I was very excited to interview Jennifer for this series. I first met Jennifer on the soccer fields in February 2017. Over the last 4 years and 8 soccer seasons, I have come to know Jennifer in a different way. When I met Jennifer in 2017, I wasn’t sure what to think about her. She had a very stern demeanor and didn’t offer much room for conversation. At least that was my take away. The other thing I can tell you for sure is that I don’t remember her ever mentioning the Lord. I am not saying that she didn’t. I am only saying I never heard her do so. The reality is that I never tried to get to know her. I, like many women I know, had a jacked up sense of identity. I was not living life knowing that I had to find my identity in Jesus. As I began to understand my identity in Christ I was able to understand Jennifer a little more. What I know about Jennifer is this: She loves her kids, She loves the Lord, She loves and submits to her husband, She is kind and always wants to help others. Now she regularly talks about the Lord and what he is doing in her life. It has been amazing to watch her shift. I definitely see Jesus in her. Jennifer attends the Harrah Nazarene Church. What I love seeing is disciple making spread through many different churches.

Chorley:  How did Discipleship come to your body and what did that look like for your congregation?

Jennifer:  It came to our body through Jamie and Dustin Legrand. Then Dustin Murray also brought a group over to us for a season. It was really funny to me, how I got brought in. There was kind of some bitterness about them(Jamie and Dustin) leaving [the Nazarene church and going to Harrah Church] and that lingered for a long time and it was a big crack in the church. They had been founding members for so long. There were a lot of people that were angry for so long and everyone took it out on that family. I would see them around and I saw how their lives had shifted and changed. I still was a little.. I didn’t want to ask them about it . I noticed but my pride got in the way. I told myself before I went to jujitsu one night, If I see her I am going to ask her. So I sat next to her all night and didn’t ask her. So, the Lord stepped in the way.. Two days later she invited me to a taste and see for her group. I random message. Someone fell through and the Lord told her to invite me. So I refused and the Lord pushed me and I went. We just clicked. It just felt right. I experienced the taste and see. And I knew that is what my heart and soul was looking for. Being part of my church for years, my husband and I knew that what we knew about church was not right. We were spiritually dead and just going through a check list. There were no spiritual conversations happening. Now that I have been through this, we can look back and see how the Lord had moved things over the years for this to happen. Being Open Honest & Vulnerable and getting into the word was what we were missing. We were so busy doing the lords work, we were leaving the Lord out of it. It is hard to talk about how Discipleship came to our church. It was so radical; it was hard for our congregation to except it. It was cool to watch all the disciple makers come into our church, surround us and build us up. They gave us a spiritual facelift.

Chorley: SO, a group of Disciple makers came to your body on mission to make disciples. Is there anything that you think could have been done better? I ask this because it can help others on mission. We can always improve.

Jennifer: I don’t think Dustin’s group did anything wrong. They were very intentional. They were very encouraging. They started conversations that I longed for. The biggest breakdown for our church was that it wasn’t very well communicated what they were there for. I think there was more hesitance when they came because people were confused. I think when they came the wheat really got sorted out. Those that wanted to dig in did. It really breathed new life into the church for us. There were hearts that weren’t prepared to receive their message from God. It was a good learning experience for all of us. Seeing some interested and some not, was good practice for me.

Chorley:  How had Discipleship changed the people in your home?

Jennifer: The biggest thing that it changed was the way that I loved my family. I was able to just go through and apply scripture in my life. It changed my marriage. We have always had a good marriage. But we have never had spiritual conversations. Changing to talking about scripture and praying over each other. The closer I got to the Lord, the closer I got to my husband. We have always been attracted to each other physically but never deep conversations and that has changed to where we also have those conversations. We sit on the porch and talk about the word. Me abiding and putting those things to work… the change in me… is what got my husband interested in discipleship. Us going through it at the same time was great. The Lord had put it on my heart to make sure that I was pouring into my kids as well. It wasn’t on the church to do it for me. Everything I was learning in the word was telling me to show my kids as well. My 12-year-old standing up in front of my family and showing our family what he is learning in the word was so encouraging. It was a blessing to see this in my kid. They are innocent and pour and they baffle you with what they learn. It had transformed out entire family atmosphere from crazy and controlling to love and the word of God. The word being and everyday part of our life was not what we used to do.

