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November 30, 2009
The Three Threes
How to play Santa and make disciples this Christmas season
Playing Santa is fun. It's also very Christ-like. But please don't confuse—I'm not putting Jesus and Santa on a level playing field. By "playing Santa" I mean giving to and caring for those who are struggling financially, relationally, and/or emotionally.
One of the people groups most unnoticed and overlooked by the church are singles—especially single moms. Many of them are struggling. Churches tend to be built for, governed by, and have created environments for husbands and wives with children. Because of this, we often fail to spot the needs of single parents.
This Christmas, your small group can reach out to this wonderful group of dedicated parents, and in so doing your group members will grow spiritually, I promise. You need a plan? I've got one you might consider. It's what I call "The Three Threes."
The First Three: Make your small group aware of the need
- Engage your group in a Bible study focused on charity.
- At the end of the study, secure a commitment from the group to adopt a single mom and her kids during the Christmas season.
- Share with the group that you would like to do this together, and what will be expected of the group (see below).
The Second Three: Organize for Accomplishment
- Ask someone in the group with the gift of administration to spearhead this endeavor.
- Ask someone in the group with the gift of mercy to locate a single mom with kids. Ask her/him to communicate with the single mom and get that individual to agree to allow the group to help. They should also get the name and address of that single mom to the person organizing this project.
- Ask these two leaders to bring back a date or dates this ministry will take place, and what the group will do for the single mom and her children. A few ideas:
—Close to Christmas, line up a massage for the mom. While she's gone, babysit the kids, decorate the house for Christmas, and bring gifts for mom and kids to go under the Christmas tree.
—Part of the group takes the kids to a Christmas movie while mom has a night out. Purchase and deliver gifts the week of Christmas for mom and kids to open on Christmas day.
—Deliver gifts and food for Christmas day to the household on Christmas Eve.
The Third Three: Be Jesus Even When It's Not Christmas
- Ask the individual in your group who lined up this relationship (the group member with the gift of mercy) to continue to connect with the single mom.
- At various times throughout the year, group members can babysit the kids so mom can have some time to herself, go grocery shopping, or go on a date.
- When the single mom needs her oil changed, has a plumbing problem, and so on, see if someone in the group can help her out.
Acts of kindness often lead to conversations about the Jesus of Christmas. Wouldn't it be fantastic if, in time, this individual chose to be a follower of Christ, become part of the group, and connect with your church? She would never feel completely alone again.
But please remember that these individuals are not your projects—they are your new friends. A friend of mine, Discipleship Pastor Randy Miller from Northwood Church in Keller, Texas, reminded attendees at a conference last month that we should help people simply because it is the right thing to do. His very missional church says to people they are assisting, "We don't help you so that you will be converted. We help you because we are converted."
posted by Sam O'Neal at 10:06 AM | Comments (1) | Trackbacks (0)
November 25, 2009
Question of the Week: Turkey Day
Here's a very tough decision!
We'll keep things light for this edition of Question of the Week:
If you could only choose one side dish to accompany your turkey tomorrow, what would it be? Mashed potatoes? Cranberry sauce? Creamed-corn casserole? Some kind of green bean mixture?
For me, it's a pretty tough choice between corn-bread stuffing and crescent rolls, but I think I would have to go with the stuffing.
You?
posted by Sam O'Neal at 1:24 PM | Comments (1) | Trackbacks (0)
November 24, 2009
LiveBooking: "Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus"
Chapter four has some very interesting things to say about discipleship.
Welcome to our fourth week of "LiveBooking" through Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus, by Ann Spangler and Lois Tverberg. I've been enjoying chapter four through different portions of my morning, and I'm bursting with things to share.
Culture Nuggets
First, another cool 1st Century cultural nugget.
The authors make it clear that the life of a rabbi in Jesus' day was expected to be rough and tumble. In fact, a rabbi saying from that time period went something like this: "This is the path of Torah: a morsel with salt shall you eat, and you shall drink water by measure, and sleep upon the ground, and live a life of painfulness, and in Torah shall you labor. If thou do this, happy shall you be and it shall be well with you."
That gives some added perspective on the way that Jesus was sometimes stand-offish toward those that wanted to follow him. "Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head" (see Matthew 8).
Apprenticing and Discipleship
What I thought was most fascinating from this chapter was the author's connection between apprentices and disciples in Jesus' day. Apprenticeship was the main method of education in that day, of course. It was also the main avenue of transformation. When a young boy became apprenticed to a carpenter or fisherman, he did more than learn the skills involved in those trades. He lived with his master. He worked to become like his master in all areas of life so that he could excel in his master's trade.
