Small groups can be a great place for learning lessons about life.
by Brett Eastman
Two years ago when I met with my new small group for the first time, I was so reluctant. I didn't know if I could ever find the sense of belonging and spiritual family I had enjoyed with my previous group. But they welcomed my wife and me into their lives with arms wide open, and we soon became family. This group has not replaced my other group (nothing ever will), but it has become another circle ...
Being a champion isn't too hard, but it makes a big difference.
by Brett Eastman
Although I've championed small groups in several big churches over the past decade, and even though it's been almost twenty years since I led my first small group, I still remember the day I led my first group like it was yesterday.
My palms were sweating, and I thought my heart was going to thump right out of my chest. But even though I was terrified, I knew God was there with me. He knew exactly ...
One of the great stories in the Bible about community involves a paralyzed man and the friends who brought him to Jesus (Mark 2:1-8).
Imagine what life was like for a paralytic in the ancient world. This man's whole life is lived on a mat three feet wide and six feet long. Someone has to feed him, carry him, clothe him, move him to keep him from being covered with bedsores, clean him when he soils ...
Joining a small group helped a mother embrace her new role.
by Life Together
Melanie was in the middle of pursuing her Ph.D. in History when she found out she was pregnant. Academic achievement was always her first priority. Children would come after her career. Perhaps they'd never come. She always said, "I'll never, ever have kids. I was not meant to be a mom!"
But nine months later she found herself swaddling a wailing baby who swathed her in sour-milk spit-up. Far from ...
Integrate your relationships to make them more effective.
by Randy Frazee
Lifestyles today make integrated and interdependent relationships hard to create and maintain. The absence of this interdependence makes us hunger for community. Most of us manage "linear relationships."
Randy Frazee, author of The Connecting Church, describes linear relationships as running "from one relational unit to another. As you exit one world and enter another, there may be some mention of ...
The love a small group showed for a woman going through cancer is opening her to God's love for her.
by Life Together
In the middle of a frenzied school year, a small group of women gathered week after week to grow in Christ. Marci told the group that her sister-in-law, Meg, was struggling with cancer. None of the other women knew Meg.
Marci's heart was broken over Meg. Meg had never pursued any type of relationship with God, and Marci feared her eternal destiny was hopeless. Also, the cancer was immobilizing her ...
A Bible study group led a young woman to Christ through their love and acceptance.
by Life Together
Jane was miserable. She'd never really wanted to start having sex with David. Even though she cared deeply for him, she was only a freshman in college, and it seemed like a big step to take.
"But it will make us so much closer, Jane," David would say. After a while, Jane gave in. At first, it did make her feel closer to David. But two months later, he broke up with her, and she was left feeling used ...
The story of a group that cared for a couple in their small group during the wife's illness.
by Life Together
Five years ago, my wife, Margaret, was diagnosed with lung cancer. Like everyone who hears this news, we were traumatized, but we trusted God for a miracle. After the doctor operated, he said they were able to get all the cancer and there was no need for follow-up treatment. We thanked God, rejoiced in her healing and got back to our "normal" life.
That life would be short-lived, however. A year-and-a-half ...
Good relationships begin by someone being welcoming.
by Life Together
Moving from out-of-state to a new area was such a transition. In addition to a new job and new schools, we would have to find new friends. Family seemed so far away.
And, oh, that dreaded first Sunday at a new church. Thank God for that one person, Steve, who went out of his way to welcome us. He even invited us to his small group meeting that night, offering to share his babysitter to assist us with ...
How a small group cared for a member battling cancer.
by Life Together
Cancer hit our family, and we were devastated.
...
Normally, when people heard about Margaret's cancer, people said, "We'll pray for you." The gesture was kind, but their care stopped there.
Through the course of Margaret's treatment, not only did our group pray diligently but also their actions exemplified their faith. Their acts of extreme love were nothing short of awesome.
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