True discipleship is not just about believing in Christ, it’s about following Christ in a concrete way. Dave “The Coach” VanVickle and I walk you through the four phases of training every disciple of Christ needs to go through in order to consistently be a witness of Christ.
Snippet from the Show
The Cross is at the heart of the Christian life, suffering is the rule not the exception of a true disciple of Christ.
Shownotes
Four Phases of Discipleship Training
FIRST: The Goal
We need to have a goal that makes sense and is in alignment with gospel values. One problem in the Catholic Church is that we tend to make educated children and not educating children for lifelong discipleship. Like doing a “Couch to 5K” program, there is a specific goal in mind and you work backwards from that goal. Start with the end in mind. In this case, it is raising saints.
SECOND: The Coach
Training your child means you as the parent are the primary witness, model, coach, teacher, and expert. Your children are not looking for a series of lectures, but a life fully lived with you. As GK Chesterton once said, “Why be one thing to the world, when you can be everything to your child?” A personal trainer looks into your history, your current state, in order to properly guide you to your goal. Having and living by Christ’s ideals balance our drives and desires with the reality of being-on-the-path.
THIRD: The Hardships
Circumstances, relationships, etc. all come at us in life for good and evil. To be disciplined means to know that how I react to these matters more than the things themselves. A Christian, then, embraces the cross of suffering as the means by which I become more Christlike, as the athlete embraces vigorous training knowing the crown of glory awaits.
FOURTH: Practice Makes Perfect
It’s not how many years, but how many hours you’ve worked that matters. How many hours have you practiced your Catholicism? How many hours have you prayed? Loved your neighbor as yourself? Served the poor? Welcomed the outcast?
3 KEY VIRTUES: Humility, patience, and justice
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Resources
- Email us at eksb@ascensionpress.com
- Text “EKSB” to 33-777 to subscribe and be added to Gomer and Dave’s email list
- Visit Dave’s website www.thecatholictruthaboutangelsanddemons.com and www.artofevangelization.com
- Visit Mike’s website at www.layevangelist.com
- Ascension is pleased to offer our new and improved online bible study programs and sacramental preparation programs digitally to help you minister with flexibility. Go to ascensionpress.com to view all our offerings.
Meet Your Hosts
Michael “Gomer” Gormley
Michael spent 17 years in full-time parish ministry and is now the Mission Evangelist for That Man Is You!, a men’s apostolate for Paradisus Dei. Michael is a frequent speaker at conferences, retreats, and parish missions all over the US and Canada.
He is the founder and creative director of LayEvangelist.com, and hosts two popular Catholic podcasts: Catching Foxes and Every Knee Shall Bow.
He is married to his college sweetheart, Shannon, and has four beautiful and hilarious children: Kateri, Cecilia, Noah, and Thomas.
Dave VanVickle
Dave VanVickle fell in love with the Lord at the age of fourteen and has since dedicated his life to bringing others into a radical relationship with Christ.
He is a speaker and retreat leader who focuses on proclaiming the universal call to holiness, authentic Catholic spirituality, spiritual warfare and deliverance. Additionally, Dave has over ten years of experience assisting Priests with their ministries of exorcism and deliverance.
Dave married his late wife Amber in 2010. He now resides in Pittsburgh with his five children: Sam, Max, Judah, Josie and Louisa.
