Discipleship Topics

Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. – Psalm 119:105

Life can be hard. Everyone is dealing with difficult challenges. We have a tendency to downplay struggles with a sense of blind optimism. Balancing the joy of the Lord and the trials in life can coexist. These topics help us draw nearer to God to better understand his character and our identity in him. For years I have gathered people together to talk about the Word of God to help people grow in their faith. I didn’t have words like mentor, discipleship, or theology when I was a new believer but God impressed upon my heart early on that loving God, loving others, and helping people grow in their faith was part of my Kingdom calling.

If you are hosting a retreat, event, or program where discipleship training is needed, check these topics to see if they would be a good fit for your group.

Featured Topic: Connecting with Christ at passover

Have you ever wondered what Kosher actually means? Are you confused about how Passover and Easter fit together and why it matters? Would you like to experience what happened at the Last Supper? A Passover Seder event is a perfect opportunity for people of all ages and faith backgrounds to connect with Christ each year.

The Old Testament books of the Bible are not random stories recounting wars and famine. The New Testament is not a confusing book of dos and don’ts. Together they reveal a beautiful tapestry of love and passion that connects us to the Creator of the universe. Understanding Jewish history, culture, and tradition helps connect people with the God of the Bible in a deeper way.

Connecting with Christ at Passover: A Symbolic Seder Event with a book by the same name, helps you understand God’s plan for his people Last Supper, a Seder Passover meal that links the Old and New Testaments of the Holy Bible. Bible references lead you through the Word of God as you experience the rich symbolism of the ancient tradition of the Passover Seder. This interactive topic is perfect for families, small groups, or large Passover events.

The interactive format provides easy-to-understand teaching about kosher food, the Hebrew words of Passover, how to prepare for the Passover, and hosting a Passover Seder. It provided practical tips on table settings, and shopping lists and includes recipes, craft activities, and resources for everything you need to easily host a Passover Seder. A special section helps people who are seeking Jesus connect with Him for the first time. Bible references lead you through the Word of God as you experience the rich symbolism of the ancient tradition of the Passover Seder. This is a great opportunity to learn more about the God of the Bible. This Passover Seder event follows an interactive format with excerpts and scripts from Connecting with Christ at Passover: A Symbolic Seder Experience.

The event can include:

• Traditional Kosher Passover Meal
• Interactive Seder Dinner
• Shofar Demonstration (where available)
• Traditional Jewish Dance
• Introduction to Hebrew
• Photo presentation from the Holy Lands

Grab Your Lantern: Shining Light on the Next Generation

This talk includes Trish's heart-rending and powerful mother-daughter story and provides tools and new perspectives to reclaim your role as a woman, mother, or grandmother as outlined in Titus 2. Using the pain of her past she encourages women to strengthen the important relationships in life starting with multi-generational relationships inside your family or serving as a spiritual mother to the lost outside your home. This talk appeals to women of all ages and includes a strong call to action toward mentoring younger women.

Reflecting Christ: Implementing Spiritual Disciplines for Life

Using a mirror analogy, this topic challenges women to look at the image they have of themselves and God. How have the lies they believed about their identity in Christ hindered them from fully trusting His promises and plans for their lives? This talk appeals to women of all ages and includes a clear teaching on the spiritual disciplines to reclaim not only who you are but whose you are.

Journey to the Cross

This is a powerful event topic that asks attendees to walk in the footsteps of Jesus in a very visual and transformative way. Looking at Scripture in Jesus' last days, a gospel-focused presentation invites attendees to look at their own sin-the sin that put him on the cross. This event is designed for women and teens and is especially powerful at night combined with a confession bonfire. This topic can stand alone or make the perfect end to a women's retreat.

Empty Your Trash

There is power to overcome lies, sin, and addiction through confession. Empty your trash allows attendees to receive God’s gift of freedom and forgiveness. A Confession Bonfire offers an opportunity to confess sins to God and lay deep, dark, hidden sins at the foot of the cross and burn them away forever. I have seen healing and restoration and witnessed miracles at the Empty Your Trash Bonfire. An add-on creative art program uses ashes from the bonfire to create a tangible memory of the event. This topic is perfect for women and teens.

Connecting with Christ at Passover

An interactive Passover Seder event allows people of all ages and faith backgrounds to connect with Christ to understand God’s plan for his people. The Last Supper, a Seder Passover meal, links the Old and New Testaments. Bible references lead you through the Word of God as you experience the rich symbolism of the ancient tradition of the Passover Seder. This interactive topic is perfect for families, small groups, or large Passover themed events.


“This was the coolest thing ever. I have learned so much about God and Jesus at this event. I am going to read the Bible in a new way now.”

– Father of three

“I am Jewish. I have been practicing the Seder my whole life. I never knew why Christians cared about it. Now I do. Maybe there is something to this New Testament thing. “

– 71-year-old attendee

“I have been attending Mass since birth. I have recited those verses and taken communion my whole life. I never knew why or what the words meant. This changes everything.”

– 70-year-old man

This book is so great. It is written in a way I can understand and can share with my children. The event made it all come alive. We are going to host a Seder next year in our home.”

– Mother of five

To discuss speaking opportunities, connect with Trish at: trish@illuminatetheissue.org