Spirituality is one of those terms that can become quite nebulous in our every day usage. It’s hard to pin down exactly what constitutes spirituality and how you know you are doing it well. Two weeks ago, I started a new round of our Thursday morning Men’s Bible study, called D.A.D.S. We do this a couple of times a year, using those semesters as an opportunity to figure out how we as men can begin to apply what we learn from God’s Word us toward our homes, at work, and at play. This semester, we’re going through Chip Ingram’s Living on the Edge study, which is based on Romans 12. It takes a very plain language approach to explaining what spirituality looks like.
Last week we talked about surrender – a topic that no man I know enjoys talking about in earnest. Surrender is uncomfortable and can even be painful because it requires us to set aside our desires, pursuits, and personal comfort for the sake of doing what Christ has called us to do. As a part of the session , Chip Ingram made the point that Jesus modelled surrender as the pathway for pleasing God through His own life – citing Philippians 2:6 – 7.
“…who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself , taking the form of a bond-servant and being made in the likeness of men.”
Spirituality, at least partly, means that my sense of entitlement and my own well-being must be willingly laid aside so that I can pursue the things of God. In the example of Christ, that means becoming a servant of others. No two ways around it. So if we are to become disciples, we have to follow the example left for us by Christ Himself.
There are many opportunities to serve others that we come in contact with every day. Only one of the options occurs next weekend – Shine 2010. On Saturday, March 6th, thousands of folks will be serving all over greater Jackson. While all service brings a sweet aroma to God, on this day in particular, the Body of Christ will have a special presence in our area. Mainly because there will be a lot of us at the same time.
My natural tendency is to say that you can be a part of this. In light of Philippians 2:6 – 7, though, it seems more appropriate to say you need to be a part of this. And so do I. It is good for our souls and brings people in touch with Christ. So take a moment and register for Shine. If you are a small group leader, make sure your group registers. Service changes us. It makes us more like Christ simply by fact that we are modelling His behavior.
-Mike Watson
February 25 2010 | Uncategorized | No Comments »
If someone were to ask you how your spiritual life is going, what factors would you consider in your response? How would you go about assessing yourself?
In The Me I Want to Be, author John Ortberg says that a wise man suggested answering this spiritual life asessment by responding to two questions:
- Am I growing more easily discouraged these days?
- Am I growing more easily irritated these days?
How would you answer these questions today? And from your answers, how would you gauge your spiritual life?
Steve Campbell, Small Groups Pastor, Reservoir Campus
February 25 2010 | Uncategorized | No Comments »
You’ve heard us say 3 facets of our small groups is that they seek to belong, grow, and serve together. As it relates to serving, we mentioned at our leader gathering in January that on Saturday, March 6, our church body is coming together for a community service day called SHINE 2010. If you were a part of this event last year, you know it was a great day! If you are new, this is an opportunity to bless our community through a variety of service opportunities. Through these acts of service, God allows us to demonstrate our concern for our community and the people who live around us. It often opens doors for significant life-changing conversations with those we are serving.
We want ALL groups to participate this year!!!!! It may be the best opportunity we have for small groups to serve together.
I’m asking you to serve as a team leader and to lead your group (or as many from your group members that are available on that day) to participate in SHINE 2010. If you only have a few members who can participate, we will add several members from the congregation to your team/group for the day.
As the team leader, here’s what I’m asking you to do:
- Complete the online SHINE registration ASAP.
- The week before SHINE, contact your group/team members and let them know where you have been assigned and designate a place to meet to carpool to the work site. You will receive a SHINE Project Form with all the details of your assignment (who, what, where, equipment needed, lunch details, etc.) from David Hardin the week before SHINE.
- After the project, provide david.hardin@pinelake.org with the number of people who actually participated in SHINE as part of your team.
That’s it!!! Once onsite, the site coordinator for your location will direct you to you work area.
I’ve been telling our missions team that our small groups are on board. Please confirm that your group will be represented.
Thanks.
Steve
February 10 2010 | Uncategorized | No Comments »
I’m in the process of reading Mark Batterson’s new book, Primal. Very early on in the book, Batterson deals with the trouble that numbers bring – especially large numbers. They numb us. The reason is that numbers lack names and faces. Numbers have no story. Think about it in the context of the fallout of the relief effort in Haiti. When the earthquake initially occurred, all we heard about were the supposed numbers of people affected by the quake. The numbers moved some folks to action. However, when we began to see the pictures of 3 – 5 people, or watch the viral videos of the rescue of individuals from rubble, or see a family in the street in shock and completely lost as to what to do next, millions were moved to action.
Small Group world thrives on the idea that every number (person) has a story. We know that we can not only never hear that story, but also never become part of that story, unless those large numbers connect with a small group. Because that is true, we as small group leaders promote, register, call, e-mail, and have lunch with anyone that expresses a desire to join our group. Then we find ourselves in the moment most of us experienced this past Sunday night – sitting in our living room with 10 – 15 people we don’t know, a hint of awkwardness in the air, and volumes of stories yet to be told.
Over the next several weeks, we’ll hear those stories in passing conversations and pointed questions. A couple of weeks ago, there was a blog post regarding our (Small Groups Team) desire to see 1,000 new people connected to a group in 2010. Again we are at the place where a large number is numbing because of a lack of a story. But consider this as you are getting to know your new group: every time you hear and become a part of a new story in the process of getting to know your group, there are over a thousand other stories like that one waiting to be told. So what can we do?
1. Look for those in your group, even in the early going, that show signs of being potential leaders. We’ll need lots of them to hear all those new stories.
2. Talk with your Small Group Coach regularly about what it going on in your group.
3. Pray that God would change the lives of those in your group during your weeks together. Pray for them by name.
4. Begin planning the service opportunity your group will participate in. It is a great way to build bonds quickly in your group.
God has invited us to be a part of what He is doing in the lives of those not-quite-familiar faces in our groups. What a tremendous thing!
-Mike Watson
January 28 2010 | Uncategorized | No Comments »
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