Speaking of getting up early, I hope that one of the reasons we’re getting up early is to practice the discipline of Daily Time with God. The link takes you to a template that I’ve found useful for helping folks get started. Here is a picture of page one of the 4-page template:

Not long ago I was showing this template to a pastor and saying something like, “It’s important to get the folks into the Word during the week, isn’t it?” I’m still processing his response:

It is important, and The Navigators are very good at that. – A Pastor

Was he just trying to affirm me? Or was he saying something more like, “The Navigators are good at teaching people practical discipleship skills. In the meantime, the church is not very good at that (and we don’t plan to be).”

It’s that latter attitude that leads some parishioners to conclude, “The church has failed us.”

I appreciate that churches have a unique role in providing worship experiences and cradle-to-the-grave programs for all in addition to leading people in practical service to their communities. But I don’t see why they have to give up their equipping mission to do that.

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. (Ephesians 4.11 – 14, ESV)