The same was true of rabbis and there disciples. There wasn't much difference between trade apprentices and disciples, really. The disciple travelled with his rabbi, served his rabbi, and tried to model is rabbi in every way. He wanted to become his rabbi.
Now, with all of that in mind, check out what the authors wrote here:
Why should we spend time talking about ancient discipling methods? Because we, too, are followers of a rabbi. Like Jesus' first talmidim, we are to become his faithful disciples. And like them we are called by our Master to "go and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew 28:19).Remember what happened when Jesus' first followers carried out his great command? Within a few centuries the early church exploded with growth, as believers spread across the Roman Empire to transform the face of ancient history. Beginning with an army of only twelve, God took on the world.
Later on the same page, the authors make a suggestion that really got me thinking: "Perhaps we can recapture some of the original passion and effectiveness of Jesus' first followers by exploring how discipleship worked in the ancient Jewish world."
But here is the $64,000 question: Can the ancient method of apprenticeship/discipleship work in the modern world? Can it work in America?
If we set about the task of "making disciples," whether in small groups or not, is it possible to develop the kind of life-to-life relationship that a rabbi and disciple enjoyed? If we want to become a disciple of someone we deeply respect—someone we feel has a desirable connection with God—are we able to drop everything and begin a true mentoring relationship with that person?
What do you think?
posted by Sam O'Neal at 3:06 PM | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)
November 20, 2009
Friday Flashback: Pictures of Multiplication
Which of these images best describes your experience with producing new small groups?
I've been working this week on a downloadable training resources that will (Lord willing) help churches successfully multiply their small groups. As I've been reading and reviewing a lot of material on the subject, I've come up with two interesting observations. (They are interesting to me, at least.)
First, there are plenty of churches, coaches, and group leaders who do not want to multiply their small groups. This is usually due to a bad experience, or multiple bad experiences, and they would prefer their groups to stay together for long periods of time and grow deep, deep roots.
Second, there are three images that keep popping up whenever people write about multiplying small groups, and I've tried to visualize them above. One is the idea of "birthing." Another is "dividing," and this is usually accompanied by an explanation of cellular mitosis and meiosis (my 6th grade science teacher would be proud that I still remember those terms). And the final image is the idea of "splitting," which usually comes to mind for those who have had negative experiences.
Now, there's no way that we can come up with a consensus on which image is best or most appropriate for actual ministry. But I'm curious how you respond to these images. Have you had an experience in the past that is well represented by one of these pictures? Is there a different image you would use to describe small-group multiplication?
If something comes to mind, don't be shy! We want to hear your thoughts, so please take a moment and type them out.
posted by Sam O'Neal at 8:00 AM | Comments (1) | Trackbacks (0)
November 19, 2009
Video of the Week: Small Group of One
Here's another funny "commercial" for groups. Again, could your church pull this off?
The following video is a preview from the good people at Worship House Media. Thoughts?
posted by Sam O'Neal at 2:52 PM | Comments (2) | Trackbacks (0)
November 18, 2009
Question of the Week: BuzzWords and Jargon
Which "Christian" phrase would you eliminate if you could?
I'm going to take things a little broader for today's Question of the Week. Specifically, I'm wondering this:
If you could go back and time and eliminate the origin of any Christian buzzword or jargon, which one would you choose?
Below are some examples of the kind of thing I'm talking about. If you have an opinion (good or bad) regarding any of these phrases, I'd love for you to post a quick note about it in the Comments section. I'd also love for you to let me know which words and phrases I've missed.
Buzzwords
- Emerging
- Metanarrative
- Praxis
- Koine Greek
- Assimilation
- Missional
- Community
- Attractional
- Seeker
- Witnessing
- Justification and Variagated Nomism (just kidding on that one)
Jargon Phrases
- Washed in the blood
- Assimilation
- Using "fellowship" as a verb
- The Sinner's Prayer
- Born again
- "Loving on" someone or something
- Stumbling block
- Having Jesus "in my heart"
- In the center of His will
I think that's a pretty good list, but it does not contain the phrase I would choose. If I could go back in time and stop the first person from uttering the word "frick" or "frickin" for the first time, I would do it in a heartbeat. As in, "That movie was frickin' awesome!" or saying, "Frick!" after you make a bad throw in frisbee golf.
