Following Jesus
I'll go where He has gone.
“I have my faith, my family, my church, my career, my money, my friends...” We are so me-focused, but Jesus was totally the opposite. He was all about others. His life and His teachings seem to point us in that same direction, but we struggle with what to do with that.
God has a unique call for each of us - a life of boldness, courage and purpose. God is calling women to step out of their comfort zone to fully surrender their lives to His will. A passionate love relationship with God is one of the many benefits to following Jesus.
We got the idea from Jesus. He got His disciples together and told them it was going to be over. He prayed for them, and He let them hear that prayer. Then He sent them out to pay it forward, to do for others what He had done for them. He’d led them to become sold-out Jesus-followers, and after their commencement, they became mentors themselves. That’s how the church grew and prospered.
Tools & Challenges for Growth
Scripture Memory:
One of the best ways to grow spiritually is simply by memorizing scripture and praying it back to God. Bury His Word in your heart:
Use the wallpaper below to put on your phone (press + hold your finger on the pic).
Print it to use as a bookmark.
Write it down in your journal or on index cards.
Pray it out loud each day throughout the month.
Challenge yourself to recite it without peeking.
Quiet Time:
Make it your goal to have quiet time 5 times per week.
Suggested Book:
Follow Me - David Platt
Other Book Choices:
Anything: The Prayer That Unlocked My God and My Soul - Jennie Allen
Love as a Way of Life: Seven Keys to Transforming Every Aspect of Your Life - Gary Chapman
Seven Women: And the Secret of Their Greatness - Erix Metaxas
Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God - Francis Chan
Love Does - Bob Goff
As you read or when you’re finished with the book, write a summary of the key insights God gave you and any applications to your life. Think through the following questions:
In what ways did God encourage or challenge me through this book?
Are there any new truths I need to apply to my life?
Personal Challenge:
Personal Ministry Plan - At the beginning of the season, you signed a covenant. One thing you agreed to do was “use this time to identify a plan for how I can serve and lead based on my gifts, season of life, and passions.” Your Personal Ministry Plan is where you put that into practice. Complete the Personal Ministry Plan handout and come ready to discuss your experience, where you feel led to invest in the lives of others, and what next steps you’re going to take. Download Ministry Plan here.
Reflection - Think back over the whole mentoring season, meetings, retreats, books, verses, homework assignments, growth partner meetings, everything. Read through the entries in your journal and jot down the three or four most significant things you learned or experienced this year. Be prepared to share at the Commencement Retreat. This reflection will also be relevant as you complete an End of Season Survey during your retreat.
Growth Partner Challenge:
Discuss your reflections over the whole mentoring season. Share one or two of the most significant things you learned and how you are going to use them moving forward.
Other Resources:
Seven Crucial Characteristics for Finishing Well
Intentional Conversations Exercise
Optional Personal Challenge:
Obituary - Write the obituary announcement you would like to see after your death (of old age and by natural causes). Write it in the third person (if you need, read obituaries online to get the hang of it). Two pages or less. Bring copies for each mentee plus your mentor. Include the following…
Professional accomplishments
Community accomplishments
Church/ministry accomplishments
Family accomplishments
Quotes from your wife, each of your children, and your best friend
A paragraph that opens: “In __, she participated in a mentoring group. It was significant because…”
