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In the world of disciple-making, "watching" is a bad word. We don't watch—we engage.

In this episode of this powerful series, Thomas Clark sits down with his long-time friend and "mission partner," Ruth Price. At 77 years young, Ruth is a living testimony that God’s call on your life doesn't have a retirement date. Operating out of the historical Austin neighborhood in Chicago, Ruth shares how she transitioned from simply being a resident to becoming a missional, incarnational presence on her block.

In this episode, we explore:

• The Incarnational Impulse: What it means to be "enfleshed" with Christ in your first place—the neighborhood where you live.
• Breaking the "Castle" Mentality: Moving from seeing our homes as private fortresses to viewing them as outposts for the Kingdom.
• Technology as a Tool for Peace: How Ruth uses email and social media to connect over 80 neighbors, proving that tech is only as "good" or "evil" as the purpose behind it.
• Earning the Right to be Heard: The journey of inviting people into your life until they trust you enough to invite you into theirs.

Every problem is a discipleship problem, and Christ transforms culture through His followers. Are you ready to stop waving from your car and start doing a "deep dive" into the lives of the people around you?

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• Your "I Will" Statement: Based on today’s conversation, what is one specific action you will take this week to bring peace to your neighborhood? Who will you share it with?

Let’s Take Off!

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In Part 2 of my conversation with Timothy Bell, we continue exploring how a Disciple Making Movement (DMM) meets the real needs of real communities by showing up where people actually live, work, and gather. Timothy reflects on what it means to be incarnate among neighbors who face cultural tension, insecurity, and fear—especially in a community where he is one of only two non-Hispanic residents on his block. Together, we talk about how Jesus shows up through relationships, trust-building, and presence, and how seniors, children, and even the incarcerated—all often overlooked—remain image bearers who matter deeply to God. This episode highlights how Christ is already moving in these spaces and how disciples join Him, not by imposing solutions, but by listening, learning, and responding with compassion.

We also unpack what it looks like to assess the real needs of a community rather than assuming them. Timothy shares practical stories—from seed-planting social momentums, to cross-cultural learning from neighbors, to listening sessions with coworkers and inmates—that reveal how being present leads to transformation. We discuss the difference between ethnocentrism and ethnography, why slowing down helps us discern what people truly need, and how servant leaders learn from the very people they serve. This episode invites you to see how Jesus uses ordinary disciples in everyday places to create a local theology, a local testimony, and a local expression of His presence. You will walk away challenged and encouraged to ask: Where is God already moving around me—and how can I join Him?

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In this episode of the Take Off Podcast, we continue our Season 4 series exploring how a Disciple Making Movement (DMM) helps meet the needs of the community. Thomas Clark welcomes Timothy Bell — a long-time friend, servant leader, husband, father, and now grandfather — to share how he lives as an incarnate presence of Jesus in his everyday context. Building on the foundation that Christ transforms culture through His followers, Thomas and Timothy discuss how disciple-making is inherently contextual. While the biblical foundation remains the same, the expression of disciple-making looks different depending on where each person lives. Through stories of neighboring, prayerful presence, and intentional engagement, this episode shows how ordinary disciples can make extraordinary impact when they show up in the flesh where God has placed them.

Timothy shares his experience living in a predominantly Hispanic community, learning culture through relationships, identifying persons of peace, and building trust with neighbors through simple acts of love and consistency. He also speaks candidly about being incarnate in his workplace — a maximum-security correctional facility — where he brings the peace of Christ to both inmates and co-workers through compassion, prayer, and everyday conversations. From missional neighboring to social momentums to serving seniors in his third place, Timothy’s life demonstrates how DMM is lived out across real neighborhoods, real workplaces, and real challenges. This episode encourages listeners to see their own homes, jobs, and hangout spaces as mission fields where Jesus desires to show up through them.

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In Part 2 of our conversation with Nicky Adams, we go deeper into how a Disciple-Making Movement (DMM) helps reveal and meet the real needs of a community—not just the surface ones we often assume. Nicky unpacks how she has learned to discern needs by being present, listening, engaging in real conversations, and honoring every person as God’s Imago Dei. She shares how offering food or clothing may be helpful at times, but often the deeper need is dignity, attention, safety, mental health support, or simply someone willing to care enough to stop and listen. From families anxious about losing government assistance, to youth disconnected from school, to neighbors overwhelmed by addiction and hopelessness, Nicky shows how needs assessment in a DMM is not about programs—it’s about people. And the more she treats those around her as image-bearers, the more her neighborhood begins to open, trust, and change.

This episode also explores the importance of being ethnographic rather than ethnocentric. Nicky candidly reflects on moments from her past when she judged others through her own cultural lens—and how Christ corrected her toward humility, empathy, and understanding. As she shares stories from her block, her workplace, and her daily prayer walks, we see how incarnation builds safety, presence, and relational equity. Neighbors now know her name. People speak, look out for one another, and even the atmosphere on her street feels different. Nicky’s testimony is a powerful picture of what happens when ordinary disciples show up where they live, work, learn, and play—trusting that Christ is transforming culture through them. This episode challenges every listener to assess needs the way Jesus did, love people where they truly are, and step boldly into the mission field right outside their front door.

