in alignment with our prayers, we should. This will help us understand that faith is really an action rather than a belief system. Putting ourselves in a financial position to help those who can't help themselves is well pleasing to God.

Because I am talking about understanding money please don’t misunderstand that I think it is more important than other topics. Forgiveness is a significant topic and much more important than money. Mind you giving money to an enemy is probably a good first step in dealing with forgiveness.

“But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

"Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
Luke 6:35-38

Rarely have I heard someone declaring the promise of “give and it will be given to you,” in the context of giving to your enemy. Why is that?

This is why money should be a beginner level class. It's very practical and tangible. "If someone is cold, give them a coat." Jesus said if we're not faithful with money we won't be found faithful with the really significant stuff. We don't start with calculus, we start with the basics. Surprisingly, money is the simplest of topics and yet for many it is overlooked, a place of fear or wrongly applied. The whole point of "teaching someone to fish" is to give them financial freedom and not make them dependent on us.

We tend to stay away from practical thinking. Money is a very tangible commodity that can be easily evaluated. Do we love others? How we spend our money on them is certainly a first step and easily evaluated. Since I've been praying and trying to spur others unto good deeds, Hebrews 10:24, I'm intrigued by the number of people that say they are praying for the widows and orphans. But when asked, what are they practically doing, they look at me with a puzzled look on their face and say they don't have any money left over to help them. They are sometimes even offended that someone asks for specifics. How do we apply Hebrews 10:24 without getting specific?

"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds."
Hebrews 10:24

Why is part of Hebrews 10:25 so often parotted, "forsake not the assembling of yourselves together" but the practical context is so commonly ignored?

The greatest deception that seems to have invaded my circle of Christianity, charismatics, is that we have spiritualized away many practical teachings about money. We have relegated the gospel to getting people to say the sinner’s prayer, building lovely buildings and teaching people to care enough to say they miss you when you haven't been there for awhile. That's if they even noticed.

Meanwhile, the fullness of the gospel, which is meant to be more than words, is for all intents and purposes, ignored. Some even say to me, "Why are you into this social gospel thing? Leave the dying children to the liberals to look after." As if caring for others is a bad thing and not what we are about. The practical aspects of caring must include the use and making of money, so we need to get our hearts aligned to what God has revealed on this topic.

I don't intend to make money more important than other topics. The emphasis in this writing is simply because it has been so neglected and/or misunderstood as a part of living in the kingdom of God.

"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds."
Hebrews 10:24

The reality is that money matters, at least a little. Likely more to a mother whose children are dying due to a lack of food. 17,280 children will die today for that reason alone.

You're Richer Than You Think

Sometimes when we talk about being rich we have tunnel vision and only compare ourselves to our neighbours. What if we compared ourselves globally like Paul would encourage us to do?

8I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. 9For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

10And here is my advice about what is best for you in this matter: Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. 11Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. 12For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.

13Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. 14At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality, 15as it is written: "He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little."
2 Corinthians 8:8-15

Who were the people that the Corinthians were supposed to help? Christians in Jerusalem. People they had never met and would likely never meet. So when I talk about comparing ourselves globally, I am simply echoing Paul's thoughts. It took much longer, likely months to travel from Corinth to Jerusalem. Today, the entire world is less than 24 hours away and yet we don't do well when considering the vast economic disparities in God's global village.

If you make $20,000 you are in the top 11.6% richest people.
If you make $30,000 you are in the top 8.98% richest people.
If you make $40,000 you are in the top 4.37% richest people.
If you make $50,000 you are in the top 1.78% richest people.
If you make $60,000 you are in the top .95% richest people.

Check out this website to see just how rich you really are.
http://www.globalrichlist.com/

Two Plans of Salvation

The foundational belief of Christianity is that salvation comes through our accepting Jesus Christ as our personal Lord and Saviour. But in a strange and yet common thought process for many Christians, they think that this is actually Plan B. When talking about how to get salvation they refer to something that they think was God’s Plan A.

Plan A was keeping all of the law perfectly. They’re quick to point out that no one has ever kept the Old Testament Mosaic Law perfectly and that’s why Jesus had to die. For them Plan B is the only option that works but they often refer to our disobedience to Plan A to show why we need Plan B. Even though many view the Mosaic Law this way, they forget that those who came before Moses had the opportunity to know God's love without the keeping of the Law.

This misunderstanding of the law's purpose is a huge problem for many people. The focus becomes our sins and obeying laws rather than understanding our true identity and purpose as a child of God. Judgments of themselves and others becomes a way of life and a terrible burden to carry. It was like Jesus had never come. I even know of groups that use a witnessing technique to show someone that they’re a sinner in need of salvation because they have broken one of the 10 commandments.

