Seven Ideas for Your Group to Serve This Summer
In Cleveland, people tend to hibernate during the winter. Every year there’s one spring day where that “bright orb in the sky” reappears and myself and all the neighbors wander outside, stretching and yawning. We greet each other like long lost friends and ask how the last few months have been. But, as it continues to warm up, people want to spend more and more time outside and become active. That means it’s a great time for your group to be active too. Spring and summer are excellent times to encourage your group to serve. (If your group doesn’t meet ...
The Secret to Gathering a Group (to do anything)
You’re standing in front of the movie theater, waiting for people to show up- and the movie starts in 5 minutes. You begin to panic- what if no one shows up? What if only that one “somewhat weird” person shows up and it’s just the two of you? You think back through your invites- you sent out some e-mails and invited a few people at church. A few told you it sounded like fun and they’d try to make it. But, there you are- waiting. You’re about to give up and go home and then…...new guy shows up. On a ...
Personality Matters in Small Group
Who you are affects how you lead a group. The better you understand yourself- your personality, preferences, strengths, and weaknesses, the better you’ll be able to help your group thrive. I remember being on a leadership team in college with 3 others students. Two of them talked things out loud- like me. So, we would spend a lot of time in meetings throwing out ideas and brainstorming together. And then there was Bob. He didn’t talk very much and I found I had a hard time trusting him. I felt like he wasn’t contributing and I even accused him of ...
Movie Phrases to Use While Changing a Diaper
I can’t say for certain, but I think dads tend to approach diaper changing a little different than moms do. When it smells like there’s something “going on” down below, I’ll typically take the baby and try to “peak” for an initial assessment of the damage. Sometimes it’s minor and might only require 1 baby wipe. But, there are other times where the damage could only be described as “catastrophic”. These require 3-4 wipes and a possible clothing change. That’s the category I was dealing with this morning. As I prepared for action I found myself counting to 3 and ...
5 Ways My 9 Month Old is Like a Puppy
About a week ago, as I was pulling some random piece of paper out of my 9 month old son’s mouth, I found myself calling him “puppy.” Over the past few days, the more I think about it, the more I believe that my youngest son Micah, really is part puppy. So, I’d like to share 5 ways my 9 month old and I submit, all babies are like puppies. 1. Both want to be where the party is: Just like a real puppy, if our baby is out of our sight for more than 10 seconds, he’s doing something dangerous ...