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In this first conversation with Nicky Adams, Thomas Clark continues Season 4’s deep dive into how a Disciple Making Movement (DMM) helps meet real needs in real communities. Nicky shares powerfully about her journey toward becoming truly incarnate—showing up in the flesh where she lives, just as Christ shows up through His followers. She talks about learning to step outside her home, walk her neighborhood, talk with people, and listen long enough to discern their real needs. From singing with a woman on the street who desperately needed hope, to building trust with neighbors, to identifying missing resources like shelter, security, and a sense of hope, Nicky models how the peace of Christ becomes tangible through simple acts of presence, compassion, and courage. Her story reveals how DMM begins not with programs but with proximity—being present among the people God loves.

Nicky also opens up about what incarnational ministry looks like in her second place—her workplace. She describes how Christ “hides Himself” in her job through her kindness, sincerity, prayerfulness, and the way she honors every coworker by name. From posting encouraging messages, to offering hugs, to listening with compassion, to sharing pieces of her own story of loss and healing, Nicky shows how the gospel becomes visible through everyday interactions. In her third place, the local Walgreens, she consistently meets the same people, including employees, neighbors, and unhoused individuals. There she practices spiritual attentiveness—offering food, encouragement, and dignity, planting gospel seeds in one of the community’s most ordinary-but-holy spaces. This episode beautifully demonstrates how a disciple making movement grows when ordinary believers live intentionally in their first, second, and third places, embodying the love and presence of Jesus in culturally relevant ways.

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In Part 2 of “How a Disciple-Making Movement Helps Meet the Needs of the Community,” Thomas Clark continues his conversation with Stevyn and Juguana Bonner, pressing into what incarnational presence looks like in our third places—the everyday spaces we hang out. From youth sports stands where students know Stevyn as “Pops,” to spontaneous invitations for neighbors to join the family for bowling or golf, to simple conversations at the local ice-cream shop, the Bonners show how ordinary rhythms become on-ramps to relationship and peace. Thomas ties this to Luke 16:8 and a practical “needs assessment” mindset: rather than assuming what people need, we learn it by showing up near home, listening well, and building trust over time.

The episode then gets honest about ethnocentrism vs. ethnography—moving from projecting our culture onto others to humbly learning people’s stories and serving from their vantage point. The Bonners share how this posture has birthed real community on their block (neighbors meeting neighbors, spiritual conversations starting naturally) and a friendlier atmosphere at work. Thomas frames it as glocal discipleship: serving a global Christ with a local theology in the places we live, work, learn, and play. You’ll be challenged to craft your “I will…” statement—how you will show up this week—and to share it with someone who will walk with you as you help others take their next step toward Jesus.

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In Season 4, Episode 5 of the Take Off Podcast, Thomas Clark welcomes Stephen and Juguana Bonner to continue our series on how a Disciple Making Movement (DMM) meets the real needs of a community. Together they unpack what it means to live incarnationally—to let Jesus show up through us in our first, second, and third places (where we live, work, learn, play, and hang out). From their block in Bolingbrook to everyday errands and front-yard conversations, the Bonners model simple, reproducible rhythms like 2×2×2 (worship/DBS, serving, and social momentum) that build trust, reveal needs, and invite neighbors into meaningful relationship. You’ll hear how “being present” and slowing the pace turns ordinary moments into sacred opportunities where Christ’s peace is both seen and felt.

The episode then moves to the workplace, where Stephen and Joanna share honest, practical stories of representing Jesus with compassion—listening well, praying when invited, serving beyond expectations—and how small acts of kindness can open surprising doors. Thomas connects these moments to movement thinking: it’s a marathon, not a sprint; we invite people into our lives until they invite us into theirs. You’ll be encouraged to craft your “I will…” statement—what you’ll start or stop this week—and to share it with someone who will walk with you. Stay to the end for a sneak peek at the next conversation, where the Bonners show how casual, shared activities (golf, bowling, coffee) become natural on-ramps for disciple-making life together.

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In Season 4, Episode 4 of the Take Off Podcast, Thomas Clark continues his rich conversation with missional pastor and ICU nurse Nalisha Logan in Part 2 of “How a Disciple Making Movement Helps Meet the Needs of the Community.” Building on Part 1, this episode dives deeper into how we actually discern and address the real needs of the places where we live, work, learn, and play. Nalisha shares how simply being present, asking good questions, and listening well have helped her assess the needs of her neighborhood and workplace—from prayerful walks on her block to creative dog meetups that build social momentum with neighbors. Together, Thomas and Nalisha draw a powerful contrast between just “planting a church” and organically discovering what a community truly needs, so that we can show up in ways that are both culturally relevant and theologically sound.

The conversation then moves into the crucial difference between being ethnocentric and being ethnographic—not forcing our culture on others, but learning to see and serve people through their own stories, cultures, and experiences. Through examples from Nalisha’s work in a diverse hospital setting and everyday life in her neighborhood and local Starbucks, listeners see what it looks like to care for the whole person and cultivate genuine, mutual relationships where Christ’s peace is felt. Thomas frames all of this as developing a “local theology and testimony”—a glocal faith that reflects a global Christ in a very local context. As always, the episode ends with a challenge: How will you show up to meet the needs around you, and what is your “I will…” statement as you live out disciple-making in your community?

Please consider following this podcast so that you do not miss an episode. Also, please support the work we are doing with either a monthly or yearly subscription. Subscribers will receive early access to episodes along with other perks.

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