The Critical Journey: The Life of Discipleship

Stage #2: “This stage is best characterized as a time of learning and belonging…At this stage we are clearly the learners and not the teachers…We learn to be obedient disciples; to trust the teacher or leader and to be as much like them as possible. (pg.53)

The Christmas after I told my parents I wanted to be a pastor, my father bought a box full of theological books. Two Bible dictionaries, a concordance and a 2-volume commentary set. Thus started my life as a learner. In many ways I am still in this stage. Being a student is not easy for me, but it is a system I know and can excel at (hence the reason I have four degrees!).

However, there was a time while in seminary and graduate school when I was more interested in being right/correct/orthodox/non-heretical than being compassionate. I think this stems mainly from my own immaturity and less with the subject matter I was studying (theology and apologetics). Although, it seems a lot of my peers were suffer from the same condition. Hmmmm.....

I think I am most at home in this stage. If you take a posture of always being the learner, you never have the responsibility of being the authority and potentially being wrong or challenged. I feel safe here. Also this stage, for me, presents clear cut answers. Issues are right and wrong, black and white, where people are messy, up and down and all points in between.

The first time I passed through this stage my faith life was simply and it worked. I had not been touched by real crisis, I was naive to life, and I had never really questioned God or my faith. “God said it, I believe it, that settles it,” could have easily been my mantra. I viewed faith in a narrow fashion. Why couldn't people just believe and follow God? My learning made my arrogant and prideful (something I battle to this day). My faith was stiff and rigid.

Somewhere along here I learned I liked teaching and that I was a good speaker. Not only were other people confirming this, but so were the spiritual gifts test I was taking. Teaching/preaching is where I would find my place in the church. This is what I would do with my life. Soon, I understood what God had for me.