Everyday Disciple Podcast

Wouldn’t it be great if Jesus had just left us his “5 Big Steps” or “3 Important Ingredients” for disciple-making? It would be so much simpler if discipleship in the real world was a little more spelled out and outlined into a few basics. This week on the Lifeschool Podcast, we’re going to show you how discipleship looks less like one big thing or series of classes... and more like a million little things. We’ve made discipleship a lot more complicated than it was ever meant to be. When Jesus commanded us to “go and make disciples,” he was not commanding us to hold a specific set of classes or scheduled routines but to enter into the everyday lives of people. Into all the little stuff of life. In This Episode You’ll Learn: Why there will never be a perfect set of classes or “one big thing” that adds up to maturity in our churches. How Romans 8:28 helps clarify what God is up to when it comes to our sanctification. Why dependence on the works of the Holy Spirit is crucial in discipleship. Why disciple-making was never meant to be the job of a few professionals. Get started here... From this episode: “I think we’ve overcomplicated discipleship... and sort of dumbed it down to a set of learnings and head knowledge instead of an experience with others of how the gospel of Jesus speaks into and shapes a million little things that all add up to the life we were created to live: His life.”   Each week the Big 3 will give you immediate action steps to get you started. Download today’s BIG 3 right now. Read and think over them again later. You might even want to share them with others… Thanks for Listening! Thanks so much for joining us again this week. Have some feedback you’d like to share? Join us on Facebook and take part in the discussion! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of this page or right below. Also, please leave an honest review for The Lifeschool Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them. Links and Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Missio Publishing – More Missional Books and Resources Caesar Kalinowski’s Website and Blog with Loads of Resources   In light of today’s topics, you might find these posts and videos helpful: Jumpstarting, Restarting or Resurrecting Your Missional Community  

Wouldn’t it be great if you could get any (all) of your questions about discipleship, relationships, and life on mission answered by a couple of “experts”? Here ya go...This week on the Lifeschool Podcast, you have asked, and we’ve listened! Caesar and Heath answer a pile of your questions about discipleship and missional living in this special “LifeSchool Cafe: Your Questions Answered” edition.We get a lot of emails and questions here at the Lifeschool Podcast, and we love it! And we understand that it can be easy to get stuck or feel uncertain of how to navigate certain relational waters when making disciples and doing life in community on mission.In This Episode You’ll Learn:How to correct weird or damaging “Christianese” without coming off as rude.What is a good starting point to start discipling people after they are baptized?What are the most formative books on theology, ecclesiology, and mission you’ve read?How do you navigate friendships with believers with whom you’re finding your theology and philosophies of discipleship/mission are increasingly different?And a bunch of other questions along the way!Get started here...From this episode:“It’s been my experience that it is not usually the problem with a group or community becoming TOO outward focused. True discipleship is outward focused and happens best with a combination and balance of gospel-centered community increasingly living like a family on mission. Without all three (including a strong outward focus), it’s hard to move to maturity.”Thanks for Listening!Thanks so much for joining us again this week. Have some feedback you’d like to share? Join us on Facebook and take part in the discussion!If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of this page or right below.Also, please leave an honest review for The Lifeschool Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them. Links and Resources Mentioned in This Episode:This week, instead of us giving you the Big 3 for Episode #197, you’re invited to give us your Big 3 takeaways after listening to this special episode. Just login to Facebook and drop your Big 3 in the Lifeschool Group :-)Missio Publishing – More Missional Books and ResourcesCaesar Kalinowski’s Website and Blog with Loads of Resources In light of today’s topics, you might find these posts and videos helpful:Discipleship: The One Person You Need to Worry About 

