The 21-Day Challenge

In this episode of the Disciples Made Here podcast, Drew and Heather kick off the 21-Day Challenge — a practical, reproducible guide to living out the Disciples Diamond in your everyday life. Not for pastors. Not for super Christians. For the mom, the nurse, the coach, the retiree in Arkansas, and everyone in between.
Week one isn't about doing more. It's about praying first. Before you invite anyone into your life, before you share your story, before you answer a single question — you pray. You slow down. You start to name the faces in the places you already go. And you ask God to show you who He's already moving in.
This episode is a reminder that your school drop-off line, your office, your coffee shop, and your sports team are not random. They are your mission field. And it starts with one simple prayer — God, who have you put in my life?
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Reflection Questions

Who are the faces in the places you already go? Can you name them, or at least describe them?
Where do you see the same people showing up in multiple spaces of your life? That overlap is worth paying attention to.
Have you set your 9:38 alarm yet? This week, when it goes off, pray specifically for the people already on your list.

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Connect With Disciples Made Here
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Facebook   / disciplesmadehere 
Website https://disciplesmadehere.org/

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:10

Hey guys, welcome back to the Disciples Made Here podcast. This is Drew Sodestrom and your host Heather Hodson. Uh Heather, I did want to start by a little bit of you know appropriate accountability. I said I'd wear this because you thought it was funny. Or you can do a week and help apron.

SPEAKER_00 0:24

It's a Home Depot apron.

SPEAKER_01 0:25

Yeah, but you were gonna let me take it off at one point and be like, I'm not gonna wear it the whole episode, but instead you had me wear it the whole episode.

SPEAKER_00 0:30

I stand by my decision.

SPEAKER_01 0:32

I hurt, but I'll get over it. But we are disciples made here, and that's the idea that we're picking up, right? What does it look like for us to actually be the living proof of loving God where we live, work, and play?

SPEAKER_00 0:42

Yeah, so if you've been with us for the last few episodes, this whole kind of grouping of episodes, we've been talking about what we call the disciples' diamond, right? So it's just kind of that framework that we're using to make discipleship less ambiguous and kind of like bring it down to this level where we can actually do something about it. So we've talked about identify, invite, um, imitate, innovate, and these are all kind of parts of that diamond. Um, so we're gonna continue talking about this stuff, but now we're really bringing it down to what we call the like four foot level. So like instead of flying high and keeping it really like conceptual, now we're gonna really talk about how are we doing this? How are we actually doing this?

SPEAKER_01 1:24

Yeah, and what we decided a long time ago is that we were gonna create this 21-day challenge because we thought that people wanted to be challenged and they actually really do. They don't want to miss the call of Jesus to be a son and ascent one, a daughter, and deployed disciple maker. But what at like a four-foot level, every day of my life, what does it look like for me to actually, you know, step into that reality? That it's not just the information in my head and the words of Jesus or the transformation of my heart that he's doing, but the participation in the gospel and seeing his kingdom come and his will being done right here on Monday. Not just the words, but also the ways of Jesus.

SPEAKER_00 1:57

Yeah, yeah. And it's really built for, we built this for just the everyday person. Again, like the mom, the nurse, the just like any role. It's for it's not for pastors, it's for all of us. Um, so we're really just using it to try to practically follow Jesus in real life. Um and and put put boots on the ground for that.

SPEAKER_01 2:21

And we've talked about that at the beginning of the podcast. We wrestled with the the struggle with the American church that it's not just for the super Christian, the seminary, the whatever. Right. It's for all of us. In fact, that's really a part of Disciples Made Here. If you've been following us for a while now, one of the things we do is we talk to the everyday missionaries on the podcast, but also we work as a Disciples Made Here team with over a hundred churches across the country. Uh, and we find a lot of joy. You're gonna meet David Kroll, our director of DMH pretty soon, um, as we get to serve senior leaders because it's really fun when it's not just friends living on mission, but a whole community of faith. Um, and so we've got lead pastor cohorts. If you're interested in your pastor being a part of that, let us know. Um, but it really is not for those elite Christians, but for all Christians. Every one of us is a son and sent, a daughter and deployed, and so all disciples in all places.