That was all the rage back in college—a Christian method of cursing. And I'm afraid it's only growing stronger....
Can you think of any more?
posted by Sam O'Neal at 3:05 PM | Comments (11) | Trackbacks (0)
November 17, 2009
LiveBooking: "Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus"
Chapter 3 looks at some interesting ways that Jesus used Scripture to teach.
Welcome to our third week of "LiveBooking" for Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus, by Ann Spangler and Lois Tverberg. I've been reading through Chapter 3, which is called "Stringing Pearls." The title is an old Jewish saying for teachers who would bring together passages of Scripture from different places in order to highlight and explore what those passages really say.
This was a tactic commonly used by rabbis and teachers in Jesus' day, and the authors do a great job in this chapter of showing how Jesus followed suit. For example, the Beatitudes in Matthew 5 are a great example of Jesus combining several references from Isaiah and the Psalms in order to make a bold statement about God's faithfulness.
But what captured my attention most in this chapter was the ancient practice of "hinting." This was a teaching tool that rabbis used to bring attention to a specific passage of Scripture by quoting only a portion of it and forcing their students to remember or look up the rest. Here's an example from the book:
[Jesus] had been preaching and healing people within the temple grounds. The crowds were cheering for him. Even children were shouting out: "Hosannah to the Son of David!" Indignant, the priests and teachers of the law stormed over to Jesus to confront him: "Do you hear what these children are saying?" they asked.
Jesus replied: "Have you never read, 'From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise'?" (Matthew 21:16).
Instantly, the rest of Psalm 8:2 would have reverberated in their minds: "From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger" (italics added).
The Psalmist is saying that God's glory is so great that even children instinctively worship him, to the sshame of those who hate him. In the same way, the children who acclaimed Jesus were responding to his ministry the way his interrogators should have, but refused to do. ...Jesus was using a quote from Scripture to invoke a longer passage that his opponents knew well. God's Word delivered the rebuke they deserved.
Bam! I thought that was cool. Can you think of any other sections of the Gospel where Jesus only quoted from portions of the Old Testament Scripture? I'm going to go look and see....
posted by Sam O'Neal at 4:35 PM | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)
November 13, 2009
Friday Flashback: A Dynamic Quotation from Eugene Peterson
When it comes to applying Scripture, this changes everything.
I had an "Aha!" moment yesterday as I was editing a batch of devotional material for Men of Integrity magazine. (Yes, every now and then I work on something that isn't directly related to small groups.) The devotion was an excerpt from Eat This Book, by Eugene Peterson, and one line in particular made my mouth drop open.
Here's the paragraph:
If I'm not living in active response to the living God revealed in the Bible, reading about his creation/salvation/holiness won't interest me—at least not for long. The most important question we ask of any text isn't "What does this mean?" but "What can I obey?" Simple obedience will open up our lives to a text more than any number of Bible studies, dictionaries, and concordances.
Wow. Not "What does it mean," but "What can I obey?"
That's revolutionary, isn't it?
posted by Sam O'Neal at 11:35 AM | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)
November 12, 2009
Video of the Week: Mac vs. PC Parody
Here's a quick and funny promo video that any church can pull off.
Here's a good example of a church doing a parody of a popular commercial series. (Actually, this is probably a parody of Community Christian Church's Christian vs. Christ-follower videos, which are a parody of the Mac vs. PC commercials.)
In any case, this is short, funny, and effective. Don't you think?
posted by Sam O'Neal at 2:20 PM | Comments (2) | Trackbacks (0)
November 10, 2009
LiveBooking: "Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus"
Chapter 2 tackles the question, "Why a Jewish rabbi?"
Welcome to our second week of "LiveBooking" for Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus, by Ann Spangler and Lois Tverberg. If you don't know what LiveBooking is, or what this post is all about, I suggest you check out our explanation from last week.
Onward!
Cool Quotes
Here are some of my favorite soundbites from chapter 2:
Would it surprise you to learn that the rabbis thought that study, and not prayer, was the highest form of worship? They pointed out that when we pray, we speak to God, but that when we study the Scriptures, God speaks to us.
The mission of a rabbi was to become a living example of what it means to apply God's Word to one's life. A disciple apprenticed himself to a rabbi because the rabbi had saturated his life with Scripture and had become a true follower of God. The disciple sought to study the text, not only of Scripture but of the rabbi's life, for it was there that he would learn how to live out the Torah. Even more than acquiring his master's knowledge, he wanted to acquire his master's character—his internal grasp of God's law.