Imagine Jesus being born today, in our times. Do you think he'd be received as God’s own son? Would the world believe... would you? This week on the Lifeschool Podcast, Caesar and Heath celebrate their second annual Christmas episode, as they dive deep into the Incarnation and what it means for us today. It’s crazy to think that we get so lost in the consumerism of Christmas, even as Christians, that we forget about the magnitude of God becoming man. God putting on flesh. This year, let’s recapture the essence of the Incarnation as we are now the flesh that is wrapped around God’s Spirit! In This Episode You’ll Learn: What Jesus’ name(s) teach us about the Incarnation. How Jesus’ incarnation is a model for how we “go” into the world and make disciples. That we have the exact same Spirit of God dwelling in us as Jesus. (This is huge!) Ways we can make this a special Christmas for those whose burdens we seek to bear. Get started here... From this episode: “We now know that we have been taken up and borne in the humanity of Jesus, and therefore that new nature we now enjoy means that we too must bear the sins and sorrows of others. The incarnate Lord makes his followers the brothers of all mankind.”  ― Dietrich Bonhoeffer   Each week the Big 3 will give you immediate action steps to get you started. Download today’s BIG 3 right now. Read and think over them again later. You might even want to share them with others… Thanks for Listening! Thanks so much for joining us again this week. Have some feedback you’d like to share? Join us on Facebook and take part in the discussion! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of this page or right below. Also, please leave an honest review for The Lifeschool Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them. Links and Resources Mentioned in This Episode: The Bible Makes Sense by Walter Brueggemann Missio Publishing – More Missional Books and Resources Caesar Kalinowski’s Website and Blog with Loads of Resources   In light of today’s topics, you might find these posts and videos helpful: Is Time Running Out on Your Relationships? (How Gospel Fluency Changes Everything)  

Rising sea levels... raging storms. Ferocious fires and punishing floods. Is something changing on our planet, or is all of this just… normal? This week on the Lifeschool Podcast, we revisit a powerful conversation we had with renowned climate scientist, Katharine Hayhoe. Recently, the US federal government issued a new National Climate Assessment, and Katharine is one of the co-authors! We will also leave you with a TON of resources and next steps for helping to combat climate change so you can begin to make a small (but big) difference in the world! This is not a political issue for Heath and I (Caesar). We’re not advocating for the left or the right in this. We believe that it is less important to try and place blame for this shift in the climate and learn how to unite, rather than divide, over solutions and in a hope to offer help and assistance to those on our shared planet who are most affected by these changes. In This Episode You’ll Learn: About the new National Climate Assessment that is over 2,000 pages long with hundreds of peer-reviewed publications and citations... and why it is important. How some of us may be confusing “weather” and “climate” and the important distinction between these two things. Some hard statistics (and truth) about our climate patterns. Why Christians are the perfect people to care about climate change. 100+ ways you can fight climate change. Get started here... From this episode: “I want my head to be right on this, basing my understanding on facts, and more importantly, I want my heart to be right and offer a response that glorifies God and shows the world and those in need his true heart.”   Each week the Big 3 will give you immediate action steps to get you started. Download today’s BIG 3 right now. Read and think over them again later. You might even want to share them with others… Thanks for Listening! Thanks so much for joining us again this week. Have some feedback you’d like to share? Join us on Facebook and take part in the discussion! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of this page or right below. Also, please leave an honest review for The Lifeschool Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them. Links and Resources Mentioned in This Episode: (includes the links to over 100 ways you can fight climate change and make a difference today!) Missio Publishing – More Missional Books and Resources Caesar Kalinowski’s Website and Blog with Loads of Resources   In light of today’s topics, you might find these posts and videos helpful: Want a Crazy Early Jumpstart on New Year Goal Setting?  

As God’s kids and together as his family here on Earth, we get to serve others as an expression of our identity in Christ. And sometimes, the smallest acts of service can have the biggest impact! This week on the Lifeschool Podcast, we’ll show you how serving your city in little ways provides a picture and experience of the good news of the gospel. You’ll hear about 12 small ways you can improve your city individually or as a group together. This is fun! Working from a list of 101 ways to improve your city (which we’ll give to you), we share twelve of our favorites. These are things that can be done almost anywhere by anyone. All hands on deck! In This Episode You’ll Learn: Why serving others is a display of what God is like in the world. How restoration and reconciliation often flow from small acts of service. 12 things we LOVE that you can do to improve your city through serving. (Easy stuff!) How you, your family, and your community group can get started serving right away. Get started here... From this episode: “Sometimes it only takes a few lights to completely transform a city block. A bunch of us did this in our neighborhood in Tacoma… what a difference! Casting light on a forgotten building or dark alley can bring a renewed sense of appreciation and safety within the community.”   Each week the Big 3 will give you immediate action steps to get you started. Download today’s BIG 3 right now. Read and think over them again later. You might even want to share them with others… Thanks for Listening! Thanks so much for joining us again this week. Have some feedback you’d like to share? Join us on Facebook and take part in the discussion! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of this page or right below. Also, please leave an honest review for The Lifeschool Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them. Links and Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Missio Publishing – More Missional Books and Resources Caesar Kalinowski’s Website and Blog with Loads of Resources   In light of today’s topics, you might find these posts and videos helpful: Life on Mission is Organized and Organic Resting is Hard Work  

