Okay, so I know it's been a long time since I blogged, and I was aiming to write at least once a week. I think I just got discouraged because I think I was the only one reading it, and, well, my journal can suffice for that. Anyway, I'm going to try again and hope you all will be able to read along and participate. If all of the life group leaders would occasionally (once or twice a week) visit this site to get caught up on Life Group "stuff", as well as to read the postings and comment on them, I do think it would be a way for us to have "virtual meetings," so to speak. I'm NOT aiming to replace our once-a-month trainings, per-se, because I do believe we need some time to build authentic, non-cyber relationships with one another, but this would actually be a great way to stay in touch, especially since there are some of you who have previous commitments during our scheduled meeting times. I, of all people, do understand the busy lives we all lead. I'm going to put myself on the line here at this blog, and I hope you ALL will join me. As far as I know, 100% of us are online, so, frankly, I see no reason why this couldn't work. (But please let me know if I've overlooked something.)
So, here's a trial run:
Read the following entry and answer the question (in bold) below. To do so, simply click on the # comments button at the bottom right of this blog entry, type your answer in the box, and sign in under "name." You can choose to leave you e-mail or not, it's up to you, then click on publish comment. Since this is technically a public blog (though I haven't told anyone about it, other than Life Group Leaders) you should leave out people's names other than your own, and try not to disclose personal information. What I'm looking for here is a general discussion, not a personal airing of dirty laundry or a gossip column.
Topic: Jesus is so radically different from anything this world naturally knows, that often He has to prepare us before He can fill us.
"And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. If he does, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, he pours new wine into new wineskins." -Mark 2:22
How can you relate this verse to what you've seen in our culture, your own personal life, or even better, to what you've seen or done in your Life Group? (In other words, so what?)
I'll be posting my own comment soon, but I'll wait for your responses first.
Next item of "virtual discussion/meeting": How are we creating a sense of community/connectedness/belonging within our groups?
I truly love you all, value your voices, and do what I do in order to serve Him and serve you. My goal is that Life Groups at Crossroads are the best they can be, and that our Life Group Leaders are the most equipped, prayed-over, knowledgeable, accountable, passionate, loving, and nurtured leaders in the world.
Have a wonderful day, and alter your world!
4 comments:
Since it's so late, this may not make sense, but for me, when we started our Life Group, I was a little apprehensive. Andy is really great with teenagers, but I'm more at a comfort level with the younger, elementary school age or younger crowd. So when we decided to do the youth life group, I knew it would be something beyond my imagination. If I had done a youth group or something before, maybe I would have had a preconceived idea of how things would go and get discouraged b/c it would have been different, or maybe I would have simply been hurt by something before that would make me not open up to doing a group. I guess I'll never know that but what I do know now is that through this group, I have gotten to know some new youth and some of our boys' friends that I wouldn't have been able to ever build a relationship with before to have that open door that if any of them ever need us, we're there. I dream still of the day that one of them, or a new one, comes to me and says they see how we live our life and would like that for theirs and ask me to lead them into salvation. Wouldn't that be awesome! Anyways, as I've rambled on, sorry. I just wanted to get the point across that I'm a "new wineskin" to the "wine" of the youth (haha, not the whine...) and I'm excited that God chose that for Andy and I for whatever timeframe he has called us to it for. I'm just happy He trusted us enough and loved us enough to let us do it. To me, it's such a breath from Heaven to know that God uses us...and we're that important to Him. WOW!
I have a confession to make...This is the very first time I have written anything on a blog. (The word "blog" makes me think for ring bologna, so that may be my subconscious reason for not going into the unknown?) My trip home to Iowa for Thanksgiving--hanging out with people who really cater to their 'natural' ways--has made to me very clear the truth of our human nature and the need for complete newness, both in the wine and the wineskins before God can give us his wine. Old wine reminds me of our stale, lifeless, and altogether natural way we gravitate toward centering everything around ourselves. We can even be so corrupt as to make it look like we want to do for others, but it can be just another perverse way we fill a desire to be needed. (The problem is, we're too busy looking for ways to fill us that we miss that God really does need us...and so do others.) So we fill our lives with more of ourselves. But, whoah! Old skins go and new ones come! There's nothing like having God change the way you look at him and at others. I've found that in his preparing me for new wine, I care a little less about me and a little more about things outside of me; not in a bitter or frustrated way, but a compassionate one. I'm still a new skin being stretched and I think that's good. If you think about new baby's skin, it's meant to change and recover easily as it stretches over a rapidly growing body. Old skin that is stretched over a rapidly growing body (as in the process of pregnancy, as some are familiar with!)gives only so far before it is scarred. I like to think that although the burden of caring like God does about others is huge and overwhelming, the new skin of life in Christ allows me to stretch and accomodate God's heart.
I think God is trying to challenge me in the area of allowing groups to take their own form. I don't think there is one right way to do a LIFE group. We just have to look for the right way for US to do our group. I am hoping that the way I have done church for the last 6 years is washed away and that he will give me a new wineskin (a new way to do ministry) so that I can handle the new wine he has for us (reaching people never reached before).
"There are ways of doing church that no one has ever thought of yet!" - Mark Batterson
Thanks for taking the time to post comments! I think your insights are extremely valuable, each one of you.
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