FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions from Disciples and Disciples who Lead Disciples
Why do I need to engage SOLITUDE daily?
Do I have to do SOLITUDE in the morning?
Are these Journals “Legalistic?”
Can I just use your App or Website instead of a Journal?
How long does a Journal Last?
Is this a “Read through the Bible” Plan?
How are the 2 Journals Different?
Which Journal should I use?
Do I need to use the Starter Guides?
FAQs from Disciples
FAQs from Leaders
Have a different Question?
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The Instructions for SEEING JESUS in SOLITUDE encourage participants to carve out 25-40 minutes a day for this Discipleship Environment. And while SOLITUDE includes more than Bible Reading, a Healthy Bible Reading Discipline is an indispensable goal of the SOLITUDE Environment. With this in mind, consider why a disciple needs to engage SOLITUDE…or needs to be in the Word daily. The Bible repeatedly speaks of the Bible as spiritual food. And the Bible is clear in teaching that humans not only need physical food for their stomachs, but they also need spiritual food for their hearts in order to truly live. Our souls desperately need the nourishment of God’s Word daily or they can become anemic and unhealthy.
Why do I need to engage SOLITUDE daily?
The Instructions for SEEING JESUS in SOLITUDE encourage participants to carve out the first 25-40 minutes of their day for this Discipleship Environment. Here’s why…the Book of Psalms repeatedly teaches or presumes that our hearts are hungry and thirsty for God and His Steadfast Love every morning. (See Psalm 90:14 for one of many examples.) In other words, it doesn’t matter how satisfied my heart was in Jesus and his Gospel yesterday, in order for my soul to rest and be satisfied and be energized to live for Him today, I need another experience of Him and His love this morning.
At the end of the day (pardon the pun), we are going to celebrate any SOLITUDE / Bible Reading Discipline that is Focused on the Gospel and Led by the Spirit. But disciples need to know that if they do not have a fresh encounter with Jesus and His Love in the morning, they will move out into their day looking for a divine-sized love in all the wrong places. Said differently, they will be more susceptible to making created things ultimate things (idolatry) and they will rarely be satisfied at the core of their being.
Do I have to do SOLITUDE in the morning?
This is a great question! We have been in the “spiritual discipline” conversation for a long time. And we see two types of people regularly and sacrificially organizing their lives around “spiritual disciplines” or “gospel rhythms” or “a rule of life” or whatever the next clever phrase will be. One type of person regularly and sacrificially organizes their life around the intentional engagement of Discipleship Environments in an effort to EARN God’s Love. And the other type of person regularly and sacrificially organizes their life around the intentional engagement of Discipleship Environments in an effort to ENJOY the Love of God that has already been graciously and extravagantly made known to them in the Gospel of Jesus. The first flows from a legalistic belief in works righteousness. The second flows from a deep belief in the Gospel. This takes discernment because both groups, at first, appear to be doing the same things. Both set their alarm earlier to be in SOLITUDE. Both choose to orient their work and hobbies around the WEEKLY CHURCH GATHERING. Etc. But the drastic difference is the motive of the heart. Are they doing these things out of fear and pride and shame? Or are they doing them out of faith and gratitude and humility?
Are these Journals “Legalistic?”
This question is usually motivated by two desires. First, this question is often motivated by a desire to save money.
Second, this question is often motivated by a desire to consolidate as much of life as possible onto a handheld device.
And while we understand those motivators…our App and Website have not been designed to replace our Journals. They have been designed to support the utilization of our Journals. We believe that writing with a pen on paper is more beneficial than typing into a device. We believe that it is wise to leave electronic devices behind when engaging in spiritual disciplines. We believe that “our hearts follow our treasure” so it can actually be helpful to invest money in our discipleship disciplines.
So we do hope that our App and Website provide you with resources and training that support your usage of our Journals.
And, if finances are the reason you are not able to use our tools, please let us know.
Can I just use your App or Website instead of a Journal?
Our research shows that a copy of SEEING JESUS TOGETHER will last between 4 and 12 months.
“Extremely Consistent” participants will need a new SJT every 4 months. (This is very rare.)
“More Consistent” participants will need a new SJT every 6 months.
“Consistent” participants will need a new SJT every 12 months. (This is most common.)
Our research shows that a copy of SJT | SOLITUDE will last between 6 and 12 months.
“Extremely Consistent” participants will need a new SJT | SOLITUDE every 6 months. (This is very rare.)
“More Consistent” participants will need a new SJT | SOLITUDE every 9 months.
“Consistent” participants will need a new SJT | SOLITUDE every 12 months. (This is most common.)
How long does a Journal last?
Reading through the Bible is not a goal of SEEING JESUS in SOLITUDE.
With most “read through the Bible in a certain amount of time” plans, the primary goal (which functionally becomes the only goal) is to “read through the Bible in a certain amount of time.”
The Goal of SEEING JESUS in SOLITUDE is to foster an intimate relationship with Jesus through a Daily Bible Reading Discipline. In light of this, we encourage participants to not try to catch up if they miss a day and we encourage participants to get started with the community in whatever passage(s) are scheduled for that day.