Much of the Church today seems to be operating with a “functional Great Commission”: Go into all the world and make more worship attenders, baptizing them in the name of small groups, and teaching them to volunteer a few times a month. This week on the Lifeschool Podcast, we talk with author and sought-after consultant, Will Mancini, about why intentional disciple-making = real church growth. More than we’d like to admit, so much of our default strategy for seeing people come to faith in Jesus begins and ends with pumping people through our priority programs. It’s the classic attractional mindset. In This Episode You’ll Learn: Why the Church has slipped into a functional, versus original, Great Commission mindset. How your language will reveal what’s most important to you as a church. The 3 types of Christian churches we’ll experience in the next 20 years. Why programs don’t attract people; people attract people. Get started here... From this episode: “The dirty little secret among so many pastors is that we are really good at faking disciples rather than making disciples. The quantity and quality of our programs—and our sheer busyness keeping it all going—distract us from the truth.”   Each week the Big 3 will give you immediate action steps to get you started. Download today’s BIG 3 right now. Read and think over them again later. You might even want to share them with others… Thanks for Listening! Thanks so much for joining us again this week. Have some feedback you’d like to share? Join us on Facebook and take part in the discussion! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of this page or right below. Also, please leave an honest review for The Lifeschool Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them. Links and Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Missio Publishing – More Missional Books and Resources Caesar Kalinowski’s Website and Blog with Loads of Resources   In light of today’s topics, you might find these posts and videos helpful: Who Broke the Missional Movement? Is It Time to Reimagine the Church?  

Thanksgiving meals give us an opportunity to turn strangers into friends and friends into family. Who will you invite to be part of your family this year? This week on the Lifeschool Podcast, Caesar’s wife, Tina, joins him and Heath and teaches you how to include others from outside your immediate family in a new tradition–Friendsgiving. Let’s start making room at God's table! There may be no more appropriately suited time of year than Thanksgiving to express our gratitude for all that God has blessed us with in this life. And no better way to express our thankfulness than by sharing it with others. In This Episode You’ll Learn: Why it may be time to rethink who we include in our understanding of “family”. Who to invite to your “Friendsgiving”. How to deal with your family members who are less excited about having “strangers” at their table this year. How to express thankfulness around the table without it being weird or forced. Tips for putting on an easy and stress-free Friendsgiving meal that everyone enjoys. Get started here... From this episode: “Don’t worry about trying to pull off the ‘perfect’ dinner! A place at the table and flexibility are the key things to remember. When you open up a space at your table for someone, it is like they are being invited to ‘God’s table’... because, in fact, they are!”   Each week the Big 3 will give you immediate action steps to get you started. Download today’s BIG 3 right now. Read and think over them again later. You might even want to share them with others… Thanks for Listening! Thanks so much for joining us again this week. Have some feedback you’d like to share? Join us on Facebook and take part in the discussion! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of this page or right below. Also, please leave an honest review for The Lifeschool Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them. Links and Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Missio Publishing – More Missional Books and Resources Caesar Kalinowski’s Website and Blog with Loads of Resources   In light of today’s topics, you might find these posts and videos helpful: Stop Hiding Your Imperfections Why You Should Treat Everyone Like Family  

We all have those people in life who just rub us the wrong way. How are we supposed to deal with that? Ignore them, avoid them? Or... is there another way? This week on the Lifeschool Podcast, we’ll teach you how to deal with difficult people in your life. Whether they’re family members, co-workers, or people in your community, this will help you maintain healthy relationships–and your sanity. Jesus dealt with lots of challenging people. And compared to him, everyone is a difficult person! Look in the mirror to see one. Truth is, you can be pretty sure that you may be on someone’s “list” as hard to deal with in certain ways too. In This Episode You’ll Learn: A deeper look at some of the difficult people Jesus encountered and how he dealt with them. How to identify 4 different types of difficult people. How to understand ‘the thing behind the thing’ with each of the 4 types. Why difficult people present easy opportunities for discipleship. Get started here... From this episode: “When we take the time necessary to gently address a person in a way that they can hear and receive, a bond of trust is built that can change how they act and how we respond to them. When you listen, ask good questions, and seek to understand “the thing behind the thing”, it is always a gospel issue that leads to any of us being difficult or argumentative.”   Each week the Big 3 will give you immediate action steps to get you started. Download today’s BIG 3 right now. Read and think over them again later. You might even want to share them with others… Thanks for Listening! Thanks so much for joining us again this week. Have some feedback you’d like to share? Join us on Facebook and take part in the discussion! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of this page or right below. Also, please leave an honest review for The Lifeschool Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them. Links and Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Missio Publishing – More Missional Books and Resources Caesar Kalinowski’s Website and Blog with Loads of Resources   In light of today’s topics, you might find these posts and videos helpful: The One Person You Need to Worry About The Best Parenting Advice I Ever Got   

