And Jesus asked them, "But who do you say I am?" (Mark 8:29)

You have to like Peter, the burly fisherman who became Christ's leading disciple and the rock upon which Jesus built His church (Matthew 16:18).

Peter failed greatly many times. Many times, he showed his confusion and lack of understanding about the message and ministry of Jesus. He especially failed on the night Jesus was arrested, when he denied three times that he knew his Lord and ran away to save his own skin. Even so, you have to like Peter because he is very much like any of us - an ordinary person trying to be a disciple, who happens to fall short many times. But Peter falls short so often because he is willing to stretch his reach beyond his grasp. He is willing to learn, to grow, to be challenged; he is willing to tak…