Read some helpful hints about speaking with your spouse, then discuss!
Communication problems are as old as Adam and Eve. In this 6-session course, we will explore what the Bible has to say about the obstacles and solutions to communication, how to communicate love to our spouses, how to avoid miscommunication, how to stop hurtful words, the importance of compromise, and finally how grace towards one another is the key to getting along.
Know the dangers involved with teaching what you never meant to teach.
Sam O'Neal
My wife and I were visiting Southern California on vacation when we decided to stop by Mission San Juan Capistrano—an adobe chapel complex founded by Franciscan monks in 1776. In the back of the mission was a small replica of the gardens that produced much of the monks' food for hundreds of years.
As I walked through the garden, I noticed a large sign tacked in front of a particularly leafy bush. ...
Small Group Leaders: Check each item that applies to you. This "test" can help you think through some of the attributes of small group leadership. It can also help you consider some of the areas that you can work on to become a more effective leader.
Small Group Pastors/Coaches: Use the following test as a discussion starter with your leaders. Have them check all items that apply. This is not meant ...
Develop a purposeful strategy for encouraging spiritual growth among your members.
Mike Shepherd
"Daddy, I dreamed last night that when I grow up, I would be just like you!" These were the words whispered in my ear a couple of years ago by our 7-year-old son. Every parent who has heard similar words quickly realizes the incredible influence we have over our children. I am sometimes overwhelmed when I think about their future: who they will be, what they will do with their life, and what kind ...
A Small-Group Leader must see his or her duty as far more than merely leading a meeting that occurs in someone’s living room during the week.
Jay Firebaugh
At Clearpoint, the cell church where I serve as senior pastor, we say that we pastor people 5 to 15 at a time. That means that a small group leader must see his or her duty as far more than merely leading a meeting that occurs in someone's living room during the week! Rather, it is up to the small group leader to take "spiritual responsibility" for the individuals in his, her, or their group. (This ...
Implement the accountability factor in your group.
Esther M. Bailey
When you throw out a challenge to your group members, you hope for good results. Even if they are inspired to move closer to God or modify an unhealthy behavior, they may still follow through with action for a while but lose heart when the going gets tough. There are times when human discipline is not enough.
As the leader, you can introduce the accountability factor. Just as students study harder ...
Help Darryl decide if he should confront his group members about their lifestyle.
Darryl is starting to get very worried about one of the couples in his small group. The husband and wife are both in their thirties, and they have two children. On the outside, things look pretty normal for their family—they are professing Christians, they attend church and small group regularly, and they even have some Bible training from a Christian college.
What do people learn from you about the Christian life? Sometimes it's what you never intended to teach.
by John Ortberg
Many years ago I heard a great teacher make a distinction I never forgot. Every educational institution, he said, has two kinds of subject matter. There is the formal curriculum. And there is what might be called a hidden curriculum.
The formal curriculum consists of agreed-upon topics. Algebra, geography, English lit, history, physics. Faculties and school boards and parents decide on—sometimes ...
What do people learn from you about the Christian life? Sometimes it's what you never intended to teach.
by John Ortberg
Note: This is Part 2 of a two-part article. In Part 1, John Ortberg defines hidden curriculum and how it affects our ministry. Below, he explores what we can do to align our hidden curriculum with what we want to teach. The "Facing What Is Hidden" section was originally designed for pastors, but the principles involved speak well to both group directors and group leaders.
A fun way to introduce “the tongue” as a topic of conversation
by Sam O'Neal
Purpose: To help group members think about the words we say.
Activity: In this activity, have your group or class divide into smaller groups of two or three people, then ask them to work through the discussion questions listed below. Whenever you say "Switch," they need to break up the smaller groups and join other people to continue the conversation.
There is just one catch: they are forbidden to say ...
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