I have been thinking about discipleship in today's world and what makes it so difficult. I think that I have discovered a key - friendship.

See - what happens today is that we approach people as ministry and attempt to convert them - and sometimes they convert but are left unchanged. But what if we approach this relationally and build friendships and from these friendships will come conversion and discipleship that is organic because the relationship is already built.

I have come to the place where I am making "ordinary attempts" at friendship and allowing the Holy Spirit to develop that into more - but always keeping in balance the intentionality of discipleship with the unconditionalness of friendship.

I spending time with a guy now - the discipleship was kinda known up front but right now I am just developing our friendship - knowing that out of that will come the fruits of discipleship. I believe that this will close the gap in the church between belief and lives by bringing in the essence of life a nicene/trinitarian relational theology.