Chorley: For me, my extended family doesn’t understand because they don’t live with me so they are very much outsiders to discipleship. I know that I want to find ways to show them, but I don’t know what that looks like yet. How has your extended family perceived all of this transformation?

Jennifer:  I would say it is actually made a huge difference in me being able to have a relationship with my mom and my stepdad. I didn’t have a bad childhood, but I didn’t know how to be open with my mom. I didn’t know how to have relationship with my mom. I don’t know when that happened. My sister has seen this play out and has shifted her. She is hungry for the Lord, and he has done so many good things for her and she is completely done a 180 in her life. The Lord working on me, shifted her and that built pillars of faith in me. The biggest pillar it built in me was the power of prayer. People have to choose for themselves. I know that he showed up for her not because of my prayers but because he wanted to rescue her.

Chorley:  I am an awkward person. All the time. What does it look like for you to make connections with people to where you would invite them into discipleship? It can be hard for some adults to make friends even. What gets you to a point to where you would want to walk with someone for 2 years?

Jennifer:  For me it is making sure that someone is hungry. If I task them with something… would they do it. Not everyone responds well to who I am. So, I would have to make sure they would be very real with me. If they are I would not mind investing in them. If I can also me open, honest, and vulnerable with them. It takes me a while to get to know them. I want people to experience what I have experienced. If they are honest and willing to follow my lead… we can walk together. I always pray for the Lord to put people in my path and make it to where I really recognize they are there. I have to be willing to jump when the Lord says jump.

Chorley: I know that many people have told me I am in a cult. Many. It is a long running joke with a lot of us. How has that experience been for you?

Jennifer:  I haven’t had too many people tell me personally  that I was in a cult. But I felt it at first. I had a feeling like, what are they in to? But then I prayed about it and asked the Lord to show me that it isn’t a cult. That people are just modeling what Jesus modeled. As discipleship came to our church, many people said, that is just a cult. I had to learn to keep my mouth closed because I wanted people to change their mind themselves. Those same people who first thought it was a cult have since gone through discipleship. It is easy that once you set your mind on something, that you believe it is truth. This process is just going after the Lord and the way church was always intended to be.

Chorley: What lies about the Lord or religion do you think you were taught? Not like someone tried to deceive you, but it was just an untruth that may still be taught today by people that just don’t know any better.

Jennifer: I know that people didn’t mean to mislead me. I think believing that salvation being the end of your journey is a lie. It is just the beginning. You can claim to have a relationship with the Lord, but after being saved, you are good, there is nothing else… that’s not the truth. There is so much more to growing and developing a relationship with the Lord. Reading your Bible and learning to know and talk to the Lord. That is our biggest defense against this crazy world.

Chorley: In your opinion what was the hardest part about discipleship?

Jennifer: The hardest part for me was not having one of the girls I walked with, be released with us. Watching how hard the process was and wanting it to be different for them. You form these bonds and friendships that you want to go through things the same. That was not how it went. It was hard to be released without my sister by my side. It was bittersweet and I wanted to cry the whole time. It hurt my heart in a way that many other things didn’t. When someone you love this much hurts, you feel it.

Chorley:   How do you think discipleship has changed how you operate in other areas of your life? You work at a school, and you are on a soccer board.. how have you changed in those areas?

Jennifer: The biggest thing that has changed is that I used to be a very hard person. I have learned to show a lot of grace to kids that may be having a hard day, or co-workers that are struggling. I have learned to respond better to the people that I am around. It has also made me bolder in sharing the word with people that I am around. People that might not know where to look for help. I am just a happier person. I am more confident. Confidence is not something that I have always had. Knowing who I am in the Lord has changed everything. Knowing he has made me a certain way and that has changed everything. People wonder how I went from quiet to happy go lucky.

Chorley: I know that a lot of women buck up at submitting to their husband or a lot of husbands hold a Lordship over their wife. What has the Lord taught you about biblical submission to your husband?

