By: Loretta Worsham
In his work God in the Whirlwind: How the Holy Love of God Reorients our World, theologian David Wells wrote of the challenges of Christian discipleship in the 21st century:
"The second challenge I am going to mention is the extraordinary bombardment on our mind that goes on every day from a thousand different sources that leaves us distracted, with our minds going simultaneously in multiple directions. How, then, can we receive from Scripture the truth God has for us if we cannot focus long enough, linger long enough, to receive the truth? Every age has its own challenges. This one is ours. It is the affliction of distraction."
This past August, our youngest child moved to Oakland to begin her freshman year at Pitt. My primary daily work of the last 26 years - raising our three now-adult children (read: homeschooling, chauffeuring, feeding, volunteering - you get the picture) - was completely over. Finding myself with lots of time on my hands, I threw myself into numerous distractions: copious bread baking, extreme couponing, and way too much catching up on British period dramas on various streaming platforms.
Coinciding with this big change in my life was my husband, Hodge, and I beginning participation in Hebron's Christian Discipleship Institute (CDI). Participants in this program attend 6-week class sessions over a 2-month period, focusing on various topics related to Christian life and study. Each course requires attending 1.5-hour weekly classes plus significant reading and submission of a short paper at the end of each session. My husband and I participate in this along with 7 other Hebron members, Jen Balkey, Brendan Conaway, Mike & Sandy Gartland, Ben Hershman, Heather Ramsay, and Mike Tomashewski. Sessions are taught by Henry or other guest teachers (notably Josh Brown this past fall).
For me, the Lord's timing in CDI beginning just as I made a big transition in life has been a tremendous blessing. If you'll indulge my homeschooling mom tendencies for a moment - "discipleship" comes from the Latin root "disciplina" meaning 'instruction, knowledge'. Left to my own devices, I can gain vast amounts of knowledge about a host of distracting trivial matters. Yet I know that "the chief end of man is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever" (Westminster Shorter Catechism), and that I let many trivial activities and interests distract me from glorifying God in all I do. Participation in CDI, along with regular Bible study, worship, prayer, and service, has greatly helped to keep my focus on Him rather than the seemingly harmless distractions of my middle-aged suburban lady life. I thank and praise God for the opportunity to be a part of Hebron Church and CDI.