What a strange approach. They don’t begin sharing their faith by talking of the uniqueness of Jesus, his incredible love for us, His fascinating life while on Earth or his giving of his life on the cross. Instead they want to talk about how we haven’t kept the 10 commandments. The impression given to the listener is that they were supposed to have kept all of the laws in order to be “saved”. In essence, what they are selling is fire insurance rather than helping someone develop a life long love relationship with Jesus.

As a result of this type of approach, countless numbers of Christians equate their salvation with how well they have performed today. Prior to salvation they worried about not getting to heaven, now they worry about losing their salvation. Their focus is still on Plan A rather than on Jesus.

I don’t know how many times I have heard preachers talk about the impossibility of keeping the 613 laws of the Old Testament. Once again, giving the impression that if one did, then Plan A would be in effect for our salvation. Some preachers even talk as if the main purpose of the Mosaic Law was that it was to show us that we can’t keep it and therefore we need Jesus. That sounds like a cruel puppet master that delights in setting up rules that we are sure to fail at.

No doubt we have violated our own values or those of the Bible but that isn’t about us losing or gaining salvation.

Here are a few examples of the varying purposes of the Mosaic Law.

If they used the roof of their house for living on, they had to have a guardrail. I have a nice deck on the back of my house that overlooks an 8-meter drop off. I could have saved a few bucks and not put a guard rail up but I’m pretty sure my friends are glad I didn’t skimp on that safety feature.

They weren't supposed to have sex with a dog or a goat or for that matter any animal. Seems like a reasonable idea to me.

Sex was taboo outside of a marriage relationship. A lot of people don’t like that particular law but I don’t think it was meant to be some impossible hardship imposed on anyone. Just ask someone with AIDS if this is a barbaric rule. Better yet, ask the children of divorce that were results of adultery.

One of the tithes in the Old Testament was to go to the Levites. They were the civil and religious leaders in Israel: in essence, they were the government. They weren’t allowed to own land or businesses. Their role was to be dispersed among the other 11 tribes teaching them about God and to reveal how to live safely and peacefully with each other. All of that for only 10% and that 10% only came from those that owned land or herds of animals. No one else had to pay this tithe. WOW, if only our government would operate on 10% of only rich people’s revenues.

Another one of the tithes was for Dad to take the family to the big city, Jerusalem, each year and have a great party with all of the extended family. God wanted everyone to have a vacation. The 10% only came from those that owned land or herds of animals. Surely 10% would buy a lot of wine and food for a great celebration.

The last tithe of the Old Testament was to only be done twice in 7 years. The purpose of this tithe was for the care of the widow, the orphan and the alien. They were to have storehouses of food in every local town that provided for the poor. This was their social welfare system of the day. Once again a small reminder of who paid this tithe. The 10% only came from those that owned land or herds of animals.

One of the rules for the army was that they were to carry a stick for digging holes for their crap. They had to go outside of the camp to do their business and then bury it. Seems like a hygienic plan to me.

This list could go on and on. Suffice to say, the laws of the Old Testament had purposes far different than being means of earning salvation. How many times have I heard people sneer at the staggering number of 613 laws in the Old Testament. And yet we live with literally millions of laws.

Without a doubt the keeping of the law is a burden if one is using it as a means of salvation. But that was never it's purpose. If I drive my car over a cliff and no matter how much I want it to change its purpose and become a plane, it can't, and I will die wishing it could.

I’m even happy with our laws. I’m glad everyone obeys the law and drives on the right hand side of the street. I think driving slower in a school zone is a good idea. I enjoy watching sports because they have clearly defined rules. I usually only get upset when the rules aren’t applied fairly in a game.

To say that the keeping of our modern day laws is the means of our salvation is preposterous and fails to understand their purpose.

The purpose of salvation is that we can know God. We don’t have to be afraid of Him. We don’t have to misunderstand why He gives us healthy boundaries in which to live abundant lives. God isn’t out to get us. His plan has always been to have fellowship with us. We need to be saved from the idea that God is a spoilsport.

Adam and Eve were seduced in the garden into thinking that God was holding something back from them. We need to stop thinking the same thing.

Our eternal salvation is not dependent on keeping the laws. That wasn’t their purpose. Those laws were meant to give us an abundant life on earth.

God’s plan for our eternal salvation is that we would simply love Him as He loves us. He sent His son to reveal this love. All we have to do is accept His ONE and ONLY plan.

“But what does it say? "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,"[d] that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame."[e] For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
Romans 10:8-13

Surgery Kills For Lack of 2 Minute Checklist

On the radio this morning the newscaster reported that "1.5 million people die needlessly from surgeries. A simple 2 minute checklist could have prevented these tragedies."

What was interesting was that the announcer said it without even considering what he was saying. Hmm. 1.5 million people killed due to the negligence of a team of professionals where each surgery cost in excess of tens of thousands of dollars.

