When Your Counselor Calls You Intense
The Session I've seen a counselor on and off for years and every once in a while something really hits home. My last session was one of those times. My counselor asked, “Have you ever thought about how you come across as intense?” I nervously laughed for a minute, but inside my head it was like the world stopped and my life flashed before my eyes. I was thinking, “OH NO! My counselor thinks I’m intense!” What does it mean when the dude people pay to listen to their intense thoughts for a living, thinks you're intense?! And what does it ...
5 Music Videos Every Christian Needs to See
Remember what it was like to feel far from God? I was talking with a friend recently who described feeling like "something" was missing from his life. For some people it's a distant memory while for others it's a daily reality. The truth is, the further we get from the time we felt far from God, the easier it is to forget what it was like. Every once in a while a song comes out that immediately makes me remember. If you're a Christian, I hope the messages in these 5 songs will help you remember that everyday people are searching for.....something. ...
free thank you ecards- to thank your volunteers
In order to help thank your volunteers, I found 3 sites you can use to send them thank you ecards. All you have to do is tell them the person's name and e-mail address where you'd like to send the card and they'll do the rest. A little thanks goes a long way. Here's the best site I found: http://www.kisseo.com/ecard/thank-you This one has more animation: http://ecards.hallmarkcards.com.au/ecards/thank-you This one has a lot of options, including animation: http://www.123greetings.com/thank_you/everyday/
How Size Matters, Part 2: House Size
Our Groups are Too Small? A few years ago I was at conference talking about groups and the lead church proposed that larger groups, made up of 30-50 people, on mission together, could be more effective than smaller groups of 10-15. As they explained this idea, I agreed with a lot of the things they were saying but I knew we had a huge problem! The host church was situated in a more affluent part of the state with bigger houses that could fit 30-50 people. I live in an older area with a little smaller, post World War 2 ...
How Size Matters, Part 1: Group Size
Do Numbers Matter? Typically we say an ideal small group consists of 10-15 people. Less than that can sometimes feel awkward and more can feel overwhelming. But, what if the number doesn't matter at all? I believe there are two things that affect group health more than how many people attend on a weekly basis. Expectations I’ve had groups in the past where only a few people signed up and so had to help the group navigate through what to do. I realized what mattered most was people’s expectations of how many people “should” be in the group in order ...
Be The Fun You Want to Have
My boys helped me pass out fliers a few weeks ago, inviting people to our house for a cookout. Together we would walk up to someone’s door and knock. When they answered, my older son would say, “We’re having a get together at our house this Sunday,” and my younger son would finish, “…and you're invited,” then hand them a flier. I would follow up with a quick affirmation that what my kids said was true. My kids had a blast! But, there was one house on the corner near us whose owner answered our invite in the strangest way ...
7 Simple Questions to Begin a Small Group (with free download)
As we began our yearly preparations for small group to begin about a year ago, I began to feel bad about how many times I had to e-mail our leaders for their group info. It felt like I was bugging our leaders- which I never want to do. Finally, I decided to sit down and figure out all the info I needed so I could ask them in one easy step. After I received their info, I made a simple excel sheet to find out where there are holes and could easily follow up. As I'm working through this process ...
Video: Classic Jesus Video Parody
What was Jesus like? I've heard it said the biggest job of discipleship is to bring people to Jesus. Then Jesus can do His work in their life. The problem is many people have big misunderstandings about what Jesus was really like. These 4 classic Jesus parody videos play off those misunderstandings. They're meant to poke fun at misperceptions of what Jesus was like and not make fun of him in anyway. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQeFG6Q87uA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAb8qoXraGw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCTAgxsLE3Q https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hUaMahxXi8 What was Jesus really like? How would you describe Him based on the Bible?
Where to Find Small Group Study Material
If you're trying to figure out what your small group can study for the upcoming semester or year, check out the links/ideas below. Here are some specific links to try: Northpoint Community Church Small Group Studies Saddleback Church Small Group Studies Small Group Studies from Lifeway Smallgroups.com- seems to be some more options here Try these specific studies: The Daniel Plan A group in our church went through the Daniel Plan and liked it. It's a group based on exercise and eating right, so if people don't understand what they're getting into and aren't committed, they'll drop like flies. But, those who ...
Jack Bauer of the Bible- Part 2
24 has been one of my favorite t.v. shows over the last few years and if there's one dude in the Bible who resembles Jack Bauer- it's Elijah. His life plays out just like a summer blockbuster movie. If you think God did some cool stuff in the life of this one man in the first two weeks of this series- wait until you hear the final two weeks. Listen to the final two parts of our 4 week sermon series below to find out what happens next. This is a dude's dude! Epic (The Story of Elijah)- Week ...