Summary
Chapter 2 focuses on understanding what it means that Jesus chose to impact the world as a Jewish rabbi in Israel. The authors include a lot of interesting nuggets and tidbits, but what I found most helpful was the description of how rabbis functioned during that time. (Interestingly, the term "rabbi" was a label of respect in Jesus' day—one given to those who taught Scripture well. But "rabbi" did not become a formal title until A.D. 70 at the earliest. That's why it made sense for Jesus to serve as a carpenter before launching his teaching ministry at age 30.)
Here are some of the primary functions of a rabbi during Jesus' time:
- They interpreted the Torah and explained what the Scriptures meant—often through parables.
- Many rabbis travelled from village to village and taught in the synagogues. They relied on the hospitality of others during their travels, but they accepted no salary.
- Rabbis spent a good deal of time training disciples. These men usually travelled with their rabbi for years with the goal of becoming like him and eventually spreading his interpretation of the Torah.
The authors make a good point at the end of the chapter in regard to that last item: "So often we focus on Jesus' mission on the cross to save us from our sins. As marvelous as that is, it's critical for us to grasp the importance of his mission on Earth as a rabbi. His goal was to raise up disciples who would become like him. As followers of Jesus, we are still called to live out the adventure of discipleship, becoming like Jesus through the power of his Spirit at work within us."
Jesus started a movement, in other words—one that has changed the course of human history forever. We are all the continuation of that movement, which means we have work to do.
posted by Sam O'Neal at 2:04 PM | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)
November 6, 2009
Friday Flashback: The Wink and the Gun
An embarassing memory from my formative years...
I just read Reid Smith's post again on The Perfect Welcome, and I had a weird flashback. (If you haven't read Reid's post, you'll want to do that before continuing here).
Anyway, I was thinking about greeting people and I remembered that, back in high school, I went through a phrase where I constantly used "the wink and the gun" to say hello to people.
If you aren't familiar with "the wink and the gun," this guy does a pretty good demonstration:
I usually went with the "single hand" version, but you get the idea. Whenever I saw someone coming down the hall at school or church, or even at home, I always broke out the wink and the gun. It was some kind of weird, juvenile instinct. And now I look back and I think people must have busted out laughing as soon as I walked away. Oh well.
What about you? What are some other gestures or habits that might not work very well when it comes to greeting people in your small group?
posted by Sam O'Neal at 2:50 PM | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)
Collective Decision Making
How to create a group environment where the collective wisdom of the group will prevail
Not too long ago, I listened to an audio book called The Wisdom of Crowds, by James Surowiecki. A section of the book deals with the decision-making capacity of small groups and teams, primarily in a business setting. The conclusion of most studies on small-group decision-making is that the quality of group decisions is poor when compared to individual decisions.
Why? The reason given in the book is that stronger vocal individuals in a group will tend to give their opinion, as they normally would, but non-vocal members or members with different opinions will tend to continue to be silent and avoid confrontation. Or some stay silent to avoid prolonging an unproductive group discussion. By not being heard and bringing different perspectives into the group process, the result is the expressed opinion of the few becomes the default opinion of the group. The broader group may not be unified behind that decision, but everyone defaults to the opinion of the vocal member(s). The book goes on to say, "If a group in this situation makes a good decision, it generally is because the stronger more vocal person just happened to have a good opinion."
Despite this common dynamic of poor group decisions, one of the ideas proposed by The Wisdom of Crowds is that a collective group decision (small group or large group) can and should be a better decision than any one individual in the group could make—IF, and this is a big IF, the group process includes provisions for having every member be heard without being biased by other member’s comments. But according to the book, in business and organizations, groups and teams seldom reach the best collective decision because the group process is normally flawed.
The challenge is how you create a group environment where the collective wisdom of the group will prevail. The book doesn’t provide a lot of detailed answers to this question, unfortunately. But a critical element to this group process is allowing people a safe platform to share their thoughts (and hopefully Holy Spirit promptings) with the rest of the group without the threat of immediate critique and comment by other members.
The temptation of people in all discussion-based groups is to immediately respond to each other’s comments, rather than letting each person share first and then discuss all ideas only when all have shared in safety. This process is particularly important if your group is facing the need to make a critical collective decision. If you are a leadership group tasked with frequent decisions, then getting this group process right is a big deal.