SPEAKER_00 3:05

Yeah, and so this book is is a useful tool. Um, it just kind of helps bring discipleship, you know, less vague, right? Just um it I think a lot of people are like, okay, that sounds important. That sounds like something I should do. I love Jesus, but what does that actually mean on Tuesday? Right, you know, so it's this book kind of answers that and gives simple, reproducible steps, and that's just kind of its purpose. Um so if you haven't grabbed a copy, it's like $9.99, I think, on Amazon. So just very inexpensive. Um, but also we don't want even that to be a limiter for people. So we made a downloadable copy. Um, you can print it up though, because there's like journaling and like there's spots to write and stuff. So it is helpful to um print it out. And if you're like, dude, I'm listening to this in my car and I don't even have time to do that, I can totally relate. You don't need the book to go through these next few episodes. We're gonna like talk through it and give you some activities and exercises that you can honestly do just like on your notes page on your phone or just in your head. 100%. So just like bear with us. But if you are into challenges like I am, like, ooh, a booklet, cool, and like activities in it. So, anyways.

SPEAKER_01 4:20

And what I don't want you to feel like is that this is some spiritual homework. Like, we often joke at vintage that we don't use the word VBS because vacation, Bible, and school should never be in the same sentence, ever. Um, but this is something that we want for you. Like, we've experienced life transformation by living the ways of Jesus personally, together, as families on mission, as a whole church on mission. And so this really is for the joyset before you. Like, we want you to be in the game. Uh, in the game, in the calling, living out. I think you're gonna find more joy in Jesus when you're doing what he designed you for. I think you're gonna find more joy in other people finding more joy in Jesus. And so I'm pumped. Like, these next four episodes particularly is very practical. How do you get to live out the call of God? Like where you live is not an accident. Right. Uh, your neighborhood, like when you guys bought your home and we bought our home and we ended up at Jackson Elementary School together, that was on purpose. It wasn't random. The sports team, your job, your cubicle, where you go to lunch. Like, all of those are things that God is using for his glory for your good, but also for the joy of other people. And so when we see ourselves as a sent one, we start to see these places and spaces as missional moments. And so my hope would be that these four episodes in particular will feel like a campfire. And what I mean by that is uh I used to take kids to Mexico for missions trips and we would go and we'd do our work during the day, and then we'd come back at night and we'd debrief. And that's what I want these four episodes to kind of feel like is a moment for you guys to go live this out Monday through Friday, come back and then debrief and discuss our family wins. Um, and I think it'll be a blast. It'll be like that family huddle, missionaries been released, regathered, um, something we can start to share our experiences together.

SPEAKER_00 5:55

Yeah, and if you do want to walk through it with us, you know, with the book or the printout, um, it's like 15 minutes a day max. So, like, this isn't like a big obligation or some some big thing to take on.

SPEAKER_01 6:06

Yep. No, absolutely an opportunity. And you don't need, like you've often joked, like how you've understood this isn't about having every night being free. This isn't about Exactly.

SPEAKER_00 6:15

Yeah, you don't need a seminary degree. You don't need three free nights a week and a perfect personality. Like you, it's just a challenge saying, you know, like just relax, start here. You know, we're gonna just pray, we're gonna pay attention, and the word you're gonna hear the most today is intentionality. You're just gonna do the things you already do with a new intentionality. Um, and then you just get to watch what God does with that.