3,500 hundred people were killed at the suicide bombing of the World Trade center. How many billions, maybe trillions have been spent in response to this act. But when our trusted medical teams kill tens of thousands of people because they didn't take proper medical precautions we get a 15 second sound bite on the radio that doesn't impact anyone with its shocking numbers.

I think the 1.5 million was an exaggeration but here's the article below that the newscaster was likely quoting from.

Studies: Surgeons could save lives, $20B by using checklist
By: Liz Szabo USA Today

Eight hospitals reduced the number of deaths from surgery by more than 40% by using a checklist that helps doctors and nurses avoid errors, according to a report released online today in the New England Journal of Medicine.

If all hospitals used the same checklist, they could save tens of thousands of lives and $20 billion in medical costs each year, says author Atul Gawande, a surgeon and associate professor at the Harvard School of Public Health.

ON THE WEB: Read the full 'New England Journal of Medicine' article
VIDEO: WHO shows how to use the checklist

The 19-point checklist has nothing to do with high technology, Gawande says. Instead, it focuses on basic safety measures, such as ensuring that patients get antibiotics to prevent infection and requiring that all members of the team introduce themselves.

"An operation involves hundreds of steps with lots of team members," Gawande says. "We're good at making sure we do most of these things most of the time, but we're not good at doing all of them all of the time."

In his study, which was funded by the World Health Organization, hospitals reduced their rate of death after surgery from 1.5% to 0.8%. They also trimmed the number of complications from 11% to 7%.

The study shows that an operation's success depends far more on teamwork and clear communication than the brilliance of individual doctors, says co-author Alex Haynes, also of Harvard. And that's good news, he says, because it means hospitals everywhere can improve.

Researchers modeled the checklist, which takes only two minutes to go through, after ones used by the aviation industry, which has dramatically reduced the number of crashes in recent years.

Gawande says the checklist may have saved one of his own patients.

Before an operation recently, Gawande told his team that the operation might be longer, bloodier and more complicated than usual. An anesthesiologist made sure to have an extra supply of blood on hand. If the team had had to call on the hospital blood bank — and take time to get the right type — the patient could have died, he says.

Safety organizations around the world have pledged to get hospitals on board. Four countries — the United Kingdom, Ireland, Jordan and the Philippines — already have plans to use the checklist in all operations.

It usually takes 17 years for medical advances to become standard practice, says Joe McCannon, vice president of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, which works with 4,000 American hospitals on improving quality. He wants the country to move much faster this time by having all U.S. hospitals try the checklist by April 1.

"Patients deserve it, and they deserve it now," McCannon says.

It Must Be God

Some Christians are incredibly pagan in their beliefs about finances. A simple example would be in the buying of a home.

A couple finds a lovely house that sold a couple of years ago for $400,000. The housing market takes a downturn while at the same time the owners went through a job loss which led to a divorce and skipped out on the mortgage. The house is now in foreclosure from the bank. The Christian couple puts in an offer of $210,000 and it is accepted. Wow, it must be God that led us into this great deal.

Another Christian couple bought a house a few years ago for $400,000. There is an economic downturn and the husband loses his high paying job. His wife gets severely ill and can no longer work at her part time job. The housing market crashes and their house is now worth less than the mortgage that they are carrying. They can’t keep up with their payments and the bank forecloses. A non-Christian couple puts in an offer of $210,000 and it is accepted. Wow, did we ever get a great deal.

Meanwhile, in another part of the world the price of rice has gone up 40% because of the number of people, including Christians, speculating in the commodities market and families cannot afford the rice that they need to survive.

How the Brain Learns

According to David Sousa, How the Brain Learns (2006), determined what we retain after 24 hours of a teaching episode. The findings:

5% of lecture
10% of what we read
20% of what we hear
30% of what we see
50% of what we both see and hear
70% of what we discuss with others
80% of what we experience personally
95% of what we teach to someone else

It is easy to infer that professors who teach primarily through lectures and reading assignments provide only minimal opportunities for learning when considering these statements. Sousa points out that no one type of teaching is best, but it is important to incorporate a variety of approaches in lessons for optimal learning.

What is surprising is that the #1 method of sharing information in religious circles is the lecture method. Especially when we consider that the writer of Hebrews scolds people for not becoming teachers and really knowing their stuff.

We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food!
Hebrews 5:11-12

James instructs us to not deceive ourselves. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
James 1:22

Without doubt, we humans are notoriously lazy and unwilling to become teachers of anything we have learned. Maybe our educational model is in part to blame for this. Remember studying for the test, rather than studying to teach.

Any teacher will admit that they learned the subject far better when they taught it than when they heard it. A retired science teacher told me the other day that he was a poor science student. He became fascinated and very good in science when he became a teacher of science.