What helps make this possible? For one thing, you need to level the playing field so that everyone is heard without shame or condemnation. One of the best ways to level the playing field is through ice breakers—open ended questions that everyone answers where the responses are not critiqued. Using a series of icebreakers that progressively ramp up to the core of the decision can be useful to establish the environment and process for everyone to share in safety.
Beyond that, it’s important for everyone in the group to recognize that the best collective group decision will not be achieved without the whole group being involved through a safe, intentional, and prayerful group process.
Additionally, having key questions formulated and distributed to the group ahead of time can be powerful. This allows people to think and pray about their answer prior to the group discussion.
Here are some general sample questions that can be distributed to group members ahead of time. (Taken from www.noblecall.org.)
--What is the most pressing issue we are facing?
--What will the future be like if nothing changes?
--Based on the above, what is the one thing we cannot fail to do?
--What is the most powerful thing we can agree to ask God for?
posted by Dan Lentz at 2:22 PM | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)
November 5, 2009
Video of the Week: Sorie
This week's video looks at one group's efforts to make a difference in a young boy's life.
This week's video comes via the blog run by Alan Danielson, which is appropriately called AlanDanielson.TV. Alan is a regular contributor to SmallGroups.com, a social media guru, a Star Wars nut, and an all-around good guy.
I'll let the video speak for itself for the most part, but you should know that it focuses on one small group's effort to make a difference in the life of a boy living across the world in Sierra Leone.
Here you go. (Alan says that if you can watch this without crying, you don't have a heart...)
posted by Sam O'Neal at 10:54 AM | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)
November 4, 2009
Question of the Week: Sickness
What should you do if a group member shows up sick?
It's time for our first Question of the Week!
If someone arrives to your group meeting who is obviously sick, what should you do?
I hope to have other people beside myself give the first answer to these questions more often than not, but I didn't have much time this week, so you're stuck with my opinion first. And that is: recommend politely that they head back home. Thank them for their dedication to your group and willingness to learn "no matter what," but be firm about sending them on their way.
This is true in the age of Swine Flu, but really, this is what should always happen when someone shows up at a group with more than the sniffles. Especially if there are children present in the home.
What do you think? Agree? Disagree? Are there exceptions that need to be made? Is there a way to define when a person is "too sick to participate"?
I'd especially love to hear from some of you who have experienced this in recent months. What did you do?
posted by Sam O'Neal at 3:05 PM | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)
November 3, 2009
A New Day for the Blog
Check out our shiny new schedule and features.
You know how in some families there will be one kid that has a bunch of problems and takes up most of the parents' attention? And then the other kids get the short end of the stick a little bit because they behave normally, which means the parents let them do their own thing and don't spend a lot of energy on them?
Well, that kind of summarizes the relationship between www.SmallGroups.com and this blog in the past year. SmallGroups.com is the older child, and while it contains the lion's share of the features and resources, it has also generated a great deal of problems that have absorbed just about all of my time and attention. Which means I haven't had a lot of energy to focus on this blog.
But things are changing! We are gradually working the bugs out of SmallGroups.com, and I am going to make a conscious effort to give this blog more of the time and attention it deserves.
Starting with this new schedule for regular features and posts:
Monday: Dot Com(unity) [starting in January]
Tuesday: LiveBooking
Wednesday: Question of the Week
Thursday: Video of the Week
Friday: Friday Flashback
I'll explain some of these terms in more detail after the jump below, but I also want to emphasize that these will not be the only posts added to the blog each week. We'll still have regular, article-length posts from myself, Dan Lentz, and the other authors you've come to know and love over the past year—all focused on helping you grow as small-group leaders.
Now let's explain some of those terms from the schedule.
Dot Com(unity)
This has been a regular feature since the blog was launched, although we are currently taking a break until January, when I will start again with a new study. You can learn more by clicking here.
LiveBooking
You've probably all heard of LiveBlogging by now. It's when someone attends a conference or event and then writes blog posts about speakers or experiences as they are happening. I recently had some fun LiveBlogging from the Willow Creek Small Groups Conference, for example, and you can see some examples of it here, here, here, and http://blog.smallgroups.com/2009/10/group_life_heather_zempel.html.
So what is LiveBooking, you ask? Well, I had so much fun at the Willow conference that I asked myself, How can I do this more often? My answer was books. There are a great many books that intersect with small-groups ministry and the spiritual formation/growth of individual believers. And I know that group leaders often don't have time to read them all, just like most group leaders don't have the time or money to attend a lot of conferences.