SPEAKER_01 6:40

Yeah. So as you walk with us, the hope that I have for you for these 21 days is a few things. One is you just have this clarity to what you're called to, um, this clarity to like the places and spaces. You have this courage to take that just one step, which for us is to pray and to watch and then to take a step. You have the context as far as like where am I taking steps? Like, I'm going to these places. How do I see these as missional moments? And then ultimately I pray that you have like a construct for how to do this. The diamond for me is a pathway, not a playbook, but a pathway. And you're actually my CrossFit coach. And so for me, like I've often joked, like I can throw X amount of weight up easily, and you're like, Yeah, but you're never gonna get further if you don't actually break down the context and the construct of just what are the baby steps? What are those little things that I can do and actually say the Spirit of the Living God is here, He's with us, He's leading through us. And so, how do I now start to see that? And so that's really my hope for these 21 days as you are being the living proof of loving God where you live, work, and play.

SPEAKER_00 7:33

Yeah, and I would just add too like we can all just stop overcomplicating it. And this is a helpful way to do that. I think we accidentally kind of make this scarier and more complicated than it needs to be. Um, and it's just it's not mainly about getting your friend to join you at church, it's not about launching a gospel presentation to somebody you just met. Like it's just about relationships that are already in your life. Um, and really today it's just about prayer, like just learning to be just there, just there and intentional and the living proof of our loving God. And that is like a catchy phrase that we've used, but like if you just think about what that means, it's it's just simple. It's just really simple.

SPEAKER_01 8:17

So when you grab your books, if you walk through it during the week, you're gonna have an intro for the first day to just read and kind of get caught up. But really, that's what we've been doing for these last 14 weeks on the podcast. Yeah, in fact, way more than even what's in the book is what we've already been talking about. Um, so we're just identifying, that's the prayer, we're inviting, that's the intentionality. Now I'm gonna invite you into life with me. Right. Uh, we're gonna call you to imitate. These are the pathways of Jesus, and then Jesus sends us to go. Um, and so we're just trying to recover the model that Jesus did with us and for us and all throughout the Bible and help you see it and actually live it too.

SPEAKER_00 8:49

Yeah, yeah. Jesus already did it, it's all there, and now we're just trying to like apply that to today kind of a thing. But um, but if you are going to start this challenge, um, a couple things that might be helpful to expect, like I felt like the first week felt kind of slow. I'm really impatient, so it could just be a me thing, but it felt kind of r you know repetitive, and I just wanted to like do a little bit more. And I think that in and of itself was like a oh okay, okay, that is the point. Um and really like expect that deep prayer that you that you're getting called to in this first week to like to actually do something, and that's that's kind of exciting and cool. Um, and expect God to open your eyes to people that have been right in front of you, like just they're there already.

SPEAKER_01 9:37

Yeah, I still remember even at Campfire Moment for us as couples, you and Wes were over, and like we catch ourselves saying things sometimes, like all I did was pray. And it's like exactly yes, right, like that's all we did, and that is the big part of week one is identifying. And so before you invite someone in, you're just praying for them that they experience the joy of Jesus. Uh, before you ever share your story with them, you're just praying for them. Yeah. Before you ever walk deeply, before you ever sit around a campfire, literally or metaphorically, before you ever answer one of their questions, you're saying, God, who are the people that you love even more than I do that you've put in my life? Some I know, some I don't know, but all of them you know.

SPEAKER_00 10:13

Yeah, yeah. And I love that week one does not begin with pressure. There's not like this like checklist that you have to get done. I don't know. It's just like it's just like prayer. It's just prayer. It's so important because I personally want to rush to action all the time. And you know, Jesus was so clear with us like the harvest is plentiful, the laborers are few. So pray. Like it was just like do that, just do that, just do that.

SPEAKER_01 10:44

It takes all the pressure off.

