Cinco de Mayo yesterday, and I had breakfast at a Mexican restaurant with a casual friend. O.k., I'll admit it - I had breakfast there, but I had eggs and toast, and not the good Mexican food like Machaca or Chorizo. My friend is on staff with a ministry affiliated with Campus Crusade. It's kind of strange talking with him, because on one hand he says all the things you'd expect from a Campus Crusade guy - affectionate references to the "Four Spiritual Laws" and stuff like that - but on the other hand, he has a deep life passion for Jesus and for discipleship that expresses itself in some non-standard ways (at least by Campus Crusade standards). His specific ministry thrust is in helping churches develop discipleship, but not just as another program.

As we talked, I heard myself responding to something he said - "Discipleship isn't one of the things we do, it is the thing." Granted, discipleship is a term that carries a lot of baggage with it (just keep in mind who I was talking to), but really I've been chewing on that simple statement ever since. Not that it's profound or anything, but it's a captivating thought to me. All of our worship, discipline, learning, service to others, prayer, steps of faith - all of them are a part of just following Jesus. Nobody ever worshipped, served, prayed, or expressed more faith than Jesus. If I build my life around following him, I am a disciple. Oh, and then there's the thing about bringing others along for the ride. Discipleship - mine and others' - that's where my role in the Kingdom begins and ends. It's where movement is created.