Reflection is an important practice in the life of a small group.
by Diana Bennett
Whenever I guide a group through the spiritual disciplines, I ask the question, "What comes to mind when you hear the words spiritual disciplines?" Often, the response is "fasting" or "working harder" as they study the Bible!
While these two topics certainly are part of the picture, there are numerous options for understanding and experiencing spiritual disciplines that become the root of our spiritual ...
Joe Stowell provides insights into living the Christian life in this course from our new Great Bible Teachers series.
Joseph Stowell, former president of Moody Bible Institute and current pastor of Harvest Bible Church, has written such books as The Trouble with Jesus, Eternity: Reclaiming a Passion for What Endures, and Radical Reliance. In this five-session course, he instructs us in how to be honest with God, how to trust him in times of crisis, how to work together for the sake of the kingdom, and how to show ...
Reflect on Scripture that reminds us to take time to be still.
Tami Rudkin
Leader: So often our lives are hectic, to say the least. Our lives are full of duties and demands. Some of the things we are called to do bring contentment and pleasure. Some of our day to day living is wrought with disappointment and pain. But we can experience something that those who do not know Jesus cannot … we can experience peace and pleasure and protection even amidst the craziness ...
Leader, say something like: To be quiet is to be in a state of gentle stillness. It is in this state that your mind can relax because there is not all kinds of sensory input. Your body can then follow suit and your muscles loosen up. When you fully enter into a state of quietness, it is there that you let go of those things that are weighing you down. You can give up the struggle for control. You ...
The most basic job description of a Small-Group Leader is: talk, listen, repeat.
Dan Lentz
What's the most basic description of a relationship? What is a relationship in its simplest form? It is talking to someone, listening to someone, and doing it repeatedly over a period of time. Most of our human relationships have this dynamic at their very core. It would be a stretch to say that if we only regularly talked to someone but never listened, that we had a true relationship with them. Likewise, ...
The small groups would seem to be the ideal place for families to come together.
Daphne Kirk
Isaiah 41:4 says, "Who has prepared and done this, calling forth and guiding the destinies of the generations from the beginning? I, the Lord—the first and with the last—I am He" (Amplified Bible). As the generations were created by the Almighty God, "what God has joined together, let no man put asunder"!
From generation to generation, the responsibility of every believer is to pass on ...
I used to think that my lack of listening to people was due to either adult ADD or an extremely overactive leadership gift. I figured that some were gifted at listening, I was not, and therefore I could excuse it away. I really thought that to be a good leader AND a good listener was extremely difficult, if not impossible.
Then God took that little errant belief system and said, "Steve, you don't listen ...
Listening is a crucial skill for small-group leaders to master. Here are ten practical tips for improving our listening habits.
Be quiet. This should be obvious, but it often is the biggest obstruction to listening. The leader should be part of a discussion without monopolizing it.
Try to understand. The goal of listening is to understand what the person is really saying.
Eliminate distractions. People feel comfortable sharing when they are not interrupted. Turn the ringer off on the phone. Make sure you have child care arranged. Don't look at your watch or lesson plan when someone is speaking.
Answer the tough questions about illness and stress that have a way of shaking our faith in God's provision.
Illness and stress can cause a host of emotional, spiritual, and physical problems. We can all identify with the plight of Job at some time in our lives, whether it is poor health, family problems, a career failure, or some other personal struggle. These valleys have a way of challenging our faith in God's provision and guiding hand.
This five-session course will challenge you to address a variety ...
Help your group (and yourself) evaluate your practice of the spiritual disciplines.
Kevin Miller, Bill Hybels, Fred Smith, and others
"There is no sure-fire way to evaluate and quantify our spiritual health in numerical terms. We can't take a test to see if we are getting an A or D in our relationship with God. But we can at least get a rough idea about our spiritual health by taking an objective looks at our actions and beliefs.
This download uses the spiritual disciplines as a way to examine those actions and beliefs. Use it to ...
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