GCD Weekly Newsletter 06/27/2022
Speaking Clearly and Understandably
I felt tiny as I gazed at the towering mountain peaks and down into the river valley. Standing in an old Incan military outpost, I could see for what seemed like miles. The Andes Mountains are the longest continental range in the world and cover most of the western side of South America. Last week, I spent five days 10,000 feet above sea level in the village of Quito-Arma (Peru) sharing the good news with a people who rarely get the opportunity to hear it.
The conversations and the fellowship were sweet even though it was my first time there. The children in the village would run up to me after school and speak what seemed like 100 miles per hour. The problem is that my Spanish is muy bad (something I hope to remedy before next year’s trip) so I couldn’t understand a word. They would slow down and speak louder, yet it did little to raise my comprehension.
The passion behind the message matters little if the words are in a different language. As Christians seeking to take a message into the world, if our words and our lifestyle don’t match up—if we don’t have love working in us and through us—then we are a noisy gong or clanging symbol…we make lots of noise, but no one understands us.
GCD’s articles last week are meant to help us speak clearly and understandably. How can we write words that encourage if we are not soaking in the goodness of God every day? How can we soak in God’s goodness if we are too distracted by algorithms meant to entertain us? How can we speak into the pain and suffering we see in the world?
Last Week at GCDiscipleship.com
Why I Write
— James Williams, @j_williams72, Growing in Grace
“Good news doesn’t always sell, and it’s easy to get lost in the barrage of bad news. Writing allows me to paint memorial pictures of God’s truth and grace to remind others of the hope and encouragement we have in Christ.”
Why do you write?
If the Algorithm is Healthy
— Jeff Mingee, @jeffmingee
“If we are looking for algorithms that will lead us to Christian maturity, they don’t exist. There are no healthy algorithms. We cannot expect algorithms to do the Spirit’s work. “
Are God and Satan Playing Chess With My Life?
— Tim Shorey, facebook.com/tmshorey
“I’ve sometimes felt like God and Satan are contesting over me. Sometimes I’ve felt like a human pawn, rook or castle moved onto difficult spaces—either by God’s direct sovereign hand or by Satan’s fiendish but God-permitted hand. And even though I know that God can see and plan a thousand all-wise moves ahead, I’m still sometimes left feeling vulnerable and afraid.”
Letters to the Editor
We’d love to hear from you. Please send feedback about our articles (or anything else!) to our managing editor at Benjamin@GCDiscipleship.com. And if you’ll allow us, we’ll share your comments in future emails.
Join the Launch Team!
Our founder Jonathan K. Dodson has a great new book launching this August for pastors and ministry leaders titled, The Unwavering Pastor. We’re looking for a team of folks (particularly pastors, but really anyone) who would be willing to read and help promote through your social media channels, Amazon, Goodreads, etc., Jonathan’s new book when it releases publicly on 08/01/2022.
If you’re willing and interested, click the “Join the Launch Team!” button below, and sign up with your email address for the team. From there, we’ll get you set up with all you need to read, enjoy, and help launch Jonathan’s newest project.
In Christ,
James Williams