SPEAKER_00 10:45

Yeah, and prayer, it's not this is like what you're saying, like the it's not the warm-up, it's the actual work. And I think that I know I like forget that. It's not, yeah, I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 10:58

Well, and I always joke with you as a CrossFit coach. I'm like, I hate your warmups because they are whole workouts, by the way, and that's a you thing and whatever. It's good. Um, but like prayer is the work, and we say that all the time. Yeah, like, and so I love your language of not pressure, just prayer. And the prayer is about presence. So when I'm in a place and I'm praying, I'm more present there. It's true. I'm more like, okay, I'm seeing the things that are around me. Like that, our prayer, Matthew 9.38. Our alarms have only been going off for weeks now. Yeah. For me, it's decades. Yeah. Um, when my alarm goes off, I can fall into the trap of rote memory, but instead be like, no, right now, you are the Lord of the harvest, you are here. In fact, 938 is Jesus seeing the crowds and having compassion. That word compassion means like his innards hurt, like his organs, his bowels, like everything about him was like, uh, why? And Matthew, it says, because Jesus saw them as sheep without a shepherd. And so he saw that they didn't know the good father. He saw that they were aimlessly wandering, and his innards hurt, and so he prayed. And so he tells us, may we be the kinds of people that as we go to these particular places and spaces, that we see people, like really, really see them. Not before we do anything with them, not before we talk to them. We talk to God about them in a sense of God, help them to be happier tomorrow than they are today. Help them to see, and that's that phrase, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest. Yeah, he's God, he's king, takes all the pressure off. We just get to see people the way God sees them, and God loves them.

SPEAKER_00 12:23

Right, right. And that's the part that's freeing is like it's not your job to save anyone. It's, you know, the pressure's not on you to manufacture some massive spiritual moment. Like the spirit's moving. Yep. And so we're just being faithful to like be aware of it and just pray and watch and respond. Like it's just it's just that. We can boil it down to that every time. Yep. Um, but God is the Lord of the harvest, He's already moving. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:50

So as we go to places this week, right? You might be listening to this as you're driving somewhere right now. When you get there, can you bring the presence of God with you? He's there. Yeah. Can you see that he's there? Can you start to think through who are the it is? And because we're in a hurry. That's part of what makes it hard. Instead, we're just slowing down and we're starting to look at like our places and spaces. And when we get to those places and spaces, can we name faces? And that might be an anonymous name. It might not be someone that you know, but it's like I keep seeing that person. They're on my sports team. Again, I've shared so many times what God has done over a decade from kids that I coached when they were really little, or a neighbor, or whatever might be at the places and spaces. So your school, your daily rhythms, your hobby. Um, God loves these people. And so the point is to start to like name them by name. And if you don't know their name, name them by attributes and say, God love this person. I know you love this person. I'm giving you them, and I'm saying, Would you woo them to yourself?

SPEAKER_00 13:45

Yeah, and it's it's just really a practical exercise because it does pop us out of like the vague good intentions. Like we all we all want to reach people. I don't think that's fake. And I I've had a lot of this, these thoughts in my mind lately as we've been doing all of this, is like, I've heard all of this for a long time. And I do believe it. I really do. I wouldn't be sitting here if I didn't. Um but am I doing it really? Or am I so busy that I'm only just sometimes doing I don't know. So it's just like these are really good tools to help myself be like, okay, I know my intentions, I do, but what am I actually doing? Um, you know, like just start with just pray, just write it down. Who who are these people? God has them for you. Just put them down, pray for them, start noticing the overlap.

SPEAKER_01 14:35

Like, yeah, and the overlap matters in my own schedule. So when it's like someone at Jackson and someone at sports and someone at work and someone at that coffee shop, like this is why I love intentionally noticing. I'm just trying to pay attention to what God's already doing. Yeah, and so that overlap in my own rhythm and schedule is a big deal. Um, beyond that, it's one of the clearest indicators, of course, that the Spirit of God might be moving in my relationship with Him. He's given me lots of opportunities to pray. And so some people I just pray for a lot more than others because I see them more often. It's that simple.

