There is an old Celtic saying: "Anyone without a soul friend is a body without a head." There are not many Celtic sayings about what people without success are—the Celts didn't seem to be terribly interested in success. But they were pretty big on friendship.
I've been thinking about this because I just got back from a once-a-year weekend with four of my oldest friends. We've been friends for ...
Why church members often run from community despite their attraction to it
Thomas G. Kirkpatrick
In a book called The Different Drum, M. Scott Peck suggests that while we want intimacy, we often run from it. Perplexing, isn't it? We want to be honest and open, but we are not willing to risk being ourselves in a group of sisters and brothers.
As an example, let's say that Greg is upset over his teenager's recent experimentation with smoking pot. He wants help to sort out his feelings but is reluctant ...
Group members try to identify one another based on answers to several questions.
Tami Rudkin
Hand out index card to every person and have each of them answer the following questions on the card. (They shouldn't put their names on the card.) When they are finished completing the card pick up the cards, shuffle and hand back out. Have each member read the card they received and have the whole group try to guess who it belongs to.
favorite hobby
one tool or object they use in their professional life
Members match several statements with other people in the group.
Tami Rudkin
As people are coming in, this is a fun one to hand out. Have them match the statements below to the members in your group. When everyone is done, tally up the results and share them with the group.
Gets up at 5:43 in the morning singing, "Oh what a beautiful morning!"
Lives by Dark Wing Duck's philosophy, "Let's Get Dangerous."
Would be a perfect used car salesman.
Lives by the philosophy, "When the going gets tough, the tough get going."
Using regular dice or blocks of wood designed to look like dice, begin playing. Let each member roll the dice and they must complete the sentence found below that corresponds with the number on their roll. If they roll an 11 or 12 they have the opportunity to ask a question of their choice to any group member. If they roll doubles they pass their question to the person on their right.
A fun way to share candy and interesting facts about yourself
Tami Rudkin
As people come into your group meeting pass a bag of M&Ms and ask them to take some. Be vague. Don't tell them how many or why. Simply ask them to take as many as they want and that everyone should take a least one. When everyone has chosen their M&Ms have them share as many facts about themselves as they have M&Ms. For example, it they took three M&Ms then they need to tell the group three things ...
Author Donald Clifton said, "Relationships help us to define who we are and what we can become. Most of us can trace our successes to pivotal relationships."
My original idea for this article was to focus on accountability. As small-group leaders, we certainly need accountability in our ...
An interview with Matt Woodley, author of The Folly of Prayer
Interview conducted by InterVarsity Press
In The Folly of Prayer, Pastor Matt Woodley challenges us to re-imagine and revitalize our prayer life.
IVP: Why do you describe prayer as folly?
Woodley: Prayer doesn't always operate according to our standards of "wisdom." Nor does it conform to our expectations or formulas. Sometimes our prayer life leaves us bathed in God's warmth and safety. At other times we feel abandoned by a mysterious and ...
This four-session course tackles some of the questions that loom over all others in our desperation for an answer.
Some questions loom over all others in our desperation for an answer. How do I know if God is speaking to me? How do I know what I was born to do? Why does God allow people to suffer? How can I deal with depression and discouragement? This course tackles these questions by pondering the answers provided in Scripture.
Session One
How Do I Know If God Is Speaking to Me?Knowing God's Word and being in ...
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