For generations, many Christian men have faithfully gone to church, worked hard, provided for their families, and hoped someone else would teach their wives and children the Bible. But God never intended biblical discipleship to be outsourced. Throughout Scripture, He calls ordinary men to know His Word, live it out in everyday life, and intentionally pass it on to the next generation. Disciple Daily exists to help make that possible by equipping everyday believers to understand God's story, practice it faithfully, and teach it to others.

If you've ever thought, "I'm not a teacher," "I don't know enough," or "The Bible is just too hard to understand," then Dick Mills' story may sound remarkably familiar. His journey proves that when the Bible is understood as one continuous story pointing to Jesus, ordinary men gain the confidence to become spiritual leaders in their own homes. His testimony is an invitation to every husband, father, grandfather, and mentor to take the next step—from simply believing God's Word to studying it, practicing it, and teaching it to those God has entrusted to their care.

My name is Richard "Dick" Mills. I am a 72-year-old Michigander who was raised Methodist. As a child, I was forced by my mother to attend Vacation Bible School (VBS). After years of practice, I became quite adept at constructing a nearly perfect cross from Popsicle sticks and a small amount of glue. We all learned the stories about Noah, Jonah, and Jesus. To me, they were just that—cute little stories told in a jumble during the grueling two weeks of VBS taking place every summer, at the beginning of my Michigan vacation, when all I really wanted was to be outside with my friends.

As an adult, I attempted to read the Bible numerous times, but my poor reading skills, courtesy of a public school education, hampered the effort. To me, the Bible was a poorly organized compilation of stories that closely resembled poetry. I hate poetry!

About twenty years ago, I began attending Hillside Fellowship near San Antonio, Texas where I became fascinated with Pastor Dave Tooker's style of preaching. He put the Bible into modern-day language that I could relate to, and my interest began to grow. But to me the Bible was still a pile of unrelated stories spanning thousands of years with no clear order that I could build on.

About a year ago, I joined a Bible study at a friend’s home called Life of the Messiah, from a Jewish Perspective. During one of our first meetings, Arlie Francis made a guest appearance to  introduce us to a learning method using hand signs he called Talk Thru the Bible. He explained the origin of this method as being Walk Thru the Bible, founded by Bruce Wilkinson in 1976.  



Now picture this: I'm a Yankee from Michigan in a room full of men—some I barely knew—speaking loudly and waving my hands around in an exaggerated fashion. Understand that as Yankees we sit quietly in church, and nobody ever yells, “AMEN!," by themselves. After we got over our self-consciousness, looking like a group of drunks in a bar discussing the other drunks from the previous Friday night, it actually started to make sense.

We started in the middle of the Bible—with the "silent" 400 years between Malachi and Matthew, what I now like to think of as the beginning of the New Testament. Suddenly my public school GED kicked in. For the first time in my life, order came out of the chaos. Instead of a bunch of cute little stories haphazardly thrown into two different books—the Old and New Testaments—the Bible became ONE BOOK telling one complete history.
For me, Arlie’s Talk Thru the Bible process brought order to the entire learning process. In a tight little circle of seven men, we discussed how those years between the Old and New Testaments were full of history that I had never known. They formed the bridge I needed to understand the context of the Gospels and the rest of the New Testament. Learning the hand signs, keywords and their explanation enabled me to explain things to my wife that she never learned, despite years of Catholic school and catechism.

Today I attend two Bible studies. One is led by Arlie. Often it is held in a local restaurant, where we push tables together to accommodate our ever-growing group. When we go through the hand signs, other patrons don't look at us like a bunch of drunks grabbing breakfast after a long night of drinking. They're curious about what we're doing and interested in our study.

Now, I actually look forward to exploring the Bible now because this strategy has placed he entire narrative story of Scripture into a chronological framework that helps me fill in the unknown gaps. For the first time in my life, the Bible makes sense as one continuous story, and I can't wait to learn what comes next.

Dick's story is not remarkable because he became a Bible scholar. It is remarkable because he discovered that God's Word was written for ordinary people willing to learn it one story at a time. As the Bible came alive, so did his confidence—not only to understand it himself, but to explain it to his wife, encourage other men, and participate in conversations that point people toward Christ. That is how disciples are made: one life influencing another through God's story.

Every Christian man has been entrusted with a sacred responsibility. Whether you lead a household, influence grandchildren, mentor younger believers, or simply share a breakfast table with friends, God has given you people to disciple. You don't need a seminary degree or all the answers. You simply need a willingness to study God's story, practice it in your daily life, and faithfully pass it on. If God could transform Dick's confusion into confidence, He can do the same for you. Your family—and the generations that follow—are waiting for someone to lead. Why shouldn't that someone be you?