So if you really want to learn something, make sure you're passing what you've learned on to someone else.

Nick Vujicic

Lindsay Williams - The Energy Non-Crisis

Take the Risk

I’ve been fascinated by the number of people who seem to be stuck in life. What they did yesterday, they do today. When asked are they happy with the results, their answer is quite predictable. No. A further question is much more revealing and their answer way too disappointing. “What will you do to change the outcome of your life?” To this question they only stare in silence. They came to the conclusion that their circumstances should define how they dream.

The idea of taking a risk or its equivalent, living by faith, never occurred to them. For them the familiar is security and their destiny. They exchanged the ability to pursue a dream into unfruitful wishing. Taking concrete steps of faith is as foreign to them as seeing themselves walking on the moon.

I’ve been looking at some modern day heroes who decided to change how they perceive themselves and thus how they interact with their world. I was introduced to Dr. Ben Carson, through my business, Mannatech.

He had a health crisis several years ago and chose an integrative approach to solve his medical issue. As I have looked more into his life I have become even more enthralled with his simple but profound philosophy that he has managed to transfer to countless others so that they too can achieve whatever is in their heart and their abilities to accomplish.


Ben Carson, M.D., is director of pediatric neurosurgery at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, a position he has held since 1984 when, at the age of 33, he became the youngest physician ever at Johns Hopkins to head a major division.

He is also professor of neurosurgery, plastic surgery, oncology, and pediatrics. He sees his patients in the Johns Hopkins Children's Center, the pediatric hospital at Johns Hopkins.

His life is one of triumph over adversity. His message is: “You can do this too. You simply need to learn to “Take the Risk”.

Benjamin Solomon Carson was born in 1951 in Detroit, Michigan. When he was 8, his father left the family and his parents were divorced. Carson, his older brother Curtis, and his mother Sonya moved to Boston to live with relatives for a year, before returning to Detroit's inner city, where Carson would spend most of his boyhood. Thrust into a world of poverty after her divorce, Sonya Carson, with only a third-grade education, worked as a domestic to provide for her boys. She turned for comfort and strength to the teachings of the Seventh Day Adventist church. It was there, while listening to a sermon, that Carson decided to pursue medicine, initially as a missionary, and discovered the safe haven and strength God and scriptures afforded.

Drawing upon her faith in God, and the power of positive thinking and the intellect to solve problems, Sonya Carson set about laying the academic and moral groundwork that would transform Carson's life and help make his dreams for success a reality. When the family returned to Detroit in 1960, Carson found himself at the bottom of his class in the predominately white Higgens Elementary school. Years later the then famous surgeon Ben Carson, M.D., would describe himself as the fifth-grade "class dummy," a child who, taunted by classmates and ignored by teachers, was soon convinced of his own stupidity and that being black meant the world was stacked against him. Two events his fifth grade year changed his perception of the world and his ability.

A pair of prescription glasses enabled Carson for the first time to see the writing on the chalkboard and have a clear view of his lessons. Determined that he see and develop his intellectual potential, as well, his mother turned off the TV at home and required each of her sons to read at least two books a week and write a report on each for her to read. Years later, Carson would learn that his mother, with only a third-grade education, had been unable to read the reports. Her unrelenting insistence, and Carson's work in this regard, paid off with big rewards. By reading books, Carson began to acquire the knowledge that would send him to the head of his class, earn the respect of his classmates and teacher, and convince him of his self-worth and potential.

As he began to apply himself in school, and experience the heady triumph of knowledge, Carson was forced to control a temper that threatened his accomplishments and his future. In his books, and to rapt audiences, he tells the tale of his attempt to stab a classmate who tried to change a radio station in a dispute. His knife blade hit the boy's belt buckle, instead of his flesh. Shocked by the ease with which he'd justified and unleashed such anger - nearly taking another's life, and effectively ending his own - Carson locked himself for hours in the bathroom at home, reading the Bible, seeking the wisdom and self-restraint he would need to build a future. When he finally left the bathroom, he left behind his willingness ever to let another person control him, by responding in anger, realizing how self-destructive an emotion it was. Freed from the bondage of anger, empowered by the knowledge that education could open doors, and with a record of academic achievement at Southwestern High School, Carson won a scholarship to Yale.

In his book, Take the Risk, Carson unpacks four simple questions that can help anyone move forward in life.


His Best/Worst Analysis for any situation includes four questions:

What's the best thing that can happen if I do this?
What's the worst thing that can happen if I do this?
What's the best thing that can happen if I don't do it?
What's the worst thing that can happen if I don't do it?

These questions make living a life of abundance, very practical. They take the mystery out of the decisions we are often unwilling to make. The rewards are huge. So, why not take the risk.