About Jacob and about this blog

Jacob is the Senior Pastor at Willowbrook Christian Church in Victor, NY. He graduated from Boise Bible College in 2019 and moved to minister in NY in 2025. Jacob and his wife, Tristan, have one son named Ethan. Jacob likes to read, play games, grill, and do woodwork. You can read more of his writing at https://oldiscipleship.blogspot.com/ and at Renew.org.

Jacob likes to teach and preach the Bible; this blog is an outlet for that. There are many important questions about how God's way works in this world and if it is truly worth it. The goal of Online Discipleship is to have a space to answer questions and deepen our understanding of the way of Jesus.

If you have questions, I would love to hear them! Please feel free to leave a comment on one of the blogs about your question.

Comments

How should we respond when a Christian leader has moral failure?

What do we do when we see moral failure in a Christian, especially a Christian leader? Maybe you have seen news come out recently about Philip Yancey, a Christian author and speaker who has influenced Christian thought and teaching through his writing that spans from 1982 to the last few years. Yancey recently confessed to a recent affair that lasted 8 years with a married woman. He stated that he has confessed before God and his wife that he has sinned and that he has withdrawn himself from further ministry. He has started counseling and is focusing the rest of his time on working on his marriage. His wife also made the statement of her hurt and her loss of trust in her husband and her commitment to working through this with Philip because of her vows to him that were made 55 years earlier. She said she knows that Christ's blood has made Philip's forgiveness possible and that she is praying for God to help her reach a place of forgiveness as well. I don't bri...

If God is good, where is He?

Psalm 3:5 "I lie down and sleep; I wake again because the LORD sustains me." Have you ever been asked, "If God is good, where is He?" This is something I have been thinking through lately. I have family and friends who have recently gone through cancer diagnoses and treatments, the loss of loved ones, and other hardships that can be encountered as one navigates life. Two of my friends are reflecting on Psalm 3:5 as they are navigating their difficult circumstances. A natural reaction to unexpected hardship is to ask the question, "If God is good, where is He when life isn't good?" At its core, I understand this struggle. Watching someone you care about hurt is hard to reconcile with a belief in a God who claims to love. Seeing violence and disasters on the news makes it difficult to believe that God is in complete control. Even just the simple struggle of wondering why God doesn't just appear in the sky to remove any doubt, instead of wanting us...

Church History Highlight: Borden of Yale (William Borden)

William Borden (Borden of Yale): 1887-1913 " Lord Jesus, I take hands off as far as my life is concerned. I put Thee on the throne in my heart. Change, cleanse, use me as Thou shalt choose. I take the full power of Thy Holy Spirit. I thank Thee. "(From an entry in Borden's journal) The life of William Borden (Borden of Yale) might be one of the greatest stories that can be used to inspire the next generation to impact the world for Christ. His biographer said it this way: It is probably true, as was stated in the Princeton Seminary Bulletin, that no young man of his age had ever given more to the service of God and humanity; for Borden not only gave his wealth, but also himself, in a way so joyous and natural that it was manifestly a privilege rather than a sacrifice. - Mrs. Howard Taylor (Borden of Yale: The life and legacy of William Borden) While it might be ...

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