SPEAKER_00 15:05

Yeah, super simple. Yeah, so essentially, week one and what we're just talking, what all this leads to right now is who is your one? Not the only person you care about, which I'm super literal, so I'm like, oh my gosh, I have to pick one. Like, no, no, it's not the only person that God cares about or loves, but who's the person that you're just gonna be extra intentional with and like really focus on in this way, in this prayer way. Um, and you know, who's that one?

SPEAKER_01 15:35

Yeah, and I actually believe that if we just ask that question, that intentional like spirit, what are you doing? How do I play a role in that? It can change your whole year. Yeah, it can change not only your life, but their life. Like, imagine if every believer actually prayed that. Yeah, if every one of us took seriously our calling as daughter, disciple maker, son, and sent one, and every place and space we went, I just started to say, look, I know the people I'm praying for. I know the people I'm watching and just saying, Lord, do a work in their life. You're the Lord of the harvest, and the harvest is plentiful. And so I can start to engage. And for me, it's just so fun. It's not just a personal thing or even like a micro thing in my neighborhood. Like we're a whole church family sent on mission. And so we've seen this in suburban settings, rural settings, urban settings. Like our family of churches is all about not just a gathering in El Dorado Hills, right, but a scattering in Placerville, in Motherlow to Mount Shasta. It's all the churches that we've partnered to plant with in Southern California and Sacramento and Oakland. And now we have Disciple Made Here communities, literally, like from coast to coast, Jacksonville, Oregon, up to Idaho, and all the way down in Texas. Like it's so fun for me. And that's where I don't want you to miss out on what the spirit's doing. Yeah. And I want the kingdom to come and the will to be done. Like it's so stinking fun.

SPEAKER_00 16:44

Yeah, yeah. You are a kingdom laborer. Like you get to be a part of that. Right.

SPEAKER_01 16:48

It's a professional opportunity.

SPEAKER_00 16:50

Yeah, yeah. Yeah. And that doesn't mean that you're like, you know, you're one. Okay, like I've identified my one. You're not like texting them and being like, Congrats, you are my next discipleship project. Like, don't do that. Nobody likes that. That's awkward and weird. And we don't respond well to that. But once that person has kind of been revealed to you, or really people, like usually those few of them, um, like just it just affects your heart posture towards them and your availability towards them. And and just kind of like you just show up with a little bit different intentionality.

SPEAKER_01 17:23

You show up in those places different because you were already praying for those places and those people. Right. And you're already watching for engagement. And so it's like the the school drop-off line becomes a little different. The office becomes a little different. The office is an opportunity. And so there's kind of an excitement and a zeal and a joy because you are paying attention because you are praying. And it's just fun for me to have a front row seat to see that. Like I've got a young adult guy that was part of our church and got married and was living on mission. He was a local coach at a high school, um, and then he got a job at a D1 university down the street. One of our students ended up going to that same university. And it's so fun now for him as a strength and conditioning coach and her as an athlete to be like, wait, we're on mission together. Yeah. And it's him and his wife, and it's her and her friends, and we've seen the spirit of the living God call people to faith that were so far from God. And it started with just these teams and these coaches praying and watching and saying, Okay, the trainer's room is actually the place of kingdom movement. Yeah. And it's like we we were in a staff meeting the other day for Disciples Made here, just last week, and we get this text from a gal, and she's a part of the Jackson family with us, and um, and she's living on mission, and she's like, it's so helpful to think about the red-headed barista. Like, it's changed the way she goes to Starbucks or to Proxy Coffee or whatever her coffee shop is. It changes her perspective to say, these are people that God loves, and I get to pray for them. Like, what a huge opportunity. Or, or Pam's a retired gal in Arkansas. Like this picture of her saying, okay, wait, every time I leave my house, I get to go engage in the harvest field. Every time. And it starts before I leave. And when I'm there, I'm praying and I'm watching. And so for me, it really is. This week is all about making a pray watch list in the different places and spaces, thinking about the people, the faces, um, the work, Starbucks, trainer's room, the retirement center, the senior center. These are all places that Jesus has told us to pray. Our Father are in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth at these locations as it already is in heaven. And we get to be a part of bringing heaven to earth. Like come on.

