What do you do as a leader when you want to see your group members grow and yet they seem reluctant, resistant, or even rancorous toward making a commitment to grow spiritually? I remember a conversation I had with Bob,...
Tag: God’s Sovereignty
Small Group Leaders
Does Commitment to a Group Depend on the Correct Chemistry? (Commitment and Small Groups Series #8)
I received a question on another site to the first post in this Commitment and Small Groups series. QUESTION: Just was reading about the group that got tattoos, wow! I wish that symbolism transferred to the heart. Discipleship is a...
Small Group Leaders
How and When to Launch a Small Group: The Role of the Holy Spirit, Prayer, Laundry Rooms, Swimming Pools, and Game Nights
Right after Heidi and I got married, we moved into a forty-unit apartment building. We wanted to start a small group to reach out to the people who lived there who did not have a relationship with God, but we...
Small Group Leaders
Your Small Group Can Be a Fireplace (but it’s not the fire)
Our country needs revival. Our churches need revival. And some believe small groups are the answer. They aren't. Small groups have no more chance of initiating revival than a fireplace has of starting a fire. No programs, methods, philosophies, or...
Leader's Heart-Overflow
How to Add More Candles to Your Cake (So You Can Become More Childlike)
It takes maturity to have childlike faith.This is a vital principle for the Christ follower. It's fundamental for a Christian leader. It's basic for discipling someone. This is Part 3 of a series in which I'm exploring one Bible verse: " bends...
Spiritual Life
A Daddy Who Stoops Down
A dad stops what he is doing to bend down and really listen to his child. It's not that the dad doesn't have other things on his mind; he certainly does. This dad is making a statement: My child is...
Spiritual Life
Pay Attention to the Obstacles in Your Life
God is constantly removing obstacles from our path or placing obstacles in our way. Both reveal his compassion and power in our lives. Psalm 114 describes in beautiful poetic imagery God's power on Israel's behalf as they came out of Egypt...
Spiritual Life
Big Buts in the Psalms: The Secret to Real Success
In my reading of the Psalms, I've encountered several huge buts. The psalmist usually begins the psalm with a lament about his current circumstances, how bad things are, how everything seems to be falling apart. And then the writer uses...
Spiritual Life
A Man Named Simon: What we can learn from this man about the bad circumstances of life and how God can make them Good
On this Good Friday, I decided to read Mark's account of what happened on that Friday when Jesus was sentenced, crucified, died, and buried. I'm not sure why, but today I was struck by one sentence, one verse, in this...
Leader's Heart-Overflow
Love & Hate
To be holy is to hate what is unholy. To love a holy God is to hate what is evil.You who love the Lord, hate evil! He protects the lives of his godly people and rescues them from the power...