So you are stepping out and wanting to be intentional about helping someone around you grow in their spiritual life. Awesome! But hold on you say, where do I begin? Today I will give you some pointers to help you get started and hopefully make it a little less stressful if you are concerned or a little more structured if you aren't sure how to begin.

As a possibly too long introduction, let me start by saying the relationship is important so taking the time to build a solid relational foundation is worth the time it takes. Some of us are hyper focused and can be too quick to pass over the relationship building to get right to the heart of the discussion. But that may keep us from seeing real progress and growth in our own life as well as the life of those we are investing in if we don't have a foundation to build on. Particularly when the discussion appoaches heart issues and areas that are more central to our image of ourself.

Get to know the person you are working with well. Work, hobbies, family relationships, salvation testimony, etc. Lunch, fishing, anything is fine for your first few times meeting.

Once you build a basic foundation, talking about anything and everything along the way, you are ready to move on to more intentional conversations focused on spiritual growth. There are three big topics you may want to talk though as you get started to help set some expectations and let you know where you might want to head in the future.

One - general character and spiritual life

A few questions to ask. 1. Is there any one area in life that you know of now where God is asking you to grow? 2. What trials and temptations are you facing now? 3. How is your character? Are you seeking to grow as a person?

Two - Spiritual Growth

1. Where do you find yourself resisting God now?  2. Are you practicing any spiritual disciplines now, what spiritual disciplines do you need to develop? 3. What actions have you taken recently to make spiritual growth a priority in your life?

Three - Ministry Skills

1. What new ministry skills should you think about developing? 2. In what area should you be reading or studying more? 3. What can you do to improve in ministry right now?

Thanks for joining me today! You can find links to past shows at www.runwithhorses.net. Write me and let me know what you are doing to invest in others today, your questions and comments are always welcome.