✝️ The Reluctant Discipler

Good morning, my brothers! Today we’re exploring one of the most profound callings in a Christian man’s life: discipleship. When God called Ananias to disciple the newly converted Paul, this old believer’s first response was essentially, "Lord, are you sure about this guy?" Two thousand years later, that same divine pattern continues. I will share a story of how an unassuming businessman named Owings answered God’s call to invest in younger men, transforming lives one coffee shop conversation at a time. The question for each of us: Are we available when God points someone in our direction? Let’s go!

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This week’s manly topics (6-min read):

💪 DISCIPLESHIP The Bible is filled with examples of guys who said, “Who, me?” when God called. We learn from their examples as we overcome our fear of giving ourselves to others.
📰  NEWS Having trouble sticking to your exercise plan? Let’s explore the relationship between goal-setting and training success to get some help.
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DISCIPLINE
The Reluctant Discipler

A few years after Christ’s ascension, an older disciple in Damascus named Ananias was going about his daily routine when the Lord interrupted with a vision. “Ananias!”

“Yes, Lord,” he answered.

“Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”

Ananias knew that name. Everyone knew that name. Saul of Tarsus, the zealot who had been leading the violent persecution of believers, dragging men and women to prison and even lending a hand to the mob that murdered Stephen, the first Christian martyr. And now God was asking him to walk into a house and lay hands on this man?

“Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”

But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

Ananias went. Despite his reservations, despite the risk, despite feeling completely unqualified to disciple the most notorious persecutor of Christians in the Roman world. He walked to Straight Street, entered the house, placed his hands on Saul and said the words that would change history: “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

Brother Saul. From their first meeting, Ananias treated this former enemy as family.

Two thousand years later in Wilmington, North Carolina, another older believer named Owings would answer a similar call.

A Modern Ananias

Some mornings, I’d show up at Port City Java before the sun rose. When the espresso machine hummed in rhythm with the sleepy shuffle of the opening barista and the first scones were being placed behind the glass, I was already in my spot. Bible open. Journal and pen nearby. Hungry heart waiting to be fed.

Over the years, I started to notice a man. Same windbreaker. Same well-worn Bible. Same kind smile. Same quiet focus. It didn’t matter which coffee shop I was at, it seemed like he was always there. And always the same pattern: a younger man across the table, listening intently. Whoever the young guy was, his Bible was usually open too. They sat across the table from each other, but they were shoulder to shoulder together in discipleship, week after week.

I didn’t know the man’s name, but I had admired him from afar for literally years. I assumed he was a retired pastor or missionary. He carried that quiet authority, the kind that doesn’t need to announce itself. I figured I’d introduce myself one day ... maybe, if I mustered the courage.

One morning, I walked in and saw him sitting alone. He glanced at his watch and looked toward the door. No one came. For the first time in years, he sat alone. After a few minutes, I realized this was my chance and walked over, introducing myself and telling him I’d seen him discipling young men for years. I told him how much I admired him. He smiled and said his name was Owings. Just one name. Simple. Unforgettable.

And then he asked me: “Would you like to grab coffee next week?”

That invitation changed everything. I became the “younger guy across the table.”

A Scarred Man Who Listened

When we first met, I was still reeling from heartbreak. Divorce. The aftershock of the fire at the Forge. Unanswered questions. Emotional fog. I needed someone steady. Someone older. Someone who knew Jesus and had the maturity to share it with me, to teach me.

Owings was willing to be that man. Like Ananias with Saul, he didn’t rush to judge my past or demand explanations for my failures. He listened. He didn’t try to fix me or toss out a dozen Bible verses. He just listened with empathy born of experience and that kind smile. And when he did speak, it wasn't platitudes. It was truth that radiated grace. Rooted in the Word of God and story. His story.

Owings had grown up in the South, lost his twin brother in a tragic drowning accident, and carried that wound for life. He was a businessman, not a pastor. He and his wife raised three daughters and lived the “church life,” attending all the services, serving on committees, doing all the right things.

But it wasn’t until his daughters dragged him to a different church that something changed. Not religion. Not tradition. He met Jesus. Really met Him. Truly surrendered to Christ.

Years later, Owings would also lose everything financially. Betrayed by a business partner, he had tasted humiliation, panic, and that internal whisper: You’re not enough. But he didn’t let it crush him.

Instead, God used the ashes of those seasons of heartache and transformation to prepare him for what came next. Like Ananias, who probably never imagined he'd be discipling the future apostle Paul, Owings began humbly investing in others, one cup of coffee, one young man, one early morning at a time.

He met with me weekly for a year. We talked. We prayed. He pointed me to Jesus. Always to Jesus. And then, one day, he mentioned that he was ready to graduate me. That our formal time together was ending.

I had mixed emotions. I was thankful for our time and that he had seen growth in me. But I knew I was going to miss our meetings.

A few short years later, he was gone, called home to be with the Lord.

Obedience = Your Qualification

Here’s what strikes me about both Ananias and Owings: neither felt particularly qualified for their assignments. Ananias was just “a disciple” … no impressive title, no seminary degree. When God called him to disciple Saul, his first response was essentially, “Lord, are you sure about this guy?”

Owings was a businessman who’d had his own share of failures and heartbreak. When he started meeting with men over coffee, he wasn’t operating from a position of strength but from a place of surrendered brokenness.