So, I will spend a good chunk of time each week reading through a book that I think will benefit regular small-group leaders. And then I'll write about what I've read, both summarizing and giving my opinion. It will be kind of like "Cliff's Notes," but for group leaders! And then you can all add in your opinions and experiences, and we could have a real opportunity for learning and growth each week.
Question of the Week
This one is pretty self explanatory—I'll come up with a new question each week, find someone to give an opening salvo of an answer, and then turn to all of you for additional information. Sometimes I will be the first to answer the question, and sometimes I will seek the advice of others.
Video of the Week
I'm looking forward to this one. I will just hunt through the web each week to find a video that is inspiring, interesting, kooky, or challenging—but that applies directly to you, the small-group leader. Sometimes these will be professionally done, other times we'll feature volunteer productions from churches and other sources. Should be fun!
Friday Flashback
I understand that all of you probably don't read every blog post we add here every week. There's only so much time in a day! So every Friday I will look back in our archive of posts and re-feature something that you may not have seen originally, but still has value.
posted by Sam O'Neal at 9:45 AM | Comments (1) | Trackbacks (0)
LiveBooking! "Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus"
Check out this new weekly feature for the blog.
Welcome to the first post on what will be a weekly feature on Small Group Dynamics: LiveBooking!
You've probably all heard of LiveBlogging by now. It's when someone attends a conference or event and then writes blog posts about speakers or experiences as they are happening. I recently had some fun LiveBlogging from the Willow Creek Small Groups Conference, for example, and you can see some examples of it here, here, here, and here.
So what is LiveBooking, you ask? Well, I had so much fun at the Willow conference that I asked myself, How can I do this more often? My answer was books. There are a great many books that intersect with small-groups ministry and the spiritual formation/growth of individual believers. And I know that group leaders often don't have time to read them all, just like most group leaders don't have the time or money to attend a lot of conferences.
So, I will spend a good chunk of time each week reading through a book that I think will benefit regular small-group leaders. And then I'll write about what I've read, both summarizing and giving my opinion. It will be kind of like "Cliff's Notes," but for group leaders! And then you can all add in your opinions and experiences, and we could have a real opportunity for learning and growth each week.
Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus
The first book I'll be blogging through is called Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus, by Ann Spangler and Lois Tverberg (Zondervan, 2009). This is a book that I actually received several months ago, and I've been excited to read it ever since.
Here's a quote from the 1st chapter of the book that shows why I've been waiting for a chance to get this off my shelf:
[C]onsider the challenge of communicating across centuries and religious traditions as well as languages and cultures. No wonder we sometimes find it hard to grasp what Jesus is trying to tell us in the Gospels. But what if we could find a way to fine-tune our hearing, so that we could develop first-century ears? The words of Jesus that electrified crowds, incensed his enemies, and changed so many lives would have a much greater impact on us.Is it possible to re-tune our hearing and thinking so that we can understand Jesus better? We believe it is, because that is exactly what happened to us at the moment we began studying Jesus' Jewish culture. Passages that had previously left us cold or puzzled suddenly came to life. Lights turned on, stories took on new meaning, and the mist began to clear.
Tuning into the customs of Jesus' time and to the conversations of the rabbis who lived at that time can deepen your faith as it has ours, transforming the way you read the Bible.
Yes! Yes! This is something I've been trying to find for a long time. What was Jesus' world like during the time he walked and talked, and how does that influence our interpretation of the Gospels? I'm excited to keep reading, and I hope you'll follow along with me.
posted by Sam O'Neal at 8:52 AM | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)
November 2, 2009
Networking or Neighboring?
One is good for groups, while the other is a community killer.
Networking and Neighboring are not the same.
Networking has my agenda in mind.
Neighboring has the agenda of the other person in mind.
Networking is motivated by getting something from someone.
Neighboring has the goal doing something for someone.
Networking stems from selfishness.
Neighboring flows from selflessness.
Networking is a business term.
Neighboring is a Jesus expression.
Someone you network with can become a neighbor and someone who is your neighbor can become part of your network.
The people you are being the church with should always be neighbors.
Small-Group Leader: guard your heart from turning your neighbors into another member of your network. You might get more work out of them, but in the process vast amounts of love, grace, and mercy will escape and you'll be left with a heart occupied by aloneness.
posted by Sam O'Neal at 1:46 PM | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)
