Showing posts with label Preston Hunteman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Preston Hunteman. Show all posts
by Preston Hunteman
A disciple by definition is one who follows a given teacher. In antiquity, if a 13-year-old Jewish boy wished to be a Rabbi one day, he had to become a disciple of a current Rabbi. It was the Rabbi’s choice to accept or decline the disciple. If the young boy was accepted then he would literally follow his Rabbi everywhere all day, from the time his Rabbi rose till the time he went to sleep.
Today, disciples don’t follow their teachers everywhere, at least not to my knowledge. That would just be uncomfortable in today’s world. Often the disciple will meet with his teacher regularly. The disciple needs to see what he is being discipled for. As the common phrase goes “actions speak louder than words.” When the disciple hears what the teacher says and then see the teacher exhibit that action or behavior, the underlying message will stick more readily with the disciple. Ultimately Proverbs 27:17 rings true, and that when the teacher and the disciple are together they will sharpen each other.
Growing up I was a disciple. I was blessed with a handful of wonderful mentors and teachers who took it upon themselves to train me. Each of my mentors had a different teaching style but I believe they worked together to help me create my views. Let me give you a very simple example of how I was discipled. I have been learning Biblical Hebrew for over 5 years now, and thus far I have found each of my Hebrew teachers write their Hebrew letters slightly differently. If you were to compare my Hebrew letters before I was being tutored and what they look like now, you will find some of my Hebrew letters are very similar to those of my teacher. I picked up on how my teacher wrote her Hebrew letters and I in turn tried to mimic that style.
In today’s world, discipleship is greatly needed. Matthew 28:18-20 holds what is commonly referred to as the Great Commission. In that chapter of Matthew, Jesus is telling His disciples to go forth and make disciples. The one thing Jesus did not say was, “Make disciples until such and such year A.D.” This command was given with the context of an ongoing effect. The teaching styles vary from teacher to teacher, but the concepts are the same. Discipleship is a growing experience, which will take time. In Luke 6:40 it says, “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.” I believe that everyone is a disciple and a teacher. We are all being taught and we are teaching all of those who watch us.
by Preston Hunteman
Failure. No one likes to admit it, especially me. I have wanted to grow up and become free of all the rules associated with living at home. The truth is, failure is a fact of life. One of the best things about the Scriptures is that they give testimonies of real people. We get to see them in all their failing glory. Jacob and Esau, Abraham and Sarah, David and Bathsheba, David and Uriah, Moses in the desert, Jonah, Peter, and so many others.
Ultimately failure is what makes us grow up and experience life to its fullest. Think of a child. Have you ever seen a child learn to walk or run? Did you see that child fail and fall on the floor continuously while the parents closely hover by? Can you imagine yourself as the child trying to find his way in a new world?
Although you may not like to fail, know that you are not alone. God is right beside you all the way. As the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 10:13, nothing will befall you which you cannot stand up underneath.
Your failures are among the most memorable things that will ever stay with you. Failures are sometimes God’s way of showing us what we could do all along but never did because of this or that.
Theodore Roosevelt once said, “Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.”
Failure is only as permanent as you will allow it to be. An extraordinary leader does not fear failure rather he embraces it to learn from the pain so that it may be better for the next time. Great things are accomplished once the fear of failure is less than the desire for the given goal.
