“The more developed one’s spiritual core, the greater one’s influence to impact our world in significant ways for a cause greater than themselves” [pg. 4].

“Think of those who have motivated you toward great things, who have brought out the very best in you. Was it their leadership skills or was it something about their character and vision that touched your life?” [pg. 6].

I confess those two quotes immediately made me think about small groups and how they are geared towards making those things happen. We get to know others who inspire us, learn from and grow with them, and then go out and make a difference in our world.

But it’s not totally devoid of virtues. One of the things that I find to be a positive thing, though, is it gives us a window into people’s thinking. The things we’ll all say when sitting behind a computer screen never ceases to amaze me (apparently we forget what we’re saying is going out across the WORLD WIDE web).

I’ve seen a number of posts that are quite revealing, though. People who claim to be Christians will post things that clearly reveal their thinking is shaped by culture, not by their Christian beliefs. They’ll post, and also explicitly endorse, things that run completely counter to Christian doctrine.

So the question that haunts me is how do I become an effective agent of change? How do I help move people towards a biblical worldview? Or can I help? Am I kidding myself? Small groups are a positive step, but only a small one, and there clearly needs to be more.

I’m listening….

http://www.parenting.com/article/the-new-science-of-mother-baby-bonding

I remind my small group leaders that if attendance is low, it’s probably not them. They’re not being abandoned by their group. They haven’t screwed up. The group isn’t falling apart.

We’ve done small groups for years, and this is a very common occurrence. So relax. If the group is smaller, enjoy the more focused conversation and the fellowship of a smaller number.

My small group (or one of them, anyway) is studying reasons for confidence in the resurrection, and there are a surprisingly large number of them. As Christians we can have complete confidence in the resurrection.

How cool is our faith?

If I had to choose between a knowledgeable, theologically savvy person with little passion for people, and a person who loves people but has not read as widely in theology, I’d choose the latter.

I prefer to avoid it if at all possible. Real, authentic discipleship takes time to develop. Community doesn’t happen overnight. Splitting groups can disrupt that. But sometimes it has to be done.

I am part of a group that has 26 members when everybody shows. Regularly there are over 20. The dynamics of the group are fabulous, which is rare with a group of that size. That’s why I have been hesitant to break it up. But at some point living rooms run out of space, and there are too many people to have significant dialogue. And the greatest crime of all–there are fewer cookies for me.

The upside with this particular instance? Even with the separation into two separate groups, I anticipate two great groups who now have room to grow. And more cookies for me.

The point is we as Christians live in a world that sees things improperly. But when we come to our Christian communities, we are being renewed in our thinking (hey, isn’t there a Bible passage somewhere to that effect?). And the more time we spend in those communities, the more renewed we become and the better we are able to counteract the destructive ways the world sees and lives.

I’ll let you figure out why and how this applies to small groups (or is it the other way around?). Cheers!