Key Bible Verse: We loved you so much that we gave you not only God's Good News but our own lives, too (1 Thessalonians 2:8). Bonus Reading: 1 Thess. 2:4-7

I gave Claude several suggestions. First: pray that God would give him a heart for Eric. Second: look in the Scriptures to find God's examples and solutions for Eric's problems. Third: pursue Eric and attempt to meet with him once a week for a year-on Eric's terms. Fourth: pray for Eric daily. Fifth: call or write Eric twice a week with a word or verse of encouragement.

Soon I started to hear how excited Claude was about meeting with Eric. He sensed a new urgency to study the Scriptures every morning. He found new meaning in the sermons at his church as he constantly looked for ways to explain the truth of the new life in Christ to his disciple. They began meeting with a small group of other men to talk about discipleship and to pray for their lost friends.

Over the course of ten years, Eric sorted through his broken relationships, tattered finances, and habitual acts of destruction, and became a man God began to use. Over that same period, Claude became sought after by his pastor to teach other men the principles of spiritual reproduction. Claude's life became richer and more meaningful as his life began to count for eternity. [continued 7/17]

My Response: Someone I've seen grow in Christ over time is …

Thought to Apply: Education is hanging around until you've caught on.
—Robert Frost (poet, 20th century)