Church doctrines of grace and salvation, in some cases, may actually prevent us from creating an expectation that we are to be and make disciples. Do our existing models of evangelism and discipleship fail to produce true followers of Jesus? This week on the Lifeschool Podcast, we dive into the importance of recovering a robust view of the gospel and taking seriously the connection between conversion and discipleship with Bill Hull, a “discipleship evangelist” (I love that term!) who’s the author of a bunch of bestselling discipleship classics. A person can profess to be a Christian and yet still live under the impression that they don’t need to actually follow Jesus. Being a follower and disciple is seen as an optional add-on, not a requirement. It is a choice, not a demand. Being a Christian today, unfortunately, has little connection with the biblical idea that we are formed into the image and identity of Christ. In This Episode You’ll Learn: A historical definition of “conversion” that you’ll find clarifying. Why conversion and discipleship are two sides of the same coin. The problems the Church experiences because they’ve split (or ignored) these two functions. Why having a bigger view of the gospel is the solution to this problem. Get started here... From this episode: “You’ll never make a disciple from a non-discipleship gospel. A gospel that does not include disciples making disciples, and all true Christians are disciples of Jesus, is actually a very truncated gospel and not really the gospel Jesus proclaimed and preached.”   Each week the Big 3 will give you immediate action steps to get you started. Download today’s BIG 3 right now. Read and think over them again later. You might even want to share them with others… Thanks for Listening! Thanks so much for joining us again this week. Have some feedback you’d like to share? Join us on Facebook and take part in the discussion! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of this page or right below. Also, please leave an honest review for The Lifeschool Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them. Links and Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Bill Hull’s book “Conversion and Discipleship–You Can’t Have One Without the Other” Get Caesar’s latest book: Bigger Gospel for FREE… Click here.  

Something isn’t working. More and more we’re seeing people leave the church because it seems less relevant to them, and they are not being discipled in the normal aspects of everyday life. Jesus… can you help us?! This week on the Lifeschool Podcast, we look into why Jesus didn't make disciples in a classroom or only sitting in rows at the temple once a week. And we’ll show you the discipleship environment he created. (You’ll want to live the same way too after hearing this!) Most of the time Jesus spent with his disciples was in the normal rhythms of life as they ate, traveled, taught, and served others. While there were times when he taught in more formal settings, it was his consistent example of love, generosity, encouragement, prayer, etc. that probably had the greatest impact on their lives. Jesus modeled the life he wanted his disciples to go and live. In This Episode You’ll Learn: How Jesus’ discipleship happened outside of classrooms. (And what it looked like.) Why a gospel-centered community living together on Jesus’ mission must be the context for discipleship. How the Holy Spirit is the primary discipler of people’s hearts and lives. The organized and organic aspects to discipleship and why we need both. Get started here... From this episode: “Jesus placed a high value on service and evangelism to those who were not yet his followers, especially to those in great need. Jesus was consistently exposing the disciples to different kinds of people, in different kinds of places, with different kinds of needs. He often placed the disciples in situations where they could learn to love and serve “the least of these” by serving alongside him.”   Each week the Big 3 will give you immediate action steps to get you started. Download today’s BIG 3 right now. Read and think over them again later. You might even want to share them with others… Thanks for Listening! Thanks so much for joining us again this week. Have some feedback you’d like to share? Join us on Facebook and take part in the discussion! If you enjoyed this episode, please share it using the social media buttons you see at the top of this page or right below. Also, please leave an honest review for The Lifeschool Podcast on iTunes. Ratings and reviews are extremely helpful and greatly appreciated! They do matter in the rankings of the show, and we read each and every one of them. Links and Resources Mentioned in This Episode: Download Caesar’s notes on the Discipleship Environment of Jesus. Missio Publishing – More Missional Books and Resources Caesar Kalinowski’s Website and Blog with Loads of Resources   In light of today’s topics, you might find these posts and videos helpful: The Biggest Mistake You Can Make in Disciple-making Be The Church - FREE eBook