How should we think about our influence as disciples? We tend to worry about how the world will influence us, our children, our churches, and our values, but Christians must remember that influence is a two-way street. Our Lord taught us that we are salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16). The gospel is invading the world, and we are its heralds. In one of Jesus’ shortest and strangest parables, Jesus also tells us that our influence is leaven. “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took...…