Small Groups

Broken Seashells

/ Brian Stephens / 1 Comment

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Recently our family took our annual summer beach vacation.  It’s been a tradition in our family for many years and we always look forward to it.

One thing I can count on and thats God to give me a reminder or a lesson that I need in my life at that exact time.  God is faithful and like a Father loves his children, God knows what we need and when we need it.

One day we were out on the beach enjoying the scorching July heat in Florida. You know what to expect in Florida in July and August….really hot!  It was a beautiful day and the water was calm and the waves were at a minimum.  I was walking in the shallow water looking for some nice shells to pickup.  Matthew, my 10 year old, was curious as to what I was doing.  So I told him I was picking up seashells.  He joined me for a few minutes and I explained to him what to look for. I told him that I look for the shells that are not broken or messed up.   We walked along the beach shoreline a little longer and I said it to him again.  “I only like to keep the shells that are whole and not broken.”  Instantly God reminded me how that sounded and what he thought of us.  It sounded so ugly coming out of my mouth and tying it into the lesson God wanted to teach me that day.

God reminded me our world we live in has a different expectation than he does. Culture embraces looking good on the outside and not displaying any kind of brokeness.  The exact opposite of what God values and loves!  God loves us and takes the brokeness in our lives and uses it to draw us near to him.  He loves taking flawed sinners like each one of us and takes delight in healing us and making us whole. Psalm 147:3 says “he heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.”  God never throws us back into the ocean because we don’t look good.  He picks us up, broken and battered, loves us and reminds us that He sent his one and only Son, Jesus to die on the cross for us (John 3:16).

It was a short, quick lesson that would leave a permanent impression on me and how I felt about broken sea shells.  I thank God that he took a broken, messed up person like myself and made me whole in Christ.  He gave me a new life, a new identity, a different outlook on life.  God wants to do the same thing in your life today if you will let him!

 

 

 

Groups are where Growth Happens

/ Brian Stephens / 3 Comments

 

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Groups are where Growth Happens.

In my 19 years as a follower of Christ, I have been involved in larger and smaller churches. I have sat in services of 1000+ and services of 150. While both have their pluses and minuses, one thing they have in common is their inability to connect people in relationships how God has wired us.

You may hear a good sermon, listen to some great worship music but when it comes to truly growing in your relationships with God, others must be involved. Growing in your walk with Christ cannot just be vertical it must be horizontal. This normally happens in a Small group, Life group or Community Group, whatever you decide to call it. It is where people can get real with people and talk about spiritual thoughts in their mind and heart. There are not many places where talking about such things is acceptable but in a small group, talking about God is understood and expected.

The conversation should flow about life in general, but always point back to God. After all, He is the rock of our salvation. He is the main reason we are all getting together, isn’t he? Groups all have different ebb and flow, depending on their leader and culture to which the group is formed. But something happens when people get together in Jesus name, lives begin to be transformed. This is done intentionally and takes time.

 Here are 6 things a healthy small group does:

1. Pray. The leader must encourage other group members to have a special, personal time with God daily. They must also pray for ‘one another’. There is nothing more encouraging than knowing you are being prayed for by somebody else.

2. Meet regularly. Weekly is the goal to shoot for. If weekly can’t be done than twice a month can work, but is not the optimum meeting time. A lot of life happens every day, so meeting weekly gives group members a chance to be able to share what God has done and is doing in their lives.

3. Pick relevant material to study/discuss. You won’t hit a home run with every study you do, but you should be close to where people are living life every day in your group. Mix up the topics as well as the method you are choosing for delivery.

4. Making group members feel Valued and Loved. While everybody has a different motive to get involved in a small group, one thing is common, when group members know that you care about them, they will continue to attend group.

5. Plan activities outside of your normal meeting time. Make sure you schedule dates and times just to do life together. Picnic at park, game night, bowling, dinner and movies, you name it; just make sure you do something away from your typical meeting environment.

6. Plan to serve together. A healthy group is not strictly inward focused, but strives towards meeting other people’s needs. When you serve together in the community, it brings a sense of unity to the group that you can only experience by serving others.

These are just a few of the things that will grow your group stronger!