SPEAKER_00 19:20

Yeah, and these stories, like they really do just like uh for us, but hopefully for you too. Like these stories are real, yeah, and it's really happening, and it really, it really works. And I think sometimes we can get uh frameworks, they're super helpful, they help us like actually get this stuff, um, but they can become a little formulaic. Yeah, and that's the like that's the risk. Um and it's these stories that like pop it out of that entirely, and it's like, oh no, this is like this is real, and it's really, it really is happening.

SPEAKER_01 19:55

Yeah, and it is, it's you guys as our disciples made here community stepping into this 21-day challenge saying, Okay, yeah, what do I get to do? Yeah, this is not uh I I watch the church do this. This is all the church being released by the Spirit of God to go be that living proof. And so the 21-day challenge, like, don't be in such a hurry. People like me and Heather are in a hurry to rush past week one. And it's like, no, this is the most important thing we can do. Yeah. It's the one thing Jesus called us to was to sit, to pray, to pray the Lord of the harvest, and to be imitators of Christ, where we have compassion as we walk into the harvest field. And every day of our life, we are walking into a grocery store, a relationship, and we can bring our prayers before the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, and say, God, do a work that only you can do. In fact, really, the the stickers that we talk about, like God, what are you inviting me into? It's on the back of all of our phones. And it is this idea of saying, Okay, God, you're changing my perspective that my checklist is just to be fully present with you and then to fully reflect that, to receive your love and then to reflect your love. That's what he's inviting us into. So when we pray, for me, I find that I often pray for the things that I love. Yep. And I mean my kids, my family, whatever it might be, but also I start to love the things that I pray for. And so if you just start praying for your places and spaces, for names and for faces, I actually think God deepens our love. That's that compassion, our heart is breaking, and man, then we're anticipating the spirit to open doors. Then we're saying, okay, God, it's all you, but you've put me here. How do I be faithful to that?

SPEAKER_00 21:22

Yeah. And if I think if you're listening to any of this, um, and you're like, ooh, that sounds really cool for Drew and Heather. Yeah. Um, but you know, I'm not qualified for that, or that just sounds scary and uncomfortable. Like this is this is for you. This is exactly for you. This is your encouragement. So, you know, just start, start it off, start the the process. Um, and it really is just like where you're at. Pray, set the alarm, just do those baby steps, and then like let the spirit take you from there.

SPEAKER_01 21:55

And just imagine I I just taught recently through the feeding of the five thousand, the feeding of the four thousand, like. God does a lot with just a little.

SPEAKER_00 22:01

Yeah. He's God.

SPEAKER_01 22:03

And so all we have to do in our regular life is to just say, okay, Lord, you're here. How do I be about what you're about? Which is loving people, meeting them in their moments. And that's what's so fun for me. So thank you for diving into this 21-day challenge with us. The next episode, we're going to debrief week one that we're just starting today. And then we're going to review or preview week two. Exactly. In fact, I'm even going to bring one of my buddies because today is just identify. We're just praying. Yeah. Next week is going to be invite. What does it look like? Like I invited Rick into my life, but more so he invited me into his life to follow him as he followed Jesus. And so remember that next step is an opportunity for presence to pray. Not necessarily to do anything, but we are. We're doing something. We're going to the throne room of God who's saying, I love the world so much that I sent my son, and I'm sending you Drew as one too. I'm sending you Heather. So be excited for that. And DMH family, like, thank you. It's so fun to get those text messages and staff meeting, to hear those stories, to be at those baptisms, to get notes from pastors, not just all over the country, but literally all over the world, Kosovo, Albania, to see what God is doing when his people just pray and watch and say, Lord, how do we step? So thank you for taking those steps, for living this out everywhere that you live, work, and play. We love you guys. We'll see you next week.