That said, with the SOLITUDE SCRIPTURE SCHEDULE, reading through the Bible is a serendipitous consequence, while not being a goal. By reading one New Testament every Monday through Friday and one Old Testament chapter every Monday through Saturday, the SCHEDULE covers the New Testament every year and the Old Testament every three years.
Is this a “Read through the Bible” Plan?
SEEING JESUS TOGETHER is comprised of 3 sections:
SOLITUDE, ONE ANOTHER, and WEEKLY CHURCH GATHER.
SJT | SOLITUDE only contains the SOLITUDE section.
While SJT | SOLITUDE has more Journaling Guides, all of the content that is in SJT | SOLITUDE is in SEEING JESUS TOGETHER.
How are the two Journals different?
Even after understanding the differences between our two Journals, you may still be wondering which tool is best for you. Unless you attend a church that already facilitates three to five men or women meeting weekly AND already provides you with a way to reflect on all of the blessings present at the Weekly Church Gathering (and not just the sermon), we recommend our more robust tool, SEEING JESUS TOGETHER. Even if you do not use the Journaling Guides from all three sections, each section includes teaching on why every disciple needs to engage all three Discipleship Environments and how every disciple can benefit from all three Discipleship Environments.
Which Journal should I use?
The vast majority of disciples who utilize our journals do not even know the Starter Guides exist. And while we believe that they would benefit from them, we do not think of them as “necessary” for every participant. Some disciples, based on experience and wiring, can read the Instructions for each section and get going with the Journaling Guides. Some will be ready to go after reading the longer Introduction provided in each section. Others, based on experience and wiring, struggle to use the Journaling Guides well without the practical “step-by-step” training provided by the Starter Guides.
Do I need to use the Starter Guides?
If we had a dollar for every time we were asked this question, we could give the Journals away for free. This is a decision that needs to be made by local leaders with a mind full of their people and context.
Some churches communicate, “This tool is so crucial to our Discipleship Strategies, we are going to give a copy to everyone in our church.”
Some churches communicate, “In order for you to value this crucial resource, we are asking you to cover the cost of the Journal.”
Most churches communicate, “This crucial resource cost us X, we are asking you to pay Y, but if finances are the reason you are not getting one, we are happy to give you one.”
Do churches have members pay for their Journal?
We have learned a lot through the years from the hundreds of churches and ministries that have utilized our tools.
SEEING JESUS TOGETHER and SJT | SOLITUDE tend to work well…
- in a church/ministry that endeavors to be Christ-Focused,
- in a church/ministry that endeavors to be Gospel-Fluent,
- in a church/ministry that proactively protects the mission of Making Disciples,
- and in a church/ministry where the leaders value living life with and setting an example for others.
To discuss this further, provide us with your Contact Information and we will be in touch.
Will this work in my church/ ministry?
Provide your Contact Information and we will schedule a time to discuss how our Journals might work in your context.
How can this work in my church/ministry?
There are 4 “sequential ingredients” in making one of our Journals a crucial resource in your Discipleship Strategies.
(We use the terminology of “sequential ingredients” because all of these ingredients must be present, but the order in which you mix in each ingredient is important.)
1 - Core Leaders have to Enjoy and Embody the faithful utilization of the tool.
2 - Key Leaders have to be Instructed in the Why and How of the tool.
3 - Family Members have to be continually Invited to relational and interactive training opportunities for the tool.
4 - The organization has to effectively communicate Information about and Inspiration for the tool.
While many ONE ANOTHER groups form out of Small Groups (“community groups” / “life groups” / “fellowship groups” / “missional communities” / etc.) the ONE ANOTHER Agenda and Journaling Guides are not designed for a Small Group meeting. Based on extensive and international experience, we do believe that Small Groups are an important part of an effective Discipleship Framework, but we do not believe that “Small Groups” help most members give and receive the “One Another Instructions” of the Bible…which is critical in making disciples. We have also found that Small Groups are freed up to make their important and unique contribution when ONE ANOTHER Groups are established.
Will the ONE ANOTHER section work for Small Groups?
As a non-profit, we do all we can in helping leaders (of other non-profits) decide if our tools are a good option for their organization. Email us from your church/ministry address for free PDF samples. Or, email us for a BOGO Code for one copy of SEEING JESUS TOGETHER and one copy of SJT | SOLITUDE.
Do you provide Samples to Leaders?
At this point, through the generosity of our donors, our Training Resources are Complimentary. Also, as a non-profit, we provide our journals for “Suggested Prices” based on what it costs us to produce them. That said, we do raise money to provide discounts in various situations where finances are the only reason keeping an organization from using this tool in their Discipleship Mission. If you would like to discuss a discounted price, please email us. If you would like to make a tax-deductible gift that enables us to provide SEEING JESUS TOGETHER and SJT | SOLITUDE to disciples, churches, and church plants who are unable to afford it, you can do so here.