Jennifer: I used to view submission to my husband as a weakness. I needed to be independent. I didn’t want to be told what to do. It was instilled in me that I can make my own choices and not rely on anyone else. In doing that I was also shutting the Lord out of that and what he wanted to do for me in protecting me and guiding me. He put it in me that I wasn’t only blocking my husband but that I wasn’t letting him fully love me. The lord put it on me that I needed to respect my husband and let him lead me. The biggest thing I could do was open the lines of communication and both of us stop assuming and see where we really stood on things. We started make decisions together and let him lead our family and make decisions. Me taking control all the time was stunting him from fully leading us. I think it is super important. Submission is not jump when he says so. It is mutual respect. It is making sure we are both moving towards the Lord because that is ultimately what brings the two of us closer. It is walking out your own obedience. When your spouse isn’t moving toward the Lord, you still need to submit and do what the Lord leads you to do.

Chorley: What has you submitting to your husband taught your children?

Jennifer:  It has taught them that we don’t have to do life alone. We were always meant to go through life with other people helping us. Submitting in this way has taught them what true love and partnership looks like. It shows them how to work with someone for a single goal. Us modeling that for them will show them what to look for when they go to find a husband or a wife. They want to be with someone who will work with them and unity in a marriage is so important. I hope and pray that we are showing them a biblical model of marriage. Allowing God to be at the head of it all has shown them how it should be. We don’t always agree on everything, but there is a way to handle things without storming out or living bitter. We made a choice early on that we are not going to leave each other. This marriage is not temporary. It teaches them respect and to value one another’s opinion.

Chorley What are your hopes or goals for your future in disciple making?

Jennifer: My hope would be that I can show other people how to have a real relationship with the Lord and how to grow that. It is the biggest thing I see missing in most churches that we see today. I want to model that so other people can experience what God wants for people. I want people to experience the transformation that I have. I want them to feel him like I do and choose him more. My only real goal is to point others towards Jesus.

Chorley Are you currently reading anything, outside of the word?

Jennifer:  I still want to read, AT home with the Hebrews. I also am about to start a devotional called, the well-watered life.

I got the chance to ask Jennifer’s husband and her spiritual mother a question. I like these because it gives an amazing witness testimony.

Chorley: How has Jennifer changed since going through Discipleship?

Roy Evans (Jennifer’s husband): There are several things that have changed with her since she started in a discipleship group. Our marriage is much better. A huge issue with our marriage was our kids combined with her father figure issues. She desperately wanted me to be a part of the kids life (so did I) but to do that I had to conform to something that was not possible to conform to and then she would be frustrated and withdraw her self and the kids making it harder for me to be a part of anything. The group of women she was with brought this to the surface for her and while things aren’t perfect they are much better. She doesn’t try to make me conform any more she accepts who I am and allows me the space to be the father I can be. I could keep going but i will move on. Another major change is her understanding of God. Most people that go to church seem to think that activity brings them closer to God. New\baby christians are taught this by default because the need for volunteers to keep the churches running is so high. The activities are a great way to build fellowship with your new church family but it can get confusing to someone who has not been taught how to study the bible. She has shed alot of the “church” things in favor of studying the word for herself. She has shed alot of the “church” things in favor of being a teacher of the word to our children. She has learned to show mercy to baby christians who think they are doing Gods work while (unintentionally) destroying something that she is working towards. The thing I am most proud of though is the balance she is starting to attain between studying\sharing Gods word and staying active doing Gods work. Being in a discipleship group myself I have been introduced to several other groups. In discussion with members of these groups I find many are stuck in what seems to be an attitude of study only and popcorn scripture reference (to be fair I dont know many of these people well and may be off on my perception). The bible points to answered prayer being because your attitude is such that you want what God wants in the first place because of how close you are to him. The book of James, specifically james 2:17, says faith without works is dead. James spends alot of time calling out people that should be working as well as communing. To see her commune with God while working to serve him is an awesome thing for me.

Chorley: What did you learn from discipling Jennifer?

Jamie Legrande: The determination that one person could have. At 1st I thought Jenn would be hard to shift. However she had break through early on. Once the Lord broke through in her life she has been determined to always hear and obey the Lord.

Grace & Peace

Chorley