Yet both men shared the same essential qualifications: they were available, they were willing, and they had learned to listen to God’s voice.

The pattern is clear throughout Scripture. God doesn’t use perfect men for discipleship: He uses honest ones. David committed murder and adultery, and God called him a man after His own heart. Peter denied Christ three times, and Jesus rebuilt him into the rock of the early church. Paul was a persecutor of Christians who became Christianity’s greatest evangelist.

What qualified these men wasn't their perfection but their willingness to be used despite their brokenness.

The Call to Availability

If you’re reading this and thinking, I’ve messed up too much to mentor anyone, let me remind you of something: the Bible is full of broken men whom God used mightily. You’re not disqualified by your past. You’re qualified by God's grace.

If you're feeling inadequate, you’re in good company. Ananias felt inadequate. Owings felt inadequate. Moses argued with God at the burning bush. Gideon hid in a winepress. Jeremiah claimed he was too young. Isaiah proclaimed his lack of fitness as a result of his unclean lips.

God’s response to all of them was the same: “Go! I will be with you.”

The discipleship our broken world desperately needs doesn’t require seminary training or pastoral credentials. It requires what Ananias and Owings had: a willingness to show up, open the Bible, and let the Holy Spirit guide the conversation.

Mentorship doesn’t require a platform or a program. It requires presence. A willingness to share your walk with Jesus in the everyday rhythms of life … at the gym, on the job, over breakfast, over coffee.

Like Paul wrote to the Thessalonians:

Preparing for Your Assignment

So how do you prepare to be an Ananias or an Owings? How do you position yourself to hear God’s voice when He calls you to invest in another guy?

First, cultivate spiritual sensitivity through daily time in God’s Word and prayer. Both Ananias and Owings were men of prayer who had learned to recognize God’s voice. You can’t participate in His discipleship plans if you’re not tuned in to His frequency. Make this daily connection non-negotiable.

Second, be willing to share your story (including your failures). Your scars may be someone else’s survival guide. The very experiences that brought you shame may become the bridge that helps another man find hope. Owings’ business failures and personal heartbreak weren'’t disqualifications: they were preparations for the men God would bring into his life.

Third, stay available. Discipleship opportunities rarely come with advance notice or formal invitations. They show up as divine appointments at coffee shops, in conversations after church, through relationships at work. When God points someone in your direction (even someone you might not expect) be ready to say yes.

The Discipler’s Legacy

I miss Owings. But I carry his legacy with me, as I’m sure the countless other men he invested in do as well. His willingness to answer God’s call despite feeling unqualified created a ripple effect that continues long after his graduation to glory.

That’s the beauty of discipleship … especially when responding to the call requires that we overcome our reservations. When ordinary men say yes to God’s extraordinary invitations, lives are transformed, families are strengthened, and the kingdom advances one relationship at a time.

Ananias probably never imagined that his nervous walk down Straight Street would lead to discipling the man who would write half the New Testament and plant churches across the Roman Empire. Owings probably never imagined that his coffee shop conversations would help shape men who would go on to disciple others.

But that’s how God works. He uses available people more than perfect people. He uses willing hearts more than impressive résumés.

The question isn’t whether you’re qualified to disciple someone. The question is whether you’re available when God calls your name, points to a man who needs what you have to offer, and says, “Go!”

Like Ananias walking down Straight Street, like Owings sitting in that coffee shop, you may feel inadequate for the assignment. But remember: God doesn’t call the equipped. He equips the called.

Your next discipleship assignment might be closer than you think. Are you ready to answer when He calls your name?

THIS JUST IN
📣 NEWS FROM AROUND THE WEB

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“For physical training is of some value …” 1 Timothy 4:8

The Science of Short-Term Success 🧵1/2 Want to double your training consistency? Stop setting long-term fitness goals. Research tracking men over 50 reveals that short-term, event-based goals produce dramatically higher adherence rates compared to long-term goals. This review of goal-setting studies found that process goals (ex. completing three workouts each week) were three times more effective than performance goals (ex. losing 20 pounds two months). Why? Guys respond better to the rewards of immediate accomplishment than distant outcomes. Signing up for a 5K in eight weeks creates natural process targets: three weekly training sessions, gradually increasing distance, dialing in pace. Your brain gets regular dopamine hits from completing each workout rather than waiting months to step on the scale. Sports psychology research shows this approach satisfies psychological needs for competence and progress that keep you coming back. The takeaway: ambitious long-term visions matter, but short-term goals get you there. Next week: Your roadmap for selecting and structuring winning short-term goals.

Sleep
“I lie down and sleep. I wake again because the Lord sustains me.” Psalms 3:5

PILLOW FIGHT: Which foam pillow type wins for men over 50: cervical vs wedge? Clinical evidence reveals the answer depends on your primary health concern. Cervical pillows excel for neck pain and spinal alignment, with research showing significant the neck pain reduction that plagues most of us. However, wedge pillows prove superior for sleep apnea, which impacts 25% of men in this age group. Studies show 7.5-10 degree elevation reduces sleep apnea episodes and cuts acid reflux symptoms by up to 87%. For most mature men dealing with multiple conditions (sleep apnea, GERD, and cardiovascular issues that often coexist after 50), wedge pillows provide broader benefits than cervical options. The verdict: wedge pillows win for comprehensive health benefits, while cervical pillows remain ideal for isolated neck issues.